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Post subject: Fenderbird
Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 8:47 pm
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I am a hugh Lynyrd Skynyrd fan and I was watching concert of them playing at the "Old Grey Whistle Test" in 1975 and saw Leon Wilkeson playing the Fenderbird that he got from John Entwistle. Anyways I was wondering if anyone knew anything the Fenderbirds.


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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 1:28 pm
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I am a fan too. I saw the band 2 times in San Diego before billy died. Wiki:"Somewhere along the line, Wilkeson acquired a "Fenderbird" bass from John Entwistle. Wilkeson can be seen playing this bass in a 1975 Lynyrd Skynyrd performance at the Old Grey Whistle Test venue. The Fenderbird bass mated a custom made Gibson Thunderbird body to a Fender Precision Bass neck."
The best I could find off google.com
Bill


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Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 11:43 am
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Warmoth sells the bodies if you want to assemble your own Fenderbird.

Link: http://www.warmoth.com/Bass/VintageShap ... rBass.aspx


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Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 10:39 pm
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If he got the bass from Entwhistle, then it wa probably a real Thunderbird that had been modified to accept the Fender Precision neck.
Entwhistle did this to a number of non- reverse Thunderbirds.

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Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2009 7:59 pm
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The T-Bird neck is very slick. Why replace it?


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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 7:15 am
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The concept Entwhistle has with the "Fenderbird" was to ge the feel of a Precison neck with the Thunderbird pickups. It also changes the sound of the bass in that you are going from a glued in mahogany neck to a bolt-on maple neck.

I wouldn't do it to a real T-bird but the idea recreating a Fender bird is very attractive.

I wish I had a set of T-bird pickups. I would make one.

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Post subject: Fenderbird
Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 12:46 am
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supposedly he also switched the necks because the p-bass neck is stronger at the nut than thunderbirds which broke off very easily. a few too many accidents that resulted in broken head stocks drove him to mod the basses this way too. honestly if i were john i would have gone with jazz necks tho, considering how he was all over the fretboard with his playing, the p-bass neck is so much harder to get around on. if i ever build one it will probably b with a jazz neck, which i really want to do soon!


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Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 7:17 am
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I hope to do one with a Epi silver burst tbird and put a black block jazz neck on it. With Gibson TB+ pickups. Yum!!

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for those who know who Shaun White and and Dan Kass...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0PqyvHx ... D&index=40


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Post subject: First Fenderbird
Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 10:57 pm
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I just finished my first Fenderbird.

Noel Redding Jazz Bass neck and refinished Goth Epiphone T-Bass.
Did it all myself. Plays good but feels a lot different the way it hangs.

http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy30 ... MG4827.jpg

If anyone is interested I can post better pics.

Cheers.


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Post subject: Re: First Fenderbird
Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 4:22 am
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walterm wrote:
I just finished my first Fenderbird.

Noel Redding Jazz Bass neck and refinished Goth Epiphone T-Bass.
Did it all myself. Plays good but feels a lot different the way it hangs.

http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy30 ... MG4827.jpg

If anyone is interested I can post better pics.

Cheers.


And HEARTY Cheers to you. Welcome to the Fender Forum and that is one mighty sweet looking FenderBird. WELL DONE! How it hangs isn't really the thing, how does it sound?

Truly that is a fine looking bass. Congratulations for having the courage and skill to "getter-dun" as they say here in NC. No telling what that would bring on eBay!


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Post subject: First Fenderbird
Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 4:23 pm
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Thanks! I am already thinking about building another one. I would like to use better pickups next time. Maybe I need to make a custom body and put P/J pickups in it.

Here's a slide show with better quality pics.

http://s802.photobucket.com/albums/yy30 ... =slideshow

This may go up for sale if I get any interest.


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Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 4:35 pm
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Hey, why didn't anyone tell me I linked to Explorer bodies above?

I'm feelin' pretty stupid. :lol:


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Posted: Sun Aug 22, 2010 11:48 am
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Wilkeson was a high-profile Pedulla fan (he owned an MVP4 and a fretless Pentabuzz with P/J pickups).

Image


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Post subject: Re: First Fenderbird
Posted: Sun Aug 22, 2010 11:52 am
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walterm wrote:
I just finished my first Fenderbird.

Noel Redding Jazz Bass neck and refinished Goth Epiphone T-Bass.
Did it all myself. Plays good but feels a lot different the way it hangs.

http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy30 ... MG4827.jpg

If anyone is interested I can post better pics.

Cheers.


Broken link.


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