thunder 1 restore

hi every one,iv just saved this bass from certain destruction...but looks like its been customised/messed around with....is it worth saving,whats correct and what isnt!!ive always wanted one!!

Well, I don't know...
But you sure know how to dig 'm up!

Oh deary me! Poor battered baby!
You have a bit of work ahead my man. For starters, here are two references from our information site so you at least have an idea what she should look like!:
Info Ref
Catalogue Scan

Oh dear that is in a bad way If you have the right tools, some money to throw into it and lots of patience go for a restoration. Personally for the time and money it would cost to restore it, I would salvage what I could, clean the parts up, sell them on ebay and go in search of another Thunder bass.

Geezuz, that's a 'king mess.
We have the power to restore it or do we??

Does it actually work?

Wow.

Anything will be an improvement.

Now that, sir, is a challenge. Disassemble and have fun!

What in the world... wow. Honestly I'd love to see this fixed up just to see how it turns out. No hope of restoring it to original, but it could surely be made into a great player and even a decent looker with a good refinishing job.

Hey, the back looks OK!
Sort of.

Seeing that bass brought back memories of my Thunder 1 bass that I destroyed .... um I mean "customised" in the mid nineties.

Well, you were only a kid at the time

Looks restorable to me, easy way out is to do what the guys said and part it with a clean and then buy another. Wheres the fun in that?

It's in better shape than my U60 was when I got it....

I say have a crack at it!

corsair wrote:It's in better shape than my U60 was when I got it....

I say have a crack at it!

+1

i looked again yesterday and its alive!!!! all the pick ups work so really i could put a new bridge restring it and play it,but on the restore side it looks worse as its covered in dust and a shocking paint job,but i have a customer who is a french polisher/wood painter so may get him to dip it or something,i have a mainy joiners to hand too so any plugs i can get made,so its not as daunting as it seems,i can get it nice,make it shine again!!

Here's a bridge...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Westone-Thunder-IA-bass-guitar-bridge-Matsumoku-Japan-/170831560034?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item27c65abd62

Or, if you weren't planning an 'all original' restoration, one of theseis pretty good value. I have one on my pimped Thunder Jet bass and it is fine. I bought a Gotoh 201 for another bass for 3x that and, yes, it is a little better, but not much.

Looks like a fun project! I bet that will clean up a treat. And you will have an instrument you will have bonded with majorly by the end - I always fall a little bit in love with my projects, such as they are.

ok....its in bits back to bare wood took bout 10 minutes with my sander as it wernt prepped properly,so it just fell off,so im just gonna clear wax it,i couldnt save the logo on the head,its the deco one,but ill make one,but i cant understand why some one had to butcher it!!so theres no switch i cant tell if theres a knob extra...butwhat throws me compleatly is the j pup...the cavety has been chiseled in dogs dinner...but look on the knob looks professionaly soldered,also theres a plug thats wired to some thing.......


its very battle scared and will win any compertitions but its better than it was!!!

Does it have a battery connection?

Looks like phasing controls or blenders

no,no battery,but the pups are live,this is why i didnt do a total strip,if ida had a bridge i could of finished it today!im just phlumext by the jazz pup!! might take it out.

any more pics of the sanding job?

Looks like 2 volumes and a tone.

Check the Westone info site. Wiring. for 2 pup info.

If you take the Jazz pup out there's gonna be a big hole. Or just not wire it in?
Looks as if it might have been wired as a Jazz bass circuit. Straight forward enough.
Just change your pots for normal looking type. Those are doubled up/stacked.

yes i have pics of the sanding im gonna put em all up when its done!,the j pup seems like it may foul the strings as it seems they not chiseled out enough wood!!and stands quite high

ok ive waxed the body,put the neck back on,i just need to get a nut and bridge,BUT the wiring now dont work, so will now be a long slow process if i gotta spend money on its wiring,i may just strip it all out and put new pots in i have knocking about some were get it back to a simple 2 pot design! putting a flickr page together too!!

if anyone can help im after a simple wiring diagram,iv got rid of the pots n wiring,im going for 2 pups(originals)vol pot and tone pot,no switches,all passive, so i got 2 x red 2 x white 2 x unsheilded off the pups,live and earth off jack,or may even just go for vol pot only,no tone,as i can tone shape thro my amp.cheers!!

Pity.
However, one of the best resources for wiring is Seymour Duncan: LINK

Or this alternative.
http://www.westoneguitars.net/fixme/

Westbone wrote:Or this alternative. http://www.westoneguitars.net/fixme/

Might be helpful (Thunder I) but going by the description, he's after 1 vol, 1 tone, passive, no switches. Little bit different if I'm reading correctly.