epiphone thunderbird hate?

[sirspoogesalot]

Hi there i am considering buying an epiphone thundirbird bass, for £200, im going to try it out on saturday, but i hear loads of complaints about this bass, apart from the neckdive, is the bass realy that bad? and can you slap and pop properly on it?

thanks guys

 

[evhest]

Neckdive is an issue with this bass, but it is fixable by replacing to strapbutton. It's an easy fix that largely solves the neck dive.

It's however not the best bass for slapping and funky stuff. On the other hand; it's all in the fingers!

Regards

 

[sirspoogesalot]

thanks a lot dude,
im contemplating on wether to get a MIM bass or that.

 

[Barkless Dog]

If you are planning on slapping & popping on it, get the MIM.

 

[Alcyon]

yeah, thunderbirds are well known for their classic "rock" sound, they sound nice underneath some marshall riffing but i wouldn't try to funk on it, i think the pickups are bit too muddy for that.

 

[CaptainWampum]

I don't really like them too much, the pickups aren't clean enough for my taste. Especially if you're going for funky sound, I'd definitely go for the MIM

 

[tom once dead]

I love them!

 

[anthowl]

i can just imagine a thunderbird with some jazz pups..yum.

 

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Not that I can slap or pop very well, or that I do it often, but it was not until here at TalkBass I "learned" that it can't be done with Thunderbirds .

Think of it as the bumble-bee, it doesn't know that the wing area/weight ratio is not sufficient to fly, but it flies regardless .

Try it, I'd say You can slap with Thunderbird as well as with any other instrument. Sure humbuckers on those positions are designed to give a slightly different tone than is usually associated with slapping, but there's a few knobs on your amp that can be turned to change the tone.

Try before You buy, if possible. My understanding is that the QC has been a bit erratic from time to time.

Regards
Sam

 

[bassninja7]

birds rock!

 

[TBird1958]

i can just imagine a thunderbird with some jazz pups..yum.

I have a lot of Thunderbirds...............Wish this one was mine,
it's an ESP made for the Japanese market.

The Epi will sound and play alot different if you put some new pick ups and a J neck neck on it, this one is mine
*If* I could slap..........

 

[amimbari]

let me throw my Epibird 2 cents in here I guess....

I can play softly or beat the hell out of mine, picks, fingers, and bang as hard on the 7.95 a set Alice strings as I can, hoping they will break...and for the semi-distorted OEM pickup junk slap sound ---awesome.

No it is NOT a FenderFunkMachine, but neither is the price of one..

of course my strings are so low, I'm lucky to get a feeler gauge under them, and the pickups are so close to the strings I'm already starting to see string marks in them from taking hits here and there, so higher action would be better for slapping, but when the amp is turned on, you can't hear the fret buzz anyway.



and Mark, you want your EspBird, I want a MirrorBird, or a P/P-bIrd ( both Jacksons naturally )

my only problem is I cant take out a second mortgage to fund them both at the same time

 

[bspot]

...but i wouldn't try to funk on it, i think the pickups are bit too muddy for that.

+1

 

[kvane]

IME, the Epi's are waaaayyyy off-balanced and a bear to play. They're not very comfy with bad fret work, typically. I think you'd be better off with the MIM, they are more quality for your pound!

 

[T-Bird]

Hi.

They're not very comfy with bad fret work, typically.

Exactly how I'd describe most of the Fenders floating here across the pond, regardless of where they're made on the new continent.

Most of the shops have to do a fret job to new Fenders if they want to make the sale. Could be an export issue, I don't know.

A friend of mine just dropped Fender from his shop for all the QC crap. He'll still sell second hand ones though.

Just my 0.02€
Sam

 

[Muad'Dib]

i had the 5 string with the reverse body and tuners. very cool looking and fun to look at but the dive was intense. might have been even worse on this model b/c of the backwards body and headstock. pretty much unplayable for any length of time. sold it but wish i didn't as they are pretty rare.

 

[dsperry]

This bass is awesome for rock, hard rock, metal, etc. it's more suited for heavy duty types of music. its a helluva lot of fun to paly, i play it every time i see one in a shop. For funk/slap, it wouldnt be the best choice though.

 

[beyondhairy]

since i got my rick, i havent really played my bird much, but once in a while i pick it back up and think "WHOA" but i HAD to change the strap button location and i HAD to buy the hipshot replacement bridge.... thing is a beast now

 

[Bongolation]

This subject has been beat to death a dozen times.

Short answer: The Epiphone Thunderbirds have all the disadvantages and none of the advantages of the real Gibson Thunderbird. They are merely superficial look-alikes of the real thing.

If you're into superficial look-alikes of stuff, knock yourself out. I wouldn't have one as a gift.

 

[Kink Rimson]

I had one for a bit. Worst bass I've ever owned, seriously.

It just felt very toy-like, lightweight and insubstantial. The pickups were pathetic too. Lots of people say they are excellent for rock, they obviously assume rock bass is all about indistinct blurry 8th notes. The top end was particularly weak.
The E string always felt and sounded particularly loose and rubbery, perhaps something to do with the break angle over the bridge saddle( There wasn't one ).

As someone else said previously, these are Thunderbirds in name and (general) appearance alone.

Mind you, most folks on here seem to love theirs, so each to his own!