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Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
- Start date
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- Tags
- club thunderbird
Leo wanted it. I suspect Gibson tolerated player feedback.
slobake
resident ... something
Good to hear you are breathing better, praying the rest of your recovery goes quickly and smoothly.8 days after the operation......
I got the stents out of each nostril today ( I cannot believe what all the disgusting stuff that has drained over this time) and I can actually breathe normally
for the first time in almost 6 months. It's been a difficult time because there's always a low grade infection present and I've been on a lot of drugs to try and beat this, the operation was not pleasant - I'm hopefully on the mend, tho that should take another month.
Hi ppl. Im really confused in Epiphone thunderbirds models, but Im really sure I need one!
Could someone write a kind of best models ranking just to help me choose one of them.
Thanks in advance!
Could someone write a kind of best models ranking just to help me choose one of them.
Thanks in advance!
You'll get plenty of responses on this, but just keep in mind that "best" is 100% subjective.
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,588
- 221,964
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
6 into a DC power supply for my contained train, and 2 outboard 'islands' (w/2 pedals each) of which 2 are only used for BG. So one for the amp, one for the train, and 2 or 4 for the 'islands'.
Modern Gibson Sound > find a used Classic Pro
Old school Gibson Sound > find a new or used Vintage Pro/60's/64 or whatever they call it tomorrow.
Check out the Epiphone section here:https://www.talkbass.com/wiki/thunderbird-manufacturers-and-models/
I was going to add about the availability of left-handed Thunderbirds in there, but not sure where to add it. Anyone?
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
There isn't really a best. They are just different. There's the '64 or whatever they are calling the bass they used to call a Vintage Pro these days. Those are beloved around here by most. Not all of us, though. They are reputed to be closest to an original Gibson Thunderbird, although with a poly finish instead of nitro. I had one and didn't like it all that much. Those are in production.
If you can find a Classic Pro, it's essentially a Gibson but assembled in Asia and with a poly finish instead of nitro. I have Gibson Thunderbirds and love them, so I would probably like one of those very much. They are out of production and have been for a while. As I recall, the pickup placement was a little different in 2013 only, but I could be garbling that up a bit.
Then there is the active version that was made for a number of years, ending about 10 years ago. You still see them pop up fairly regularly. They are very different sounding, although the ergos are pure Thunderbird. I have one that has been de-fretted, converted to passive circuits with completely different pickups, and has now been refinished. That's a personal quirk, not a knock on the bass as it was when it came from the factory. Mine was a factory second that I go second hand and fairly battered, and for really cheap. I have been having lots of fun with it and plan to continue to do that.
Then there's the various bolt-on versions. Those have different pickups from the rest. They are a little woolier sounding but for the money, they are hard to beat. The earliest ones were Korean made and had baseball bat necks. Later Korean and Chinese made ones had thin necks more like Gibson or other Epiphone Thunderbirds. I think they are being made in Indonesia now, if they are still in production. One thing to watch for is that the upper strap button was on the vestigal upper bout for quite a while. That results in awful neck dive. The solution is to move the strap button to the heel of the neck where it is on just about every other Thunderbird. There are some other bolt-on versions that were earlier, like in the late 1990s and early 2000s that some others are quite taken with around here. They can chime in about those, since I haven't had one. I have had a couple bolt-ons over the years, and they hold their own in their own way.
I won't get into the Non-Reverse Epiphones because I don't know much of anything about them.
The main thing is that when a Thunderbird chooses you, you will know it's the right one and you are a Thunderbird person. That's how it works. You don't choose them, they choose you. It sounds like that's happening right now for you.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
Not a Thunderbird or Embassy, unfortunately. There's a lefty JC bass, only in gold.
Added to the end of the Gibson section. I realized the big section I was looking at within it was all from V.
On a kinda related note…
Here’s a lefty that might end up being a nice mod platform at the asking price…
Factory Customized New Thunder Bird 4 Strings Bass Electric Guitar High Quality | eBay
All kinds of electric guitar, electric bass, shaped guitar and guitar. can make the best guitar.
www.ebay.com
As an eBay Associate, TalkBass may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
There are basically 5 flavors of Epiphone Thunderbirds, all are great basses as is and they range in used prices from about $300 to about $900. Here’s my take on the Eppi options…
Vintage Gibson sound and general look - the Epiphone VP as it was called when it first came out around 2017 and is now called The 60’s bass. Think of this about the same as Squier doing a Fender reissue. The build quality is great, the sound is phenomenal and the looks are hardcore rock and roll. It has a neck through design and unique two piece bridge that most consider an improvement over the standard three point Tbird bridge. Used prices run between $500 and $800. If you can find one with a case it’s a bonus since there aren’t many after market choices for a case that will fit this beast. A lot of club members here have more than one of these, yes, they are that good!
Modern Gibson sound and general look - the now discontinued Epiphone Classic Pro. I don’t recall the exact dates but production was from around 2010 to 2015 (someone jump in here and correct me please). These are neck through basses vs typical Eppi bolt on necks but they use the exact same pickups as Gibson used at the time (TB+ pickup). If you’ve tried a modern Gibson (one made in the last 25 years or so) it will sound exactly like that, if that’s the sound you’re after look no further. Note, there are two variations of this bass. The early model, 2012ish and older have the neck pickup closer to the bridge for a slightly tighter sound than the normal Gibson, the later model moved it closer to the neck to match the Gibson. Very important - this bass is FREQUENTLY mis marked as a standard Epiphone IV bass which is significantly cheaper than a typical Classic Pro, so a steal if you’re looking for something competitive with a $1500+ Gibson Tbird for around $400 if you’re lucky. Likewise, there are goofball sellers out there asking $800 for a standard Eppi IV but calling it a CP, so you could get royally ripped off if you’re not careful. If looking at this bass I’d recommend running the deal past this club for comment prior to purchasing, collectively we can spot the fakes and mis marks in a second.
Standard Epiphone Thunderbird IV - a very nice playing sharp looking bass typically in Tobbaco burst that is the main stream of the Eppi Tbird line up. This is probably 90% of what you’ll see in the used market or on the hangers at your local music store. A great sounding bass that I’d classify as an excellent entry into the Tbird world. These have a bolt on neck and in my experience are more prone to neck dive than most other tbirds but that’s a manageable situation. The tuners on these are cheap and relatively imprecise but livable. A tuner upgrade to some quality lightweight hipshots will run about $100. The bridge on these can pull out of the anchors under some very specific circumstances, again it’s a very livable bridge and 90% of us never have an issue with it, but a quality Hipshot replacement bridge that most would consider an upgrade will run about $100.
Active Epiphone Thunderbird Pro - comes in a 4 or 5 string option and has a preamp, is a multi lam neck through design as well. I’ve never played one of these so I can’t personally vouch for the sound, but there seems to be a fair amount of love it and hate it in regards to the preamp on these basses.
Epiphone Goth Tbird - one finish only, satin black with black hardware, a Goth cross on the pickguard and an XII mark at the 12th fret. These are voiced noticeably darker and deeper than most other tbirds but other that that and the finish selection are very much the same as a standard Eppi Tbird IV. They range a lot in price for some reason, not sure why, but they can be found on the used market for as little as $300 and as much as a $1000. I’d place them at about a $300 to $400 value, anything more than that and you’re paying a premium for no good reason. I personally love these basses as a mod platform, inexpensive to purchase and dirt cheap to mod to a bass that hits well above its price point.
Hope this helps.
PS - there’s one other, a late 1990’s Eppi Tbird Non Reverse. Very unique and not very common on the used market. It sports a PJ pickup layout and reversed headstock. Nice basses but not exactly typical of the Tbird line up. Prices range from about $500 to $1200.
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That’s the only way to go. All others are cheese graters to me.I use P-90 pickup screws from Philadelphia Luthiers:
#3 x 1 1/2" (38mm) P90 Mounting Screws - Philadelphia Luthier Tools & Supplies, LLC
www.philadelphialuthiertools.com
The heads are small and smooth and are “just” big enough not to pull through the covers on any of my nickel covers on the vintage style Lollar, Novak, Gibson re-issue and Gemini pickups.
I always play over the bridge pickup and using these screws is a life saver.
I think they may come in more than one length, I bought the longest ones I could find.
Correction: they're neck-through, not set neck.
That's the same on mine, the tiny little screws of fairly soft metal, after a couple height adjustments they are absolute deli slicers for my fingers.
Now these I'll have to look into. Hard to tell from the photos on PL, but are they flat tops or domed? I just want to avoid domed for the most part. Still condering how difficult it would be to modify the Epi VP pickups to have a countersink, could probably do it with a punch but I'd be concerned about damaging the chrome plating.I use P-90 pickup screws from Philadelphia Luthiers:
#3 x 1 1/2" (38mm) P90 Mounting Screws - Philadelphia Luthier Tools & Supplies, LLC
The heads are small and smooth and are “just” big enough not to pull through the covers on any of my nickel covers on the vintage style Lollar, Novak, Gibson re-issue and Gemini pickups.
I always play over the bridge pickup and using these screws is a life saver.
I think they may come in more than one length, I bought the longest ones I could find.
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,895
- 142,215
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
Yeah, I just have one or two Rumble 100s and a pedalboard but occasionally the guitar or keys get plugged into mine.
