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How many Thunderbird basses do you own?
- Thread starter Miles_ONeal
- Start date
None right now. I'm a Rickenbacker guy first, but I still love the sound and looks of a nice Thunderbird. It's the ergonomics that are a deal breaker for me with Gibson and Epiphone. Maybe I haven't found the right Thunderbird-shaped object yet?
2.
Epiphone Goth
Silver Burst Epiphone T Bird
3 if you count the Bruno Telebird, but its more of a frankenbass than a Thunderbird.
Looking at adding either an Epiphone Pro or a Gibson in Alpine White.
I'm not sure why everyone hates the feel of the Tbird. I rest my right forearm on the rear wing and never have to fight the neck dive.
Epiphone Goth
Silver Burst Epiphone T Bird
3 if you count the Bruno Telebird, but its more of a frankenbass than a Thunderbird.
Looking at adding either an Epiphone Pro or a Gibson in Alpine White.
I'm not sure why everyone hates the feel of the Tbird. I rest my right forearm on the rear wing and never have to fight the neck dive.
- Jun 30, 2010
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- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
Four of my TBSO's
'64 II (since 1978 - it has history with me
) - ebony/abalone pg / added Seymour Duncan "Hawkbucker" B-pu in '87 / added Scott Dawsons Badbird compensated bridge (original safely in a box) / brass nut cut to correct factory mis-cut bone nut. Massive sound - it's my drummers favorite sounding bass. That's saying a lot!
My next oldest T-bird shaped object (from '98)... Factorbird fretless - G&L L2000 MFD pu's & 9v pre / solid Koa 3 section body / Kubicki Ex-Factor lined fretless neck and Factor tuner-bridge.
Epi bolt-on T-bird body / Kubicki Factor 9v pre / Wilkinson buckers / Saunders (early FCS made) P-neck / Hipshot Supertone (string-thru) bridge
'Gojira" (passive) Fenderbird - chambered mahogany Epi bolt-on body, AllParts Fender Authorized maple J neck / Curtis Novak Darkstar pu's / Hipshot KA bridge / internal LED 'lighting' under aluminum pg / removable upper strap-peg extension (zero neck dive) Dunlop Strap-Lok system
'64 II (since 1978 - it has history with me
) - ebony/abalone pg / added Seymour Duncan "Hawkbucker" B-pu in '87 / added Scott Dawsons Badbird compensated bridge (original safely in a box) / brass nut cut to correct factory mis-cut bone nut. Massive sound - it's my drummers favorite sounding bass. That's saying a lot!My next oldest T-bird shaped object (from '98)... Factorbird fretless - G&L L2000 MFD pu's & 9v pre / solid Koa 3 section body / Kubicki Ex-Factor lined fretless neck and Factor tuner-bridge.
Epi bolt-on T-bird body / Kubicki Factor 9v pre / Wilkinson buckers / Saunders (early FCS made) P-neck / Hipshot Supertone (string-thru) bridge
'Gojira" (passive) Fenderbird - chambered mahogany Epi bolt-on body, AllParts Fender Authorized maple J neck / Curtis Novak Darkstar pu's / Hipshot KA bridge / internal LED 'lighting' under aluminum pg / removable upper strap-peg extension (zero neck dive) Dunlop Strap-Lok system
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I have owned two thunderbirds and sold two thunderbirds.
I have modded a thunderbird into what I consider to be the best possible design, and still came back to the Fender Jazz/PJ recipe.
The look of a thunderbird is unmatched, but the weight, terrible ergonomics, and tone cannot match the style.
Maybe one day I will build what I consider to be the ‘perfect’ thunderbird. But for now, it’s jazz basses for me
I have modded a thunderbird into what I consider to be the best possible design, and still came back to the Fender Jazz/PJ recipe.
The look of a thunderbird is unmatched, but the weight, terrible ergonomics, and tone cannot match the style.
Maybe one day I will build what I consider to be the ‘perfect’ thunderbird. But for now, it’s jazz basses for me
Only 1, but for me my 1990 is all I need. And I can only play one at a time anyway…
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I went to see Michael Manring at The Bass Club in Chicago in 2008.
While waiting for his show,I picked up a T-Bird and plucked the strings.
I put it down.
That's it.
While waiting for his show,I picked up a T-Bird and plucked the strings.
I put it down.
That's it.
I’m right there with you. Thunderbirds made me realize to value ergonomics over looks. I owned multiple T’birds by Epiphone and Gibson but never got over how clunky they felt to me when I played them.
Smooth_bass88
vaxx!
- Oct 31, 2006
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Too few. And by that I mean zero. If I'll ever be in a situation with money to spare and nothing else to buy, I'll get an Epiphone 60s!
Ps and Mustangs are an ok fit. Js not so much.
Hands down my '64 is the best playing, best sounding bass I have even owned. (And I have some nice really old Fenders.)
The two (not counted) Epi Embassy's (Thunderbird's with a different shape but same guts), with one from '64 and one recent one are sweet as well.
The two (not counted) Epi Embassy's (Thunderbird's with a different shape but same guts), with one from '64 and one recent one are sweet as well.
Nice choice to have the Goth with the standard Epi pickups and the Silverburst with the other pickups.
I got a Gibson Non-Reverse Thunderbird in Ebony! I love it! I’m considering putting an EMG preamp I’ve had laying around for a long time in it, because that would be amazing to boost the treble a little bit, it’s naturally beefy and darker sounding, which is a great sound that works well but having it set up V/V and B/T stacked would really spice things up!
I currently own an "Orville by Gibson" Thunderbird bass, which was basically a Gibson Thunderbird that was assembled in Japan in 1992. Supposedly, they used Gibson USA pickups and electronics. It's very light (eight pounds, one ounce), and looks pretty much identical to a Made in America TBird. I ended up replacing the pickups with Lollar Thunderbird pickups which improved the sound quite a bit. (The originals were lifeless, and just OK sounding.)
I've read that the Orville by Gibson Thunderbirds have set necks, but mine is a neck through body. Someone before me swapped out the "Orville" truss rod cover with a "Gibson" one, so my bass really does look like a real TBird. (But it cost me about $3000-4000 less than a real white Gibson TBird would.)
I love mine because it looks like a really old one, and it's white. I love the TBird in white.
I had previously owned another Gibson TBird (MIA) with the usual brown burst coloring and black trip, that was built sometime in the 2000s. This one had a bigger deeper sound (even more so than the current one with the new pickups). I got rid of that one because I couldn't get used to the ergonomics. However, I've since discovered that you have to shift the body over a bit to my right so the angle of the body sits below my arm, which makes it a much more playable bass. (The low notes are more easily reached, it "sits" better, etc.) However, it still has some serious neck dive issues. This is probably why they're not more popular in general.
I've also owned a couple of the Epiphone models and never liked their sound enough. It felt like they lacked the resonance of the Gibson ones. Whether that's wood choices, assembly methods, etc. I don't know.
I ran into similar experiences with the Les Paul basses, where my favorites are the early 1990's LPB-1 cherry finish mahogany ones with ebony fingerboards, passive electronics (black Thunderbird pickups), heavy as a boat anchor. I tried some others that had rosewood fingerboards, lighter woods, different pickups, etc. and they were nothing like those early 90's ones.
So, I'd rank my TBirds in this order:
I've read that the Orville by Gibson Thunderbirds have set necks, but mine is a neck through body. Someone before me swapped out the "Orville" truss rod cover with a "Gibson" one, so my bass really does look like a real TBird. (But it cost me about $3000-4000 less than a real white Gibson TBird would.)
I love mine because it looks like a really old one, and it's white. I love the TBird in white.
I had previously owned another Gibson TBird (MIA) with the usual brown burst coloring and black trip, that was built sometime in the 2000s. This one had a bigger deeper sound (even more so than the current one with the new pickups). I got rid of that one because I couldn't get used to the ergonomics. However, I've since discovered that you have to shift the body over a bit to my right so the angle of the body sits below my arm, which makes it a much more playable bass. (The low notes are more easily reached, it "sits" better, etc.) However, it still has some serious neck dive issues. This is probably why they're not more popular in general.
I've also owned a couple of the Epiphone models and never liked their sound enough. It felt like they lacked the resonance of the Gibson ones. Whether that's wood choices, assembly methods, etc. I don't know.
I ran into similar experiences with the Les Paul basses, where my favorites are the early 1990's LPB-1 cherry finish mahogany ones with ebony fingerboards, passive electronics (black Thunderbird pickups), heavy as a boat anchor. I tried some others that had rosewood fingerboards, lighter woods, different pickups, etc. and they were nothing like those early 90's ones.
So, I'd rank my TBirds in this order:
- Brown MIA Gibson
- Current Orville/Gibson TBird
- All the Epiphone models
I always loved seeing and hearing Overend Watts and Martin Turner playing vintage tbirds, but the body shape was not for me.
Back in the early 2000's I had a '67 Embassy that sounded amazing. Nailed the Tbird sound with even better clarity with its thinner mahogany body. Sold it to buy more Rick 4004 models, no regrets. More recently I got one of the early runs of the Embassy Pro which was a really great playing and sounding instrument. For me Ric hb pickups get a meaty tone that gets me in the ballpark of TB.
None here, ever.I have played a few of them over the years and they are credible instruments that play exceptionally well. And when the notes start flying, they sound like an electric bass.
Personally, I’ve been playing Fender basses for the best part 50 years now and my tone is pretty settled at this point.
