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Thunderbird Club

#127,382
Glenn Johnson said:
Maybe so. But don't Gibsons sometimes have fainter stamps? Not trying to defend the bass in question by any means. I am BY NO MEANS an expert on this. The tuners do say Gibson on them as well.
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My best guesses would be that someone took a poorly maintained classic TBird and had it refin'ed or they took the classic TBird's P/U's, rings and tuners and put them into a refin'ed newer TBird body... add covers and there you have it.
 
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#127,383
Glenn Johnson said:
Very clear indeed, but are all Gibsons always so deeply stamped? IDK.
Ah, see Tbird1958's post above.
Click to expand...

My Gibson is painted-over heavily.
6BAD78AD-E7A9-4BD2-BAED-1736D46A5CF5.jpeg
 
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#127,386
BklynKen said:
When did Thunderbirds have tuners like that? I never saw Gibson-branded ones like that.
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Those are similar to the tuners that were on my '91 before it got chromed out. They had a black finish. I have never seen them with a chrome or nickel finish.

For what its worth, the stamped SN and "Made in USA" are still easy to read and see after the Bad Mojo refin. Because the first round had a problem, it's got two additional rounds of paint on the back of the headstock unless he got the paint out of the stamping somehow. Chemical strippers? Maybe, but the point is that you can do a quality refin without making the SN disappear. That's the big one to me.

I'll offer the guy $500. Think he will take it?
 
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#127,387
Gaolee said:
Those are similar to the tuners that were on my '91 before it got chromed out. They had a black finish. I have never seen them with a chrome or nickel finish.

For what its worth, the stamped SN and "Made in USA" are still easy to read and see after the Bad Mojo refin. Because the first round had a problem, it's got two additional rounds of paint on the back of the headstock unless he got the paint out of the stamping somehow. Chemical strippers? Maybe, but the point is that you can do a quality refin without making the SN disappear. That's the big one to me.

I'll offer the guy $500. Think he will take it?
Click to expand...
Thanks. I do really like the dull nickel pickups. The Queen seems to like shiny.
 
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#127,388
BklynKen said:
Thanks. I do really like the dull nickel pickups. The Queen seems to like shiny.
Click to expand...
I like both. I kinda wonder what happened to that bass to get the hardware dulled down like that. I'm also wondering where the tuners came from, since they are branded but I have never seen tuners like that on a Thunderbird. Maybe there was another Gibson model that used tuners like that only not painted black. It's a mystery.

[Edit] I just noticed that it's at Mike & Mike, which is about a 3/4 mile walk from home. I thought those guys were at least mostly on the up and up. They seem to have Thunderbirds on a fairly regular basis, too. Something odd is going on. The ad says all wiring is stock, so whatever is happening with the pickups that I thought looked odd is either stock and I don't know what I'm talking about, or they are wrong. There's even odds on that.

The case and finish look way to pristine for the condition of the hardware. I cannot figure out how you get corrosion on the backs of the tuning machines, and that kind of oxidation on the rest of the hardware without having more evidence of use and abuse in the finish. The photos aren't close up enough for me to get a good understanding of what kind of patina the finish has. The case looks like the '91's case, with the exception that the bedsheet is satin and not fleece like it is for the '91.

I keep meaning to get down to their shop one of these days, and it keeps not happening. Based on my schedule, it will probably remain that way for a while.
 
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#127,389
I do feel kinda sorry for the seller of the "Limited Edition 1995 TBird". He's probably looking at all the hits his ad is getting, over 250 as of this post. Thinking, cool lots of interest in the listing. In reality, it's about a dozen of us each looking at it multiple times trying to figure out what the heck it is. I bet half the hits have been from this thread alone. Oh well, I wish him luck in finding out what it actually is and pricing it accordingly, I don't wish him luck with the sale as it stands.

Note: this is the same seller that has had a vintage TBird listed for quite some time at nearly $10,000 because there is a "John Entwistle" signature on the pickguard, but has zero photographic or other provenance to back it up. Heck, I have an exceptionally rare bass custom made for, owned by and played by John Entwistle with all the proper provenance and I doubt I could get that kind of money for it.
 
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#127,390
Gaolee said:
I like both. I kinda wonder what happened to that bass to get the hardware dulled down like that. I'm also wondering where the tuners came from, since they are branded but I have never seen tuners like that on a Thunderbird. Maybe there was another Gibson model that used tuners like that only not painted black. It's a mystery.

[Edit] I just noticed that it's at Mike & Mike, which is about a 3/4 mile walk from home. I thought those guys were at least mostly on the up and up. They seem to have Thunderbirds on a fairly regular basis, too. Something odd is going on. The ad says all wiring is stock, so whatever is happening with the pickups that I thought looked odd is either stock and I don't know what I'm talking about, or they are wrong. There's even odds on that.

The case and finish look way to pristine for the condition of the hardware. I cannot figure out how you get corrosion on the backs of the tuning machines, and that kind of oxidation on the rest of the hardware without having more evidence of use and abuse in the finish. The photos aren't close up enough for me to get a good understanding of what kind of patina the finish has. The case looks like the '91's case, with the exception that the bedsheet is satin and not fleece like it is for the '91.

I keep meaning to get down to their shop one of these days, and it keeps not happening. Based on my schedule, it will probably remain that way for a while.
Click to expand...
I love a good nickel finish on vintage gear but only if it's polished or at least maintained in a clean state.

Not sure what's going on with the Nickel hardware on that bass (bead blasted? Chemically treated? Artificially aged? Natural lack of attention?) but it's exceptionally and oddly uniform on both the front and back hardware, even on the tuner keys where one would think hand grime might make it look different.

Would be very interesting to take the bridge off and look at the tops of the inserts to see if they match. Would also be equally telling to remove one tuner to see if the portion of the tuner shaft that goes through the headstock looks the same as the exposed portion of the tuner shaft. If the answer to either of those is yes, then it's likely the hardware was removed and artificially aged while the bass was being refinished (which I suspect is the case).
 
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#127,391
Gaolee said:
I like both. I kinda wonder what happened to that bass to get the hardware dulled down like that. I'm also wondering where the tuners came from, since they are branded but I have never seen tuners like that on a Thunderbird. Maybe there was another Gibson model that used tuners like that only not painted black. It's a mystery.

[Edit] I just noticed that it's at Mike & Mike, which is about a 3/4 mile walk from home. I thought those guys were at least mostly on the up and up. They seem to have Thunderbirds on a fairly regular basis, too. Something odd is going on. The ad says all wiring is stock, so whatever is happening with the pickups that I thought looked odd is either stock and I don't know what I'm talking about, or they are wrong. There's even odds on that.

The case and finish look way to pristine for the condition of the hardware. I cannot figure out how you get corrosion on the backs of the tuning machines, and that kind of oxidation on the rest of the hardware without having more evidence of use and abuse in the finish. The photos aren't close up enough for me to get a good understanding of what kind of patina the finish has. The case looks like the '91's case, with the exception that the bedsheet is satin and not fleece like it is for the '91.

I keep meaning to get down to their shop one of these days, and it keeps not happening. Based on my schedule, it will probably remain that way for a while.
Click to expand...
C'mon, you live 3/4 mile a way and you don't want a hands on the mystery bass? :bassist:
 
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#127,392
GBassNorth said:
I do feel kinda sorry for the seller of the "Limited Edition 1995 TBird". He's probably looking at all the hits his ad is getting, over 250 as of this post. Thinking, cool lots of interest in the listing. In reality, it's about a dozen of us each looking at it multiple times trying to figure out what the heck it is. I bet half the hits have been from this thread alone. Oh well, I wish him luck in finding out what it actually is and pricing it accordingly, I don't wish him luck with the sale as it stands.

Note: this is the same seller that has had a vintage TBird listed for quite some time at nearly $10,000 because there is a "John Entwistle" signature on the pickguard, but has zero photographic or other provenance to back it up. Heck, I have an exceptionally rare bass custom made for, owned by and played by John Entwistle with all the proper provenance and I doubt I could get that kind of money for it.
Click to expand...
I think you COULD get upwards of 10k for that bass! Not from me, though. However, there are rich Entwistle fans out there who would I'd bet.
 
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#127,394
GBassNorth said:
I do feel kinda sorry for the seller of the "Limited Edition 1995 TBird". He's probably looking at all the hits his ad is getting, over 250 as of this post. Thinking, cool lots of interest in the listing. In reality, it's about a dozen of us each looking at it multiple times trying to figure out what the heck it is. I bet half the hits have been from this thread alone. Oh well, I wish him luck in finding out what it actually is and pricing it accordingly, I don't wish him luck with the sale as it stands.

Note: this is the same seller that has had a vintage TBird listed for quite some time at nearly $10,000 because there is a "John Entwistle" signature on the pickguard, but has zero photographic or other provenance to back it up. Heck, I have an exceptionally rare bass custom made for, owned by and played by John Entwistle with all the proper provenance and I doubt I could get that kind of money for it.
Click to expand...
I have seen vintage Thunderbirds near $10K without a signature. Never mind whether it's real or not, that is about the top end for a '64 or '65. The bottom end seems to be around $6K these days. I'm out of that market by orders of magnitude.
 
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#127,396
Looking at this somewhat fishy bass and it made me think of a Tbird model called the Elitist and it was an Epiphone. It looks similar and changing the truss rod cover is simple. It could be one of these although I think they were out in the early 2000's for a few years. Google Epiphone Elitist Thunderbird Bass and see if I'm crazy or not. HA!
 
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#127,397
Gaolee said:
I like both. I kinda wonder what happened to that bass to get the hardware dulled down like that. I'm also wondering where the tuners came from, since they are branded but I have never seen tuners like that on a Thunderbird. Maybe there was another Gibson model that used tuners like that only not painted black. It's a mystery.

[Edit] I just noticed that it's at Mike & Mike, which is about a 3/4 mile walk from home. I thought those guys were at least mostly on the up and up. They seem to have Thunderbirds on a fairly regular basis, too. Something odd is going on. The ad says all wiring is stock, so whatever is happening with the pickups that I thought looked odd is either stock and I don't know what I'm talking about, or they are wrong. There's even odds on that.

The case and finish look way to pristine for the condition of the hardware. I cannot figure out how you get corrosion on the backs of the tuning machines, and that kind of oxidation on the rest of the hardware without having more evidence of use and abuse in the finish. The photos aren't close up enough for me to get a good understanding of what kind of patina the finish has. The case looks like the '91's case, with the exception that the bedsheet is satin and not fleece like it is for the '91.

I keep meaning to get down to their shop one of these days, and it keeps not happening. Based on my schedule, it will probably remain that way for a while.
Click to expand...
A quick peek under the truss rod cover would tell us if it’s a Gibson or an Epiphone right?
 
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#127,398
Kriegs said:
Here's the back of the headstock of my 2013 EpiBird. The serial number looks like it was silk screened on
View attachment 3536483

Here's the back of a brand new one from Sweetwater, which has a stamped serial number:
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...thunderbird-vintage-pro-bass-tobacco-sunburst

View attachment 3536484

Here's the back of the 'mystery bass'. You can barely make out the Made in USA (circled in green) and the serial number stamped in (underlined in yellow) under what looks like, to me, to be an extra coat of black applied as part of a repaint/ touch up?
View attachment 3536487
Click to expand...
Depends on the finish too. My white one is pretty faint.
 
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