Epiphone Thunderbird 60's Ebony Bass

[Radikulture]

Hey all
I've been laying my eyes on an epiphone thunderbird bass ... wanted to know is it worth buying?
is it a heavy(weight) bass?
can i modify it after a while?
Give me your opinions on this thank you

 

[4SG]

I had one for a while. The build was great, the finish was great, the sound was amazing. Mine wasn't light but it wasn't super heavy. But I got rid of it because it was ridiculously uncomfortable. I'm 5'11" and I could barely reach the tuners. The entire neck sits off your waist due to the strap button positions, so your arm is fully extended if your hand is on the lower frets. Modifications would be very limited because it's a neck through design. It's got a two piece bridge so you might have some unsightly holes if you replace the bridge with something else. You can always swap out pickups, but the burstbuckers or whatever they feature are some of the best sounding pickups you can get. I guess you can change the tuners but I'm not sure how else you can mod that beast.

 

[Radikulture]

I had one for a while. The build was great, the finish was great, the sound was amazing. Mine wasn't light but it wasn't super heavy. But I got rid of it because it was ridiculously uncomfortable. I'm 5'11" and I could barely reach the tuners. The entire neck sits off your waist due to the strap button positions, so your arm is fully extended if your hand is on the lower frets. Modifications would be very limited because it's a neck through design. It's got a two piece bridge so you might have some unsightly holes if you replace the bridge with something else. You can always swap out pickups, but the burstbuckers or whatever they feature are some of the best sounding pickups you can get. I guess you can change the tuners but I'm not sure how else you can mod that beast.

wow thanks ... im getting this model btw :

 

[TBird1958]

Hey all
I've been laying my eyes on an epiphone thunderbird bass ... wanted to know is it worth buying?
is it a heavy(weight) bass?
can i modify it after a while?
Give me your opinions on this thank you

Most of us Thunderbird folks like them quite a bit, I have three of this model and take them to shows on a regular basis, regardless of price point, they are a nice Thunderbird. I find them to be comfortable to play, I keep the bass a little above my waist and the body on my right hip, no problems. Visit with us on the Thunderbird club thread anytime!

 

[ghostdog93]

I think Thunderbirds are some of the coolest basses out there. As much as I love them, they are horribly uncomfortable and an ergonomic nightmare for me.

If you've never played one before, I suggest to "try before you buy" if you can.

 

[ravelax]

Is it worth buying? Yes.
Is it a heavy(weight) bass? No, but can be a bit neck heavy, which is easily remedied.
Can I modify it after a while? Yes.

I have one and love it. Moved the rear strap button to midway up the back of the bass - neck dive eliminated. Moving the strap button also shifted the way the bass hangs in a way so as to shorten the reach. A nice light, effortlessly playing and good sounding bass.

 

[tothemax]

I had one for while as well, but couldn't get over the neck dive. Definitely go to a shop and try one on for size and see how it works for you. I think the Gibson bodies are little heavier than the EPI's. The one I had played well and sounded great, and they have such a cool look. I had it for about 6 months and was trying to figure out a way to compensate for the neck weight... it was in such good condition I hated to mess with it, so I sold it.

Looks like the post before this has a solution...

Good luck on it...

 

[Miles_ONeal]

They seem to range from 9.5lb to 10lb. We joke that half of that is the huge headstock.
Neck dive is a thing but not typically horrible. Moving the strap pin helps. You can also bring the lower end of the strap in front of the bass instead of behind.
Some shorter players and players with shorter arms pivot the bird so the body is low but the headstock is somewhat high, which pulls it in closer so that it's easy to reach the outer frets and tuners.
If you like Thunderbirds, any issues you run into probably have fairly easy fixes/adjustments. If you ask in the TalkBass Thunderbird Club, you'll get lots of help.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

wanted to know is it worth buying?

Depends on the price.

I’ve owned a Gibson TBird for several years. The ergonomics are odd for the bass, but they can be comfortable when you figure out how to wear them on a strap.

It takes a little longer strap to do this; take the end of the strap going to the bridge-end strap button over the top of the body. This helps the problem of the top edge of the bass leaning away from you due to the other strap button being on the back of the body.

Then, raise the neck up to about a 45° angle from the floor. This is where the bass is closest to “balanced” as you can get it and it still being in a position to be played. This method makes the bass fairly comfortable to play. It doesn’t help with the weight, but the weight is not as noticeable when the bass is balanced.

 

[Bar Band Bassman]

I've had an Epi T-bird Vintage Pro (my Covid "shelter-in-place bass") and while I haven't gigged it much lately I have no plans to let it go. Neck dive? As you can see from my avatar I have come to terms with that...

BBB

 

[mdogs]

I have an Epi 64 Tbird. I gigged with it about 2 days after I got it and expected to use it for at the most, 1 set. I ended up using it the whole night because it was much more comfortable than I expected and it sounded great. Ultimately I ended up moving both strap pins and putting Hipshot Ultralights on it and now it balances perfectly on a strap. Definitely a good buy.

 

[Iristone]

Hey all
I've been laying my eyes on an epiphone thunderbird bass ... wanted to know is it worth buying?
is it a heavy(weight) bass?
can i modify it after a while?
Give me your opinions on this thank you

(1) Totally worth it! As long as you like its aesthetics (look, tone and feel). If you only like its look, then the standard Epi Bird with a pickup swap will give you a Fenderbird vibe. If you only like its tone, then the Embassy gives the similar tone with a more P-Bass-like ergonomics and slightly less price.
(2) It's not exactly light, but I don't think weight should be a problem.
(3) I don't see the need any more than maybe installing a treble bleed. Maybe down the line you could upgrade the pickups to Curtis Novaks or Gibson Reissues, but the stock pickups are good enough (and better than Gibson TB-Plusses in many ways).

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Hey all
I've been laying my eyes on an epiphone thunderbird bass ... wanted to know is it worth buying?
is it a heavy(weight) bass?
can i modify it after a while?
Give me your opinions on this thank you

Also, common mods include pickups, strap button location, tuners, and occasionally the bridge. You can get different PG covers or mod it yourself (one of the coolest I’ve seen involves cutting out the Thunderbird and putting LEDs underneath).

 

[NotHereNow]

Had one but couldn’t bond with it so I moved on. My advice would be to buy a cheap one and see if you like it. It’s hard to explain but the feel is very different from my other basses. I didn’t understand that it wasn’t for me until I actually owned one and played it regularly.

 

[MtManiac]

I had the original version of this, I forget what Epiphone called it - Vintage 60s? Orginal Something? I forget. 2017 if I recall correctly.

Fantastic sounding bass, at every pickup and knob setting. Very comfortable to play seated - standing, however, the ergonomics are terrible. The strap buttons position the end of the neck very far out there so it’s quite a reach to get to the money makers. The bridge consequently was positioned too far left. The body also rolled away from my torso, so the top was leaning towards the floor. I didn’t have a problem with neck dive, though it is a common complaint.

It sat on a stand for literally a year or more and last year I offered it to my daughter, who started playing guitar 7-8 years ago, and she immediately and enthusiastically accepted it. I haven’t missed it.

They look cool as hell though!

 

[pyrat56host]

Pretty great basses, imho. Killer sound, mines pretty light and not neck-divey at all. Very comfortable w/ the right strap and height. I'm only selling mine to fund another bass I MUST have...otherways, it'd be in regular rotation!!

 

[Hurricane Jimmie]

But I got rid of it because it was ridiculously uncomfortable. I'm 5'11" and I could barely reach the tuners.

So Anyway, I had the same problem with the T Bird ergonomics. I'm 5'8" and the only way it would work for me was to tie my strap to the headstock, folk guitar style. I think the T Bird is for long arms or wearing it pretty low.
But the Epiphone T Bird I owned had a great sound and really cut through the mix.

I'd recommend the OP play one first or use a vendor with a liberal return policy.
Good Luck with your decision.

 

[blacktocomm]

So Anyway, I had the same problem with the T Bird ergonomics. I'm 5'8" and the only way it would work for me was to tie my strap to the headstock, folk guitar style. I think the T Bird is for long arms or wearing it pretty low.
But the Epiphone T Bird I owned had a great sound and really cut through the mix.

I'd recommend the OP play one first or use a vendor with a liberal return policy.
Good Luck with your decision.

I’m also 5’8” and I have short-ish arms and I could never gel with my TBird. It just felt soooo long. I moved on to the Embassy reissue. Great TBird sound but a much more comfortable bass for myself.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I had the original version of this, I forget what Epiphone called it - Vintage 60s? Orginal Something? I forget. 2017 if I recall correctly.

Originally. It was the Vintage Pro Thunderbird. Then the 60s Thunderbird. Them the 64 Thunderbird, which it still is, or was as of a few days ago. They can be silly with names.
This is not to confused with the Classic Pro (visual cue is the three point bridge, also has modern Gibson Thunderbird (darker sounding) pickups). Or the PRO (active electronics, 4 knobs)

 

[MtManiac]

Originally. It was the Vintage Pro Thunderbird. Then the 60s Thunderbird. Them the 64 Thunderbird, which it still is, or was as of a few days ago. They can be silly with names.
This is not to confused with the Classic Pro (visual cue is the three point bridge, also has modern Gibson Thunderbird (darker sounding) pickups). Or the PRO (active electronics, 4 knobs)

That’s it, Vintage Pro.