we would be so all over that....
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Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
- Start date
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- club thunderbird
Hello everyone, long time no see. It has been a couple of years since I got my Epiphone Classic Pro and have been doing a fair share of playing, gigging and recording with it.
I absolutely love it. It such a departure from my Fender styled instruments in both terms of feel and sound. I am eternally grateful to this club and particularly @tbird58 for all the invaluable information on everything Thunderbird and honestly if it wasn't for that, I don't think I would have made the jump.
I actually got my bass used off Reverb from a guy in Italy. The robust Hardcase helped the bass arrive safely in Germany where I was living at the time. That said, while the case is very good and high in quality, especially considering the price point, I am not a fan of Hardcases.
So, I quickly sold it and got a Warwick Rockbass gig bag for Thunderbird and other similarly shaped basses. Unfortunately that case is a few centimeters too short and while the bass fits in, the case gets quite stretched at the headstock area. I can however live with this.
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The bass came with a couple of upgrades, some of which I would have done by myself probably. The stock bridge was replaced by a hipshot aftermarket one, the tuners were replaced by Grover ones and a hipshot xtender. I genuinely thought that the stock tuners were just fine but the xtender is a must for me.
I took things a bit further and installed a hipshot double stop lever for the xtender key, got the bass pleked and replaced the nut with a graphtech black tusq nut. I play Rotosound Nexus strings with it in a fairly standard 45-105 gauge however I do some pretty low tuninngs on it (whole step down to D, a lot of Drop C and then whole step done with a drop Bb and sometimes even drop A) but the bass takes to the tunings very well, never feeling too floppy and never sounding too muddy.
Getting a strap proved to be a bit tricky. Due to the position of the strap buttons, you need a longer to achieve the same playing position like with more traditionally shapes instruments. That meant an extra long strap was in order to accommodate my rather low playing position.
I initially got a minotaur leather strap, but it as bit too short and also quite slippery. That strap was reassigned to my acoustic bass and instead I went with the longest strap I could find.
I went with the Ritter Will Adler (of lamb of God fame) signature strap that can extend all the way to 147cm/58ish inches. I find this wonderfully ironic as Adler is known for wearing his guitar rather high. The strap is quite nice and robust enough but a little too expensive for the quality. Dunlop straploks seal the deal.
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Playing this bass is effortless. The neck is narrow with a nice profile that makes it easier playing on it. What's even easier is holding this instrument as it is quite lightweight.
Tone wise, it is quite darker than my alder body and maple fingerboard P and J but it can still cut very through heavy guitars. It is kind of hard to explain but the cut of the Thunderbird comes in the lower mids but it is still a very pleasant sound. It sounds FANTASTIC with a pick but it is also surprisingly versatile when played fingerstyle.
I was very pleasantly surprised that the bass is actually very lightweight. Many years ago, I have played a late 90s Gibson Thunderbird that was considerably heavier than mine. Also, it did have a bit of neck dive but mine doesn't suffer from that either.
Recording has been a breeze and it sits fantastic in the mix. It has also been very reliable when playing live, but the headstock joint is clearly a weak point. I have put a little more stress by accident while changing strings once, and the whole thing flexed. I am fairly certain that a light fall could easily break the headstock off, but I am very aware of this and act accordingly.
All in all, I absolutely love it and I am seriously considering getting also either another one and refinishing it (most probably black) or getting a vintage pro instead.
Many greetings from Denmark
I absolutely love it. It such a departure from my Fender styled instruments in both terms of feel and sound. I am eternally grateful to this club and particularly @tbird58 for all the invaluable information on everything Thunderbird and honestly if it wasn't for that, I don't think I would have made the jump.
I actually got my bass used off Reverb from a guy in Italy. The robust Hardcase helped the bass arrive safely in Germany where I was living at the time. That said, while the case is very good and high in quality, especially considering the price point, I am not a fan of Hardcases.
So, I quickly sold it and got a Warwick Rockbass gig bag for Thunderbird and other similarly shaped basses. Unfortunately that case is a few centimeters too short and while the bass fits in, the case gets quite stretched at the headstock area. I can however live with this.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
The bass came with a couple of upgrades, some of which I would have done by myself probably. The stock bridge was replaced by a hipshot aftermarket one, the tuners were replaced by Grover ones and a hipshot xtender. I genuinely thought that the stock tuners were just fine but the xtender is a must for me.
I took things a bit further and installed a hipshot double stop lever for the xtender key, got the bass pleked and replaced the nut with a graphtech black tusq nut. I play Rotosound Nexus strings with it in a fairly standard 45-105 gauge however I do some pretty low tuninngs on it (whole step down to D, a lot of Drop C and then whole step done with a drop Bb and sometimes even drop A) but the bass takes to the tunings very well, never feeling too floppy and never sounding too muddy.
Getting a strap proved to be a bit tricky. Due to the position of the strap buttons, you need a longer to achieve the same playing position like with more traditionally shapes instruments. That meant an extra long strap was in order to accommodate my rather low playing position.
I initially got a minotaur leather strap, but it as bit too short and also quite slippery. That strap was reassigned to my acoustic bass and instead I went with the longest strap I could find.
I went with the Ritter Will Adler (of lamb of God fame) signature strap that can extend all the way to 147cm/58ish inches. I find this wonderfully ironic as Adler is known for wearing his guitar rather high. The strap is quite nice and robust enough but a little too expensive for the quality. Dunlop straploks seal the deal.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Playing this bass is effortless. The neck is narrow with a nice profile that makes it easier playing on it. What's even easier is holding this instrument as it is quite lightweight.
Tone wise, it is quite darker than my alder body and maple fingerboard P and J but it can still cut very through heavy guitars. It is kind of hard to explain but the cut of the Thunderbird comes in the lower mids but it is still a very pleasant sound. It sounds FANTASTIC with a pick but it is also surprisingly versatile when played fingerstyle.
I was very pleasantly surprised that the bass is actually very lightweight. Many years ago, I have played a late 90s Gibson Thunderbird that was considerably heavier than mine. Also, it did have a bit of neck dive but mine doesn't suffer from that either.
Recording has been a breeze and it sits fantastic in the mix. It has also been very reliable when playing live, but the headstock joint is clearly a weak point. I have put a little more stress by accident while changing strings once, and the whole thing flexed. I am fairly certain that a light fall could easily break the headstock off, but I am very aware of this and act accordingly.
All in all, I absolutely love it and I am seriously considering getting also either another one and refinishing it (most probably black) or getting a vintage pro instead.
Many greetings from Denmark
Someone has to ask…. real Minotaur?
Great post mate, I’m really glad things are working out so well.
Nice song sample.
Draeng ? Dragon?
For a long time, my CP was my fave! It's still my easiest to play but for most of the music I play, my others sound better. I love the white w/ black hardware (I have a Hipshot bridge as well). I still really like it. I'm glad yours is working so well for you. Great photo, and you and the bass sound great, too.
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One more beat on the horse, I tried the head upstairs with with different cab. Not as buzzy, but still there. Oddly enough when I would move the Pbass around the sound would change. It or the cords seemed to be acting like an antenna (maybe).
I tried my 500 iii I brought home and did notice some of the same thing when in front of the cab downstairs, just not as loud. I never noticed it before because the two fans cover it up, unless right in front of the cab. Not as loud, but something there nonetheless. I think Wed night I will take it to where it will get the most use and see what happens before initiating a return just in case it’s something in the house.
I did notice the iii is not as bright and generally bigger sounding than the iv. Not necessarily good or bad, just a difference. I will use the 300 iv Wed and see what happens, just to rule everything out.
I tried my 500 iii I brought home and did notice some of the same thing when in front of the cab downstairs, just not as loud. I never noticed it before because the two fans cover it up, unless right in front of the cab. Not as loud, but something there nonetheless. I think Wed night I will take it to where it will get the most use and see what happens before initiating a return just in case it’s something in the house.
I did notice the iii is not as bright and generally bigger sounding than the iv. Not necessarily good or bad, just a difference. I will use the 300 iv Wed and see what happens, just to rule everything out.
A/B by plugging an unterminated (nothing at the other end) guitar cable to the input of both amps and compare...
Thanks. I'll definitely do that tomorrow.
Hello friends,
I currently own the E1 Thunderbird (2021 model made in China). I recently found a listing of the IV model (made in Korea).
I started thinking about switching to that model assuming there would be a noticeable improvement but being unable to do an AB test, should I actually expect to see and hear any improvement over the newer one I own?
I currently own the E1 Thunderbird (2021 model made in China). I recently found a listing of the IV model (made in Korea).
I started thinking about switching to that model assuming there would be a noticeable improvement but being unable to do an AB test, should I actually expect to see and hear any improvement over the newer one I own?
PM me, we can do it over a video call if you want...
"New and improved"(and costs more)
(Cloned from original thread)
I have had a IV for a long time. It's a well built bolt-on. The tuners are OK. The pickups are decent but certainly not great. If you like their dark tone, then swapping for a VP/etc. mightn't be a great idea, as those have a bit less low end and lots more high end. There are upgrades available for those pickups that add some clarity. If you can wait for a deal on a Classic Pro, it has darker pickups, too, but they have more punch and clarity, and it's neck-through (if that matters to you).
I haven't gotten my hands on an E1 to see how it compares to the IV.
Technically, the base Epi Thunderbird was called a IV from 1999-2021. The E1 was officially introduced in 2024. AI says there is no difference other than the name. I guess that makes sense given what they did with the VP/60s/64. My IV is 2018.
IIRC, mine is a 2012. Every standard Epi bolt-on I have seen seemed identical. Custom Shop Limited Editions vary. (Edited wrt CSLE. Thanks, @Stealth57 )
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Save for the CSLE around 2010 with the “LP” pickups.
Well, mostly the fact that it’s made in China but other than that, not much to complain. I do care about how instruments hold up their value and my guess is that. Korean one would do better in that regard but I might be wrong. Also, if the build quality of the Korean ones is superior then I’d gravitate towards them.
In case, I guess mine is actually an IV made in China.
I do want a dark tone and not a bright one (for that purpose I’m also on the hunt for a JBass) but also a well defined tone with lots of punch as this is for heavier styles of music (hard rock, heavy metal).
Ok, in the Epiphone world I’d suggest keeping an eye out for a Classic Pro (CP), these use the Gibson USA T’bird pickups and are a near clone of the Gibson Thunderbird. They are out of production so you need to keep an eye open.
In the E1 / T’bird realm there are some extra variations to be aware of: 1/ the Goth. It’s already blackened and has been made in China and Korea. That increases the pool you are fishing in. I have one and really like it.
2/ Custom Shop Limited Edition (CSLE). These were produced at various times and in various colours. Some with black T’bird pickups and others with chrome Les Paul style pickups. They also have fans here.
Minotaur is an awesome brand that makes hand made leather straps. They are the biggest brand in this area here in Europe and they come from my home country, Greece!Someone has to ask…. real Minotaur?
Great post mate, I’m really glad things are working out so well.
Nice song sample.
Draeng ? Dragon?
Minotaur Co - Handmade Leather Guitar Straps
In Minotaur company, guitars and music is our passion, since 1988 we are dealing successfully with handmade leather guitar straps and other relevant products.
The band name, Dræng, (the æ is pranounced like the a in "man") is a play of words Drang in German and Dreng in Danish. The first means urge or longing and the second means boy. The idea came from the fact that all three of us still cannot suppress our urge to play music and that we love to hang out with each other just like boys do. It does sound a bit intimidating like Dragon which also combined with the æ character looks quite metal
