Epiphone Thunderbird - Vintage Makeover / Upgrade

stiles72 · March 10, 2011, 06:32:09 PM

A while back I came across a stupid good deal on an "Limited Edition/Custom Shop" Epiphone Thunderbird at Music Go Round. I wasn't looking to buy it, but the store made me a package offer along with a vintage Ampeg Portaflex that I was going to buy anyway. I normally don't care for Epi birds, but this one sounded really good unplugged- so I figured what the heck. I later on figured out that this one has a mahogany body like the Goths, Silverburst, and Blackbirds. Factory fluke? No clue - but it was a nice bonus.

Since it was already finished in Pelham Blue - I decided to give it a "vintage makeover" of sorts and dress it up in '64 Thunderbird sort of vibe. Some things like the three point bridge and silver logo on the TRC aren't 60's specs, but the overall impression I wanted was that of a bass from the '60's. I will definitely be taking this one out with my oldies project, running it through a B-15!

Here's a list of the upgrades/changes:

Hipshot Ultralite tuners
Gibson TRC
Bone nut
Gibson silver top knobs
Silver jack nut
Schaller straplocks in off center positions
Chrome bridge
Repro handrest and bridge cover
Foam mute
Vintage Gibson finger rest
Silver pickguard screws
Tone pot wired to work on neck pickup only
Mike Lull bridge pickup & ring
500K CTS pot on bridge pickup
DR Black Beauties

For now I'm calling the project complete. I may be upgrading the pickguard to a more correct Gibson style, and I've also thought of adding a 60's style tail piece behind the three point bridge (like the Greco Thunderbirds). Other than that, she's done - and I'll be taking her to the gig this weekend!

Before:

After:

godofthunder · March 10, 2011, 07:00:55 PM

Looks Great! Whats wrong with the pg that's on the bass ?

TBird1958 · March 10, 2011, 07:01:34 PM

Looks pretty damm good Clint!

With a Lull pup, probably the best sounding Epi ever

Nocturnal · March 10, 2011, 08:13:30 PM

That looks great!!

stiles72 · March 10, 2011, 08:20:42 PM

@ Scott - The pick guard really isn't that bad and I'm OK leaving it for now since the silver screws helped "de-Epiphone" it a bit. But it is considerably thicker than the Gibson, and the stock holes require the bigger screws. Also, since the bird sits a little more centered instead of closer to the lower horn, it makes you position the finger rest down towards the pickup further. That's all just nit picking, but eventually I'll want to swap it out.

@ Mark - quite possibly, and it should! Sad to say but the pickup cost almost twice what the whole bass did! LOL

Aussie Mark · March 10, 2011, 09:11:10 PM

So, the stock Epi neck pickup is still there, hidden under the ashtray? Curious why you put the Lull at the bridge rather than in the sweet spot?

Stjofön Big · March 11, 2011, 04:21:18 AM

Returning with my standing question: Where did you get hold of that neck pup cover? I need at least three of them... And that bass, it looks great! Good luck with your search for a new pickguard, I completely understand your needs.

PhilT · March 11, 2011, 06:05:55 AM

Quote from: Stjofön Big on March 11, 2011, 04:21:18 AM
Returning with my standing question: Where did you get hold of that neck pup cover? I need at least three of them... And that bass, it looks great! Good luck with your search for a new pickguard, I completely understand your needs.

+1 on hardware sources.

Chrome goes much better with that colour. Before looks dull by comparison.

PhilT · March 11, 2011, 06:51:00 AM

Another question - are all these LE colours Made in Korea like the Arctic White ones? Or just the std Epi with different paint? (I was going to say lipstick on a pig, but that's a bit cruel).

Denis · March 11, 2011, 07:06:07 AM

That looks great!
For a time Epiphone Korea offered metallic blue T-birds like this one, metallic red ones and I think white ones (don't know if it was metallic or not). Seen a few of these blue ones on eBay but they go quickly. Only seen one or two red ones. If I remember correctly they sometimes have a Epiphone Custom Shop sticker on the back of the headstock, but I think that means only that they are set up by the Gibson Custom Shop.

stiles72 · March 11, 2011, 07:48:02 AM

Quote from: Aussie Mark on March 10, 2011, 09:11:10 PM
So, the stock Epi neck pickup is still there, hidden under the ashtray? Curious why you put the Lull at the bridge rather than in the sweet spot?

Yes, the stock Epi pup is hidden under the handrest, and I kept it there for a couple of reasosns. First, I couldn't justify spending an extra $300 on a second Lull that no one would ever see beneath the handrest. Second, I actually really like the neck Epi pup with the tone rolled all the way off. It has very strong output, and is pretty dark - which I like. It's almost spot on to my v/v/t/t modded Gibson Blackbird bass which is also hotter and darker than my Thunderbird IV and Studio bass. I rewired the tone pot in the Epi so that it only works on the neck pickup leaving the bridge unaffected. That way, I can can combine deep thump from the neck with solid definiton from the bridge for a nicely balanced sound. The Lull is a pretty hot pickup itself, and is clear - but not clanky or overly crisp. I was worried about that, but am very pleased with the result.

stiles72 · March 11, 2011, 07:50:55 AM

Quote from: Stjofön Big on March 11, 2011, 04:21:18 AM
Returning with my standing question: Where did you get hold of that neck pup cover? I need at least three of them... And that bass, it looks great! Good luck with your search for a new pickguard, I completely understand your needs.

I got the covers off Ebay. My brother in law works at a metal shop, and is going to take a stab at making some for me as well since these are sized for a Gibson, which has a narrower raised section than the Epi and don't quite fit right.

stiles72 · March 11, 2011, 08:20:49 AM

Quote from: PhilT on March 11, 2011, 06:51:00 AM
Another question - are all these LE colours Made in Korea like the Arctic White ones? Or just the std Epi with different paint? (I was going to say lipstick on a pig, but that's a bit cruel).

All of the LE ones I've seen - red, white, blue, and black were Korean and have the "Custom Shop" logo silk screened on the back of the headstock. I will say (and this may be psychosomatic) that this bass sounds and feels different than other standard Epi Thunderbird IV's I've played. The neck is wider than a Gibson, but it's manageable like a P-bass. I've played some standard Epis that were super wide and didn't feel anywhere near as friendly as this one. The finish also appears to be a step above as well. The pictures don't do it justice, but I would put the finish on par with the Japanese SR-800 Ibanez basses. Very slick, with nice tape lines and overall attention to detail. The body wood is also different than standard Epiphones. It's a dark reddish brown color- and I'm going to go out on a limb and loosely call it "Mahogany" (Asian /Phillipino Mahogany or whatever it's called). It's defintely not the light venered stuff in the sunburst models:

(From another forum)

Screw hole dust/shavings:

iamthatguy32 · March 11, 2011, 09:26:04 AM

Quote from: stiles72 on March 11, 2011, 07:50:55 AM
I got the covers off Ebay. My brother in law works at a metal shop, and is going to take a stab at making some for me as well since these are sized for a Gibson, which has a narrower raised section than the Epi and don't quite fit right.

I've been watching ebay like a hawk for months and haven't seen a single neck cover go on sale except for one that came as a set with the bridge cover off a '64, and it was from the UK with no international shipping, and really overpriced. How you guys keep finding these is beyond me. We really need someone to start making these, I mean, you can buy the bridge cover for $15 from a few places... why not the neck?

uwe · March 11, 2011, 11:45:21 AM

Well-done alright!