Another Epiphone T Bird Bass Guitar

[@anakrony]

I know this is way after the fact but in case you run into one of these bass guitars I thought I'd let you know. I have this exact same Thunderbird Bass and it had the exact same humming problem. In order to fix it I had to hook the red cables from the pickups to the red (positive) cable of the battery. This active pickup configuration is the same as the Duncan Designed Baseline pickups. I spent a LOT of time figuring out this problem, and I wrote an extensive article on the Gibson forums here: forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/62347-thunderbird-pro-wiring-diagram/

[@matthewkear1]

Anakrony, thanks for posting the wiring info! I just pickup up one of these and, luckily, the electronics are fine. But it's very nice of you to post the wiring diagram!

[@oatmeal710]

"18 and 12 = 40" -Dave, 2016

[@eshepley]

Feeling really self conscious. I own this guitar and the famous Geddy Jazz! You’re lucky I live in Denver! Admittedly, my guitar tech basically rewired my T Bird when I first purchased. Said the wiring was “less than stellar”.

[@DeadKoby]

As always, thanks for your contribution to the world of guitar owners.

[@DriveCarToBar]

The funny thing is the Epi T-Birds with the Gibson USA pickups, actually sound really good. Whatever Chinese preamp they used, sucks and isn't wired correctly. If I had one to work on, I'd suggest one of three things to a customer. 1. Ditch the Chinese electronics and buy a good preamp. Something from Aguilar or Darkglass. 2. Swap the pickups for some Lace Alumitone Bass Bars. Get the Stealth Bass Bars if you don't like the look of the standard ones. You might have to replace pots though depending on what's there. 3. Rip the pots and preamp out. Replace with appropriate sized pots (if needed-I couldn't see what the values on these were) for a passive setup and run the bass passive.

[@jeffhebert9643]

Happy Canada day Dave....sunny and 29 Celsius here in Halifax .

[@DriveCarToBar]

Hey Davey, quick test to see if a preamp is picking up RF noise is to cover the thing with an anti-static bag. They act as a Faraday cage of sorts. It won't shield anything too powerful, but if it gets quieter, you know you've found your horse.

[@wilsmtt]

"We've got a catastrophe on our hands." Yep. Well said, Dave.

[@gregg4164]

Yes , this appears to be a common problem with this model. mine has a brass nut also and it's first fret action is the same as both the models you worked on. I'm going to need to file mine down also.

[@kenrandall4494]

Another great job

[@sclogse1]

I would look at the noise the same way I'd look at a guitar with a three way. I'd check for bad cold solders, and actually see whether or not the pots are really connected correctly to the ground.

[@WILLIAMSESSIONS9305]

Thanks Dave. Your videos are the best!! Thank you!!

[@andrewgonzales8155]

My T-Bird makes the same buzzing noise. The noise goes away when I turn off any lights controlled by a dimmer.

[@gunston999]

Does the Epiphone thunderbird come out the factory with such a high action ?

[@vincewright4207]

Thanks for this one Dave. I have one of these and it plays much better after following your settings. No humming on mine so perhaps they have fixed that problem in the factory.

[@888Marco]

DAVE! Regards from Germany

[@alext9067]

Got it. Thanks Dave.

[@kempes.]

Hello Dave, I've bought one of these in 2010 or 2011. I was young and I thought it was beautiful. When it came to me I've noticed that it has a little lacquer/varnish loss in the back of the neck and wood pattern on front of mahogany body was strange. It looked like it was dirty. Funny, but the setup was okay, maybe someone corrected it in the store. I've decided to exchange it to another, but the store made a mistake and send me 5 string version. After all this sh*t I've decided to return it, get my money back and buy Precision Bass '57 reissue. Cheers!

[@rmccain99]

You are in Canada ! Wow ! I thought I could ship my bass too you .

[@frankazack6701]

I bought a bass a few days ago with white neons.. I found them to be a bit on the dull side

[@sclogse1]

I wonder if Dave has a video that's about how he got into this. And out of something else..and if he did or does work in visual effects, what he knew about the show Reboot.

[@stanshemi]

I had one of these for about a week mine was set up way better than that one but the buzzing drove me nuts. traded mine in for one of the passive ones with bolt on necks they sound better and no buzzing and $300 cheaper not sure if their out of the same factory? Happy Canada day and keep making awesome videos .

[@jwn741]

i've seen that same kind of chatter from bad/cheap pots too

[@johnsimms3957]

Good job.

[@halcyondraconis7437]

This is really making me reconsider getting one of these... I love the look but if the build quality is that poor then I'd rather save up more money and get the actual Gibson version. And those are the strings I use too, DR Black Beauties.

[@iltonwhite]

I tried one of these not long after they first came out when I was looking for a back up bass for my Gibson, I didn't like it. In 2012 I bought one of the newer Epiphone Classic Pro T-birds, and to be honest, I find no big difference between it and my Gibson. If the Epi Classic was around before I bought my Gibson, I'd have saved £900. If you like the T-bird shape, try out the Classic Pro.

[@Sphynx76]

I hadthe 5 string bass version once, had to swap all the electronics straight out of the box.

[@dlapp14]

Deluxe feeler gauge from princess auto?

[@woodyh4650]

Only in Canada. Wearing a jacket on July 1st. Haha. As always Dave, really dig the vids.

[@woodyh4650]

+Dave's World of Fun Stuff Wow!

[@ian-c.01]

We're having the same weather in NW England and the forecast is more of the same ! We're all suffering with colds and flu and about 1/3 of the people from my office are off sick ! We just have to grin and bear it while watching other people having a good time in KZbin land !

[@ryan_riffs]

Emg setups from the factory aren't typically grounded to the bridge. The few I've had anyway. always kind of a pain when I want to switch out for passive.

[@ryan_riffs]

ohh gotcha.. I thought the circuitry was the same.

[@FixxxerKH202]

Yeah daves right on this, all the actives don't receive a bridge ground. Just the passives. I've swapped out a few passive emgs for actives and always found this. Always regretted swapping to actives as well, the emg passives for regular 6 string guitars sound much better than the actives.

[@Kyle072585]

@6:56 Dave teaches us math lol....must have been one of those days

[@piewacket]

I’ve got the same bass, didn’t have eny issues like this wow “

[@buddybusker3483]

epiphones always need rework! when u get the all adjusted they are nice axes!

[@Desertwolf426]

what year is this tbird Dave? I have one in the sunburnt finish and the electronics are quiet, and all the hardware was good and tight. I did check the control cavity on mine and mine has shielding paint in it. this didn't seem to. my Gibby tbird was stolen and I had to make do with the Epi for now, but honestly the Notre I play mine the more I love it. mines a keeper. oh year mines a 2015

[@Desertwolf426]

Lol sorry about the auto correct mistakes

[@egnbigdave]

The TBird Pros all had brass nuts out of the factory Dave - I had one.

[@kabaret3]

i have classic pro and it had plastic nut

[@egnbigdave]

+Bartek Kaczyński the Tbird Pro was the model before the Classic Pro - different bass

[@brianrussell1565]

Did someone change the tailpiece? Mine is the other style

[@robwillox7033]

Could i ask what you used for neck relief and string height?

[@stevehogan8829]

Dave, not being a dick, would shielding possibly have removed that hum or was it a ground issue, maybe from a pot? Thanks just trying to learn. Appreciate you vids.

[@skhowey]

Dave, can you share the specs you used? ie. neck relief, 1st fret action etc? Thanks in advance.

[@viperking6635]

Are you Canadian Dave? If so which province?

[@timlyons8994]

Thank for your videos I have one of these basses and set it up and cleaned up just like you did and it plays better then ever mine also had a gootched nut that had to be fixed so again thank you and I'm going to try and donate to the thing you have been talking about I'm not really into this online things like that

[@MrLiquerub]

i was thinking of buying one of these, good thing i saw this vid, is the gibson thunderbird much better?

[@darthjarjarbinks8953]

The $700 Epiphone is the Gibson save for the headstock logo (which could be changed) and the wood. Everything is the same except the wood on then Gibson is 9-ply whereas the Epi is only 7-ply wood. It doesn’t really affect anything though.

[@BorysPomianek]

Dave, did you work on The Expanse? That be some very decent TV - any stories? I wish for some stories :3

[@BorysPomianek]

***** Neat!

[@autocrow]

You could use a noise suppressor stomp box, like the Boss NS-2 with that bass. I believe that would keep the annoying hum from being heard.

[@matturner6890]

That's a band aid, though. Redoing the wiring would work better.

[@canadianrushfan12]

So much for quality control

[@jorgesanchez2724]

how can clean this kind of finish on the wood.... i have the same bass

[@jorgesanchez2724]

Ok thanks bro!

[@judithgraeff998]

It's called Pro, because a pro will need to set it up for you!!

[@tomaaugro5124]

Dave how do you lower the string action on these things ? It's got three screws adjustment for intonation that's it

[@tomaaugro5124]

Worked it out 👌🏼

[@amilcarantunes1579]

how? pls tell me

[@dennisoleary4764]

Dave, hope all is well. I miss your movies man.

[@EmbelekoBand]

Cool video. A couple of days after the first video on this bass I stopped by Guitar Center and they had a used one for $249.99. I didn't purchase it, and don't regret it. LOL. BTW good luck with the patreon goal of $5,000.00 a month. Just read it on the Facebook post you shared. Hey, $257.82 a month so far isn't bad. Hope it reaches your goal or even beyond. Thanks for the videos. 🤘

[@chawa556]

how much would a job like this cost at a music store

[@sargeantsaxophone9396]

As someone that's never modded a guitar: if I were to put P90s on a mustang how difficult would that be?

[@matturner6890]

Not super hard, you just gotta be sure you want to commit to tearing a couple big holes in the body

[@spoonerluv]

Looks like a cool bass but it seems the quality control on them are Gibson level quality :)

[@Mgaga97]

How do you like the tone ? :)

[@xarkaik]

It goes beyond me how the guy was playing with that string action...

[@banbuondauduaeplanh1225]

When I first started out, a bassist once said to me, "Hey, did you get a Fender Jazz yet? You might as well get one now. Jazz basses are like Les Paul guitars, sooner or later, you're gonna have to deal with one." Best designs for bass player: www.sunfrog.com/anymore263/bass

[@Brandon-kf9su]

hey dave, i have this same bass, and when i plug it into my amp its only static. i just got the bass today and havent done anything to it. The amp works fine on other basses. Is there a fix to this?

[@Brandon-kf9su]

nevermind, had a dead battery haha but thanks man

[@Brandon-kf9su]

really weird though, never seen a bass with a 9 volt in it, but thanks for taking to time to help

[@jackbho6594]

It's because it has active pickups. Active pickups need 9 volt batteries to power them.

[@Motovader72]

@ 17:10 I thought my eyes went bad.

[@ieldepiel]

Gooch of the week

[@jammanW]

Hey Dave !

[@jedw]

These looks like a nice bass, but what the hell do i know I play a Rickenbacker ;)

[@ricardoc.8468]

Well my guess (and that's just a guess): preamp circuit - shielding = noisy as f*ck. There's a reason why these amplification circuits have to be shielded somehow. Just think, why are most effect pedals inside grounded metal enclosures? This is just a guess of course. :)

[@Greelord]

I think T birds have humbuckers , I might be wrong but if I am ,they are big a** single coils.

[@ricardoc.8468]

You are totally right! DOn't know why I assumed they were SCs.... just edited my post (to avoid lookig such a dumbass too much). Anyway, that preamp would probably be less noisy if it gets shielded. Theres a easy way to experiment it, just wrap aluminium foi around it, connect the foil to ground, then use a condom around the foil (electrical isolation) and try it :P

[@johngeddes7894]

3M makes a shielded heat shrink silicon tube just for that, but to buy it, you might as well buy a good preamp and all other electronics while you’re at it. The noodle of a neck is the deal breaker, though. Great big diabolical tone, though; like a bass oughtta be.

[@dalepal]

It’s too bad those Epiphones have high nut action and electronic issues right out of the factory. It’s one thing to have to adjust the truss rod and string action at the bridge to get a preferred action but no excuse for the nut action to be that high.

[@Ndlanding]

Brush your teeth and go to bed, please.

[@Scott-J]

Careful Dave, you'll get a reputation for turning these 2x4s into working instruments. You'll be abducted to Indonesia to work at the factory. And grounding issues? Jeeeeze.

[@misterguts]

Hey Dave, what are you gonna tell Buddy Joe? 1. Return his bass as-is: new strings, neck adj, but somewhat noisy. 2. Rip out the noisy preamp, order a new Epiphone preamp (if they still stock it). 3. Rip out all existing electronics, rebuild with custom wiring (no internal active components). 4. Recommend he put the Epiphone in a landfill and buy a new bass.

[@ian-c.01]

Spotted a couple of used but great condition G&L basses on Ebay for about the same price as a new Epiphone. I suspect buddy got that one for a very low price but even with a proper set-up, it's still got issues with rubber neck and rubber duck on the signal path !

[@craigparse1439]

Dave, Happy (belated) Canada Day, eh! Hey, if you live anywhere close to the border, you can start partying on Canada Day and keep it going through U.S. Independence Day! Party on!!

[@tallthinkev]

Don't you just active pickups? Just another thing to go wrong!

[@gogobozoblack9301]

Blow it up for Canada D ave xxx

[@j.d.thompson3505]

Don't buy a cheap bass with active electronics. My Epiphone T-Bird Classic lV Pro Bass thumps well with no static. Buying someone elses problems is also unwise especially when a new bass like this one is not so expensive.

[@banbuondauduaeplanh1225]

What’s the difference between an electric guitar player and a vacuum cleaner? When you unplug a vacuum cleaner it doesn’t suck anymore. How do you figure out who the guitar player is at a party? He’ll tell you. Best designs for guitar players: www.sunfrog.com/anymore263/guitar

[@Leiria65]

The reason he put the strap button on the back is to stop neck dive...

[@Leiria65]

+Dave's World of Fun Stuff It doesn't just help, it completely fixes it. If you don't believe me, Google it.

[@eternalrhythmflow]

Good work, Dave ;) That's why I don't own any active basses.

[@sopothetocho]

Its not an active Bass, it has an active EQ but the pickups are passive, Active Pickups don't require grounding.

[@jameslewis2635]

2 Epi Thunderbird Pro's and I am yet to see you experience the 'joys' of the regular Epiphone Thunderbird bass bridges. I have a Thunderbird IV and I find the bridge to be the worst part of an otherwise decent bass. Unfortunately the design is a recessed bolt in type with 3 bolts arranged so that you can not just replace it with an aftermarket bridge. Who-ever at Epiphone decided on these monstrosities needs shooting.

[@Andyjpro]

That's how Gibson did it way back when. it works OK for a short scale bass but doesn't work for shit on a long scale

[@thedarkwarlord3061]

Hipshot makes a direct replacement for it. I have seen them for like $80-90 on amazon

[@kabaret3]

i got one and its AWESOME. Altough I needed to cut off 1mm from the base of the brigde cause it was just to high and I coulnd set the proper string action (same situation as on one of Daves videos with the EB bass. btw i like it low). you need a decent machine shop to do it

[@strangersound]

They need to clone Dave and put one of him at each guitar factory for quality control. If it turns out like Multiplicity (the movie), put the silly Dave at the Gibson factory. ;)

[@dennisoleary4764]

DAVE'S NOT HERE MAN!!!

[@manderson9289]

Good ol China high action eh?

[@Rodoadrenalina]

its a great tone for sure, but for real the ground problem is very dumb, and the neck is a miss problems.

[@FixxxerKH202]

This is the old adage of you get what you pay for Dave. These overseas guitars that carry the lower prices(although some aren't much lower than the USA made to justify) ALWAYS have crap set-ups. The only company I found that puts effort into them is Schecter as they do all the set-ups and inspections in the USA with people who give a damn before delivery. Every other company, even those who only produce overseas and have no US factory have given me crap even when I spend $1000 plus USD for the guitar. It sucks, but unless people stop buying them and complaining it will keep happening. Sad part is if you have to pay for the set-up you will be out the same amount of money as buying the higher end ones with more care taken from the factory.

[@bradley3030]

I have owned many Epiphone Thunderbird basses. While not always perfectly set up it is zoned in pretty close and are all around a solid bass. I picked some up for $100 used that I would use over a brand new $1000 Gibson Thunderbird any day. But this is the IV line I am talking about. These V series and Pros seem to have the same story. Just absolute terrible quality/play-ability. And it is a damn shame to see.

[@BreadandFaxes]

If you learn how to setup your own instruments you don’t have to pay any kind of premium to make a foreign made guitar just as good as a US made instrument. And, don’t just assume that anything American made is automatically better than something made anywhere else.

[@dennisoleary4677]

I knew you were anonymous (I won't tell)

[@stevehogan8829]

Sorry, I see other are asking similar. Maybe it's a who the frick knows answer,

[@joeefenmama]

You saved me 549$. Thank you

[@t6c756]

Benefit/Use of Patreon/Paypal: those who can, donate for perceived value received. parasites suck, and you otherwise provide a charity of lore to the poor. No begging: you grant patrons a way to materially say Thanks.

[@sourceeee]

first

[@hito6464]

Sounds ok, but adjusting this guitar is painful process.. I'm already trying to sell it

[@dimitrizannis3311]

2 nd

[@NHfiddle]

Another " Ep-my-phone...

[@KVLT_VVITCH]

God ive always hated the sound of the pro.

[@cjf20005]

Wow, this one is some hot garbage. I have this model, too. Same body, same everything. I like it because it is quirky and weird in any and all respects.

[@populousmass]

fifthst

[@Headwind-1]

its uncool

[@tk4x431]

"The neck has a huge banana" I'm sorry I'm immature

[@lolololololol012]

What a mess..

[@philosophyoftrucking]

Oh, no!! Dave's talking about black guys! Quick, flag him!! 😂

[@airtow6766]

What a piece of junk!

[@chuckabbate5924]

Can't stand them. Beyond uncomfortable.

[@gazfunk]

Is this peice of crap really worth the man hours? Just put it in the trash and buy a new one lol.