Need some help finding a Gibson Thunderbird Studio 5 string?

[Stinger1]

I am new member to the forum and after searching high and low trying to find a old stock/excellent condition Gibson Thunderbird 5 string bass on the internet/local music stores...I need some help on finding this rig at a reasonable price...any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Rob Martinez]

Check ebay regularly and also this site's for sale forum, one show up every now and then.

 

[stiles72]

Good luck - I've had my eye out for a Cherry Red one for quite some time and havent found one at a reasonable price yet. Keep checking the usual places - Ebay, CL, etc...

 

[Thunderitter]

I have a standing search on eBay. One will pop up every two to three months. Most folks are aware that they are no longer in production, so prices have gone up a fair bit in the last 12 months - expect to pay $1500 for a 5 string, the 4 string come in around the $750-$1000 mark.

 

[Larry V]

Yup. They don't show up too often and when they do, don't hesitate. This one is on its way to me and I probably did a google search daily for the last 3 months. Guys are holding onto these. It's a risk though from a collectibility standpoint, if Gibson starts making them again, expect the price to drop, IMO.

 

[Larry V]

I found another one and made her mine. Black this time. Amazing condition and way nicer sounding/playing than my cherry finish. Here's a couple of pics.

 

[Ghastly]

Looking around for one of these too. Seems they are scarce.

 

[RickenBoogie]

Wish I would've hung on to mine, but instead I sold it when you were lucky to get $1000 for a 5 stringer.

 

[EdO.]

What do you consider a "reasonable " price? They only made the Studio 5 from 2005 - 2007, they're rare and don't pop up often so if you find one at a "reasonable " price I'd be wary. Unlikely IMO to find one worth having for under $1700, if you really want one I'd jump on it at that price if you can even find one.

The Epiphone version (the Pro V) pops up a little more frequently but is still rare and hard to find. IMO pretty close to the Gibson version build and sound wise, prices likely starting around $600 - 700.

 

[Larry V]

Very true. Shipped from $1,600-$1,700 and going up from there IMO since who knows when Gibson will even get back to making 4 string TBirds again.