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Thunderbird Club

#144,361
GBassNorth said:
Your son has good taste. The Epiphone Thunderbird VP is an excellent bass. It's worth quite a bit more than its new asking price and a steal in the sub $600 used bracket. I have one and I also have a couple of Gibson Thunderbirds and a cheaper Epiphone Goth bird. The VP is by far the best bang for the buck of the bunch. They can be found on Reverb and other used bass sites for under $600 in mint condition. It's one of the very few basses that I wouldn't hesitate to buy sight unseen, the QC on them is very good. Most seem to favor the lighter weight ones best (8.5 pounds and under).

Here's a couple of used ones that look like good deals and are about half the price of a used Gibson Thunderbird...
Epiphone Thunderbird Vintage PRO Bass-Ebony | Thomas 's Shop
Epiphone Thunderbird Vintage PRO Black 4 String Electric Bass Guitar
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The best Thunderbird built since the 60's imho. I have 7 60's birds a '77, 2001, 2013 and a bunch of imposters and custom builds. I like the Vintage Pro Thunderbird so much I bought three. I highly recommend the Vintage Pro Thunderbird.
 
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#144,363
ajkula66 said:
The sound. Some time ago I had him try a "regular" bolt-on Epi Bird and he wasn't moved at all.

No denying that looks play a role, though.
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It is a lovely look, lots of Chrome in all the right places...
IMG_0195.jpg
 
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#144,366
fasterpussycat said:
I would also contend that a lot of devices which are called 'effects' are not really effects at all, and should fall into the category of 'utilities'. My tuner, high pass filter and (amp replacement) preamp/DI are utilities. My RAT and flanger are effects.
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Our Bone player was bugging me last night about my pedalboard. He has no idea how basic mine is! The tuner and wireless receiver aren’t effects. All I have is distortion, chorus, octave and an envelope filter.
 
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#144,367
ajkula66 said:
Thank you for the suggestions...:thumbsup:

Unfortunately, online demos are not something I put a lot of weight behind.

As for Orville/Greco...I own a '96 Orville EB-3 and the build quality is excellent. However, people seem to be asking top dollar for both of these brands. If I could pick up an Orville Bird for as much as I bought my EB-3 for I would be a happy camper, but I don't foresee that happening.
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I bought my VP used at GC online. They shipped across the country to a (reasonably)local store for $25. I was able to check it out before taking it.
 
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#144,375
A little recovery news...

I had my first follow up with the surgeon this week. Now that the surgical pain is done, it is time to start working on passive range of motion. Just some gentle stretches several times a day trying to restore range of motion to work out stiffness and make sure I don't end up with troublesome surgical adhesions.

Out of curiosity, I picked up the couch bass and put it on my lap this afternon. Not much I can do yet - fretting is as much/more a shoulder action as a forearm/hand thing. And external rotation is still limited, so reaching the 7th fret is a stretch too much. In time I'll get there, but I will have to try regularly to see where I am.

[edit]
And I am still typing one handed. So, please read everything I post slowly.
 
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#144,376
Engle said:
Our Bone player was bugging me last night about my pedalboard. He has no idea how basic mine is! The tuner and wireless receiver aren’t effects. All I have is distortion, chorus, octave and an envelope filter.
Click to expand...

Suggest he set out on a dangerous quest -- in search of a life.

How many mutes does he have?
 
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#144,379
PillO said:
A little recovery news...

I had my first follow up with the surgeon this week. Now that the surgical pain is done, it is time to start working on passive range of motion. Just some gentle stretches several times a day trying to restore range of motion to work out stiffness and make sure I don't end up with troublesome surgical adhesions.

Out of curiosity, I picked up the couch bass and put it on my lap this afternon. Not much I can do yet - fretting is as much/more a shoulder action as a forearm/hand thing. And external rotation is still limited, so reaching the 7th fret is a stretch too much. In time I'll get there, but I will have to try regularly to see where I am.

[edit]
And I am still typing one handed. So, please read everything I post slowly.
Click to expand...
When I was working through rotator cuff PT I switched over to playing one of these...
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Fun little bass Ukulele, a life saver on my shoulder, and a surprisingly massive bottom end.

I think there's a Thunderbird shaped one out there that would be cool to have...
IMG_3795.JPG
 
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