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Thunderbird Silverburst Pickups

R

Raycozu

Jun 15, 2010
5
0
#1
Hello... I am really into the looks of the thunderbird, especially the silverburst by epiphone; first off, are they still around? (Gibson site still offers them, but I don't want to buy it at a jacked up price); i noticed it has different pickups and since I was planning on switching them with seymour duncan ssb-4 pups (common with other epiphone tbirds), would the different design allow the pickups to be switched? Would you reccomend doing so for rock/metal/punk/alternative (muse n such) music? :bassist:
 
#2
I understand that if you want an Epi, then you will buy an Epi. That is fine. But there is no comparison between an Epi and the real thing. Not even in the same ball park. The gibsons are worth the extra $$. That being said newer ones also pale in comparison to older used ones. But this is totally off the point of the question you were asking.
Buy the epi, and buy real t bird pups off ebay and swap them out. T bird pups are killer.
 
#3
I owned a Silverburst Epi for a short amount of time: I returned it as ergonomically the body & neck absolutely didn't work for me, although I should have kept it to flip for profit, as this was when they were just running out - I believe I got one of the last in stock @ Musician's Friend. :rollno: The Chrome pickups are much more humbucker-shaped than the Bartolini-shaped "TB Plus" pickups found on the standard Thunderbird, so it would take more-then-a-fair-amount of routing for new pickups. Plus either that, rewinding of the chrome pickups, or purchasing the heavenly [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] pickups @ $289 per pup would be so much you'd have to truly think if it would be worth it to put that kind of money into an EpiBird. Although I will say that the Mahogany-bodied Silverburst sounded a good deal closer to a Gibson then the Alder-bodied standard versions. Damn, maybe I *should* have kept it for a "Stage"/tinkering bass... :mad:

...I also haven't seen them in stock anywhere since around December, so the used market would likely be your only place to find one. Given the relatively small amount made, it might be a tough find.
 
#5
well, I guess now that they ran out, they'll be as easy to find and as expensive as the white epiphone tbirds... I was hoping to get my bass from a shop, I don't trust the internet much for such large expenses... Anyways thanks for the advice guys! Oh, about the rerouting, what would be the cost for a standard epiphone tbird? (goth or pro IV) I think I can get around 800$ saved for bass & customization... which would more or less be the overall cost of the components minus installation
 
#6
The pickups in the Silverburst weren't good pickups. They can be swapped out for the TB+ pickups that pop up on Ebay for about $130 a set. They are the same pickups used in the LP Standard basses and the recent Money bass and LP Doublecut models. Well worth the cost and effort, and no routing. I know a couple of people that made the switch and loved it. They said that it brought the sound of the Epi to almost the same as the Gibson.
 
#8
I have a chromed out epi silverburst..It sounds pretty bright..like a jazz bass or something, makes for a nice change-up. Neck is almost precision bass thick..so it'll take some heavy strings. I also have an epi-goth with Seymour Duncan SSB-4 humbuckers ($105/pair). Hate to say it...The upgrated Goth sounds better than my 2007 Gibson. It sounds alot like the 60's birds, IMHO. I'll put recordings here when I get a chance..
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=666625&highlight=
 
#9
gaffster787 said:
I have a chromed out epi silverburst..It sounds pretty bright..like a jazz bass or something, makes for a nice change-up. Neck is almost precision bass thick..so it'll take some heavy strings. I also have an epi-goth with Seymour Duncan SSB-4 humbuckers ($105/pair). Hate to say it...The upgrated Goth sounds better than my 2007 Gibson. It sounds alot like the 60's birds, IMHO. I'll put recordings here when I get a chance..
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=666625&highlight=
Click to expand...

Yeah I think I'm going to stick with the goth model then, just easier to find I'm guessing... Do the Seymour Duncan pups fit in nicely?
 

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