Epiphone Thunderbird

Features 8: It looks like the real Gibson Thunderbird, absolutely beautiful. I got mine in dark sunburst. However, be warned. The position of the strap button up front causes a horrendous nose dive. I added a new strap button up front and a Levis leather strap. This solved the nose dive problem. I also replaced the truss rod cover with a generic black one without the Epiphone logo just for aesthetics. I paid $300 for it. After springing for a leather strap, new strings, new strap buttons, and a new truss rod cover my total cost was just over $400.

Sound 8: I immediately replaced the stock strings with Marcus Miller DR Fat Beams. This eliminates some of the ???muddy??? sound described by others. I also own a Warwick Corvette and a Carvin LB75. How does the Epiphone compare? It doesn???t sound as high end as those basses, but it sounds close in its own way. Each of these basses has its own unique tonal characteristics so it???s not an apples-to-apples comparison, but this Epiphone can certainly share the stage with them. It has a surprising amount of sustain for a bolt on neck. I had heard that the Thunderbird was not good for slap and pop but I found this to be untrue. Although most of my live playing is classic and modern rock, it sounds fine when I slap and pop. I emailed BestBassGear.com and was told that the Bartolini Gibson T-bird pickups will also fit the Epiphone. But for now the stock pickups are fine.

Action, Fit, and Finish 8: The action was set too low. I fixed this by raising the front bridge screw a few turns. The bridge looks cheap to me, but it is a replica of the bridge on a real Gibson Thunderbird so I won???t replace it. The sunburst finish on mine is flawless. I put a coat of Carnuba Wax on it and it shines nicely. The neck is thin and easy to play.

Not sure. Haven't had it long enough yet.

Customer Support 5: I bought this bass at Guitar Center. Any seasoned musician knows that an impaired baboon could provide better service than the people at Guitar Center. They tried to sell me the ???performance guarantee??? with it. You know, the one that says we???ll honor the standard warranty that already comes with the product if you pay us an extra $50. After spending thousands of dollars at Guitar Center a customer deserves better.

Overall Rating 9: If you fix the nose dive and put premium strings on it, this bass is almost a ???10??? for value. It???s an excellent alternative to paying $1750 for a real Gibson Thunderbird. And it looks so cool on stage. I play this bass live through an Ampeg SVT. Don???t be shy about playing a lower cost Epiphone Thunderbird copy. If you???re a proficient and confident bassist, the quality of your playing will speak for itself.

Epiphone Thunderbird bass in the brown burst standard finish
I wanted the white one but this one was hanging in the shop it was there and just I gave in.

Played it in the shop thru an Ampeg 115 combo and it sounded fantastic I played one years ago and it sounded good to but at the time it wasnt my cuppa T.
I dont have a bass amp anymore so I can't really judge the sound at home but I was very happy with the soft Dub sounding neck pick up and tight punchy bridge unit
both on together produce a nice tight modern sound
I use this setting the most with the tone control half way or all on
I think its better for the stage as it looks great but I have heard they record quite well
Im only dislike is it isnt white.

This bass came set up very well and has stayed very stable even with being hung on the wall and dragged to band rehersals in its gig bag
it gets thrown around on tubes and into the back of cars
but always seems fine
The pick ups do pick up a little earth buzz now and again its not a problem
the hardware seems ok this bass just sits in its case with a tuner and a cord until its needed for a gig or rehersal

I did swap the Strap button on the side of the instrument to just above the 4 bolt neck plate it hasnt cured the neck dip but it feels safer now.
It was ok as it was in the old place Im just being safer than sorry
This bass is very easy to play and the body shape the bass hangs diffrently and gives a diffrent position to play from than a Fender
the strings that come with it are shite but again not a problem

No dealings with Epiphone themselfs or the Shop I brought the instrument from

I played bass for 16 years,Then stopped and moved on to guitar as Id done everything I wanted on bass,Ive got an Ashley Pangborn Warlord and a few Jaydee basses from the 80's.A Fender 50's reissue Precision and a Spector legend 5 string
I have just started helping out my friends band playing Johnny Cash type of story telling country music with a bit of rock and Ska mixed in.
I didnt want to use a fender P like everyone else so I choose the Epiphone as it sounds great and looks fantastic.
I tried an EB3 bass and was very impressed with its sound and build.
The Epiphone can get very heavy after a few hours so I tend to use the fender on any long rehersals we do.
if it where stolen I would get the white version (anyone out there want to swap a White verson for a standard?)

two soap bar style pick ups. two volume and one tone control. i believe its all mahogany, bolt on neck. tobacco burst finish vintage gibson three point bridge.

sounds pretty good great rock sound. sounds good played with a pick or fingers. i play it through a vintage yamaha b100 and an swr cab. very quiet. i have giged out with it a it seems to set well with the band. it is a bit muddy sounding. pick ups could be better odd shape are tough to find replacments for.

terrible!! the action on mine was super high, i set up all my basses and this thing took alot of work. with the bridge screwed all the way down it was still too high tried adjusting the truss rod and it was very stiff and didnt seem to help. i ended up replacing the nut wich was cut crooked from the factory. the finish was pretty nice but the headstock chips way to easy. ive also seen quit a few on ebay with the headstock broken off.

i dont use much anymore, but it looks good hanging from my studio wall. hardware seems good although the tuning machines seem abit cheap. never gig without a backup.

never dealt with them

ive been playing about 12 years, i own around 10 guitars constantly changing ranging from a squire jazz bass to an ace frehley custom shop les paul. i should have played this one a bit more before buying it pretty much when i saw it my mind was made up before i played it and thats never good. if it were stolen id cut my losses and get something else. least favorite feature is the never ending battle with the headstock diving for the floor. thats gets very tiring after about an hour. favorite feature it does look very good. ive had a few epiphone guitars and basses and it seems as though they are hit and miss. i would stay away from mail order on this one find one at a music store and take a strap.

2004, Korea, laminated top, two volume knobs (one for each pickup), one tone knob, dual humbucking pickups, passive electronics,

sounds good, run through EH effects pedals into behringer, vox or peavy 60 watt amps

action was tough from factory, in store setup improved it some...made in korea, so there is visable wood that is not stained or finished around the controls, pickups, etc.

hardware seems fine. less than 3 months after i boughht it, stepped on a cord and the input jack (no plate, just mounted into the wood) broke out tearing the (1/8"?) wood all around it. i assume this will be covered by the lifetime warranty, but who knows? replaced the strap buttins with schaller locks.

dunno yet...

this is my first bass to own, played washburn and fenders before. love the look, but would not purchase this again. maybe a gibson, but not an epiphone. needs a plate around the input jack, or reinforced wood.

EPIPHONE THUNDERBIRD 2004 TWIN HUMBUCKERS PASSIVE FAT SOUND.THIS BASS WAS PURCHASED BECUASE I HATE HAVING TO TAKE EXPENSIVE BASSES TO GIGS.I CHECKED THE QUALITY AGAINST THE GIBSON THUNDERBIRD AND COULDNT FAULT THE EPIPHONE.I HAVE SEEN GIBSONS WITH THE PAINT BUFFED THROUGH.THIS BASS WAS PURCHASED TO PLAY ROCK/BLUES AND IT WORKS WELL.

THE PASSIVE PICK UPS GIVE A FULL SOUND VERY WARM.PART OF THE REASON FOR PURCHASING THIS BASS WAS BECAUSE IT WAS PASSIVE.I HATE WHEN YOUR SOUND IS NOT RIGHT AND YOUR THINKING IS IT THE BATTERIES.IT ALSO HAS HEAPS OF SUSTAIN.I RUN IT INTO A PEAVEY MAX PRE AMP WITH A CS 800X POWER AMP THROUGH A TRACE ELLIOT 4X10 AND HARTKE 2X10 WITH A COMPRESSOR.SOME TWEAKING WITH MY AMP WILL GET THE SOUND RIGHT SINCE I HAVE ONLY USED IT FOR THREE GIGS

IT WAS SET UP IN THE SHOP VERY WELL BUT WHEN I GOT IT HOME I HAD TO START ON IT.FIRSTLY TO RE STRING TUNNING IT B E A D BASICALLY A FIVE STRING WITHOUT THE G.THEN I HAD TO MODIFY THE NUT NEXT WAS THE BRIDGE AND ACTION WITH THE NECK NEXT.FINALLY IT WAS READY AFTER CHECKING INTONATION NEXT I ADJUSTED THE PICK UPS THE FRONT WAS ON A SLIGHT ANGLE SO I PULLED IT OUT AND ADJUSTED THE FOAM.TH NEXT IMPORTANT STEP WAS FITTING STRAP LOCKS AND A LARGE LEVYS PADDED STRAP THIS MADE THE BASS ALOT EASIER TO PLAY SURE IT IS NECK HEAVY BUT IF YOU GET THE BALANCE RIGHT IT IS NOT SUCH A BEAST TO PLAY LIKE EVERYONE SEEMS TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THEY MUST BE TWO POUND WEAKLINGS.LASTLY I ALSO HAVE THE FACTORY FITTED CASE WHICH IS HUGE BUT DOES THE JOB.I COULNT FAULT THE FINISH ONLY A TINY BIT OF CUTTING COMPOUND NEAR THE REAR PICK UP

LIKE I SAID FIT STRAP LOCKS THE BASS IS VERY SOLID AND WILL LAST A LIFETIME.EPIPHONE SEEMS TO HAVE ITS QUALITY UP TO SCRATCH BETTER THAN A LOT OF FAR MORE EXPENSIVE BRANDS.

NO PROBLEMS AS YET I DONT THINK I WILL HAVE ANY

THIS BASS WAS PURCHASED TO PLAY ROCK/BLUES I HAVE ALSO USE A P- BASS WITH PASSIVE PICK UPS.LIKE I SAID BEFORE I HAVE OTHER EXPENSIVE BASSES BUT WHY USE THEM WHEN THIS BASS SUITS THE MUSIC STYLE YOU PLAY AND IF IT DOES GET STOLEN IT IS REPLACEABLE.IF YOU WANT ONE BUY IT

i fell in love with its big sister gibson,but damn that whore was expensive!so i went to guitar center in palm beach florida and they treated me like a dick by the way,and bought my epiphone thunderbird!shes got sustain for days and plays really great.the e string has a buzz to it especially when i tune it down to d but when its plugged in it sounds great.i didnt think that it would play as good as her sister beacuse of the bolt on thing but it does have the same feel.ive beenplaying over 20 years and i can honestley say that this is the first time im actually in love with my bass. oh dont get me wrong,ive had evreything from p-basses to pieces of crap,but im really in love this time.i dont have a hard time playing it but thats maybe cause i grew up trying to sound like steve harris, but its a good work out.guitar center didnt give me any paper work besides the recipt so ill have to call epiphone i guess.the finish is really nice. i cant help but carry a rag all the time. the sound is like no other ive ever herd in spite of those pick ups so i guess ill be doing something in the near future about that.i hate to bring this up cause evreybody does,but the neck wieghs a ton!now how hard would it have been for the boys at epiphone to change the position of the front strap button? makes me think they dont give a @#*!.its a great template to really put some loot into it and soup it up a bit.

it suits my musical taste cause im a hard rock/metal head kind of guy so its right up my alley. but i also dig alot of soft stuff and the bass handles that stuff really well. the thing has sustain for days> and it really seems to stay in tune.it dosent have a noise prolem but thats cause its still early in the game. i have to tell the truth, i played the gibson nikki sixx model and it didnt hold a candle to the eppy. ihave to say that the bass has a great sound for slapping but its kind of hard to do with this bass. stick to the pick rock and roll thing if you ask me. there are etter suited basses for that sort of thing.i hate the fact that she has a gravity problem, thats a real turn offf but i hear some of you guys move the strap button and that cures it bit you shouldnt have to do that in my opinion,EPIPHONE SHOULD!i havent used it in the studio ut i know shes gonna do a great job. if she sounds this good not plugged in just imagine what will happen through all that great tehnology thats out there!

she buzzes on the e string but over all it leat the factory in great condition. those idiots at guitar center are pro. to blame for that!i dont reccomend keeping her out in the humidity but thats any instrument.im glad i dont own her big sister in that regard. could you imagine the problems with the nek-through in the heat or cold?the bridge piece is nice. ive never seen anything like it in my life.i wonder what a badass would do for her? my luthier buddy sugested that i change the tuners for hip shot.this is a luthier for gods sake so he must know what hes talking about.but the tuners are fine to me. they keep her in tune thats all that matters.yes they look flimsy but looks can be deciveing.what looks good dosent always taste good if you know what i mean?

i would use this bass without a back up. and this is coming from a guy who likes to downtune alot in d so if i had to use a back up it would be another epiphone thunderbird.they might get jealous ut thats the way it goes i guess.i belive that she will stand up in the paint unless your an idiot that wants to bang the crap out of your instrument.even if i had an endorsement i wouldnt do that crap. id rather give them to kids who cant afford a bass. i dont recomend this to beginners beacuse of the balance thing but what a great horse to learn on!i play alot of geddy lee type stuff i still practice my yngwie and i can pull off all those runs on this bass.my action is pretty cool except for the buzz thing but ill have that taken care of this weekend. i havent had any adjustment problems yet but i know if shes taken care of i shouldnt have any problems. oh yeah, the fret oard is a bit dry ut how cheap is some oil to fix that?

i have to call them for the paper work so ill let you know how that turns out.

great bass except for the balance thing.change the hardware and pickups if you want but the bass sounds great as it is.i sleep with the thing for gods sake!im so happy i bought this bass and when the moneys right im gonna buy another one just to keep in d tuning!kings x rules,guitar center in palm beach sucks!!!

its got 3 knobs, upside down look, and the tuners are great. its good for a backup or intermediate player.

the sound sounds great except you cant really get that pnch of rock like sabbath or the guns and roses. but you do get a good the doors sound and an excellent van halen sound. you'll probably need to raise the action because the strings rattle..but just d and g.

its awesome but the people at epiphone should've made the neck a little shorter.

its durable but not too much.. dont bang it around too much. i learned the hard way.

had proble with truss rod.. they fixed it and shipped it on their own.

love it... get it. had it stolen, found and repaired. bought a new epiphone thunderbird IV the same one that duff mc kagan uses. i also have a gibson eb-03 theyre all awesome

dalla piastra all'attacco del manico risulta fatto a mano in corea.20 tasti,due humbucker passivi,controlli dei volumi separati piu' il tono.a prima vista sembra un prodotto straordinario,pero' a guardarlo bene si possono notare delle piccole imperfezioni solo estetiche dovute molto probabilmente alla manifatura coreana.

il suono e' la cosa piu' meravigliosa di questo strumento!e' davvero fantastico,suona caldo e corposo con qualsiasi configurazione di pickup.certo,avendo gli humbucker non si puo' chiedere un suono tagliente ma a mio avviso il meglio di se lo da con il plettro!
e' uno dei migliori bassi di questa categoria per il rock puro.

appena preso lo strumento non aveva minimamente idea di cosa fosse un set up decente.lavorandoci su (sinceramente non poco) sono riuscito ad ottenere quello che volevo:un action molto bassa senza che le corde frustino,bel sustain e un'intonazione perfetta degli armonici.peccato non sia uscito gia' cosi' dalla fabbrica...
meccaniche molto buone,ponte un po' meno,si fa fatica a suonare sui primi tasti perche' sono molto distanti.purtroppo pero' il basso ha un grande difetto:e' troppo sbilanciato verso il manico e tende a piegarsi.ho risolto parzialmente questo problema poggiando il braccio destro sulla spalla del basso per controbilanciarlo.

ci suono abitualmente con questo basso anche dal vivo.mai avuto problemi di suono o di elettronica.le finiture non sono delle migliori a ad ogni minima botta si rischia di rovinare qualcosa.
ma per il prezzo e' un prodotto eccellente!

mai avuto problemi tali da dover contattare la fabbrica

suono da 7 anni.ho sette bassi:fender jazz american standard '97,fender precision vintage '57,fender mustang u.s.a. '76,
ibanez Musician MC920 fretless '86,ibanez btb 406,epiphone thunderbird,epiphone eb-3.suono con un swr red head.
se me lo rubassero me lo ricomprerei subito!lo amo per il suono,un po' meno per il comfort.rispetto ai bassi che ho,il thunderbird e' unico.

'04 Model. Made in Korea, assembled in America. 4 string. Shaller-like tuners. 2 humbucking pickups. 2 vol. 1 tone knob.

I play everything from metal, funk, rock and pop. This bass does a decent job at covering a spectrum of sounds. It does have a grindy mid-high sound to it. Its pretty punchy. Probably not as punchy as my P-bass with a Seymour Duncan pickup. Very quiet bass. Hardly any hum at all. For my taste I would like some bigger bottom end but I am planning on installing Gibson pups in the future and that should solve that.

The action was pretty good right from the store. I do my own setups and got the action really low. About 1/8" high at the twelvth fret with no buzz. The neck dives really bad but move the strap button to the body of the guitar in line with the neck. If you dont know what Im talking about, you can email me. This cures the dive almost 100%. The nut needed some filing which I did with a small needle file. The height at the nut was slightly higher than the fret which isnt right but easily corrected. The finish on this bass is awesome. Thick coat of laquer with a dark reddish stain. Beautiful. Really caught my eye in the store. Like said before, it does have an awkward shape so be careful when setting it down. A regular guitar stand does suffice and can work. Be creative and you'll see what I mean.

The tone pot went scratchy the second week I had it. Easy replacement. Other than that zero failures since I bought it 3 months ago. I always gig with a backup. Just dumb not too.

Never had to deal with them so dont know.

Even though of the problems I had with this bass, they were easy fixes and adjustments. The bass rocks and has a great sound and mojo to it. I cant recommend it enough for a Epiphone.

it has a 20 fret wide neck. not good for fast playing. and passive electronics. i like the brisge design on this bass, iv not seen this brige type on any basses other than epiphones. the bass is too hevy and i find the poor balance very destracting whilst playing. i found a tip on the net about moving the neck strap button to fix the balance. i did this but it has not solved the problem. however you can not fault the looks of a thunderbird for a second. defenatly one of the best looking basses ever made.

you have very little control of the sound on this bass. as soon as you move the tone controll off 10 it just sounds empty and flat. however this is my only passive bass so i may just be too used to the control you get with active.

the bass was well set up and about as well made as you would expect for the price tag and no more. the neck joint seems a bit week and lose for the size of the bass. it was origanly desigend as a gibson with a through neck and on this the epiphone modle suffers slightly because they have tryed to keep the looks the same but biuld it in a difrent way.

this bass is in good condition but i have not used it much because of the poor balance. however it dose not seem like it will hold up to much in the way of giging where and tare. i have only used the bass for a handfull of gigs and it already looks worse then my yamaha (for about the same price) which i have been reguly giging with for about 3 years.

never needed

i would not recomend this guitar to anyone. i have only had mine about 6 months and am selling already. i brought this bass under the misconseption it would be a ecomany verstion of the gibson modle (which it is not at all) though it looks great i would say it is more of a possers guitar then a players one. however if you have already got you hart set on the looks id recomend buying a lefty and changing the strings and strap button around to sort out the balance.