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Thunderbird Club

#7,964
rickwebb said:
Ampeg SVP-Pro preamp, QSC Power Amps, various combinations of Ampeg 210, 410 or 810 cabinets PLUS Epi T-Bird Classic Pro...

OMG, I'm not worthy of such a fantastic tone. (Who am I kidding? It's the sound I've been after all my life.)
Click to expand...

Can you give me a couple of tips for your settings on the SVP-PRO? Especially what you prefer for the Birds. In have one but haven't had time to sit with it and work out my settings yet.
 
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#7,965
Cole_The_Rumbler said:
View attachment 643806
Here's a pic of my Epiphone Thunderbird Pro IV :). When I first got it, I was on vacation in Destin, Florida and I spotted it in a pawn shop! I just had to have it, and I ended up walking out of the shop with it for $250! This was right after I got it, obviously it needed some humidification on the neck and it needed setup adjustments on the neck really bad too! I took it home wrapped up in blankets in my family's mini van since I didn't have a case and when I got home I got it set up and now it plays like a dream!
View attachment 643802 View attachment 643805
Here's a few pics of me playing it! The first one is me playing it with some friends, we were jamming and having a blast. Second one is me playing with my short lived band Cactus Body Slam. We did funky originals and played Fall Out Boy/My Chemical Romance covers (what a combination, huh?) and the Thunderbird did EVERYTHING with flying colors! The number of tones I can get out of this beast is insane!
Click to expand...
I just missed this one a few weeks ago on ebay.
219uyw5.png

Sold for $265...perfect save for a small pickguard scratch. I hesitated and lost it to someone else.
I used to have the Thunderbird Pro IV in the natural finish. With flatwounds it was a killer.
These just don't get enough love around here (as does the Epiphone Thunderbird Classic with the Gibson pickups) but I think they're some of the best bang-for-the-bucks basses being made today.
 
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#7,966
Nocturnal said:
Can you give me a couple of tips for your settings on the SVP-PRO? Especially what you prefer for the Birds. In have one but haven't had time to sit with it and work out my settings yet.
Click to expand...

I set the graphic EQ pretty much flat.
Mid-selector switch either straight up (flat) or at the #2 (1.6kHz) position.
Bass, Treble and Mid controls flat or at 1 o'clock.
Ultra Lo "in", Bright "in" but i fiddle about with the Ultra Hi boost.
Drive usually at zero.
Input gain usually at 9 o'clock
Master volume- Too loud. haha

Honestly, the Bird sounds fantastic with these settings. Hope that helps.
 
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#7,968
jd56hawk said:
I just missed this one a few weeks ago on ebay.
219uyw5.png

Sold for $265...perfect save for a small pickguard scratch. I hesitated and lost it to someone else.
I used to have the Thunderbird Pro IV in the natural finish. With flatwounds it was a killer.
These just don't get enough love around here (as does the Epiphone Thunderbird Classic with the Gibson pickups) but I think they're some of the best bang-for-the-bucks basses being made today.
Click to expand...

I would say the Classic Pro IV is probably one of the most loved birds around here... ;)
 
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#7,970
jd56hawk said:
I just missed this one a few weeks ago on ebay.
219uyw5.png

Sold for $265...perfect save for a small pickguard scratch. I hesitated and lost it to someone else.
I used to have the Thunderbird Pro IV in the natural finish. With flatwounds it was a killer.
These just don't get enough love around here (as does the Epiphone Thunderbird Classic with the Gibson pickups) but I think they're some of the best bang-for-the-bucks basses being made today.
Click to expand...
I really agree! I totally wasn't expecting it to be as killer as it was, especially since I really don't enjoy Gibson/Epiphone basses that much. It sounds like a thunderbird, but its also capable of spitting out more tones than some of the Gibson ones I've tried with just the traditional passive, two volumes one tone setup. Also the sustain is literally to die for! My only problem is that Epiphone discontinued the five string make of the pro model :crying:

What flatwounds did you use on yours? I liked the sound of having really dead GHS Boomers on it, but right now my favorite set of strings to string it with is the D'addario Prosteels. Those strings, in my opinion, are just so ridiculously versatile because I can roll off my treble on my bass's eq or amp if I don't want them for fatter, rounder bass sounds with sparkle or I can have the brightness all the way up for that Entwistle or Geddy type tone! I'd definitely be down to try a nice set of flats on my bass, though :)
 
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#7,972
Saw this one at a shop a few days ago. Now I can't remember what year the bass was, but regardless, it wasn't for sale. And I was told it's pretty much just art at this point anyway with a trashed neck... but yeah, I'd hang it on a wall with some nice lighting and make it a centerpiece of conversation.

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#7,974
Josh Thatguy said:
Saw this one at a shop a few days ago. Now I can't remember what year the bass was, but regardless, it wasn't for sale. And I was told it's pretty much just art at this point anyway with a trashed neck... but yeah, I'd hang it on a wall with some nice lighting and make it a centerpiece of conversation.

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Click to expand...

Looks like the 63 II. In case anyone is interested I saw one at reverb. Im not selling Im just letting you know in case anyone is looking for one.
https://reverb.com/item/787628-gibson-thunderbird-ii-1963-sunburst
 
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#7,975
Josh Thatguy said:
Saw this one at a shop a few days ago. Now I can't remember what year the bass was, but regardless, it wasn't for sale. And I was told it's pretty much just art at this point anyway with a trashed neck... but yeah, I'd hang it on a wall with some nice lighting and make it a centerpiece of conversation.
Click to expand...

I'm sure it could be a great restoration project or if it really has a storied past a cool piece to leave as is.
 
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#7,978
Leiria said:
If I had the money and it shipped to were I live I would have already bought it. First time I saw it the price was "only" $3000
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Where'd you first see it? BTW, I ran the serial number on guitardaterproject.com, it comes back as approximately 1964. Not quite the Holy Grail but pretty darn close and definitely not worth $6,125 to me. Still awesome to see one in that kind of shape.
 
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