For Sale - a 1979 Gibson Thunderbird Bass with the original hard case. I am the second owner of this bass and have had it nearly 20 years of it's life. I bought it from a fellow who picked it up new and claimed he casually played it at church over the years he had it. I sincerely believe it is all original as far as the hardware, pick up covers, etc. The only caveat for full disclosure is that when I bought it, I slightly rerouted the stock wiring from series to parallel. Why Gibson did what they did is a mystery, but this is a known mod and completely beneficial to the performance of the bass. The stock wiring/caps are all there and nothing was added, it truly is just a few solder point changes and could be restored if desired.
I played this bass live for a solid 10 years, but over the time from then to now, it has just seen rehearsals and recording projects. There are bumps and bruises, so while not a museum quality '10' it is in very great condition with no cracks or repairs, and it plays straight and true. The neck is magnificent (I have had other 76s/79s that were roller coasters), the frets are solid and untouched. The bass is currently set up with a medium set of balanced tension Kalium strings. The edges of the case are rough in spots as expected, and the pocket strap is gone - it was gone when I got it. The latches all work and click correctly, but I don't have the key for the locks.
Back to the bass, the pickguard doesn't have any cracks or splinters at the screws. The tuners turn well and hold fine. The volume and tone pots work in typical Gibson fashion. The finish doesn't show much the way of any 'checkering', I keep all my gear in a relatively stable climate year round. Overall, this bass has the right amount of aging and patina. My time as a bass player is ending, which is why this bass is for sale. I would prefer a local sale (and I can meet up at a reasonable distance). I am extremely leery (re: scared to death) of shipping this bass, as the risk of breakage is pretty high due to the nature of the bass itself and the old style case. Any consideration of shipping would have to be thoroughly discussed beforehand. Taking cash first or Paypal with a verified address. Thanks for looking!
I played this bass live for a solid 10 years, but over the time from then to now, it has just seen rehearsals and recording projects. There are bumps and bruises, so while not a museum quality '10' it is in very great condition with no cracks or repairs, and it plays straight and true. The neck is magnificent (I have had other 76s/79s that were roller coasters), the frets are solid and untouched. The bass is currently set up with a medium set of balanced tension Kalium strings. The edges of the case are rough in spots as expected, and the pocket strap is gone - it was gone when I got it. The latches all work and click correctly, but I don't have the key for the locks.
Back to the bass, the pickguard doesn't have any cracks or splinters at the screws. The tuners turn well and hold fine. The volume and tone pots work in typical Gibson fashion. The finish doesn't show much the way of any 'checkering', I keep all my gear in a relatively stable climate year round. Overall, this bass has the right amount of aging and patina. My time as a bass player is ending, which is why this bass is for sale. I would prefer a local sale (and I can meet up at a reasonable distance). I am extremely leery (re: scared to death) of shipping this bass, as the risk of breakage is pretty high due to the nature of the bass itself and the old style case. Any consideration of shipping would have to be thoroughly discussed beforehand. Taking cash first or Paypal with a verified address. Thanks for looking!
