Spector Thunderbird

[TBird1958]

Speaking of inexpensive - non Gibson Thunderbirds

The body looks a little thick, but I kinda still like it.............I have a warm spot for Ho's.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SPECTOR-NEW-LEGEND-4X-CUSTOM-1-OFF-BASS-FROM-GUITARS-FOR-THE-STARS/111143319123?_trksid=p2045573.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D17060%26meid%3D639482404515994922%26pid%3D100033%26prg%3D7917%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D121160764557%26#ht_0wt_0

[godofthunder]

It took me a remarkably long time to actually see a face in that finish! Yeah I like them ho's to Mark.

[Lightyear]

Not a finish - vinyl car wrap.  This is a semi - permanent deal.  This stuff is done on sticky back car wrap vinyl with an inkjet plotter.  This bass cost them about $2.00 in material - the plotter put them back 15 to 40K and took about 3 minutes to print.  A good installer would take about 20 minutes to install and trim it.  I have to hand to these guys for finding a secondary market for a fairly common technology.  The adhesive is fairly aggressive but I think on modern finish you'd be able to clean it off and be back to stock in about an hours time. 

If anyone wants to do this just save your image as a PDF and find any sign or graphic shop - bass sized piece should be less than $20.00.  I wouldn't stick this on a nitro finish but a modern poly would fair OK.

[TBird1958]

Good to know.........

I'd love to change my Greco into something more visually appealing than the stock 'burst.

[Lightyear]

Just think of it as high class contact paper.  Seriously, if you have something you like just figure out how big you need it have and have it printed.  You would trim the out line and roll it on from one side - the rest you could cut after the fact.

[godofthunder]

hmmmmmmmmmmm in my world contact paper is not a decorating option.

[Nocturnal]

On their Facebook page they show one with a Creature from the Black Lagoon movie poster as the top. I think that's pretty cool, but I've always loved those old Creature movies since I was a kid.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

Decaled or not, $700 for a low-end Korean Spector is way too much.

[Dave W]

If vinyl wrap makes it a "custom 1 off" then pretty soon anything with a decal will suddenly become a "custom" instrument.

[Highlander]

Does it make a difference to the tone...?

[Lightyear]

Does it make a difference to the tone...?

Certainly, if you use the old school, hard to procure, cellulose based vinyl from the fifties the sound would would be much better 

[Highlander]

[Kilgore] I love the smell of vinyl in the morning... [/Kilgore]

[Dave W]

Is this the same stuff Fender Japan used on those Foto Flame guitars years ago? That was some kind of vinyl wrap with a photo image of flame maple on it.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

Foto Flame was much thinner than this stuff. It had an almost water decal-like thickness and texture.

[Rob]

Foto Flame was much thinner than this stuff. It had an almost water decal-like thickness and texture.

It was almost like the mfd covered console stereos in the 60's