Reversebird Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I was looking at buying the new Epiphone Thunderbird bass with the thru neck after trying one out in GAK in Brighton. Beautifully made, next to no neck dive unlike the bolt on version and a great sound from the Gibson pickups. While I was trawling round the net looking for the best price I came across a brand new Gibson Non Reverse Thunderbird Pelham Blue for £650 with free delivery from Thomann in Germany. When you consider I was going to spend £379 on the Epi and another £60 for a case I thought another £200 for a Gibson bass has to be a good deal. After reading some posts on here and from previous experience I intend to do some upgrades straight away. 1: Hipshot bridge, like marmite you either love or hate the 3 point 2: 500k pots with a paper in oil cap (just because I have one lying around) from an earlier post Gibson are using 300k pots on Humbuckers!!!! No wonder they're muddy. 3: move the tone back to the original position 4: strap locks Schaller of course 5: Hipshot clover leaf tuners (cause I like the look) So realistically spending another £150 should get me the Gibson bass I always wanted and ready for the hard road of pub gigging for £800 all in. I still think that's a bargain for a bass that's becoming very hard to find and Gibson have stopped the production. Eventually I may buy all the hard wear in chrome and covert the pickup covers too but for now black is the new chrome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howdenspur Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Think you might need a new name Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theyellowcar Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 [quote name='howdenspur' timestamp='1398441796' post='2434190'] Think you might need a new name [/quote] This. It sounds like you've already sold it to yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reversebird Posted May 2, 2014 Author Share Posted May 2, 2014 The bass finally arrived from Thomann, free delivery. On opening the beautifully "made in Canada" case I saw what was a stunning looking bass guitar in Pelham Blue. I didn't bother with the setting up as the Hipshot bridge turned up from the States as well and I was always going to fit new strings, Rotosound Nexus. Fitted the bridge then the new strings and then 15 minutes later totally set up to my liking. Still hadn't heard the bass and didn't even bother to try. Next took out the complete the wiring loom with Gibson branded CTS pots with no rating codes but rated on my voltmeter at 250k for the two volumes and 500k for the tone and made a brand new loom with CTS 500k pots on all three knobs and 0.47 paper in oil cap. I had to reuse the original switch craft jack socket as the switch craft one I had brought was slightly shorter, but I used the black nut and washer I had ordered just because it looks a bit more in tune with the knobs, which I moved to the original sixties position of three in a line and the jack socket below. Finally tried it through my Vox amplug and it sounded awesome. Gripes....now as I said Thomann were discounting these from approx MRP £1200 to £650 with free delivery and to be honest if I'd paid full price I'd be VERY unhappy. The quality of the finish is very so so!!! The control cavity cover didn't fit properly and when I removed it to check why it chipped a small amount of paint off. There are also marks above the cavity compartment in the wood that should have been sanded out but have been left and painted over!!!!! This is terrible quality control for a £1200 high end limited edition bass and why not fit felt pads under the strap buttons, it's the attention to detail that matters. I have never had a Squier bass that bad let alone a top end Fender, Musicman or Rickenbacker with such bad quality paint, finish and fittings issues. I brought this bass to play not as a show piece so there was always the possibility it would become road worn eventually but not before I got it to the road !! To me £650 for a "real" USA made Gibson bass is still a steal, but Gibson really need to get their act together over the quality of their products. Generally Epiphone's quality has been very good although a Silver Burst Limited Edition Reverse Thunderbird I looked at in GAK Brighton had some paint issues similar to my Non Reverse. Overall I'm happy with my purchase, would I buy another Gibson product ??? Maybe but after the issues with this one I would want to buy it face to face rather than over the internet, obviously I could have returned it to Thomann but as said above I still think I got a bargain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theyellowcar Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Wow that's interesting to hear, I wouldn't have expected those kind of issues on such an 'expensive' (granted, RRP) bass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Apple Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Maybe the're a duff batch finish-wise and this is why they are being punted out cheap. Anyway from what you say you've done, I reckon you'll have a pretty good sounding (and playing) bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 [quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1399103469' post='2440982'] Maybe the're a duff batch finish-wise and this is why they are being punted out cheap. Anyway from what you say you've done, I reckon you'll have a pretty good sounding (and playing) bass. [/quote] They're not a duff batch, mine's fine, although I won't deny that I was worried. I love my older Gibsons but I've not had the best of luck with new ones. Rather than the duff batch theory, it's more like it's time to clear out old, discontinued models to focus on the 2014 stuff. The NR T-bird isn't the only Gibson bass they've got on offer right now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Apple Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 [quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1399107803' post='2441042'] They're not a duff batch, mine's fine, although I won't deny that I was worried. I love my older Gibsons but I've not had the best of luck with new ones. Rather than the duff batch theory, it's more like it's time to clear out old, discontinued models to focus on the 2014 stuff. The NR T-bird isn't the only Gibson bass they've got on offer right now... [/quote] I was offered a cream EB13 in GAK for £650, and that was the first price that came out his mouth. I reckon I could've got it a bit lower for cash. It was a lovely bass, which I should've bought if only for the fact I just don't need it. I'm looking at the gold EB14's now. Will this pain never end! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reversebird Posted May 3, 2014 Author Share Posted May 3, 2014 (edited) Yes I think these were end of stock but from other posts I've seen the Pelham Blue ones suffered the worse in paint finish issues and rumour has it Gibson called production to an end early in the run. Although the Non Reverse was fairly balanced, I tried it with strap on the back of the neck heal like the Reverse Thunderbirds and it sits a bit better for me so I added another strap lock with it's felt. Anyone know how I post photos, you can then see the quality issues and my rather handsome bass. cheers Edited May 3, 2014 by Reversebird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Apple Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 I use imgur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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