wolfkeller wrote:
Ordered a bright red Thunderbird from Sweetwater on the 21st. They had to order from gibson. It got sent out today to me, should have it tomorrow. I'm pretty sure that goofy looking bridge will have to go
Congratulations! I just got home from Sam Ash with my new Black Bird. Some quick thoughts;
1. The function check and cursory inspection at the store was satisfactory. Neck volume pot didn't want to work at first, but some vigorous full- off/full-on-and-back action fixed that. If you're hoping for the coil-tapping feature of the last T-birds; sorry. Just the traditional pots and wiring in the control cavity. And a pinch of sawdust, which is now gone...
2. Speaking of the control cavity... I took some pictures, and will post them, but... I have to say that I've never seen such a flat-out
Nasty soldering job in my life. It's a Class-A misdemeanor to hand me a soldering iron, but even I could have done a better job (and have, actually). There's enough solder on the pots to wire up 5 or 6 instruments. But, everything
does work, so...
3. After reading your post, I took a really good look at this bridge. I have to say that, unless you're a rabid fan of the traditional 3-point bridge, you might want to reconsider. IMO, this is a
nice bridge. Easy string changes, and it doesn't want to fall off the bass; individual saddle height adjustment (
), and lots of intonation room. I haven't A/B'd them, but my initial impression is that this one has considerably more sustain than the 3-pointer on my other T-Bird. Not a big sustain fan myself, but some folks are... And, honestly, unless you look hard and closely (and know what you're looking at), it's kind of hard to tell the difference...
4. Overall, the fit and finish on this one is every bit as good as my '13 'Bird - which is flawless. Black is the most unforgiving finish on anything, and this 'Bird is like a mirror. No ripples; no flaws; just my undistorted, ugly mug looking back at me...
5. The factory case? Well, it meets the dictionary definition of an OHSC, but that's about all. IMO it's flimsier than the one my '13 'Bird came in - and it's no prize, either. Does look nicer, though, and the handle's nice, too..
Right now, it's sitting on a stand where it will acclimate to being in 'Vegas for the next month or so (and yes, it will be hard to leave it alone). After that, I'll have the fret sprout taken care of (very common here; my other 'Bird had 5 fret ends that needed touching up - the current low record), then put some Roto flats on it; set it up the way I like neck-thrus; and... away we go...
