I must confess I bought one just for looks in 2006 when they were still in production, the 4 string model in ebony. I dig that slightly more streamlined looking headstock, the curved, rounded body. It sounds nice, and it plays nice for sure – though I lack comparison to an actual (neck-through) Thunderbird. Mine is a little noisy, I'll have to have someone look after this sometime...
But, again, I think that price is a little too high.