Thunderbirds, epiphone or expensive Gibson?

[The Goatreich]

I've always loved the thunderbird shape, but have never played one. I'm thinking about saving up for a proper Gibson Thunderbird, but after reading a few posts I see that lots of people rate the much cheaper Epiphone version.

Admittedly part of me wants to own the expensive one as I've never owned a bass that cost more than £400, and they've always been ibanez or BC Rich...then one day I played a friend's Geddy Lee jazz bass and instantly could tell how much of a better bass it was all round than anything I've owned.

So my question is, how do people rate the epiphone t-birds against the gibsons? Ideally I'm after a sexy white one.

Edited December 6, 2011 by The Goatreich

[Lozz196]

The Epiphones are made from alder (aside from the Gothic and Nikki Sixx Blackbird, being mahogany) whereas the Gibsons are made of mahogany. When I bought a T-Bird, I tried the Alpine White one, and the Gothic. The Gothic was noticeably deeper in sound, so probably more in keeping with the Gibson. I bought the Alpine White one as in my opinion, it looked better.

Gotta say though, this doesn`t meant the Epiphone alder T-Birds lack oomph. They don`t, they are full of it, great basses, just that the Gibbo has even more.

[gjones]

I got up to play a couple of songs at a friends gig the other day and used his bass. He plays an epiphone thunderbird and the first thing I realised is how far away the neck feels compared to playing a normal shaped bass. I felt I should have had an abnormally long left arm just in order to get to the end of the neck.

[Muzz]

I used a Korean one as the basis of my Fenderbird, and it was pretty good, and they're the best of the Epis - I'm still using the pickups, although in the longer run I'll be replacing them with Nordies. Side by side with a Gibson, it's immediately apparent (apart from the obvious bolt-on neck) which is the better quality bass, but then it should be. The Gibson still uses that three-point bridge, though.

[Dom in Dorset]

If set up well the old passive Epi is a great bass, however next to a Gibson the output is more subdued. From my brief comparison I found that the Gibson had more treble response and more focused tone low down, more powerful and aggressive all over.
If you've already had a series of £400 basses maybe this is the time to go for something extra.

[The Goatreich]

[quote name='Dom in Somerset' timestamp='1323173470' post='1460035']
If you've already had a series of £400 basses maybe this is the time to go for something extra.
[/quote]

My thoughts exactly, just wanted to get some clarification that if I do save for the big one I wouldn't end up with egg on my face.

As for the long left arm....I played a BC Rich for years so I'm pretty sure my left arm will take anything that's thrown at it.

[Bankai]

Very much recommend the Epiphone Pro version.

It feels much more expensive than it actually is. It's the nicest bass I've ever owned.

[BigRedX]

As I always say when this question comes up: Gibson and Epiphone Thunderbirds have little in common other than a roughly similar body shape. In terms of construction, woods, hardware and electronics they entirely different instruments. Even the current Gibson Thunderbirds are different(and sound it) to the classic Thunderbirds of the 60s.

Which is best is entirely subjective. You need to go and try them all for yourself. Because of this you can't automatically assume that the Gibson is an "improvement" over the Epiphone simply because it's made by a more prestigious company and has a similar body shape.

Also IMO the Epiphone Pro models have the least in common with the original Gibson design. It's essentially a very average Korean-made active through-neck bass with an over-inflated price tag due to its body shape and the name on the headstock. It might be the right bass for you but it's not really much of a Thunderbird in the classic sense.

[bassmachine2112]

Try the pro version out you might like it.
It,s worth it for the bridge alone and the head won,t fall off if you give it a crack.
It,s not made in korea but china if that means anything nowadays.

[Rayman]

I've had a couple of Epi's and played a few Gibsons, and as always my answer is pound for pound I'd have the Epiphone all day long.

Gibson guitars are over priced and QC is awful at the moment (I played a couple of [i]shocking [/i]Les Pauls in PMT recently). Epi's are what they are, work horses, and it doesn't matter if you ding it half way through a gig. Mine was solid, sounded great, looked great and played great, and it cost a fraction of the Gibson version.

There's a big thread on all this somewhere in the archives.

[pst62]

I love Thunderbirds, I still have my 1998 Korean Epi and I'll never sell it, it's a beast! and it plays better than a Gibson I once borrowed. The only thing I found that the Gibson has over the Epi is the quality of pickups and a slightly more comfortable neck, another thing, if you are unfortunate enough to knock the headstock off an Epi (a common thing with Thunderbirds) you can replace the neck, whereas with the Gibson, it's curtains if you can't afford a good luthier. As Rayman says Gibson are over priced and their QC is not great at the moment, infact it's been dropping off for years. but then again so has Epi's especially since the Chinese got involved. I once saw an Arctic White which had been sent to a bloke that had the bridge so far out that the E string was actually off of the neck, how that got past QC is beyond belief. My advice is, if you go for an Epi try and pick up a Korean made one.

Anyway Pete Way backed the Epi over Gibson, saying they sound a lot better. and he has had had numerous Thunderbirds over the years from Vintage ones through to the 90's re issues.

[The Goatreich]

This is all killer info, thanks very much guys

[BigRedX]

To me comparing the Gibson and Epiphone Thunderbirds is like comparing a Fender Jazz with a Rickenbacker 4001. OK so the Gibson and Epiphone both have similar shaped bodies but that's as far as it goes.

There's no better instrument - just the one that suits you best.

I can't help feeling that those who prefer the Epiphone (non-Pro) Thunderbirds are Fender players who happen to like the shape.

[Machines]

I think the hardest part with T-Birds is the setup. The 3 point bridge is a bit crappy and the saddles have no height adjustment making it troublesome to find a perfect balance, i'd imagine this is the same for Gibsons too. My Epiphone is my 'last' bass in terms of preference, but that doesn't mean it's underperforming. I think maybe get an Epiphone T-Bird and see if it works for you - you can always sell it on without losing too much (£50 or so) so it's not a costly experiment.

[Panamonte]

[quote name='Machines' timestamp='1323259224' post='1461076']
I think the hardest part with T-Birds is the setup. The 3 point bridge is a bit crappy and the saddles have no height adjustment making it troublesome to find a perfect balance. [/quote]

+1

I know there are some people who get on fine with the stock 3 point bridge, but for the rest of us help is fortunately at hand in the shape of the Hipshot Supertone bridge.

IME being able to adjust individual string height makes it a lot easier to get the best out of the T-Bird, but the prospect of possibly having to shell out for a replacement bridge might make going down the T-Bird route a less attractive proposition for you...

[Machines]

Those Supertone bridges aren't cheap - I looked at getting one for mine but sanity kicked in. I'm not going to pay out half the cost of an instrument just to upgrade the bridge Ignoring this design flaw (not manfacturing), I do enjoy playing it and it's looks and sound make up for the setup issues.

[spinynorman]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1323254691' post='1461002']

I can't help feeling that those who prefer the Epiphone (non-Pro) Thunderbirds are Fender players who happen to like the shape.
[/quote]

Not sure who would be insulted more by that comment: Fender players, or people who like Epi Tbirds.

[Muzz]

[quote name='Machines' timestamp='1323264135' post='1461187']
Those Supertone bridges aren't cheap - I looked at getting one for mine but sanity kicked in. I'm not going to pay out half the cost of an instrument just to upgrade the bridge Ignoring this design flaw (not manfacturing), I do enjoy playing it and it's looks and sound make up for the setup issues.
[/quote]

£65 or so delivered from the States via EBay. Unless, of course, you only paid £130 for the bass (I did for mine), in which case it IS half the cost...

[Billy Apple]

Try a bunch and see which one you like. I had always played P's and fancied a change and wanted a thinner neck. I was very impressed with the Pro, but I thought the Epi bolt-on terrible. Then I tried the Gibbo, and it was game over. There is really no comparison. Mine was born early '11 and she is spot on, and I don't agree about QC issues. She is very well constructed and the finish is top notch. I sourced a Super-tone from eBay for £70 and had her all set up by a pro luthier. The Supertone gave a richer tone, but knocked off some of the treble. She has a very low action and no buzz all the way up the neck.

I think many of the negative stories about TBirds are from people who heard something from someone, without having ever owned one. Also, it's horses for courses, some folk get them and realise they are not their thing. Yes, they are not cheap, but look at it this way, if you are going to buy an Epi/Epi Pro, then the Gibbo is just costing you the difference. I spent 2 months researching, and before that I was a die-hard P bloke, but I made the right choice from the heart and the rest just flowed.

I think there is a virtual brand new one FS on BC now ( [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/161120-gibson-thunderbird-for-sale/page__pid__1459461#entry1459461"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/161120-gibson-thunderbird-for-sale/page__pid__1459461#entry1459461[/url] ), Xmas is coming, people need the readies, so you might get a good deal.

Anyway.. Good-luck!

[Spike Vincent]

Can't comment on the Gibson,but the Tokai Tbird is way better then the Epiphone one.

[jezzaboy]

Don`t take this the wrong way but if you liked the Geddy so much why not try one of those?

Be sure you want a T bird as they sit totally different on your body to any other bass I have had. To me, the end of the neck seemed very far away. I have had 3, 2 epi`s and a pro and although they sounded fine, I found that I couldn`t get used to the shape. I`m not running the bass down, just not right for me.

Jez

[NancyJohnson]

I own a classic white Gibson and I've owned a Geddy Lee Jazz as well and for me at least, the Thunderbird just wins hands down...there's a very long thread about Thunderbirds here: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/94914-thunderbirds-why-no-basschat-love/"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/94914-thunderbirds-why-no-basschat-love/[/url] ...have a read and you'll know why.


P

[Billy Apple]

[quote name='billyapple' timestamp='1323274821' post='1461453']

I think there is a virtual brand new one FS on BC now ( [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/161120-gibson-thunderbird-for-sale/page__pid__1459461#entry1459461"]http://basschat.co.u...61#entry1459461[/url] ), Xmas is coming, people need the readies, so you might get a good deal.

Anyway.. Good-luck!
[/quote]

He's just knocked £100 off. Good price for a brand new TBird

[StevieD_FenderP2009]

Buy mine, you know you want to £200 plus shipping

[Delberthot]

I've had my Epiphone Goth Thunderbird for well over a year and anyone who knows me will tell you that's a hell of a lot longer than any of the other basses I've had.

Its a bit of a Triggers Broom bass though. The body and neck are original but I've fitted mine with Hipshot Supertone bridge, EMG HZ pickups, new 500k pots with paper-in-oil cap, new knobs, Gibson TRC, Roto flats, Schaller Strap locks and Fret FX LEDs along the top of the neck.