Thunderbird Club

[GBassNorth]

Hi guys!
I'm back. Well, not to stay, but I'd like to share with you my latest experience with a Thunderbird.
I've previously been part of this club, around 2019 if I remember correctly, with a Gibson Thunderbird (2018-2019 model). That one got traded for my American Original 60 P bass, which I absolutely love.
Last week I bought an Epiphone Thunderbird 60s Bass (the "Vintage Pro" after the "line up lifting"), because I wanted a T-bird once again without spending lots of money (it wouldn't have been my #1 bass, you know), and due to the fact that I had quite nice memories of the first Vintage Pros and Classic IV Epis.

When they came out, they were crafted in china, if I'm right. The latter ones are Indonesia made, as Squier Classic Vibes. Well, long story short, it was a bucket of ****, the bridge itself literally came out of the wood, bridge screws started shifting towards the neck and the string tension started pulling the tailpiece away from the body.
I couldn't play 1 minute because the tuning would have gone out of pitch, with the bridge slowly moving.
Plus, pu ring screws were mounted improperly (angled towards the cavity) and the finish wasn't perfect.

I'm obviously returning it to the shop (which is a serious and kind shop) asking for something else (no way I'll purchase another one), but I'm a bit afraid because I had an awful experience with an indonesian Squier CV P bass (bad fret leveling, horrible and unusable nut, very plastic feel...)

I'm I the only who noticed that drop in quality, along with a price increase?
These basses started to get expensive (450€ circa for a Squier CV, 650€ circa for the Epiphone Thunderbird 60s), but the quality seems really poor.

View attachment 5144310View attachment 5144311View attachment 5144312

So sad to see that. I can see how it would happen but I’ve never actually seen one do it before.

I can assure you, if I saw a tail piece start to lift (on any bass) the first thing I’d do is release the string tension. I certainly wouldn’t try to play it that way. Then I’d take the tail off, dowel the holes and drill new holes to fit new screws that were the next size larger. Would most likely be a permanent fix at that point, and darn cheap to do (under $10 to do it yourself).

That said, if I just bought the bass and it was still within the return window I’d just return it and get another one. What you’ve experienced is not the norm at all for the VP basses. They are typically very well built sturdy basses. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another one.

Out of curiosity, what strings are you using and is it in standard tuning?

 

[MCF]

Ooooh, I hate to see that considering the great reputation these have enjoyed so far. I just picked up this one (with a 2017 serial #) and it's spectacular.
View attachment 5144357
My MIC Pro-IV had a wonky ground but after fixing that, it has also held up admirably. I hope yours was just one that slipped through QC rather than an indication of what we can expect going forward.

Out of curiosity, does the ground connect to the bridge saddles? If so, repairing the pulled up claw should be easy.

 

[TBird1958]

Thanks. The TB700 is over 10 lbs. I haven’t weighed the II but it’s close to that. I don’t mind the weight though and I’m loving how they sound. I think they both sound better than the Bicentennial I once had.

The pickups alone make them worth it! I have a couple of '76's too, they're really a different animal, they want a big amp and some space to blossom. Love the Greco Birds!

 

[TBird1958]

Hi guys!
I'm back. Well, not to stay, but I'd like to share with you my latest experience with a Thunderbird.
I've previously been part of this club, around 2019 if I remember correctly, with a Gibson Thunderbird (2018-2019 model). That one got traded for my American Original 60 P bass, which I absolutely love.
Last week I bought an Epiphone Thunderbird 60s Bass (the "Vintage Pro" after the "line up lifting"), because I wanted a T-bird once again without spending lots of money (it wouldn't have been my #1 bass, you know), and due to the fact that I had quite nice memories of the first Vintage Pros and Classic IV Epis.

When they came out, they were crafted in china, if I'm right. The latter ones are Indonesia made, as Squier Classic Vibes. Well, long story short, it was a bucket of ****, the bridge itself literally came out of the wood, bridge screws started shifting towards the neck and the string tension started pulling the tailpiece away from the body.
I couldn't play 1 minute because the tuning would have gone out of pitch, with the bridge slowly moving.
Plus, pu ring screws were mounted improperly (angled towards the cavity) and the finish wasn't perfect.

I'm obviously returning it to the shop (which is a serious and kind shop) asking for something else (no way I'll purchase another one), but I'm a bit afraid because I had an awful experience with an indonesian Squier CV P bass (bad fret leveling, horrible and unusable nut, very plastic feel...)

I'm I the only who noticed that drop in quality, along with a price increase?
These basses started to get expensive (450€ circa for a Squier CV, 650€ circa for the Epiphone Thunderbird 60s), but the quality seems really poor.

View attachment 5144310View attachment 5144311View attachment 5144312

Wow, have not seen that before! I hope you're able to return it.

 

[BklynKen]

Speaking of weight, interesting recent finding. I weighed all four of the basses I have at home:

1976 BC Rich Bodine
2013 Gibson Thunderbird
2013 Gibson NR Thunderbird
2018 Gibson Thunderbird

... and each weighed exactly 8.2 lbs. How strange. One thing to note about the NR is that it lost a little weight when a new control cavity was carved out for the left-hand conversion.

 

[Stealth57]

Doing a setup on the 2015 and noticed the TR nut is much higher on the neck than any other bass. All the other basses I’ve had you have to look down inside the neck to find the nut. Is this normal for Gibson?

UPDATE: OK, now I am lost. All the other basses have use a 4mm allen key to turn the TR. This Gibson nut is threaded on the inside. Does it require a special tool?

 

[Miles_ONeal]

If you're around cincinnati I'm trying to move my basically new thunderbird Vintage pro for only $500 if you're local. I think the tone is absolutely glorius but doesn't work for the music I'm doing, but otherwise I'm in love with it so I may pull it. But here is the posting if anybody is interested. For Sale/Trade - Epiphone Thunderbird Vintage Pro (cincinnati area)

Just curious - what doesn't work for you?

 

[GBassNorth]

Doing a setup on the 2015 and noticed the TR nut is much higher on the neck than any other bass. All the other basses I’ve had you have to look down inside the neck to find the nut. Is this normal for Gibson?

View attachment 5144403

UPDATE: OK, now I am lost. All the other basses have use a 4mm allen key to turn the TR. This Gibson nut is threaded on the inside. Does it require a special tool?

Here’s a pic of mine for reference…

…looks about the same as yours. And yes, it does require a Gibson “Crack Pipe” to adjust the truss rod. Anything else runs the risk of buggaring up the brass nut.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

You’re a year older than me. Where did the idea of dropping out of school and getting married come from? No one did that at my high school. We did have a teacher marry a student though…

With this one, I have no idea. It certainly wasn't common in my high school. Also, I turned 18 in December of senior year. So maybe a year older, maybe not.

With most kids Dads being in the Air Force, several kids went that route.

I took AF ROTC for a couple of quarters in college, because Dad was paying and insisted I take ROTC. But then I dropped out.

 

[GBassNorth]

Gibson truss rod tool looks like this…
Truss Rod Wrench 5/16” w/Phillips Head Screwdriver Fits Gibson, ESP and Yamaha | eBay
or you can get the multi tool that’s kind of a Swiss Army knife for Gibson guitars. Shop around, prices are all over the board.

 

[MCF]

Doing a setup on the 2015 and noticed the TR nut is much higher on the neck than any other bass. All the other basses I’ve had you have to look down inside the neck to find the nut. Is this normal for Gibson?

View attachment 5144403

UPDATE: OK, now I am lost. All the other basses have use a 4mm allen key to turn the TR. This Gibson nut is threaded on the inside. Does it require a special tool?

I’ll bring tools to the GTG and help get it set up. I recommend the Gibson multi-tool. It has everything you need.

 

[Richard I]

Ooooh, I hate to see that considering the great reputation these have enjoyed so far. I just picked up this one (with a 2017 serial #) and it's spectacular.
[...]
My MIC Pro-IV had a wonky ground but after fixing that, it has also held up admirably. I hope yours was just one that slipped through QC rather than an indication of what we can expect going forward.

Wow, yours looks like having a beautiful fretboard!
Is that Rosewood?

Does anybody know when, and how, did they change the wood for their fretboards?

Newer ones have Laurel (I think that occured since they changed the name, from "Vintage Pro" to "60s Bass), which is (at least, "mine" was) really sleek, scarcely porous.

So sad to see that. I can see how it would happen but I’ve never actually seen one do it before.

I can assure you, if I saw a tail piece start to lift (on any bass) the first thing I’d do is release the string tension. I certainly wouldn’t try to play it that way. Then I’d take the tail off, dowel the holes and drill new holes to fit new screws that were the next size larger. Would most likely be a permanent fix at that point, and darn cheap to do (under $10 to do it yourself).

That said, if I just bought the bass and it was still within the return window I’d just return it and get another one. What you’ve experienced is not the norm at all for the VP basses. They are typically very well built sturdy basses. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another one.

Out of curiosity, what strings are you using and is it in standard tuning?

You're right. But I couldn't do such operation on a new bass. Otherwise, it's quite "usual" (after many years, at least) to drill new holes, fill 'em with new wood and, then, properly screwing the posts down again. But not on a NEW instrument.

And yes, I'm returning the bass because it's not usable. I traded in a cabinet, plus a little amount of money for that bass. I'm now able to:
- get another Thunderbird (they have 2-3 in stock, Epiphone only...no Gibsons)
- get a gift card worth the total amount (trade value + added cash), but there's nothing that may be useful to me at the moment.

Regarding the strings: stock strings, I haven't had the time to change 'em. Standard E tuning, and of course I released the strings! I'll be shipping back the bass with loose strings.

I noticed the tuning issue in the store, but it was late so I had no time to properly check. The tuning wasn't really stable, but the strings were also rather new, so I thought "well, it may need a little time to settle"...

Wow, have not seen that before! I hope you're able to return it.

Like a virgin...
(Yes, I can. Thankfully, I'm dealing with a serious and reputable shop, so no issues )

 

[MCF]

With this one, I have no idea. It certainly wasn't common in my high school. Also, I turned 18 in December of senior year. So maybe a year older, maybe not.



I tool AF ROTC for a couple of quarters in college, because Dad was paying and insisted I take ROTC. But then I dropped out.

I turned 65 in February.

 

[Stealth57]

I’ll bring tools to the GTG and help get it set up. I recommend the Gibson multi-tool. It has everything you need.

Found that a 5/16" socket will work if you loosen the A string a bit. Watched a video on adjusting the Babicz bridge. Most of the lock screws on the height adjustment were loose. Working on intonation, but likely could use a better setup when done.

 

[AHaze]

Wow, yours looks like having a beautiful fretboard!
Is that Rosewood?

Does anybody know when, and how, did they change the wood for their fretboards?

Newer ones have Laurel (I think that occured since they changed the name, from "Vintage Pro" to "60s Bass), which is (at least, "mine" was) really sleek, scarcely porous.

Mine is definitely rosewood. Not sure when the changeover to laurel happened though.

 

[AHaze]

Out of curiosity, does the ground connect to the bridge saddles? If so, repairing the pulled up claw should be easy.

Not sure. My grounding issue was on a Pro-IV which doesn't have a "claw". I can't even remember specifically what the issue was but it was in the control cavity. I repaired it and copper foiled the cavity at the same time.

 

[JIO]

I’ll have to weigh my 77 II and my 90 IV to be sure, but neither one struck me as inordinately heavy. I’d guess in the 8.5 to 9 pound range. I’ll have the 77 at the GTG, [B]@JIO[/B] has offered to show me what a real Motown sound is like. Looking forward to the weekend.

What song was that again? I have to bone-up on it!

 

[dagrev]

Hi guys!
I'm back. Well, not to stay, but I'd like to share with you my latest experience with a Thunderbird.
I've previously been part of this club, around 2019 if I remember correctly, with a Gibson Thunderbird (2018-2019 model). That one got traded for my American Original 60 P bass, which I absolutely love.
Last week I bought an Epiphone Thunderbird 60s Bass (the "Vintage Pro" after the "line up lifting"), because I wanted a T-bird once again without spending lots of money (it wouldn't have been my #1 bass, you know), and due to the fact that I had quite nice memories of the first Vintage Pros and Classic IV Epis.

When they came out, they were crafted in china, if I'm right. The latter ones are Indonesia made, as Squier Classic Vibes. Well, long story short, it was a bucket of ****, the bridge itself literally came out of the wood, bridge screws started shifting towards the neck and the string tension started pulling the tailpiece away from the body.
I couldn't play 1 minute because the tuning would have gone out of pitch, with the bridge slowly moving.
Plus, pu ring screws were mounted improperly (angled towards the cavity) and the finish wasn't perfect.

I'm obviously returning it to the shop (which is a serious and kind shop) asking for something else (no way I'll purchase another one), but I'm a bit afraid because I had an awful experience with an indonesian Squier CV P bass (bad fret leveling, horrible and unusable nut, very plastic feel...)

I'm I the only who noticed that drop in quality, along with a price increase?
These basses started to get expensive (450€ circa for a Squier CV, 650€ circa for the Epiphone Thunderbird 60s), but the quality seems really poor.

View attachment 5144310View attachment 5144311View attachment 5144312

Hate to hear that. Sux. I've got two and that has never been an issue with either.

 

[dagrev]

I weighed them again. The ‘78 II isn’t bad at 8.6 lbs but the ‘89 TB750 is just a hair under 11.

Reweighed my '76 and it was 9.9lbs.

 

[MCF]

Real Motown. My Girl.