[quote name='spacebeer' post='678232' date='Dec 8 2009, 05:52 PM']There is a huge difference between the Epi and the real deal[/quote]
Not sure I agree... I've had both and to be honest the Gibson wasn't worth the extra money. The White Epi I had was a far nicer bass to play, better looking bass than the Gibson was, and in terms of tone, I preferred the Epiphone too. I used it for a year or so in a UFO tribute band and had nothing but praise heaped on it during that time, and in fact when I saw Pete Way with UFO using an Epiphone too, it just confirmed to me how good they are (or how skint he is ).
I've said it in the past, if I was in the market for a Thunderbird, I'd be looking for a nice Epiphone and saving the extra £800 I'd need for the Gibson and buying a nice used Stingray with it instead.
Nothing wrong with a nice Gibson of course, I just believe a good Epi is a great bass regardless of price, and certainly shouldn't need any upgrades at all, not in my experience anyway.