A non-Thunderbird player stopping by to ask for advice...
First and foremost, I apologize for asking a question that was likely asked before but search on the subject matter got me pretty much nowhere.
Long story short, after trying 30 or so basses within a matter of a couple of days, my bass-playing-son fell in love, head-over-heels with an Epi Vintage Pro.
I'm not cheap but tend to be frugal and am not necessarily keen on buying new. The problem is that GC used has zero to offer, and what I see on Reverb is priced way too close to new for my liking.
Here's my dilemma: by the time I add a case to VP, I'm looking at close to $900 with taxes. I know that I can pick a used Gibson Bird for 100-150 more.
What am I missing ? Are VPs *that* good when compared to more recent Gibbys ?
The only Birds I have some experience with are Bicentennials, but they are out of the equation, so please educate me...
Thanks in advance.
I've been playing birds for over 40 years, I have had just about everything put out by Gibson and have a collection of vintage Thunderbirds and assorted Gibsons to compare the VP to. The VP is a bargain in the any man's book. Easily equal in quality to Gibsons contemporary offerings, personally I think they spank Gibson. Along with my collection of vintage and contemporary birds I have three Vintage Pros, I think that much of them. Best Thunderbird built since the 60's imho........even better in some ways.
Thanks for replying.
Coming from you, that's a pretty darn strong endorsement.
I guess that I'll just have to let go of my Orville, and get him the VP.
Orville are very well thought of, is there something he doesn't like about it? Sweetwater usually has good terms I bought two from them 24 months interest free.
Well, the Orville being discussed here is an EB-3, not a Bird. It's a fine instrument, but neither of us is really in love with it. So it sits in the case way more than it gets played, which is not a good thing.
I'd venture a guess that I'd about break even by selling it and buying a used VP, give or take a few bucks.
While the build quality is excellent on the VP the two things that set them apart from "modern" birds are the two piece bridge and the 760 pickups. They bridge is a improved version of the 60's and gives a good string break angle over the saddle, something the modern three point lacks. The 760 Pickups are the real key. Epiphone did a fantastic job of reverse engineering 60's Thunderbird pickups and these are what make the bass really sing. I hope that helps in your dilemma.
Scott
Quote from: godofthunder on February 23, 2020, 12:50:56 PM
The 760 Pickups are the real key. Epiphone did a fantastic job of reverse engineering 60's Thunderbird pickups and these are what make the bass really sing. I hope that helps in your dilemma.
Scott
I figured as much regarding the pickups but it's good to hear it from someone with indefinitely more Bird experience than myself.
It does help.
Thank you.
Hey, Scott! Do you have any idea if the 760's are for sale somewhere?
As of now they are not available.
Quote from: godofthunder on February 24, 2020, 06:51:50 AM
As of they are not available.
They're pretty similar to Chinabuckers, no?
there was some murmuring round these parts that the chinabuckers might have been tests for Epis new reversed engineered bird pups ie 760s but I don't think anyone has compared yet
I don't know that there is any truth to that
Anyone got side-by-side pics of 760's and Chinabuckers (or EY or HK 'buckers)? I have Chinabuckers on hand but unfortunately no 760's (excluding original '60s 760's).
I meant more that they're supposed to sound similar.
Quote from: BklynKen on February 24, 2020, 06:53:04 AM
They're pretty similar to Chinabuckers, no?
I have both, I don't think they're the same pick up at all Ken. China Bucker aren't bad by any means, but they 're a little thin sounding and not as hot as the 760's in the VP. Neither are as good as a Lull Thunderbird pickup, much more going on there.
Quote from: TBird1958 on February 24, 2020, 11:01:22 AM
I have both, I don't think they're the same pick up at all Ken. China Bucker aren't bad by any means, but they 're a little thin sounding and not as hot as the 760's in the VP. Neither are as good as a Lull Thunderbird pickup, much more going on there.
Cool. I remember there being a lot of comparisons when the VP first came out.
I haven't heard either, but they're not the same pickups. When these (and the guitar version) came out, the 2018 Epi catalog made a point of stating that these were based on the original 60s pickups, Gibson part #PU-760. Epi may not make these in-house, but they don't use generic pickups available to anyone.
Konichiwa
This is from an email received from the owner of EY Guitar Parts (retailer of the 'Chinabuckers').
'The pickups are from the same factory, who offer them to Gibson, and they are all same with Gibson ones, and just no logo on them'.
Make of that what you will. It was well before the introduction of the Epi VP/760s.
I would be surprised if they weren't the same as ones the Epiphone uses.
It just doesn't make sense that a Chinese company all of a sudden makes large quantities of this pickup without a large order of a big company (such as Epiphone) as an initial motivation.
It's not that the market gave a signal that there would be a huge demand for a sixties repro thunderbird humbucker without a vehicle such as the Epi VP.
I haven't heard the Epiphone Vintage Pro bass in real life yet. But all of the videos that I've seen and heard sound very much alike the sound of the EY Guitars pickup.
To me they don't sound thin at all. Maybe what Mark heard was down to the location of the pickups or the bass that they were installed in. Or they were not wired correctly.
I have used quite a few of these EY pickups in several basses that I customized or built. I've always been impressed by their sound.
Here's a few examples:
BaCH TH-2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-G28KIqxk8
Brooks EB-TB
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BV_D_51y88
Brooks Grabbird
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t98NAXLGCxM
Quote from: kat888 on March 07, 2020, 10:39:35 PM
Konichiwa
This is from an email received from the owner of EY Guitar Parts (retailer of the 'Chinabuckers').
'The pickups are from the same factory, who offer them to Gibson, and they are all same with Gibson ones, and just no logo on them'.
Make of that what you will. It was well before the introduction of the Epi VP/760s.
Well look what the Kat dragged in.
QuoteI would be surprised if they weren't the same as ones the Epiphone uses.
It just doesn't make sense that a Chinese company all of a sudden makes large quantities of this pickup without a large order of a big company (such as Epiphone) as an initial motivation.
It's not that the market gave a signal that there would be a huge demand for a sixties repro thunderbird humbucker without a vehicle such as the Epi VP.
And if the mass produced chrome and nickel cased repro humbuckers are not going into Epi basses ... where
are they going?
I had a pair of 9k Chinabuckers in an Epi PRO-IV, which were certainly a step up from the original electronics. They went with the bass when it was sold. They sounded pretty decent, but lacked much of the 'throat' of a Thunderbucker. I raise the (single) pup 'danger close' to the strings.
I ended up pulling a trigger on a VP Bird, used...will post an update once it flies in here.
Quote from: ajkula66 on March 13, 2020, 11:01:21 PM
I ended up pulling a trigger on a VP Bird, used...will post an update once it flies in here.
Well, it's not happening. All Guitar Center stores in PA are closed as of today and the bass will go back to its original location. Hopefully they'll be open when ti gets back and my order will get refunded at that point... :rolleyes: