NBD: Epiphone Thunderbird IV Goth(ic)

[tony_m]

I've always played Fenders / Squiers, but equally have always had a fascination for Thunderbirds (blame it on Nigel Mogg, Pete Way and Leon Wilkeson), so when this one appeared in the pre-owned stock at @Bass Direct my interest was piqued. As we were away at the time, I decided to leave it until we got home, and see if it was still available then. It was, so...  🤷‍♂️

 

 It actually arrived yesterday, and I spent a pleasant afternoon swapping the strings to my preferred TI flats, tweaking the setup and intonation slightly, and trying to get used to the, erm, somewhat different ergonomics... 😂  Not had chance to run it though an amp yet, but it sounds wonderful through the Tascam bass trainer + headphones, so looking forward to giving it a proper run out at rehearsal next week.

 

Then I just need to persuade the rest of the band to adopt a new country-goth direction...... 😎

 

 

[Bass Direct]

Awesome bass, I really hope you enjoy it  

 

[tony_m]

40 minutes ago, Bass Direct said:

Awesome bass, I really hope you enjoy it  

 

Cheers, it's definitely summat a bit different! 

[Lozz196]

Nice, I tried one years ago, they’ve a really deep rich tone to them

[tony_m]

47 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

Nice, I tried one years ago, they’ve a really deep rich tone to them

Yeah, also seems to be very crisp and clear. Might have to sharpen up my technique a tad... 😳

[jd56hawk]

[PaulThePlug]

Our very own @KingBollock has a Goth Bird...

Mine is a bit more stripey...

Edited Saturday at 22:20 by PaulThePlug

[KingBollock]

15 hours ago, jd56hawk said:

Ohh, I hadn’t thought of red strings. The ones currently on mine are black.

 

(Not the black strings. It came with black strings which I replaced and then unreplaced.)

 

I’ve got some black dye for the fretboard. I just need to get around to using it.

[KingBollock]

9 hours ago, PaulThePlug said:

Our very own @KingBollock has a Goth Bird...

Mine is a bit more stripey...

Thanks! I always appreciate an opportunity to post those pics!

[EliasMooseblaster]

On 25/07/2025 at 12:28, tony_m said:

 It actually arrived yesterday, and I spent a pleasant afternoon swapping the strings to my preferred TI flats, tweaking the setup and intonation slightly, and trying to get used to the, erm, somewhat different ergonomics... 😂  Not had chance to run it though an amp yet, but it sounds wonderful through the Tascam bass trainer + headphones, so looking forward to giving it a proper run out at rehearsal next week.

 

I remember that transition well - explaining to the bassist another band that I was really pleased with my purchase, but still getting used to the 12th fret not being where my muscle memory expected it to be! Congrats on a gorgeous new bass, I hope it continues to please at your next rehearsal.