Recently got a Thunderbird and have been trying to stop the strings coming into contact with higher frets, while playing towards the high end of the fretboard (giving you a horrible buzzing sound). However my bridge already looks way to high compared to my previous bass. Is this a common issue with Thunderbirds? Gallery
Posted Aug 23, 2018, 11:08 AM UTC
Is your neck way out? seems way too high at the top.
I honestly hated that three point bridge on my first thunderbird and it’s he reason I sold it to buy the 2015 (Babicz bridge). I remember the strings looking high on the bridge too for my old one.
Another contributing factor is that the bass body is slanted slightly too which makes you need to go higher to keep the strings off the neck.
You should also check your neck. Do you have a friend who’s a luthier who can take a quick look at it or a music store nearby? If you’re really comfortable with making adjustments look at YouTube videos on setting up string heights, you should definitely be able to set it so that the strings don’t hit the higher frets
It looks like the neck is the problem, no relief at all. Will have to take it into the local store to get it setup, I don't want to damage anything.
Yeah that’s always the safest bet, have someone take a look at it. I hope it turns out ok and that your bird comes back playing like a dream. I know that I love mine and it’s a wonderful bass to play when it’s set up properly,
Good luck!
I have a 76 T-Bird that the neck started to pull up a little. I to a recommended guitar shop. I had them restring it, adjust the neck + the bridge and strobe it. You won't be sorry. I've had mine adjusted twice in the 30+ years I've owned it and have played it continually. Killer Tone! Cheers!
Got a thunderbird just like this, my bridge is as low as it can go and the actions still a little high. Definitely worth at look at your neck although I highly recommend not messing around yourself unless your confident. Take it to someone near you who sets up guitars and let them know about the issue, it should be straightforward but there’s always a risk doing it yourself
this is coming from experience with bolt-on fender necks. if you have a set neck/neck-through, then i'm not quite qualified to comment (although that would make this sound like a much worse situation)
if your neck is relatively straight (keep in mind you want it slightly bowed), but your string height at the neck joint is still high, it sounds like you need to have the neck shimmed. you can actually cut a business card to shim, and it works perfectly fine. a little shim goes a long way.
A setup is always a good idea. Then the next thing I do for Gibson 3 point bridges is replace them with the hipshot supertone. https://hipshotproducts.com/collections/bass-bridges/products/supertone-gibson-bass-replacement-bridge
May not solve your issue, but it's a surefire improvement in every way and you can even adjust the spacing of the strings even.
Great call on the classic with the gibby pickups and neck thru at an epiphone price.
Will have to get this as a Christmas present for myself, it's great that it fits without the need for modifications.
Get the three point contact one (due to 3 posts on the epi). You'll love it!!!! It comes with two different sets of screws too so you'll for sure have the right thread match.
It should be exactly at the point that a straight edge placed access the last frets should just barely kiss the top of the saddles.
Have you checked the neck relief? Google "John Carruthers bass set up" and watch his videos, they're great. If you're going to be adjusting this stuff yourself you need to get a ruler that measures in 1/64 or 1/32.
I love that guy’s voice.
When you play at the highest fret, all but the lowest fret is being touched by the string.
When you say highest fret, do you mean closest to the bridge? If so, thats absolutely fine.The string between the nut and the note your are fretting being in contact with the fretboard is normal and does not effect anything.
Okay, however when fretting E and A from the 9th fret up I still hear the rattle of the string against the even higher frets. I could probably raise the bridge a little more, but it does look strange being so high.
Do you play with fingers or a pick, and how hard are you hitting the notes? A little bit of buzz is normal, sometimes even wanted depending on the sound you want. If you tend to strike the notes with a lot of force, fret buzz will happen, even with high action. This can be compounded with new strings, which tend to pronounce the buzzing sound even further.
Just from looking at your pictures, your action is waaaaay too high and the neck needs a little relief put into it. This is absolutely something you can do DIY without hurting your instrument.
Take off your truss rod cover and turn the truss rod 1/4 of a turn counter-clockwise. Then let it sit for a day, lower your action back down, and see if that helps. Check out the video suggestions above if you want a more in-depth tutorial on how to do this. Don't be afraid of the truss rod, it takes a lot of messing with it before you can do any damage to the instrument. Just don't adjust anymore than 1/4-1/2 a rotation at a time.
What are you talking about? On a properly set up instrument the string should only be in contact with the note being fretted. If it's touching other frets then the truss rod needs adjusting.
It’s fairly common for the strings to be in contact with the frets immediately behind the fretted note on an instrument with low action. Pick up your instrument and fret a note towards the lower end or middle of the neck. The string is probably contacting the fret immediately behind the note you are playing, possibly even the fret past that if your action is low enough. This has no effect whatsoever on the portion of the string between the fretted note and the bridge, just like how a string tree does not effect anything past the nut.