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Thunderbird Club

#273,981
Miles_ONeal said:
The Gibson will sound darker. People argue over how much better the Gibson is. If you like the Epi, I’d start with that unless you want a darker tone.
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It's why I installed a B pu in my '64 II - as in... I didn't want a darker tone. (old pic...)

upload_2024-1-10_20-56-56.jpeg
 
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#273,984
Gaolee said:
Play the Gibson to decide. I have three Gibsons now, and had a Vintage Pro for a while. I couldn't bond with the VP at all, even though it was a really good one and was well set up. I might have gotten used to the first Gibson, a '91, and the VP was just different enough to throw me off. You don't have that problem. And there are others here who absolutely love VPs. The good news is you can't go wrong either way.
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Yeah good idea, I'll make sure to try out a Gibson before pulling the trigger.

JIO said:
It's why I installed a B pu in my '64 II - as in... I didn't want a darker tone. (old pic...)

View attachment 5313117
Click to expand...

That's a beautiful bass, I'll keep mods in mind.
 
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#273,988
cafewifi said:
Yeah good idea, I'll make sure to try out a Gibson before pulling the trigger.



That's a beautiful bass, I'll keep mods in mind.
Click to expand...

Thanks - it's seen a lot of memorable live and otherwise action over many years and is following me to my grave. The bridge pu is a Seymour Duncan "Hawkbucker" that I bought & installed in '86. I routed it in the same location as a IV, and had a hand-written description of how to wire it from Seymour Duncan himself. (pre-internet/email) Never regretted modding it for a second - it's an awesome sounding bass, more so with the addition of the Hawkbucker. Our Jeff here (pictured below smiling) installed one in his vintage P-bass and he can attest to how it sounds. I just played it live on J1 at a B-day gig and my drummer remarked it sounded better than all my other great sounding basses he's heard. I didn't disagree with him. :)

Discerning adults agree! :D

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upload_2024-1-10_21-18-16.jpeg
 
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#273,992
SubHuman said:
Is this a “fixable” Thunderbird tail piece?
View attachment 5300922

The seller said the bass is like new (dated 2023) but the tail piece was damaged during shipping? Reputable seller on a well known website.
I can get it for a really good (great) price. $300+ less then brand new. All other detailed photos look like a brand new bass. Truss rod and electronics all reported to work. Peel Plastic still on PU’s and other parts.
It’s advertised as a 7 ply, neck through Ebony Epiphone Thunderbird 60s Bass and has a white pickguard. Very sharp bass!
I have fixed stripped wood screws many times. I think hardwood dowels glued in and redrilled would fix this. Would you risk buy and repair? It is sold as-is but if the bass is not as described I can use their satisfaction guarantee.
Click to expand...

I finally received that Epiphone Thunderbird 60s Bass with the loose tailpiece at a nice price.
I glued and doweled the oversized holes and bought longer SS screws. It tightened right up and is holding tune.
The bass is like new…I had to peel film off plastic covers and pickguard. I am taking it to a local shop for final setup but it actually plays pretty good right now. It does have some fret buzz to fix and I’ll get new strings. Any strings recommended?
Initial impressions: Black bass with white pickguard and chrome PU’s look tuxedo classy.
Neck is nice and thin. PU’s sound full and nice tones.
Hope to have it back next week to jam with some old band mates!
 
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#273,994
cafewifi said:
Hi everyone, I'm new to talkbass. I've been a stingray player my whole life but I'm starting to get into thunderbirds, I'm struggling to choose between an Epiphone vintage pro tbird or a second hand 1996 Gibson. I have been lucky enough to try out the Epiphone, and I really enjoyed it, I have not tried the Gibson but I am wondering if it is worth the extra cash. For context I play in a grunge group and rarely play without overdrive.
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Everyone is different. Our ears are different. I like brighter tone with some grind. I don’t think of the modern ceramic Gibson Tbird Plus pickups as dark. Just full, especially compared to the inherent tone of the 760 Probuckers in the VP which I think sounds thinner. I use stainless steel rounds and eq my amps for more mids. Nothing wrong with the VP. But it doesn’t hold a candle to a Gibbon. If you can swing the cost, I’d think Gibson. We have members here in OZ. Maybe you can connect with one and try a Gibson.
 
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#273,995
SubHuman said:
I finally received that Epiphone Thunderbird 60s Bass with the loose tailpiece at a nice price.
I glued and doweled the oversized holes and bought longer SS screws. It tightened right up and is holding tune.
The bass is like new…I had to peel film off plastic covers and pickguard. I am taking it to a local shop for final setup but it actually plays pretty good right now. It does have some fret buzz to fix and I’ll get new strings. Any strings recommended?
Initial impressions: Black bass with white pickguard and chrome PU’s look tuxedo classy.
Neck is nice and thin. PU’s sound full and nice tones.
Hope to have it back next week to jam with some old band mates!
Click to expand...
I’m a broken record around here. SIT Power Steels or Dunlop Marcus Miller Stainless Steel Superbrights
 
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#273,998
MCF said:
Everyone is different. Our ears are different. I like brighter tone with some grind. I don’t think of the modern ceramic Gibson Tbird Plus pickups as dark. Just full, especially compared to the inherent tone of the 760 Probuckers in the VP which I think sounds thinner. I use stainless steel rounds and eq my amps for more mids. Nothing wrong with the VP. But it doesn’t hold a candle to a Gibbon. If you can swing the cost, I’d think Gibson. We have members here in OZ. Maybe you can connect with one and try a Gibson.
Click to expand...
Ok cool, thanks for the reply, I've got a mate with a Gibson which I'll ask to try out, I tend to go for a more scooped mids sound running through my little ampless pedalboard with an always on xotic bb bass preamp, so I'll try both with my normal sound and see which I prefer. Thanks for all the tips everyone they've been very helpful:thumbsup:
 
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