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Thunderbird Club

#54,181
wolfkeller said:
How about the package stops, no update for a week or 2 then it suddenly shows up. That's USPS mo there. Or better, label created....then nothing. They don't seem to understand the gravity of the situation. I think we're the only people (bass players) who are nuts like this lol
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It's like that in the car world too. :roflmao:
 
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#54,182
wolfkeller said:
How about the package stops, no update for a week or 2 then it suddenly shows up. That's USPS mo there. Or better, label created....then nothing. They don't seem to understand the gravity of the situation. I think we're the only people (bass players) who are nuts like this lol
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Reverb and ebay sellers hate me because I will not buy anything that ships USPS. Amazon is the exception because they cover USPS aggression.
 
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#54,183
wolfkeller said:
How about the package stops, no update for a week or 2 then it suddenly shows up. That's USPS mo there. Or better, label created....then nothing. They don't seem to understand the gravity of the situation. I think we're the only people (bass players) who are nuts like this lol
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Since I’ve been a bass player most of my life, I wouldn’t really know what those other people do with their lives :)

It’s not like it’s a huge deal to me whether it gets here today by noon, 3 or whatever. It’s that the less time it spends being bounced around in a truck and tossed around by strangers who may not care what’s in the box, the happier I’ll be.

I’ve also owned enough basses in my life to know this one could be a total dud. You never know with these sorts of things. If so, I’ll flip it and grab a VP, assuming there’s any left with the way those are being regarded. Of course, I hope it’s rad because I love that natural finish and all. Wait, that’s another problem with hanging around for a delivery...start overthinking a bunch of hypothetical crap!
 
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#54,184
dukeorock said:
I’ve also owned enough basses in my life to know this one could be a total dud. You never know with these sorts of things. If so, I’ll flip it and grab a VP, assuming there’s any left with the way those are being regarded. Of course, I hope it’s rad because I love that natural finish and all. Wait, that’s another problem with hanging around for a delivery...start overthinking a bunch of hypothetical crap!
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Say what? You're not waiting on a VP?

I may have missed it or honestly forgot... what's coming?
 
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#54,185
Larry V said:
Say what? You're not waiting on a VP?

I may have missed it or honestly forgot... what's coming?
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It’s a 2014 Gibson “120 Anniversary” I got off eBay for pretty cheap ($800)
124B9B46-B8B7-4E56-8BE1-22A3635E1701.jpeg
 
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#54,188
Larry V said:
Ahhh, yes. I forget. Sorry. That is a sweet finish on that 'Bird.
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Thanks, I like it :)

If my ‘76 P sells I’ll most likely order a VP. The Gibson will decide its own fate. I’ll know very quickly after it gets here, I’m thinking
 
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#54,191
PianoOfDoom said:
Reverb and ebay sellers hate me because I will not buy anything that ships USPS. Amazon is the exception because they cover USPS aggression.
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I actually prefer USPS over Oops or ****Ups.

Partly because the post office isn't far from me, so I can just go pick it up if I miss it. They're also good about leaving packages in a spot where they can't be seen from the street, if the package doesn't require a signature.
 
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#54,194
GBassNorth said:
Thanks to all for the well wishes. The fires aren't over yet, still raging, so I've been on fire watch most of the day and probably will be for the next few days.

I did take an hour break to check out my newly delivered Ebony Epiphone TBird VP. Right out of the box nearly in perfect tune and intonation, and neck dead straight (gotta love those Sweetwater guys). The action was a tad higher than I like and I didn't have time to mess with the neck, so I dropped the bridge down to the deck and worked my way up about a full turn until fret buzz was dialed out. The action is now good and low and could probably go a bit lower with a quick neck tweak. I then raised the pups up near the strings. Plugged the beast in and OMG!

This bass sounds so much fuller, richer, deeper, brighter, punchier, smoother and grittier than my Gibby Anniversary TBird it's insane! I love this thing. The note definition is unbelievable. Even with the bridge pup off, neck full on and tone turned all the way off it doesn't get muddy, just deep and smooth with crystal clear note definition. And the bridge pup is to die for. I normally only ever dial in a bit of bridge to add clarity to the neck pup or to help cut through, hardly ever past 50% on with any bass I own. Not this one. The bridge pup sounds so musical an full bodied I'm finding myself dialing it all the way up and then bringing a bit of the neck pup in to add a bit more richness and depth. Definitely a home run on the pup designs for this beauty.

Not sure what strings Eppi puts on these things at the factory but I like the sound and responsiveness. Just a bit more finger noise on slides and poorly fretted notes than I like but that might mellow with age. They do feel like very high tension strings and seem to be really giving the tuners a workout. Either that or the tuners are quite a bit stiffer or lower gear ratios than the norm.

So here's the run down...
Fit - perfect, flawless
Finish - perfect, flawless, very deep shine, boutique quality
Hardware - perfect, functional, high quality, tuners are tight but that might be the strings or gear ratios
Electronics - perfect, everything works as designed, no loose jacks or goofy knobs or scratchy pots
Pickups - perfect, perhaps the single best reason to buy this bass even over previous Gibson offerings
Strings - nice, a bit noisy on slides but excellent tone and tension, very responsive to playing styles
Looks - perfect, very upscale in every aspect, could compete with any Gibson, nothing cheap looking
Balance - perfect, stays where you put it
Neck - perfect, no high frets, all fret ends dressed nicely, Rosewood FB has attractive grain
Playability out of the box - excellent, Sweetwater does it right
Ease of setup - perfect, had it dialed in (action, intonation, pup heights) in less than 10 minutes
Playability after setup - perfect, nice low action, very responsive strings and pickups, no obvious dead spots
Sustain - perfect, insane sustain, probably due to massive headstock and solid anchor tail piece
Resonance unplugged - perfect, excellent note definition, even sound across all strings
Sound plugged in - perfect, ultra dynamic pickups, even tone across the board, bests my Gibby
Price - perfect, probably just enough profit to keep Eppi in business but still be a real buyers deal
Warranty - perfect, doubt I'll ever need it
Hard case/gig bag - Fail, Eppi should raise the price of the bass by $50 and throw in a free gig bag
Fun factor - off the chart, get one while you can
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WOW!!! Thank you for taking the time to author such a thorough, comprehensive review! After glancing at your sig, it occurrs to me that your new 'bird is in the company of some of the finest basses the industry has to offer! It would've been a major accomplishment, had it simply "held it's own". Based on your review, it sounds like it went well beyond simply "holding it's own"! :cool::thumbsup:
 
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#54,196
theFixer said:
WOW!!! Thank you for taking the time to author such a thorough, comprehensive review! After glancing at your sig, it occurrs to me that your new 'bird is in the company of some of the finest basses the industry has to offer! It would've been a major accomplishment, had it simply "held it's own". Based on your review, it sounds like it went well beyond simply "holding it's own"! :cool::thumbsup:
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That it did!

I paid over $3000 for a USA Woodstock limited edition Spector that doesn't play or look or feel any better. Honestly, the pickups in this bass are the meat and potatoes, the good looks fit/finish is just extra gravy. At this price point and up to about $2500 I'd say anyone contemplating buying a TBird of any year should seriously consider trying the Eppi VP first. Yes, it's that good.

To put things in perspective, the wild fires around here have forced me to pack up a few of my belongings and get them ready for a quick evacuation. The Eppi VP is one of 10 instruments I will be taking with me if I have to leave, I'll be leaving behind 40 instruments, some valued at well over $5000 each. The VP just flat out rocks right out of the box, and that's before I do any of my fine tuning tweaks to it.

Disclaimer: I am in a honeymoon phase with this bass, so there's a chance I could cool off on it over time but I really doubt that will happen.
 
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#54,197
GBassNorth said:
That it did!

I paid over $3000 for a USA Woodstock limited edition Spector that doesn't play or look or feel any better. Honestly, the pickups in this bass are the meat and potatoes, the good looks fit/finish is just extra gravy. At this price point and up to about $2500 I'd say anyone contemplating buying a TBird of any year should seriously consider trying the Eppi VP first. Yes, it's that good.

To put things in perspective, the wild fires around here have forced me to pack up a few of my belongings and get them ready for a quick evacuation. The Eppi VP is one of 10 instruments I will be taking with me if I have to leave, I'll be leaving behind 40 instruments, some valued at well over $5000 each. The VP just flat out rocks right out of the box, and that's before I do any of my fine tuning tweaks to it.

Disclaimer: I am in a honeymoon phase with this bass, so there's a chance I could cool off on it over time but I really doubt that will happen.
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In all seriousness, a VP is easier to replace than a $5000 instrument, that's how I would look at it at least. Either way, I hope you and your family stay safe.
 
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#54,199
Korladis said:
I actually prefer USPS over Oops or ****Ups.

Partly because the post office isn't far from me, so I can just go pick it up if I miss it. They're also good about leaving packages in a spot where they can't be seen from the street, if the package doesn't require a signature.
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You're lucky. I live on a busy urban street, and they sometimes just toss packages on the sidewalk and walk away. They also don't pay insurance claims if the carrier claims they delivered. Total scam.
 
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