New Epiphone Vintage Pro Thunderbird

[Systolic]

Hmmm, so Vintage Pro vs Classic Pro. I need that head to head done asap.

 

[Mastermold]

For the past few years at the NAMM show I've been telling the Gibson folks they needed to reissue this bass. They didn't listen but I'm glad Epiphone did. Looks great, and l'm glad to hear it sounds and plays great too!

 

[dukeorock]

For the past few years at the NAMM show I've been telling the Gibson folks they needed to reissue this bass. They didn't listen but I'm glad Epiphone did. Looks great, and l'm glad to hear it sounds and plays great too!

Someone had to! I absolutely love my Gibson basses, but there’s a real disconnect that’s been going on for way too long. I think the T Birds they’ve been making for the past 25 years or so are rock solid for what they are, but they’ve been pretty much the same. Why would I pay $2k for a 2018 T Bird when I can get a 2013 for a grand and it’s pretty much the same bass?
While I think a cool reissue should happen, Gibson’s bass reissues in the past (at least) 15 years have been total headscratchers to me. The Ripper, Grabber and G3 RI’s kinda look like cheap, dumbed down versions of the originals and sound nothing like em. The G3 RI is the best RI of those, IMO. It’s a pretty nice bass and sounds good. Just doesn’t sound like a G3 to me. The recent RD RI is really confusing. All the weight and iffy ergos of the originals and none of the sound

No idea what it’s gonna take to turn that ship around, but I’d love to see em do it!

 

[Mastermold]

Someone had to! I absolutely love my Gibson basses, but there’s a real disconnect that’s been going on for way too long. I think the T Birds they’ve been making for the past 25 years or so are rock solid for what they are, but they’ve been pretty much the same. Why would I pay $2k for a 2018 T Bird when I can get a 2013 for a grand and it’s pretty much the same bass?
While I think a cool reissue should happen, Gibson’s bass reissues in the past (at least) 15 years have been total headscratchers to me. The Ripper, Grabber and G3 RI’s kinda look like cheap, dumbed down versions of the originals and sound nothing like em. The G3 RI is the best RI of those, IMO. It’s a pretty nice bass and sounds good. Just doesn’t sound like a G3 to me. The recent RD RI is really confusing. All the weight and iffy ergos of the originals and none of the sound

No idea what it’s gonna take to turn that ship around, but I’d love to see em do it!

My personal opinion is Gibson's focus is their guitars and their basses are an afterthought. I don't know what their sales ratio is but I bet they sell at least 100 guitars for every bass. The guys running Epiphone on the other hand seem more willing to invest in their basses. The Epi Jack Casady bass is a gem, another idea Gibson famously first passed over.

 

[3bc]

The pickups are key on these basses, frankly most have never played a 60's Thunderbird and have only the post 1989 Thunderbirds to compare.

This is like ribbing on someone for not having experience with a vintage Neumann U47. If 60's birds were readily available today then this may be pertinent. My experience, with modern, widely available tbirds was really underwhelming. Now apparently this new epi has been upgraded and I hope it's a great bass and a great value. That would be awesome. But I walked into my local GC yesterday and saw two used epi t birds for around $200 each and that speaks to the quality and value of the most recent iteration.

 

[godofthunder59]

This is like ribbing on someone for not having experience with a vintage Neumann U47. If 60's birds were readily available today then this may be pertinent. My experience, with modern, widely available tbirds was really underwhelming. Now apparently this new epi has been upgraded and I hope it's a great bass and a great value. That would be awesome. But I walked into my local GC yesterday and saw two used epi t birds for around $200 each and that speaks to the quality and value of the most recent iteration.

I didn't mean to bash anyone. If you don't have a accurate point of reference how can you criticize a instrument?

 

[3bc]

I didn't mean to bash anyone. If you don't have a accurate point of reference how can you criticize a instrument?

Totally fair, and to a great degree my commentary is pointless because my experience was with a previous version of the guitar. I don't even want to be a Debbie downer, I just know from personal experience that I lusted after that Gibson for years before I had the money to buy it, and I was never happy with it, and the previous EPI had nothing in common with the Gibson. Trying to save people from my experience who might look at the Gibson version as being a long term goal, or are torn between models or something along those lines. I wanted that bass as much as anyone and I was never truly happy with it.

 

[dukeorock]

My personal opinion is Gibson's focus is their guitars and their basses are an afterthought. I don't know what their sales ratio is but I bet they sell at least 100 guitars for every bass. The guys running Epiphone on the other hand seem more willing to invest in their basses. The Epi Jack Casady bass is a gem, another idea Gibson famously first passed over.

I agree with everything you said, but I wish I didn’t

 

[jacoby75]

I walked into my local GC yesterday and saw two used epi t birds for around $200 each and that speaks to the quality and value of the most recent iteration.

Do you know what model they were selling for $200? That would make a big difference. The basic Epiphone Thunderbird IV does not hold value at all, and rightfully so. It's an entry level banger. Nor does the IV Pro, which is very little like an actual Gibson Thunderbird. But the Classic IV does hold some value. At least better than the others.

 

[3bc]

Do you know what model they were selling for $200? That would make a big difference. The basic Epiphone Thunderbird IV does not hold value at all, and rightfully so. It's an entry level banger. Nor does the IV Pro, which is very little like an actual Gibson Thunderbird. But the Classic IV does hold some value. At least better than the others.

Sorry I do not. I suspect the basic model. I don't mean this in a disparaging way but I'm not in the market for one, and because of this I couldn't tell the difference without really picking it up, reading the fine print on the headstock/hang tag.

 

[KB5]

I can't get my hands on one of these locally to try out. I have seen, played and was very disappointed by the one Embassy that I found at Sam Ash. I would really love to see a video comparing the sound of the Vintage Pro, the Classic Pro, and the Gibson birds. It anyone see's one in a shop on Long Island shoot me a PM!

 

[jacoby75]

I can't get my hands on one of these locally to try out. I have seen, played and was very disappointed by the one Embassy that I found at Sam Ash. I would really love to see a video comparing the sound of the Vintage Pro, the Classic Pro, and the Gibson birds. It anyone see's one in a shop on Long Island shoot me a PM!

Best I’ve found is Chris Catero’s review videos on YouTube of the classic and vintage. But it’s not a side by side comparison of the two with all else being equal. And from the videos, I can gather that his right hand technique is significantly different from mine. At times he uses his finger like a pick almost. So it’s not incredibly useful to me because I know my experience would vary.

 

[RedVee]

I can't get my hands on one of these locally to try out. I have seen, played and was very disappointed by the one Embassy that I found at Sam Ash. I would really love to see a video comparing the sound of the Vintage Pro, the Classic Pro, and the Gibson birds. It anyone see's one in a shop on Long Island shoot me a PM!

And post it in this thread please.

 

[snowblinder]

My ebony Vintage Pro arrived today. It's awesome.

 

[Jonathan C]

I can't get my hands on one of these locally to try out. I have seen, played and was very disappointed by the one Embassy that I found at Sam Ash. I would really love to see a video comparing the sound of the Vintage Pro, the Classic Pro, and the Gibson birds. It anyone see's one in a shop on Long Island shoot me a PM!

I'm on Long Island too and couldn't find a VP either. Showed the picture of 4 tobacco bursts on Sweetwater to my girlfriend. She said pick one, it's your birthday present!
I'll have it Tuesday The case is on backorder, my sales guy there Michael shipped me a free gig bag till they come in.

 

[Rob Martinez]

I have owned four Gibson T Birds, two standard and two set necks, all great basses. HOWEVER, I always wanted something more like the mid 60s T Birds. T Bird people have been asking for years. I had not been to the Gibson site in some time, but had a look and they have a bright red T BIRD??? No thanks. Then I read Epiphone was doing something like a retro T Bird and Embassy, and THAT is what Gibson should be doing. My Embassy V Pro is a great bass for the money, and now I am going to save and get an Epi T Bird V Pro to replace those Gibson T Birds I sold off. Who would want black plastic PU covers when you can have nickel??

 

[jacoby75]

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 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've never had a bass that gives me a tone like this, so it's inspired me to play and practice 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.

 

[Jonathan C]

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 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've never had a bass that gives me a tone like this, so it's inspired me to play and practice 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.

What strings do they put on this bass? Not a good setup? Where did you purchase?

 

[jacoby75]

Sweetwater. Not sure about the factory strings. The neck is straight, but there is buzz. Probably because I’m used to DR Fat Beams, which I think are bigger around and stiffer. And I play harder. It’s not a lot of buzz, or constant buzz. Just sometimes around the 5-8 frets. I may need to tweak the truss a bit.

 

[Jonathan C]

Sweetwater. Not sure about the factory strings. The neck is straight, but there is buzz. Probably because I’m used to DR Fat Beams, which I think are bigger around and stiffer. And I play harder. It’s not a lot of buzz, or constant buzz. Just sometimes around the 5-8 frets. I may need to tweak the truss a bit.

I don't expect a bass from Sweetwater to need adjustments, I'll post mine when I get it Tuesday. Best of luck with your bass! You order a case?