Cosmo Valdemar Posted February 3, 2021 Posted February 3, 2021 9 minutes ago, DaytonaRik said: Until Pete showed them the *right* way to play one! The right *Way*... 2 Quote
lou24d53 Posted February 4, 2021 Posted February 4, 2021 Why do you (hardly ever) never see Epi Vintage Pro's for sale 2nd hand? Quote
SteveXFR Posted February 5, 2021 Posted February 5, 2021 8 hours ago, lou24d53 said: Why do you (hardly ever) never see Epi Vintage Pro's for sale 2nd hand? Because they're really good! I'll assume the Thunderbird social media groups are a fairly typical group of owners. To buy any Thunderbird you have to really want yhat specific shape and sound. Most who want the Vintage Pro sound don't like the modern Gibson and a bicentennial will cost you a big old pile of cash. 1 Quote
lou24d53 Posted February 5, 2021 Posted February 5, 2021 4 hours ago, SteveXFR said: Because they're really good! I'll assume the Thunderbird social media groups are a fairly typical group of owners. To buy any Thunderbird you have to really want yhat specific shape and sound. Most who want the Vintage Pro sound don't like the modern Gibson and a bicentennial will cost you a big old pile of cash. Would you say they are circa £500 new, "good"...?! Quote
DaytonaRik Posted February 5, 2021 Posted February 5, 2021 56 minutes ago, lou24d53 said: Would you say they are circa £500 new, "good"...?! I have both a Gibson and an Epi IV as a spare...and I really struggle to tell the difference between them in feel and sound, certainly in a mix. 1 Quote
Cat Burrito Posted February 5, 2021 Posted February 5, 2021 My Epi Pro sold really quickly. As much as I loved the chrome pickups it was twice the weight of my Gibson and the Epiphone didn't sound as good. I wish Gibson would do a (cheap and easy to install) chrome pickup cover for my bass then I would have best of both worlds. Quote
Muzz Posted February 5, 2021 Posted February 5, 2021 I got my pickup covers and rings from an online store in Germany...I'll try and dig out the details... Quote
SteveXFR Posted February 5, 2021 Posted February 5, 2021 3 hours ago, DaytonaRik said: I have both a Gibson and an Epi IV as a spare...and I really struggle to tell the difference between them in feel and sound, certainly in a mix. Definitely. It sounds excellent and the quality of finish was better than my MIM Fender Jazz. I got mine new for £450 but I haven't seen any that cheap since then. 1 Quote
lou24d53 Posted February 5, 2021 Posted February 5, 2021 Lowest I've seen of late, ex-demo for £480. Epiphone Thunderbird Vintage Pro Quote
SteveXFR Posted February 6, 2021 Posted February 6, 2021 The only minor problem with the vintage pro is the headstock is so massive that it will only fit in the genuine epiphone hard case. I couldn't find a suitable soft case and none of the other thunderbird hard cases were long enough. Quote
Rich Posted February 6, 2021 Posted February 6, 2021 There was an Epi non-Pro Bird with Babicz bridge on my local FB marktplatz page for 180ish quid the other day. Thankfully it's gone now and no longer torturing me. 1 Quote
SteveXFR Posted February 6, 2021 Posted February 6, 2021 Im quite liking the look of the new Embassy bass. Looks like Thunderbird hardware and pickups in a different body Quote
Cosmo Valdemar Posted February 6, 2021 Posted February 6, 2021 20 minutes ago, SteveXFR said: Im quite liking the look of the new Embassy bass. Looks like Thunderbird hardware and pickups in a different body I wish they'd kept the original headstock. The original run from a couple of years ago had intonation problems due to the bridge being in the wrong place (a tribute to the original Thunderbird perhaps?) but I think this has been sorted now. Quote
barrycreed Posted May 9, 2021 Posted May 9, 2021 (edited) I spied a 2005 tbird with what looks like a regular high mass bridge and a smaller headstock. Are the neck profiles thin on these as per the Epi 60s new one? Do the Epi Pros have comfy necks? As in which one to avoid with a baseball bat neck ... Edited May 9, 2021 by barrycreed Quote
Cosmo Valdemar Posted May 9, 2021 Posted May 9, 2021 3 hours ago, barrycreed said: I spied a 2005 tbird with what looks like a regular high mass bridge and a smaller headstock. Are the neck profiles thin on these as per the Epi 60s new one? Do the Epi Pros have comfy necks? As in which one to avoid with a baseball bat neck ... The bolt-ons have necks closer to Precision size, but they could never be described as baseball bats. My Vintage Pro has a supremely comfy neck - for me. I like a narrow nut but not a shallow profile - this Thunderbird has a nice deep curve to the neck. 1 Quote
barrycreed Posted May 10, 2021 Posted May 10, 2021 @Cosmo Valdemar This is similar to the one I saw for sale. Set neck I think. But no idea of the neck profile on these ones. Quote
Cosmo Valdemar Posted May 10, 2021 Posted May 10, 2021 16 minutes ago, barrycreed said: @Cosmo Valdemar This is similar to the one I saw for sale. Set neck I think. But no idea of the neck profile on these ones. Ah, the Gibson Studio! I haven't played that one. 1 Quote
NancyJohnson Posted May 10, 2021 Author Posted May 10, 2021 47 minutes ago, barrycreed said: @Cosmo Valdemar This is similar to the one I saw for sale. Set neck I think. But no idea of the neck profile on these ones. Studio. Stripped back Gibson cash in. Yuck. Well, I wouldn't buy it; if nothing it's simply from the perspective that if you're desperate for a Thunderbird you'll pull the trigger on this then wonder why you didn't just buy a IV. 1 Quote
barrycreed Posted May 10, 2021 Posted May 10, 2021 (edited) @NancyJohnson There is a desperate streak in me at times Edited May 10, 2021 by barrycreed Quote
Cosmo Valdemar Posted May 10, 2021 Posted May 10, 2021 1 hour ago, NancyJohnson said: Studio. Stripped back Gibson cash in. Yuck. Well, I wouldn't buy it; if nothing it's simply from the perspective that if you're desperate for a Thunderbird you'll pull the trigger on this then wonder why you didn't just buy a IV. What was so bad about the Studios? I did try a Studio 5 once - I didn't like it much, but I'm not too fond of 5 strings or modern Thunderbirds so it was never going to work for me. Quote
BigRedX Posted May 10, 2021 Posted May 10, 2021 I tried the 5 string version of the Gibson Thunderbird Studio at a point in the 90s when it was the only way of getting a 5-string bass in a Thunderbird shape without going for a custom build. Very underwhelming IMO, because it was simply a very ordinary 5-string bass with a Thunderbird-shaped body. Had almost nothing in common with a classic (76 re-issue or earlier) Thunderbird other than the shape. Proof (if any more was needed) that even Gibson can't get their legacy basses right. Quote
NancyJohnson Posted May 10, 2021 Author Posted May 10, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, barrycreed said: @NancyJohnson There is a desperate streak in me at times I understand the desire for purchase/ownership; at one point I was into double figures for Gibson Thunderbirds so believe me when I say that these Studio models look like Thunderbird IVs, they're an underwhelming model by comparison. As @BigRedX has already pointed out, they're just very ordinary basses with a Thunderbird shaped body. I've attached two photos below of Firebird Guitars - yes, I know they're not Thunderbirds, but this more than demonstrates the differences. Which one would you rather own? If it's the one with the white scratchplate, then save up for IV. Edited May 10, 2021 by NancyJohnson Quote
BigRedX Posted May 10, 2021 Posted May 10, 2021 The white scratch plate is the better of the two, but ideally I'd want it with a Vibrola tailpiece and banjo tuners. I've been a massive fan of both the Firebird guitar and the Thunderbird bass since forever, but the Gibson models that tick all the boxes for me have always been way out of my reach price-wise. In the end I sacrificed authenticity for something that embodied some of the spirt of the originals but was far more playable than the modern "name" reproductions in the shape of an Overwater Original bass: And a Fretking Esprit guitar: Quote
Tee Posted July 9, 2021 Posted July 9, 2021 Is the Gibson 2021 NR Thunderbird ever going to see the light of day, do you think? It's been a while since they were announced. https://bassmagazine.com/gear/gibson-releases-new-non-reverse-thunderbird-basses Quote
Cosmo Valdemar Posted July 9, 2021 Posted July 9, 2021 32 minutes ago, Tee said: Is the Gibson 2021 NR Thunderbird ever going to see the light of day, do you think? It's been a while since they were announced. https://bassmagazine.com/gear/gibson-releases-new-non-reverse-thunderbird-basses I'm still waiting to see the Epiphone Rex Brown Thunderbird! Quote
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