Jean-Luc Pickguard

The headstock on the thunderbird vintage pro is a good bit longer than other thunderbirds I've owned. The tuners on Bigthumb's Precision are Hipshot HB2s https://hipshotproducts.com/collections/bass-tuning/products/hb2-bass-tuning-machine I have a set with lollipop paddles on the fretless bitzer precision I built. The HB7s have a smaller plate and are the ones made to fit on Mexican Fenders.

This is the 60s-style Gotoh non-reverse GB640 res-o-lite set on one of my thunderbirds. I used to have an MIJ 62 reissue precision - it always seemed a bit strange to me that it was fitted with 70s style tuners rather than ones that looked like these.

I wonder who that used to belong to...

Take your Bronco to someone who can show you how to set it up, or have a look at this:

The tuners bigthumb want to remove are the type you want Pirellithecat - maybe you can do a deal? Bigthumb, you will need to drill extra holes to go from 70s to 60s style tuners as the holes aren't the same place on both. Also the pure vintage and others made on the same way have folded over tabs on the back which will prevent the tuners fitting flush to the back of the headstock unless you make shallow holes/dimples to accomodate them. For 60s style tuners I'm a big fan of Gotoh GB640 res-o-lites - I have fitted these to both of my Epiphone Vintage Pro Thunderbirds where they look fantastic. Although they are more expensive than most, these are lightweight and flat on the back of the plate. Unlike other 60s-style tuners they are available in non-reverse wind and reverse wind versions - I use the non-reverse version so they work like the tuners on my other basses.

upright - Willie Dixon Electric - Duck Dunn

Looks like its been played by Edward Scissorhands and his cousins Charlie Chiselfingers & Harry Hammerthumb

I've used Thomastik JF 324 flats on my CIJ mustang which were a perfect fit

Something much like a precision, but a little shorter and a lot cooler. In other words Leo's greatest creation - the mighty mustang bass.

or possibly one of these http://www.basscentre.com/british-bass-masters/the-bass-centre-lizzy-bass.html

I would guess that the tremoloish sound is possibly due to the magnetic pull on the strings - lowering the pickups into the body might help with that

I dropped a bass once. That was the last time I trusted blummin' schaller strap locks.

It looks to me as if several design decisions were made not for practical or aestheic reasons, but to be different. Nothing wrong with that if it floats your boat, but not for me.

That's £143 inc delivery new from Gear4Music with a full retail warranty or £331.50 with a load of unnecesary bodging/vandalism applied.

I've never seen a knotty pine neck & fingerboard before

Judging by the look of these, this young builder is perhaps exhibiting the same Dunning-Kruger effect as a certain guitar improver who is not to be named (unless in biro on a headstock) if he thinks these are £300 instruments.

If it was me I would cancel that visit as it is possible to have the virus and be contagious for a week before showing any symptoms.

There's no option for 'no' - which would the way I would vote.

That explains whos been nicking all the pallets from the back of Tescos

I had one of these. Mine was made in 1990 and had the serial number in gold below the 'made in Japan' as shown, but it had a plain neck plate without the lettering. The one shown has non-original pickguard, bridge, pickup and knobs.

MP3 music purchased through amazon is DRM free, and you can rip your own CDs to MP3 easily

or into a skip

The material used to make the fingerboard of my thunderbird vintage pros is listed in different sources by as being either rosewood or blackwood tec depending where you look. I have no idea which was actually used, the basses sound and feel great and the fingerboards certainly have the appearance of rosewood and whether they are real rosewood or pinus radiata which has been processed and compressed doesn't matter to me. I don't own any 'coffee table' basses, about half of my basses (& guitars) are solid colours and the rest are sunburst apart from the plain clear finish on a couple of telecasters and transparent red on another guitar. I would prefer a nice looking piece of plain-old mahogany, swamp ash or alder over something fancy and exotic. I think different woods *can* make a bass sound different, but not necessarily better or worse, and other factors such as the construction methods (bolt-on, glued-in, or thru neck), bridge type, pickups and strings can all make more of a difference, and of course the same instrument can sound very different in the hands of different players. My candy-apple red squier SS jag (with EMGs & hi-mass bridge) sounds as good as any of my more expensive basses - and that has a humble agathis body.

No good for my '81 Fraxinus americana/biltmore white ash precision bass then