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The New Epiphone Thunderbird Pro V

Gibson epiphone customer service is having fed ex pick up my epiphone thunderbird pro V to have it shipped back to there service center to have the low B string issue addressed. I get the impression they really do want this issue takin' care of on these basses since there have been so many complaints, So we will see! I will keep you posted of the results.
 
Sitting on the sidelines and saving $$$ up for one....since I've had T-Birds following me around since the early 1970's. These are the first neck-thru 5 string T-Birds....so it HAS TO be made to work.

Thanks for pushing the issue with Gib/Epi and PLEASE let us know if they "do right" for us(I'm getting the Pro V soon) Thunder!
HOPEFULLY this will be addressed with something like a pickup replacement by Gib/Epi.

Question:
Which case does this bass fit in or is there a secret code for an actual Epi case like there was/is for some of the less-popular ones?
 
I got email from Roger ball at Gibson . He us the guys who set up my RMA #. The bass will be back to Sacramento the day after my next gig!! wouldn't you know it, and yes they did replace both the neck and bridge pick up's. So I will post what i think of the repair sometime next week. so far Epiphone/Gibson have been really cool to deal with. I wish I had got the Fed Ex paid pick up . That cost me $ 55.00 to ship for California to Tennessee.
Wish me luck
Eric in sacto
 
Sitting on the sidelines and saving $$$ up for one....since I've had T-Birds following me around since the early 1970's. These are the first neck-thru 5 string T-Birds....so it HAS TO be made to work.

Thanks for pushing the issue with Gib/Epi and PLEASE let us know if they "do right" for us(I'm getting the Pro V soon) Thunder!
HOPEFULLY this will be addressed with something like a pickup replacement by Gib/Epi.

Question:
Which case does this bass fit in or is there a secret code for an actual Epi case like there was/is for some of the less-popular ones?
Johnny; I never did try a epiphone T-bird case since I had a extra Gibson T-bird case laying around I used it. Although I did have to customize the Gibson T-bird case a little bit, By cutting a small slice in the material in the center where the body rest and adding some beaded foam into the slice to raise it up then sewed up the slice and you can not tell. When and if I get my bass back I will try the epiphone case since I have a couple of those basses also.
 
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sorry about recommenting on this,but,yeah these pic settle it.
i'm definatly going to trade my epi bird in for a pro.how would you guys compare it's tone to the regular epi bird?? with those pups and the activeness,i'd imagine they sound a bit more like a gibson...
 
I got email from Roger ball at Gibson . He us the guys who set up my RMA #. The bass will be back to Sacramento the day after my next gig!! wouldn't you know it, and yes they did replace both the neck and bridge pick up's. So I will post what i think of the repair sometime next week. so far Epiphone/Gibson have been really cool to deal with. I wish I had got the Fed Ex paid pick up . That cost me $ 55.00 to ship for California to Tennessee.
Wish me luck
Eric in sacto

:hmm:Can't wait to find out! They have mine now also at there RMA Gibson repair center.
 
Everyone get out your credit card and GO BUY THIS BASS!! I am freakking grinning like crazy. I got me a a real nice return from the factory thanks to Roger Ball and Epiphone. I got bass back on Saturday, Did a gig on Friday! oh well can't win em all right. Saw a band play today and before I crash I had to open the box and see how things came back. I got my Gibson Thunder used case back. So Things look good. I would not recommend anyone shipping back to use the cheap card board box. I have like two days to either keep or return bass to Guitar Center. I bought this one on line and had it shipped to a local store becuase these are only specail order according to the salesman at Guitar center. He might have been lying I don't care. I wanted one and now I have 8 Damn bass to sort through. I know my eyes are as bad as my lack of funds in my secret bank account. I keep buying gear .
So I fired up the 1970 SVT and the strings are perfect. They did a ok set up, still a bit high , But I like em where I can dig in and groove instead of playing soft. the b string issues are a thing of the past. They replace both pick ups and the bass sounds as good as it looks.
Metalbob save your pick up money, you won't need to buy anything but new strings bro!!
 
Everyone get out your credit card and GO BUY THIS BASS!! I am freakking grinning like crazy. I got me a a real nice return from the factory thanks to Roger Ball and Epiphone. I got bass back on Saturday, Did a gig on Friday! oh well can't win em all right. Saw a band play today and before I crash I had to open the box and see how things came back. I got my Gibson Thunder used case back. So Things look good. I would not recommend anyone shipping back to use the cheap card board box. I have like two days to either keep or return bass to Guitar Center. I bought this one on line and had it shipped to a local store becuase these are only specail order according to the salesman at Guitar center. He might have been lying I don't care. I wanted one and now I have 8 Damn bass to sort through. I know my eyes are as bad as my lack of funds in my secret bank account. I keep buying gear .
So I fired up the 1970 SVT and the strings are perfect. They did a ok set up, still a bit high , But I like em where I can dig in and groove instead of playing soft. the b string issues are a thing of the past. They replace both pick ups and the bass sounds as good as it looks.
Metalbob save your pick up money, you won't need to buy anything but new strings bro!!

So the one you got is a brand new one not one sent back Epi dealer right
 
I got my original bass back. They replaced both pick ups. It rips now, But I just need to get used to playing a neck diving bass. This bass reminds me of a 80s Mockingbird bass I sold years ago. I like it. The pick ups look exactly the same. I can not tell by looking at them . But the difference in out put is NIGHT AND DAY.
Place your Order.
Eric
 
:hyper:
Everyone get out your credit card and GO BUY THIS BASS!! I am freakking grinning like crazy. I got me a a real nice return from the factory thanks to Roger Ball and Epiphone. I got bass back on Saturday, Did a gig on Friday! oh well can't win em all right. Saw a band play today and before I crash I had to open the box and see how things came back. I got my Gibson Thunder used case back. So Things look good. I would not recommend anyone shipping back to use the cheap card board box. I have like two days to either keep or return bass to Guitar Center. I bought this one on line and had it shipped to a local store becuase these are only specail order according to the salesman at Guitar center. He might have been lying I don't care. I wanted one and now I have 8 Damn bass to sort through. I know my eyes are as bad as my lack of funds in my secret bank account. I keep buying gear .
So I fired up the 1970 SVT and the strings are perfect. They did a ok set up, still a bit high , But I like em where I can dig in and groove instead of playing soft. the b string issues are a thing of the past. They replace both pick ups and the bass sounds as good as it looks.
Metalbob save your pick up money, you won't need to buy anything but new strings bro!!

:hyper:That is Fantastic News! Hopefully mine will be comming back soon from Gibson, they picked it up about a week ago, Now I know it is worth the wait! Thanks!
 
Looking back at all my post. I went from returning bass back to Gibson to getting it back in 12 days. Not bad for there and back ground shipping and repair.
I do have a question about how some of you might have solved the head drop with these basses. Was the trick to move the strap botton thing above the neck like they are now? or move it some where else?. I doubt i will move it but just wanted to know. The trans black pro v bass that i have sure looks good and with these new pick ups we are ready for some gig time soon.
Eric
Link Removed
 
;)Got word today my thunderbird pro v will be arriving in the next few days from gibson repair center and they say I wont be disappointed with the B string output, they claim it is a bad ass bass now. they also changed the pickups or re designed them to work. I will keep in touch.:bassist:;)
 
"OK HERE IS THE LETTER THATS OUT FROM GIBSON EPIPHONE CUST. SERVICE DEPT"

Dear Epiphone Customer,

We regret to inform you that we have discovered that a SMALL percentage of defective T-PRO™ pickups were installed in some of our Epiphone Thunderbird PRO-V basses (5-string ONLY). These pickups were incorrectly made and therefore, cause the low-B string (or 5th string) to have a very low output level (ie: low volume) relative to the other 4 strings. While all PRO-V basses are NOT affected, the extent of the problem dictates that we notify you of this potential defect and take immediate action to correct it.

• If you purchased an Epiphone Thunderbird PRO-V (5-string) bass and the output level of the low-B string is LOW (ie: much quieter than the other 4 strings) please contact our Customer Service department either by email or by phone as follows. Remember – please check your bass first. Not all PRO-V’s are affected. PRO-IV's (4-strings) do not have this problem.

In the U.S.A
1-800-4GIBSON (1-800-444-2766)
[email protected]
In Europe
00+8004GIBSON1 (00+800-444-2766-1)
[email protected]
In Japan
[email protected]
In China
800-820-8841
[email protected]

If determined to be defective, we will arrange to have your bass picked up and returned to Epiphone to have new pickup(s) installed, thoroughly tested and then returned to you promptly. When you contact Customer Service, please make sure you have your serial number available.

• Additionally, we are in the process of testing all Thunderbird PRO-V basses at our authorized Epiphone retailers worldwide to determine if they need pickup replacements. If they do, we will be either repairing them on-site or re-calling them. As a result, future purchasers of Thunderbird PRO-V basses will not experience this problem.

In closing, we sincerely apologize for this problem and the inconvenience. At Epiphone, we pride ourselves on our passionate attention to quality and our historically low return rate of less than 0.5%. In this case however, we failed to meet our own standards not to mention yours. Rest assured that we have taken aggressive and appropriate action to ensure that this will not occur in the future.

Thank you for your understanding and we hope that you will continue to have faith in us. We have stood behind our instruments for over 135 years and we will continue to stand behind our products with an unwavering commitment to quality and customer satisfaction backed by our Epiphone Limited Lifetime Warranty and our world-famous Gibson 24/7/365 Customer Service. If you ever have a question or a concern, we’re here for you.

Sincerely,
Epiphone
645 Massman Dr.
Nashville, TN 37210
 

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