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Epiphone Thunderbird: To buy or not to buy?

MirageBass

MirageBass

Apr 12, 2007
438
2
Rochester, NY/Los Angeles, CA
#1
I already have a Geddy J and a Dean Edge 6 string fretless. I always told myself that I have all my "basses loaded" (pardon the pun). Now, though, I see this for sale for $200, plus shipping.

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I love the color, and don't mind that chipping at all (I'm a fan of the Jaco-esque worn down stuff). I was thinking of trying my hand at straight-up root rock, and this looks damn cool, and it's only $200. Then again, I have trouble convincing myself that I NEED it, for good reason - I still love my J. But HOT DAMN!

Questions, comments, concerns?
 
#2
the epiphone thunderbirds r great! great tone and Looks epecially the Red sparkle finish! :D and at $200, u got a damm gd deal man! id say go 4 it!

only probs is that sometimes they r heavy, and a tendency 2 neck dive, but u can sort those probs out!!!

get that killer BASS!
 
#3
They are a bit long and neck heavy, and have terrible fret access.


BUT I love mine. I moved the strap button, and it's totally easy to deal with now.

They feel and sound fantastic IMO. I almost like them better than the "real" one.



Though... I am going to sell mine to fund other mischief...
 
#4
The Epiphone does look amazing. I had one for years and it served me well, bought it pretty much of the same reasons as you. It looks damn cool and for that prize! But of course there are downsides... To begin with, it has absolutely no sustain whatsoever and if you tap the body the pickups will "sing" with a high pitched noise that transfers to recordings and amps. But hey man, it really does look badass :)
 
#5
I installed 2 meg volume pots and modded the tone pot to no-load in mine. It seemed to give it better sustain (which I though was fine) and helped out with the dark tone.

I never noticed the noise when you tap the body, though.
 
#7
I also have one of these, LOVE! the feel of theme, and they look kool, aint tho most comfortable standing up but its bearable for the "koolness"? :P, oh and yea they neck dive all the time, i dont have the guts to get it modded xD
 
#8
MirageBass said:
What might modding it to fix the neck dive entail? If I do get this - and that is a major IF - I'm investing in a padded strap anyways, but I don't wanna screw it up by drilling crap into it. I'm lousy with the hardware.
Click to expand...

You move the strap button to the neck heel. It doesn't completely get rid of it, but helps A LOT.

I moved mine to the "top" of the neck pocket... and it makes a strap a PAIN to get on. What I wish I had done is simply drill a hole in the neck plate and put the button there.

Oh well. Too late now. :-)
 
#9
in my Humble opinion 200 + ship is 50 bucks too much. I bought 2 used sunbursts in excellent condition, one for me and one for my friend in another band... both were UNDER 200, with shipping, from 2 different sellers, and neither of them have ANY chips/dings/issues..etc

if 200 is worth it to you, then buy it....

as far as playability, It is reasonable for what it cost, and I enjoy playing it as well, but I won't and can't compare it to my JackBird, or any other HIGH END bass I have played thru the years ( it is a lot lighter however...lol )

EPIBIRD = ~ 9lbs
JACKBIRD = ~ 15lbs

( Jackson made a few T-birds in 94 only, and from the responses here on TB and other forums, I seem to be THE ONLY PERSON that still owns one anymore)
 
#11
I just got one

weight is really not that bad, dont know why people say it, it feels like a solid wooden bass and I have had to deal with worse neck and back breakers

neck dive is a five minute fix, take off the strap pin, expand the hole in the strap pin to the size of the screw for the bolt on neck, attach the strap pin to that, easy peasy. this may dig into your back when you have your bass in a gig bag on your back but its really not that bad

mine has a lot of sustain, maybe I am lucky, but it sustains very nicely indeed

biggest issue I have is the dark sound, but I will test this again today with new Dean Markley Super Rounds strings which are quite bright sounding, one things for sure the strings they arrive with are dull as dirt
 
#14
amimbari said:
in my Humble opinion 200 + ship is 50 bucks too much. I bought 2 used sunbursts in excellent condition, one for me and one for my friend in another band... both were UNDER 200, with shipping, from 2 different sellers, and neither of them have ANY chips/dings/issues..etc

if 200 is worth it to you, then buy it....

as far as playability, It is reasonable for what it cost, and I enjoy playing it as well, but I won't and can't compare it to my JackBird, or any other HIGH END bass I have played thru the years ( it is a lot lighter however...lol )

EPIBIRD = ~ 9lbs
JACKBIRD = ~ 15lbs

( Jackson made a few T-birds in 94 only, and from the responses here on TB and other forums, I seem to be THE ONLY PERSON that still owns one anymore)
Click to expand...
Would this be you by any chance?
 
#15
If you're buying an Epi, buy the Blackbird. It has a mahogany body and is thinner at the nut than the standard T-Bird. In short, it's closer to a "real" Thunderbird. I know, the color, the dopey inlays, the switch, and of course, the "Opti Grab" - but the DeepSixx pickups DO sound a little better...
 
#17
lowend1 said:
If you're buying an Epi, buy the Blackbird. It has a mahogany body and is thinner at the nut than the standard T-Bird. In short, it's closer to a "real" Thunderbird. I know, the color, the dopey inlays, the switch, and of course, the "Opti Grab" - but the DeepSixx pickups DO sound a little better...
Click to expand...

+1 except....
I thought the Deep sixx pickups sounded a whole lot better. Also a "real Thunderbird" has a mahogany neck. The blackbird feels even more solid IMO. I really like the look too, it's not cookie cutter.

Try to find one though. Most places are back ordered.
 
#18
absolutely amazing bass, I own the alpine addition, I've gigged them in an indy band and a hardcore band and it's never out of place at all. I agree with older posts about the neckdive which is sort of irritating, but its in the top 3 basses i've played as far as sound and look ( my preference of course ). I had to sell my p and pay $340 for mine (although it came with emg's and a custom drop switch), so i think your getting a damn good deal, you wont look back
 
#19
MotorTed said:
+1 except....
I thought the Deep sixx pickups sounded a whole lot better. Also a "real Thunderbird" has a mahogany neck. The blackbird feels even more solid IMO. I really like the look too, it's not cookie cutter.

Try to find one though. Most places are back ordered.
Click to expand...

You're probably right about the pickups. I based my opinion on some low-volume noodling in the store and an A/B with the standard Epi. I've been trying to find something for ages that would be an affordable alternative to my '76 Tbird which doesn't leave the house anymore. I think the Blackbird might be the ticket - even without the neck-thru construction. The switch looks cheap, though - I might just replace it with a single volume knob.
 

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