SOLD Epiphone Thunderbird Vintage PRO Tobacco Sunburst -Brand New w/professional set up & HSC

Epiphone Thunderbird Vintage PRO Tobacco Sunburst - Brand New 2018 w/HSC
Why would you spend $1000 on a bass that you can get from Sweetwater right now for $699?
Epiphone Thunderbird Vintage PRO Bass - Tobacco Sunburst
Here's why:
1) This bass has been professionally set up by the legendary bass builder/repairman John Kallas. He leveled the frets and set the bass up so it plays incredibly well. When the first bass came from Sweetwater it buzzed all over the place so bad I returned it and told them to make sure they sent me a bass that was set up well and didn't buzz. The second one buzzed as bad as the first so I had to get it professionally set up.
johnk vintage basses
2) This bass weighs 8 lbs 6 oz, all the ones available today start at 9 lbs and go up to over 10 lbs
3) The Epiphone hardshell case ($129) that is the only one that fits it has been in and out of stock, so not always available.
4) I bought this bass on John Kallas' recommendation that out of the 30 basses he owns that are either extremely expensive vintage basses, ones he built or just all around cool basses, this is the one that sounds the best. He bought two, one to play and one to collect.

You will notice that this is the first time either Epiphone or Gibson has faithfully re-issued the original 1963 Thunderbird bass down to the vintage chrome humbucker pickups and the two piece saddle bridge. None of those ugly black pickups or three point Gibson bridges!
The bass is 9 piece mahogany and walnut neck through design. The Tobacco Sunburst finish shows this detail off beautifully.
The bass is brand new with the plastic protectors on the pick guard and control cover and stickers on the headstock, only the plastic protectors on the pickups were removed. Never played out. The case is brand new with plastic protector on the handle.
You can easily change the truss rod cover to Gibson:
GIBSON THUNDERBIRD TRUSS TIE ROD COVER (BLACK / GOLD) | eBay

I'm selling it for two reasons.
1) I'm buying a used John Kallas Jazz Bass off of Talk Bass classifieds, I've always wanted a John Kallas custom bass but can't afford his full price, so when this used one came up I jumped on it. Its exactly the bass I dreamed of my whole life: a Lake Placid Blue with matching head stock.

2) When I play the Thunderbird next to my bass I handmade in 1977 that you can see in my profile, I prefer my bass. It is all maple with neck through design and has Hi-A and Bill Lawrence pickups from the 70's in it. You can totally see the Explorer and Thunderbird reverse style influence in my original body design. I had no idea how good a bass it was till I bought this Epiphone to compare it to, and its better!

So there you have it, an opportunity to get a brand new one of these super cool re-issued classic 1963 Gibson Thunderbirds set up by a legendary bass builder in hard shell case. A one of a kind deal!
$1000 includes shipping in the CONUS