Shylock

Bought a MB4210 s/h 12 months ago as an improvement on a Trace Elliot Commando 15, which it is. Also have had a MB30 for 5 years which is why I bought the MB4210. Better, deeper tone than MB30. Valve in one of the preamps, which I have not seen on others in this price range. Prefer 2x10 than 1x15, compression is noisy though, clicking everytime it kicks so I do not use it. No problems with reliability and commented by others on tone quality and clarity. Loud enough at half way on both preamp vol and main vol to match loud drummer.

[b]Brand:[/b] Epiphone [b]Model:[/b] Thunderbird IV [b]Features: 9[/b] I bought this bass second hand in August 2011 and it is a 2006 Korean model made in the Unsung factory. Mine is the standard vintage sunburst which I think looks good. There is very little colour option. The back of the neck is also stained the same colour as the body but is does not quite match, probably because it is a differant wood. I have got used to it but on balance I prefer the clear maple finish of a Fender. Not sure what the wood is as there appears to contflicting information available here. The current (made in China) specification states alder, some older specs say mahogony with a mahogany top, I think it is more likely Basswood with a Mahogany top, as per a 2006 brochure I found on the web, but I could be wrong. Not too heavy and comparable weight to my Fender MIM Precision. You will see many references to the weird Gibson floating bridge and recomendations to replace it with a Hipshot Supertone. It is a strange bridge as whilst you can lengthen or shorten the string very easily you cannot adjust the height of each string individualy. There are three screws, with one at the front which heightens and slants the bridge upwards and one at each side which heightens the lower E side or upper G side. Personally it is not a big issue for me and I have the E side higher than the G. I am tempted to puchase a Hipshot replacement, but it is costly compared to the price of the bass, and quite frankly I doubt I will hear that much improvement. The guitar does have a very good sustain, however, despite the bridge which does not have full contact with the body. There is another issue with the bridge in so far as the space between where you anchor the ball end and the actual bridge is small and some silk round strings, such as Rotosounds, can end up with the silk lying over the actual bridge which may effect intonation. The cure is to buy unsilked strings, although I have found Elites Stadiums do not have as much silk at the ball end, or you could thread an old ball end from a bass string to lenghten the silk end back a bit. I have come across a manufactured ‘spacer’ from USA on ebay. [b] [attachment=100150:Bridge - silked.jpg][/b] [attachment=100151:Bridge - unsilked.jpg] [b]Action, Fit, & Finish: 9[/b] I can find no guide as to what the neck relief should be and I have set mine at 14thou’ which seems to work. Action is set quite low with no buzzes and comparable, if not lower, than my Fender MIM Precision. The neck is narrower than my Precision but does seem to have a fuller C shape. Overall I find it quite fast although access to to the very top of the neck is hard. The soldering of the electrics is good and all wires are neat. However the jack socket does work loose and being up against wood I can see it wearing through and being an issue in the future. The finish of the frets is first class with no rough edges The intonatation is perfect on every note and its stays in tune better than my Fender P’Bass on stage and in its case. The finish or stain is first class although it does seem to attract slight surface scratches that can be seen when you hold it to the light, although this is common with all finishes and it does shine up well. I like its looks and the differant, distinctive retro shape. [b]Sound Quality: 10[/b] This what I love about this bass. It has a good dark sound yet can cut through the band’s mix. I play a mixture of fingers and plectrum, depending on the number, and it suits both styles. Whilst it does not have the full deep tone of the Fender Precision I prefer the tone with more attack, higher mids and without a boomy bass sound that can take away the clarity of the note. But I respect that tone is personal and it may not suit everybody. However I definately find that this T’Bird can cut through the band mix better than my MIM P’Bass, especially on the top two strings. [b]Reliability/Durability: 9[/b] Very reliable, but a passive bass so little to go wrong. I think the aforementioned jack socket could become an issue. [b]Ease of Use: 7[/b] It is an awkward shape and cuts into you stomach but you do get used to it. The Fender P’Bass is far more comfortable as it is contoured; the T’Bird is not and is like a slab of wood. You have to get the height right on the strap to be comfortable. The neckdive is bad. However it is easily cured by moving the strap button to the neck as has been shown before in various reviews. I cannot understand why it is not there in the first place. The neck, lengthways, does tend to tip slightly forward away from you and you do have hold the bass to counter this effect so you can see the frets clearly. I also needed to put a strap lock on the body end as the strap kept slipping off, due the angle of the strap to the body. [b]Customer Support: 7[/b] I did email Gibson to ask what size allen key it takes and got a respones a few days later which was good. However there is not much support regarding set up, wiring, etc., comparable to what is available on the Fender website and it really is quite poor. Could be much improved, unless I am missing the main site? [b]Overall Rating: 9[/b] [b]Pros[/b] Relatively cheap – especially if second hand and overall very good value and holds it own with basses costing a lot more Recognised as a quality bass and used professionally, I believe by Pete Way of UFO. Perfect intonation Cuts through the mix with a live band Good ‘rock’ tone Keeps in tune Excellent finish Fast neck [b] [size=4]Cons[/size][/b] Uncomfortable to play Long neck (will only fit certain bags/cases) Tone will not be to everybody’s taste especially if you prefer a smooth ‘bassier’ sound Neck dive Bridge will not permit individual strings to be heightened or lowered

[quote name='fragglefart' post='1363341' date='Sep 5 2011, 08:01 PM']Interesting thread, I have a passive Rockbass Corvette. Love playing the thing, but yeah, tone control seems to do very little - how do you tell if it has a preamp? I assumed that passive basses had no preamp, correct? Or no? Confused... [/quote] My understanding is passive = no preamp and active = preamp. If you take the back off your bass and find a battery this normally means a preamp is on board. No battery = no preamp. Cheers.

This topic may be a bit stale now but perhaps the T'Bird is just the better bass!! Firstly I have seen you play a few months back at Quorn and yes your bass sound was clear and impressive - a lot better the other bands I have seen there. Secondly I have been messing around in band - 4 piece plus vocals - for a few years and playing a Fender MIM P Bass. I have always been disapointed with the volume/loudness of notes I play on the top two strings when the bottom two are too loud and boomy - especially half way up the neck. I put on some Seymour Duncan SPB3's and used them for about a year before taking them off and putting back the stock pick ups with an improvement, as I believe the clanky mids from the stock pups cut through. Anyway a month ago I bought an Epi T'Bird (not quite a Gibson - I know) as a back up bass. But this bass is consistent across all notes and is not boomy. I can play on the top strings and be heard above the drums now!! Okay it takes a bit getting used to but I love the slimmer and longer neck, the growling,thudding notes, the looks and most importantly I am now be heard on all strings. Now saving for a Gibson T'Bird and may try a Tokai on the way.

[quote name='Johnston' post='1328612' date='Aug 5 2011, 12:40 PM']4MM IIRC[/quote] Thanks - I will try this

Just bought a S/H 2006 Korean Epiphone Thunderbird which needs a minor tweak to the neck. Can't find one to fit from my current stock of allen keys. Anybody know the size please? Cheers

[quote name='noelk27' post='1324932' date='Aug 2 2011, 09:46 PM']All depends which Integra (IB/IGB) 40 and 50 you're talking about. There are a lot of variants. Basically, the differences are, the combination of pickups (50J had two jazz pickups; 50P had a precision/jazz combination), and whether passive or active; and the combination of woods (with rosewood (both 50P and 50J) or maple (50CT and DX) carved tops; or solid saman or ash wings. High-end models were neck-thru, while lower models were set-neck or bolt-on. To pin down the exact specification you need to identify the year of production first, and then refer to the catalogues current at that time.[/quote] Thanks - hmmmm a lot more research seems necessary.

I am probably buying a second hand ten year Aria IGB 50 (probably paying too much at £150 but includes a very good wooden hardcase I can use for my MIM PB) but can find little info about it. The person I am buying it from reckons it cost about £350 10 years including hardcase. Are these any good? Seem to be similair to IGB 40 but with covered pole pieces and it is not active. Seems to get good reviews, for the money, and I have seen prices quoted in at US$400-600. Ash body. Looks well finished and is in excellent condition. Any info would be welcome. Cheers.

[quote name='Lozz196' post='1302685' date='Jul 13 2011, 06:26 PM']I`ve found that, having had a few replacement pickups in Precisions, mainly Seymour Duncan QPs (and some others which I can`t remember exactly) that whilst they sound great to the ear at quiet volumes, when at band volume, the Fender pickups sound much nicer. Those "clanky" mids of the Fenders are what makes them shine in a band mix.[/quote] Thanks - glad I am not alone!!

[quote name='escholl' post='1301083' date='Jul 12 2011, 02:33 PM']have you tried lowering the pickup height on the bottom two strings, and maybe raising it a bit on the top two? sometimes even a few mm in either direction can make a noticeable difference. otherwise i'd guess that maybe these pickups have less mids -- hence why they probably sound nicer on their own, but have a bit less growl and don't sit as well with the band. not heard them personally though so this is just a guess.[/quote] Thanks but yes I tried that - the bottom two strings pick up was almost flush with the pick guard and the other on as high as I could get without distorting. I did wonder whether the wiring instructions were correct as on the SPB-3's the white wire is coming from the 'Neck' pick up and wired to the pot and the black is the earth but on the stock ones the 'Neck' pick up is black and wired to the earth and the white, from the 'Bridge' to the pot? As per attached. But would it make any difference?

Does anyone else find the Seymour Duncan SPB-3s too boomy and muffled? I have a Fendeer MIM Precision and put these on some 12 months ago as that seemed to be the fashion. Yes at home, on quieter volumes, they sounded the bees's knees (what ever that means!) with a fuller bass and clearer treble. Yet with the band, lodged between the drummer and rythym guitarist I have become disappointed with volume levels and the inability to hear the top string and a 'boomy'effect on the bottom string. I even swpaped my amp from a 15inch Trace Elliot Commando to a 2 x10 Marshall MB4210, with a substantial inprovement I might add. But still too much boom especially half way up the neck on the bottom two strings. So at the weekend I put the stock pups back in. Not as good at home, although I felt you hear the 'PB Growl' clearer. But last night at practice much better. I came to the conclusion that because the SPB-3s are too 'full' I have to lower the volume to compensate for the 'boom/muffled' lower notes which means the higher notes are not heard above the others. Mind you no-one else noticed last night except I thought I was louder but the rest of band said the volume was the same and you could certainly hear the higher notes on the chorus to The Killers Somebody Told Me. Am I missing something here or does/did anyone else have this issue. Should I give the SPB-3 s a second chance?