NancyJohnson

I fecking love Dean Cabbies.
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I'm presently running a few Gibson Thunderbirds (see Gibson porn thread elsewhere). I'd concur with an a earlier poster and say that if you go for a Gibson or an Epiphone, seriously consider upgrading the bridge to a Hipshot Supertone from the outset. The Gibson three-pointer is just awful. When buying, look for headstock breaks; the neck profile at the nut is barely the size of a small tangerine.

I've tried a couple of the new Epiphone models; I didn't particularly like the colours...the white was too bright (the Gibson white is more creamy/offwhite) and the sunburst is too orangey. Don't be swayed by the image on the Epiphone website either; it's just a doctored version of the one that's been on the Gibson website for years. If you went with a new Epiphone, be prepared for some tweaking too; the store setups I tried were horrendous. The Epiphone neck was a bit fatter and the bottom cutaway is different to the Gibson...it just has a different scoop on it. Setups aside, it sounded OK, but I was just pushing it through a little amp at a local branch of Dawsons, rather than my regular setup.

One thing I would definitely say is to consider the price of a new Epiphone against that of a used Gibson. I recently picked up a 2008 Gibson in vintage sunburst for £700.00 including the case. It had a tiny ding on the end of the headstock, but otherwise it was minty fresh. A new Epiphone is around half that and it's likely the Gibson will hold that price if you decide to sell it.

Aside from the reverse model, you could look at non-reverse models. I will admit mine was a dog and I've had too do a ton of work to it to get it up to speed, but it's fine now.

If you've got any other questions, post here or shoot me a PM. No idea where you're at, but if you're local (Reading), feel free to pop over and have a noodle.
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Here's mine. They have names (and why not?) in order of purchase - L-R; Alan, Tin-Tin, Scott, Gordon, Virgil (the interloper) & John.
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[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1385764475' post='2292102']
AFAIK all non reverse T Birds are a set neck and no center block?
[/quote]

You are correct, sir. Just for perspective, the current Gibson NRs have no forearm chamfer and the tiniest/shallowest of belly-cut...maybe 5cm at its widest point.
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Any updates? I bought another Thunderbird and have done the usual upgrades - I was thinking about this project when I was swapping out the strap lugs.
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Individual Cheese Portions.

It's a winner.
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Take them off the strap, small blob of Vaseline between the rear washer and front fixing, reassemble. I find the leather on Levy's straps to be a little thick for the Straploks, so a little bit of greasy stuff stops them rubbing togther.

Otherwise, try a mousetrap
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I concur that they're my choice of string now...a bit staggered that I got a set on Amazon UK last month for £27.00 and now they're £36.00.

Ten words or less? 'Amazed how good they are; six months in, still zingy.'
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After two years, my band find ourselves drummerless. We play pop/punk stuff - original material that leans towards Alkaline Trio/Weezer. There's plenty of audio up on www.nancyjohnson.co.uk. Given the age of the remaining three members, it would probably suit someone 35/40+.

We are aligned with a small punk label called Punkalicious Recordings and are reasonably well ingratiated with promoters in Reading/Newbury/Basingstoke. We're looking to jam weekly/fortnightly, gig once or twice a month.

If you know anyone who might fill the seat, please let me know.

Cheers
Paul

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1384686070' post='2279378']
Here you go..


[/quote]

wood.
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There's a guy called Scott Dasson in the US who makes a two part bridge for Thunderbirds (the Badbird). Tom Petersson (Cheap Trick) uses them on his TBs. I'm not sure the expense over a Bach bridge is worth the fuss, but here's his FB if you're interested:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Badbird-Bridge/166569760043127

Make sure plenty of pics get posted of this project! I'll be watching VERY closely

Cheers
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I understand that considerable pressure had been put on Gibson to reissue the NR Thunderbird and (obviously!) Gibson were having none of it, so a few members of an US bass group approached Bach to build a limited quantity of NRs to original specs (it's pointless saying '60s specs as they were only produced for a short time in the 1960s). I think there's been three different runs, slab bodies, tummy/arm-cut bodies, single/two pick up versions. If you search around, you'll see nothing but positives from people who've bought them. There have been quite a few customisation jobs...you'll find plenty of data online.

To move this along, it is a bit of a victory for the small man...rumour is that Gibson wised up and off the back of the Bach runs, finally pulled their finger out and re-issued the NR earlier this year (I've got a vintage sunburst Gibson one...you can read my early traumas with it elsewhere on Basschat), so hurrah to Bach.

I looked at buying one of these blanks earlier in the year, but as my carpentry skills are borderline non-existent, I just couldn't pull the trigger, along it has to be said, I'm still thinking about tracking down one of the originals at some stage.

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Do you know the backstory on the Bachs?
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Blimey...long time since I've seen one of those. My first bass was one of these, but in creamy off white. I borrowed £30.00 from my dad to buy it.
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Can we just lose the 'this is the first time I've ever heard them' and how it's 'dull and boring' stuff please! This video is hardly blummin' representative of their body of work!!
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Concerning NIN, the new album [b]is[/b] very safe. I suppose as a consequence of the aforementioned [i]asshattery [/i](great word BTW).

For the casual listener, there's no pertinent start point; it ebbs and flows and it's all pretty similar. I've been a fan since 1989/90 and it was hard work to become a fan; they were a very hard band to get into considering I was coming from music-pool of Living Colour, Janes Addiction, Soul Asylum and Live...I still find some of the stuff unlistenable to a degree.

My drummer is in a covers band...not my bag particularly, but well, there you are. They have a percussionist who plays with them called Joe Beckett who's play with some very big bands (incl. Weller/Numan etc.) I can put you in touch if you're interested.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3GY6wtlkJ0

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1383958722' post='2271414']
Yes.

Once upon a time there was a handsome Prince of Slough. Full of pride he was with his custom built La Cabronita P bass. One merry morn he verily and forsooth decided to f*** about with it on the kitchen table.
Upon his fiddling he'd neglected to regard a steel ruler in the cupboardington above his mighty feasting table. Whilst on a quest for beeswax or some other such nonsense yon verily ruler made a hasty escape from lofty shelf and yea verily did fall and twat the back of the Princes matte blacken nitro P body, delivering it an indelible blow.

And yea did the Prince rail at the Gods for the misfortune dealt upon him..

'For f***s sake, I've only had the **** a week and I've dinged the bastard already!'

And they all lived happily ever after.
[/quote]

Genius. Wouldn't it be a thing if it was compulsory to talk like this, innit.
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Just found this clip posted earlier today, Nine Inch Nails with Pino Palladino on bass. I'm probably not the only long time NIN fan who finds themselves [i]compromised [/i]here and is asking the question, 'Aww, Trent. Why?' Personally, I would have preferred to have seen some unknown kid with decent chops rather than - with all due respect - a jack of all trades jobbing bass player.

Disappointed
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[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLfMd70xYNQ[/media]

OK...I'm a week or two in.

Yeah, I'd say I'm pretty happy with it, BUT not 100% sold on it yet. It's got a great variety of tones from clean honk through warm fuzz to super dirt; I've had a couple of jams with it and am doing a small gig on Thursday. I played with a super loud drummer on Sunday and (much as I love the BDDI), I felt this was the first time in a long while that I'd actually owned my frequency...I could hear everything with remarkable clarity/wump and it requires very little fettling to get your desired tone. Tonally I've kept the bass and treble controls flattish, but dailling up the mids is pretty outstanding. Whilst the BDDI was the mainstay of my sound for a few years, I won't be getting shot of it until such a time as I land an RBI. (FYI I'm running a variety of Thunderbirds and I run the unit into the effects return on an Ashdown ABM EVO III).

How different is the VT to a BDDI/RBI? I guess (for me) the BDDI delivered a great Geddy Lee/Chris Squire style tone out of the box. The VT Bass is more Stone Temple Pilots/Pearl Jam...phat, warm, fuzzy, controlled. It's all subjective I suppose. I like both!

Paul

I've got a Primary...I've seen Primary/Precise Precisions and Jazz copies. I'd like to know more about it really. It was in a pretty shocking state when I got it, body, neck, plate and machines (Schaller) were sound, I fitted new everything else.
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[quote name='steve-soar' timestamp='1383439664' post='2264583']
Superb. Built the right way round, but that headstock...
[/quote]

First, I salute your wood working skills; I barely have the capacity to make shelves.

I don't know whether Steve's comment echoes my feeling when I saw the headstock design for the first time, that it was just a bit, umm, [i]understated[/i]? I don't know...you have a really quite beautiful body built there in a kind of offset EB/SG style, but as I was reading the thread (literally ten minutes ago) in my minds eye, I just got this vision of the headstock being something squarer and offset, like a Reverend/ESP.
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Not sure whether I can bump this, but am open to sensible offers.

It's currently strung as BEAD, rock solid.
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Answers.
1) - Unaffected. It's just uncoloured throughput.
2) - When you plug into the front, it overrides the back input.
3) - I used to have a Landmark head and left the mid at the 12 o'clock position or less. Personal taste.

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The VT Bass is a different monster to the BDDI, I like both, but at the moment the BDDI [i]slightly [/i]edges it. Peas and carrots. I can get a similar clank out of the VT Bass, but with the BDDI it's just easier.

I was going to move the BDDI on, but I will be keeping it for a bit of variety. I might actually buy an RBI at some stage and just swap them over once in while.
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