SG John
Well-Known Member
Hi, Haven't been around much due to work and other stuff. I have been working on this project for years, and as anyone who remembers my past builds knows they can take a while.
Made a copy of a '66 Thunderbird bass. I used an African Kaya mahogany one piece body blank and a two piece Honduran mahogany neck. Topped the neck off with a Madagascar Palisander rosewood fingerboard and medium jumbo frets. It also has Schaller tuners, a Dasson Bad Bird Bridge and tailpiece, and vintage spec'd T-Bird pickups from Roger Daguet.
It kicked my butt, and I made a few mistakes along the way. Somehow, I managed to make it just over an inch too long, even though I used my friend's '66 as a template. It was probably when I was getting the mortise and tenon sorted. Measure six times, and still do it incorrectly. Just like the neck angle, which is a tad too steep. Now I'll need to go with a custom case of some sort.
Otherwise, it came out great. The action is awesome. And, it sounds amazing. Roger nailed the early T-Bird sound with those pickups. I've only played it through my Hiwatt DR103, and it sounds great.
Anyway, here are a few shots. I'll have to resize some photos to get some more posted.
The body after wet sanding and polishing.
Back of the headstock. Since '66 serial numbers start with 42, I thought "Perfect! The meaning of life, the universe, and everything."
The neck, polished
Headstock all done and strung up.
Hanging out with the Billy-Bo that I made, and the Javamagic Cipollina SG.
Made a copy of a '66 Thunderbird bass. I used an African Kaya mahogany one piece body blank and a two piece Honduran mahogany neck. Topped the neck off with a Madagascar Palisander rosewood fingerboard and medium jumbo frets. It also has Schaller tuners, a Dasson Bad Bird Bridge and tailpiece, and vintage spec'd T-Bird pickups from Roger Daguet.
It kicked my butt, and I made a few mistakes along the way. Somehow, I managed to make it just over an inch too long, even though I used my friend's '66 as a template. It was probably when I was getting the mortise and tenon sorted. Measure six times, and still do it incorrectly. Just like the neck angle, which is a tad too steep. Now I'll need to go with a custom case of some sort.
Otherwise, it came out great. The action is awesome. And, it sounds amazing. Roger nailed the early T-Bird sound with those pickups. I've only played it through my Hiwatt DR103, and it sounds great.
Anyway, here are a few shots. I'll have to resize some photos to get some more posted.
The body after wet sanding and polishing.
Back of the headstock. Since '66 serial numbers start with 42, I thought "Perfect! The meaning of life, the universe, and everything."
The neck, polished
Headstock all done and strung up.
Hanging out with the Billy-Bo that I made, and the Javamagic Cipollina SG.
