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Epiphone Thunderbird Vintage Pro vs Classic Pro

#66
I finally got my Vintage Pro in sunburst. It's a fantastic instrument. I've been a pro player for years and have played high-quality basses, and I am very impressed with the quality of this bass for the price, or for just about any price for that matter. And it sounds great! The only issue is it needs a bit of setup work for my playing style. There's a bit of fret buzz. And the pickup heights were waaaayyyy off. The neck pickup was super high and the bridge one was really low. So it took a little tweaking. I still need to get my preferred strings on it and set it up properly.

I wanted one because I'm going through a bit of a classic rock phase right now (Zep, the Who, Deep Purple, etc.) and I wanted to get a classic rock vibe bass (or more specifically, this one). I've never owned or played another Thunderbird in my 30+ years of playing, so I have nothing to compare it to, other than the couple of Epi's I tried in the store. But I am VERY happy with this bass. It is a lot of fun to play. I'll be Entwistling for hours on this puppy. I've never had a bass that gives me a tone like this, so it's inspired me to play more, and I am having a lot of fun doing it. And it works great with pedals, as I've been experimenting with overdrives, octaves and other effects. All in all I'm thrilled.

I see no point in taking pics, as they wouldn't look as good as the ones Sweetwater took, but here you go:
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#68
She’s a real beaut’. There was a little variety to the finish on all of the ones available on Sweetwater’s site. But they all looked really nice. Definitely better than the stock pictures Epiphone has provided thus far. The main difference to me was the wood grain in the various basses and how it came through in the paint job. I picked the one I picked because primarily I liked the grain the best and it had the darkest finish of the few that were available, which looked more “classic” to me.
 
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#69
jacoby75 said:
She’s a real beaut’. There was a little variety to the finish on all of the ones available on Sweetwater’s site. But they all looked really nice. Definitely better than the stock pictures Epiphone has provided thus far. The main difference to me was the wood grain in the various basses and how it came through in the paint job. I picked the one I picked because primarily I liked the grain the best and it had the darkest finish of the few that were available, which looked more “classic” to me.
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#71
How does the neck profile on the Vintage Pro differ from the Classic Pro? Are they both the same "60's rounded profile"? I've also heard the length of this bass is longer than other thunderbirds? Is the headstock just bigger or is it something else?

The reason I ask is because a local shop has the Classic Pro that I can try, but I'd have to order the Vintage Pro sight unseen.
 
#72
I can’t compare the two, as I only have a VP. But for what it’s worth, I prefer a P neck profile and find the VP very comfortable. But the headstock seems ginormous. I’m constantly banging it on stuff when I’m sitting in my practice space because it sticks out longer than you’d think. My guess is that’s why it’s a snug fit in cases. Not a negative thing. It just is what it is. I love the bass.
 
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#74
jacoby75 said:
I finally got my Vintage Pro in sunburst. It's a fantastic instrument. ...
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So. Why did you think you wouldn't play it at church? And how much have you? 8^)
When I switched to bass, I couldn't get to GC fast enough to find a Thunderbird. I have the Epi Vintage IV, but am working on getting a second, slightly different Epi TB. My TBird works just fine at church!
 
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#75
Miles_ONeal said:
So. Why did you think you wouldn't play it at church? And how much have you? 8^)
When I switched to bass, I couldn't get to GC fast enough to find a Thunderbird. I have the Epi Vintage IV, but am working on getting a second, slightly different Epi TB. My TBird works just fine at church!
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Strictly a matter of personal preference. I certainly didn't mean to imply I CAN'T play it at church or NEVER WILL play it at church, or that someone SHOULDN'T play it at church. I actually almost did play it last weekend at my friend's church when he was doing a couple of really rocking tunes, but I still decided to play my Lull. Because . . . well . . . Lull. But primarily because I've been playing 5-strings exclusively for about 15yrs now (with the exception of a couple of recent acquisitions) and I have grown accustomed to having the low B string to go down to in a worship set. I find it to be incredibly powerful when used at the right time too add strength to the song and more oomph to the worship set. And you almost have to have a 5-string in many respects to do a lot of the modern worship stuff properly. But never say never. It might make it to church some day. : )
 
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#76
SteveHeissner said:
Sweetwater has the cases.
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I finally decided to bite the bullet and get one from Sweetwater when they offered a discount of opening a credit card. It's a really nice case, but I'm not a fan of the fit. Not just the top of the headstock, but the tuning keys are so close to the side of the case. The bass wiggles just slightly and the tuning keys hit the side. I'm afraid of what impact (pun intended) that might have in the long term. But realistically, if you're carrying the case by the handle, the bass shouldn't "bounce up" causing the keys to hit the side, unless you throw it down a flight of stairs. All in all, though, it's a very nice looking case. And I didn't find any other options anyway. So it was either leave it at home or bring it out in the cardboard box.
 
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#77
jacoby75 said:
Strictly a matter of personal preference. I certainly didn't mean to imply I CAN'T play it at church or NEVER WILL play it at church, or that someone SHOULDN'T play it at church. I actually almost did play it last weekend at my friend's church when he was doing a couple of really rocking tunes, but I still decided to play my Lull. Because . . . well . . . Lull. But primarily because I've been playing 5-strings exclusively for about 15yrs now (with the exception of a couple of recent acquisitions) and I have grown accustomed to having the low B string to go down to in a worship set. I find it to be incredibly powerful when used at the right time too add strength to the song and more oomph to the worship set. And you almost have to have a 5-string in many respects to do a lot of the modern worship stuff properly. But never say never. It might make it to church some day. : )
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I didn't take it that way at all. And yeah, I'm looking for a 5-string. Meanwhile, tuning down to D on the bird has helped.
 
#78
Miles_ONeal said:
I didn't take it that way at all. And yeah, I'm looking for a 5-string. Meanwhile, tuning down to D on the bird has helped.
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LOL. No, I know. I just didn't want folks thinking I meant it that way. It still might make it to church someday. Especially since that's the only place I play anymore. Seems a shame to just leave such a pretty bass sitting at home. B-string be damned! (wait, can I say that?)
 
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#80
jacoby75 said:
I know this means very little, but looking at old pics of John Entwistle, his Tbird has the nickel hardware. I realize that tone has nothing to do with the color of the pickup covers, but if that's the sound I'm aiming for, would that mean that the new Vintage Pro thunderbird might get me more in the ballpark, if that's the era they were trying to replicate with the 760 pickups?
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The Vintage Pro 760 pickups are recreations of 60s alnico magnet units. They have lots of zip and zing and a mild inherent distortion good mid and treble response with underlying bass.The Classic Pro has modern ceramic magnet pickups, clean with bass and mids not a lot of highs.
 
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