'63 Thunderbirds

[FrankieTbird]

Gibson's shipping records show that two Thunderbird basses were completed in December of 1963.  Talk about rare!  Are the whereabouts and/or history of these two basses known?  And please don't tell me uwe owns them.   

[Dave W]

Do the shipping records show the serial numbers of those two? If not, there wouldn't be a definite way to tell them apart from the others, considering the unreliability of Gibson numbers back then.

[godofthunder]

  The two shipped in 63 I believe would have necks with no laminations. Not sure how many were produced like that.

[Basvarken]

According to Jules' site all the sixties Thunderbirds had the non-laminated neck.

http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/Thunderbird_1963.php

[TBird1958]

According to Jules' site all the sixties Thunderbirds had the non-laminated neck.

http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/Thunderbird_1963.php

All '60s? That doesn't sound right.

[dadagoboi]

??

[66Atlas]

My '64 is laminated.   I've seen '63 Firebirds with non-laminated necks but never a Thunderbird (not implying they don't exist I've just never seen one)

[FrankieTbird]

According to Jules' site all the sixties Thunderbirds had the non-laminated neck.

http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/Thunderbird_1963.php

I don't see where the article specifically states the neck is not laminated.  It does say "one central piece of wood", but that may be a generalization.  I have never seen a T-bird without the laminations, although all the books do say that the earliest examples had a two-piece neck.

[godofthunder]

 I am pretty certain that I have seen pictures,  come to think of it I think my brother in law has one.

[FrankieTbird]

Do the shipping records show the serial numbers of those two? If not, there wouldn't be a definite way to tell them apart from the others, considering the unreliability of Gibson numbers back then.

I'm sure the shipping ledger has the serial numbers listed, but I've never seen that actual page, or even know if it still exists.  Didn't Gruhn or someone else get ahold of most all the old Gibson ledgers?

[Dave W]

I'm sure the shipping ledger has the serial numbers listed, but I've never seen that actual page, or even know if it still exists.  Didn't Gruhn or someone else get ahold of most all the old Gibson ledgers?

IIRC that was Walter Carter, who now owns Carter Vintage Guitar in Nashville. He probably knows more about Gibson history than anyone else living.

[mc2NY]

I have a '63 Firebird with the original two-piece neck.

Were the two '63 Thunderbirds supposedly also like those or one-piece necks?

Would it seem logical that those two 1963 TBirds may have simply been the NAMM Show exhibit pieces that got sold?

[Dave W]

No idea about your neck question but from what I've read of NAMM history, they didn't have shows with floor exhibits back in the 60s.

[FrankieTbird]

I have a '63 Firebird with the original two-piece neck.

Were the two '63 Thunderbirds supposedly also like those or one-piece necks?

According to Duchossoir, "The earliest (Thunderbird) samples were built with a 2-piece neck-through-body centre section..."

[Highlander]

I have a '63 Firebird with the original two-piece neck.

Pics... PICS... (please)