The Bicentennial is here!

[PWV]

Picked this up today off of Craig's List - 76 Refin Tbird.   Doesn't have the Original case, but everything else seems there.  The original pots and knobs are in the case and the chrome looks great!   The owner did take care of it since 1982, and I have a good feeling about the purchase.  Now I'm back in the TBird club -woohoo!  It sounds great.

Now the questions - I plan on taking it up to Mike Lull who does amazing setup/restore work...pls feel free to offer comments, this is my mini-project for awhile:

1) The refin on here is faded in quite a few places, and the serial number decal is long gone from the headstock.  So I feel ok about pursuing another refin - should I go for an "authentic" Gibson-looking WHite or SB?  Or should I follow my heart, and go for a one of a kind bling-bling surf color?  Ala Sonic Blue, Seafoam Green, Coral pink, etc?

2) Seems like this original knob placement leads to the neck dive.  The newer birds have a strap knob on the back, not the wing.  Should I ask Mike to correct the strap button placement?

3) I'm going to have him Plek it - anything I should be aware of?

4) Where I can get a Thunderbird case?  Right now its in an Epiphone hardshell.








Think it needs a new nut too:




Thoughts, opinions, suggestions, welcome!

[TBird1958]

Hey Dave,

Sorry I couldn't go with you to look at this.........Ze Fraulein had an excessivly chromey photo session!
Its cool that this bass has some History behind it, after you told me that it was Steve Fossen's I recalled a picture of him with this very instrument in one of Seattle's papers. Anyway, FWIW paint it ANYTHING but a standard Gibson finish....... Personally I think it'd be fantastic in orange metallic. Have Mike put a third strap button at the heel (where it belongs) If you need to you borrow one of my correctly wired 'Birds to take with you to Mike's so he can use the right pots and wiring scheme just let me know. Welcome back into the fold!   

And for an out of context quote....." Think it needs a new nut too"..... Don't we all?

[Nocturnal]

Not sure what color to recommend, but I agree with the Fraulien. No standard Gibson color, or at least not a typical sunburst. Uwe recently posted a pic of his purple-burst T-bird, now thats thinking outside the box! Also, Mark went with green & purple metalic on a couple of his & those are great! If I ever rehab a Bird I think I'd go with graphite gray, or gun metal gray, something along those lines.

Did anyone here buy that red sparkle 76 Bird that was on Ebay around Christmas time? I wanted that one bad for some reason.

[TBird1958]

 "Did anyone here buy that red sparkle 76 Bird that was on Ebay around Christmas time? I wanted that one bad for some reason.'

  It looked like a 3 block paint job tho...........Good from 3 blocks away. I looked pretty close at it actually, had a Bad**s bridge and for some reason the tuners had been replaced. Still the Red was a pretty color, you're right about that.

[Dave W]

Congratulations!

I'm not one for surf-y colors, but Seafoam Green would look good for that kind of look. If it were mine, I'd stick with charcoal or black.

I have a pic somewhere of a Seafoam Green Bicentennial Bird once owned by Tom Petersson, then Evan Sheeley, then Steve Barr -- can't remember who owns it now. If you're interested, I'll try to find it.

[chromium]

Congrats!

I like the surf colors, although that blue ice metallic color that is on there looks pretty cool to me too. 

[Barklessdog]

The Dude had a seafoam or Surf green one that looked amazing.

That's what I would pick

[doombass]

1. Follow your heart. You might not want to rush things though. I have a white semi beat up body refin one with odd holes behind the bridge which I immediately after purchase decided I'd refinish. It took a while before I aquired paint etc. When it was time for refin I'd grown to love it as is. Just one of those things....I like the finish on yours.



2. What Fräulein said. Move it!

3. I've only heard good things about the Plek process but have no experience myself. It seems important that you know exactly what setup you prefer since the Plek is made to optimize the frets for a specific neck setup and string height.

4. If you think the Epi case not being adequate you should be able to get a Gibson case from any Gibson dealer if they have'nt skipped selling cases as they did with other bass parts.

Also, like Fräulein said, check the wiring. My Whitey was wired in parallell and that was no good. It could have been the pickup setup but when both volumes were on 10 it had a thin sound to it. I wired it in series like it was from the factory and it sounds better than my Sunburst '76.

[Lightyear]

Great score!

As for the refin - it's yours - do what you want!  I've alwyas been partial to the surf colors and really like daphne blue and sonic blue myself.

I'm not sure about the Plek treatment - never palyed anything that it was done to.  But it looks like the frets are a bit low and perhaps worn - I would think that a refret, with a fret board leveling, would do wonders for your new baby - at the very least a fret leveling.

[godofthunder]

 That red sparkle had a finish like a topographic map ! I was tempted but it looked sooooooooooooo bad, the color was cool but the execution sucked. That is a nice bass you snagged ! Pelham Blue, Inverness green all cool colors, I like Polaris white myself. The more I look at it I like it as is. Shinny basses make me nervous.

[OldManC]

Wow. Great score. I'm jealous! 

[TBird1958]

 "I have a pic somewhere of a Seafoam Green Bicentennial Bird once owned by Tom Petersson, then Evan Sheeley, then Steve Barr -- can't remember who owns it now. If you're interested, I'll try to find it."

You know Evan is just one of the coolest most genuine guys you'd ever hope to meet, even tho Bass NW is just 20 mins. from me I don't make it there that often. Evan always remembers who I am, (I guess the Green 'Bird helps!) but he's alawys got some time to chat and I remember him telling me how he took the pickguard off of that Seafoam 'Bird and sent it UPS Overnight to Tom, who autographed it and sent it back........Evan is class, pure class!  Find us a pic Dave!   
In most ways that Epi case is way better than the original, I wouldn't sweat that too much, I don't care for '76 cases at all. I keep telling you (jokingly) to get a Subaru Outback.....you'll never have any trouble getting you and your gear anywhere, I had all 5 of mine plus 2 suitcases with me at yesterday's photoshoot...with room to spare 





Evan shot this pic for me one day, he loves Thunderbirds, at one point while playing with TKO he had 6, and took no end of pleasure in lining them all up onstage.




       

[PWV]

1. Follow your heart. You might not want to rush things though. I have a white semi beat up body refin one with odd holes behind the bridge which I immediately after purchase decided I'd refinish. It took a while before I aquired paint etc. When it was time for refin I'd grown to love it as is. Just one of those things....I like the finish on yours.

Yes - I'm going to slow down a little here.  Really slammin' this weekend, can't believe I did this too. But I could live with this refin/finish too for awhile - more important to get neck setup and cleaned up in the short term.  The chrome pup's are in great shape and sound great so that's a plus...

and yes Mark, and Epi case will get me by for awhile too.   I'm really trying to focus on getting a White modern Bird set up the way I had one a few months ago.  Everything about it was perfect... this just happened to pop up on Craig's list, the wife was out of town,  aiiiieee - how many stories start out this way?   

[OldManC]

There ya go...

[PWV]

There ya go...

That's what I'm talking about!  That's what SFG should look like....