NBD ! Epiphone Thunderbird Pro !

[Maxime1980]

Silly GAS got me again....
Looked for a Epiphone Thunderbird after trying one lately (a regular, not a PRO version i must say!) and *really loving* it a whole lot!
Bid on one of those basses + case on ebay, listed as used for a starting bid of400.00 CAD + 40.00 shipping : "Used Epiphone T-Bird PRO Bass Wood Grain Case Included".
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I just got an email for it earlier today stating that i won it! These basses usually sell for approx. 750.00 + taxes in Canada (without a bag or case), so if it comes in a really good condition (the pictures below are from the seller) + a hard case, that's amazing!!!

 

[ComesATime]

I've used my guitarist's TB in a pinch in the studio and it sounded and felt great. Congrats on the win at a good price. That's about $300 US, and that's a good price for a used Pro. Looks like it's in good shape--maybe just a neck adjustment to fit your taste.

 

[jd56hawk]

I've always liked the Pro IV...yes, even the preamp...and definitely preferred the bridge and non-gloss neck.
Put a set of flatwounds on my old one and got a really nice tone when I did...very ominous.

 

[Maxime1980]

Oh, i almost forgot : since there is a preamp, it does mean that this is an active bass.
However, is the Epiphone T-Bird PRO Bass an active and passive or strictly an active bass ?

Merci !

 

[AHaze]

They are active only. No option to bypass the pre amp.

 

[Gaolee]

You can convert it to passive, but that means rewiring. Congratulations on snagging that one, though. It's hard to find one at that price. Sometimes a "losing" bid wins and it's just meant to be.

 

[Maxime1980]

You can convert it to passive, but that means rewiring. Congratulations on snagging that one, though. It's hard to find one at that price. Sometimes a "losing" bid wins and it's just meant to be.

Oddly enough, i was the only bidder!

 

[Maxime1980]

They are active only. No option to bypass the pre amp.

I prefer passive basses (not to worry about a 9V battery and whatnot), but I'm curious to how it compares to a passive TBird...

 

[Gaolee]

It has the same ergos and feel, but the sound is harder. As you would expect with a preamp.

 

[Maxime1980]

I finally got it! Pictures a bit later after inspections and a bit of playing! Yay!

 

[Maxime1980]

I finally got it! Pictures a bit later after inspections and a bit of playing! Yay!

Alright, i took (quite a bit of) pictures of the bass as i was inspecting it. From what i see, there are some light scruffing marks and a dent or two, but nothing that would be alarming. The bass was listed as used and it does look as it was used, fair game.
However, one of the 4 buttons was a bit loose, so i will need to fix this out.
The bass really has a great growl from what i tried this afternoon and from what everyone said, and even more with a pre-amp. The neck dive is definitely not as present as i would have imagined, although the way that the bass stands while wearing it with a strap is definitely something to get used to.
Looking forward to try it more and fiddle with the preamp and buttons to dial in what i want to hear!

 

[JIO]

An easy way to remove all tendencies of T-bird "neck-dive" - no mods... easy peasy.