Welp, with Christmas cash I was able to order a 4th Thunderbird. That's not nearly as impressive as some of the collections in this thread, but it's remarkable to me at least that 6 months ago I started with zero. My only rule regarding TBs is that each one has its own "thing" that it does that the others do not.
The newest one is one of those TB Short Scales. Haven't read much about it, other than an old post Tbird was pretty active in, and the Gibson Bass Book didn't seem to like it. But this bass will be my home practice bass while I'm taking online lessons, and I doubt that I'll ever gig or rehearse with it. I like short scales for home practice as I feel like it's easier to move around the fretboard vs normal scale, so it's helpful when I'm learning new concepts. Currently, I have a Gibby SG bass that I like well enough, but I just can't get it to sound the way I'd like. I think I've read that the SG bass and TBs have essentially the same pups, but my SG bass doesn't sound anything like a typical 34" TB, so I'm hoping it's improved by going the TB route. Plus, I just like the body shape of TBs more than SGs. I'm probably going to sell the SG bass if the new 'Bird works out.
So any thoughts on the Shortbirds?