Gibson Thunderbirds

atomic_punk · Post by **atomic_punk** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 5:33 pm

Jeff's is an Epiphone 5-string that came with a bad neck, so he did what he had to do...inspiration comes from the strangest places...

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 7:30 pm

yep mine came from guitar center as a used epiphone 5 string thunderbird bass that was stamped factory 2nd ... the nut was broken and the neck was S curved ... I frankensteined it with a different neck, bridge, pickups, and electronics ... it truly is a frankenstein bass because it was not not done real pretty but it is a player and looks pretty good but is not cosmeticaly perfect ... I set the neck deeper into the body and moved the bridge back as well ...

The neck is a mighty mite p-bass ... it is very straight and holds 5 strings well ... the bridge is schaller ... the p-bass pickup id SD 1/4 pound and the other one is my own hot rodded fat jazz pickup ... it has 2 reverse wound jazz pickups with a toggle switch for series, parallel, and single coil setup ... it has 2 250k ohm volume pots and a 500k ohm tone pot ... the epiphone body is a blue boy like color that has yellowed into a slightly sea green looking hue ... the body is mahogony and it has a few dings and cracks, but it resonates well ...

scott_s · Post by **scott_s** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 7:37 pm

Nice! Something looked distinctly "Fender" about those two. ;^)

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 7:39 pm

actually it is an interpretation of the non-reverse Gibson thunderbird basses of the 60s and 70s ...

scott_s · Post by **scott_s** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 8:41 pm

I was referring more to the bridges and pickup arrangements, sorry. I've seen the "non-reverse" models.

loendmaestro · Post by **loendmaestro** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 4:36 am

Just returned from 11 days in Hawaii kids...and yes, I love my T-bird too:

atomic_punk · Post by **atomic_punk** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 8:31 am

Chris, how was Hawaii?
That 'Bird pic is too cool! Keep rockin!!

loendmaestro · Post by **loendmaestro** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 8:41 am

Hawaii is truly paradise man.
Unfreaking believable....words can't express.

atomic_punk · Post by **atomic_punk** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 10:44 am

I'll get there one of these days...

greg_feo · Post by **greg_feo** » Thu Dec 22, 2005 7:32 am

Sold mine to Sam Ash (Mitch) in Hollywood, Sunset store..if any locals are looking. All I see around are Epi clones. It is there for a great deal..90..no issues, ohsc..
It was a top heavy bugger but it rocked.

lars · Post by **lars** » Sat Dec 24, 2005 1:36 am

I love T-birds. I have two of them, a 76 and a 90. Neck thru body. They both sound and play great.

bassman · Post by **bassman** » Sat Dec 24, 2005 4:45 am

This is my 89 Greco TB-1100, a 64 TB-IV clone. And a great bass.

jal · Post by **jal** » Sun Dec 25, 2005 10:53 am

I don't know about the newer Tbirds but I own four old Tbirds, a '76, '68 IV & two from 1964 one a single pickup II & the other a two pickup IV & I love all of them , the necks are great like a Jazz Bass but all mine are a bit different , the '64 II feels the thinnest & the '64 IV feels just a bit wider between the nut & 5th fret, the '68 IV starts to feel a bit chunky from the 9th-10th fret to the body & the '76 is a nice mix being kind of in-between & even , as for the tone the two from '64 are monsters!, I don't know the pickup readings off hand but after playing my Fenders, Lakland , 4005 , or the '76 Tbird when I plug in ether one of the '64 Birds I have to drop the Vol. on my Ashdown by a quarter . the '68 is pretty powerful as well but it's not a neck-thru like the 64's & has a set-neck so the tone is a little different, the neck diving never bothered me all that much & can be helped by using a wide strap & adding a strap button on the back of the body , three of mine came that way & I have to say they hang better, but be it a reverse or non-reverse body style Thunderbird I'm sold on them, they all rock,

Happy Holidays,

phlemmy · Post by **phlemmy** » Sun Dec 25, 2005 1:26 pm

i'm really starting to ge itchy fingered about these. i've seen the 76 and i like it A LOT!

rick12dr · Post by **rick12dr** » Mon Dec 26, 2005 4:01 pm

How come Gibson[or Epi, for that matter] didn't put a RI version of the Original all chromed T-Bird PU on these basses?I've always thought that the T Bird PUs were far and away the best sounding of all the pre 80s Gibsons.