Epi bolt-on 'bird

[gearHed289]

A co-worker recently acquired an Epiphone Thunderbird from a guy he jams with. Typical Epi bolt-on with tobacco sunburst finish. He gave it to me to do a little setup work yesterday. I was really surprised by how nice this bass feels. The neck is much slimmer than the ones I've picked up in the past. I've played a Goth and a regular white one, and they both had fairly chunky necks. It's also very light weight. And to top it off, it actually SOUNDS like a Thunderbird. It has personality. I briefly had an Epi Explorer with those same (physically at least?) pickups, and the sound was dullsville. Very nice gloss finish too. I have no intention of ever buying one, but I wanted to give a big thumbs up to this bass. 

[uwe]

If you don't have the bucks to waste and are a kid, Epi is never less than value for money.

And that Epi Explorer sounded indeed dull, but came to life with real Gibson TB Plus pups - the wood (limba) on that bass was actually great and very resonant (if so soft you could dent it with your fingernail). The original pups let the poor thing down beyond recognition. With proper pups, it creamed the 80ies medium scale Gibbie Exes into the ground.

[gearHed289]

And that Epi Explorer sounded indeed dull, but came to life with real Gibson TB Plus pups - the wood (limba) on that bass was actually great and very resonant (if so soft you could dent it with your fingernail). The original pups let the poor thing down beyond recognition. With proper pups, it creamed the 80ies medium scale Gibbie Exes into the ground.

Cool, that was the plan, but it required a little routing, which I'm fine with, but I didn't like the neck enough to deal with it. I sold it off and got an '84 Hamer Blitz that was great. A neck nearly just like my Ric, and sounded just like a P bass if you run only that pickup. And locally grown!

[uwe]

Yeah, that neck was/is a handful. But I'm not particular about thin, fat, flat, round, wide or narrow necks as long as the bass sounds good. I adjust.

[morrow]

I like ‘em fat , and I like ‘em thin. Now I’ve only got twenty something , but I appreciate the differences , can’t see buying the same thing over and over again. Also like ones that might sound different , but there’s something in there , that appeals to me.

[lowend1]

A co-worker recently acquired an Epiphone Thunderbird from a guy he jams with. Typical Epi bolt-on with tobacco sunburst finish. He gave it to me to do a little setup work yesterday. I was really surprised by how nice this bass feels. The neck is much slimmer than the ones I've picked up in the past. I've played a Goth and a regular white one, and they both had fairly chunky necks. It's also very light weight. And to top it off, it actually SOUNDS like a Thunderbird. It has personality. I briefly had an Epi Explorer with those same (physically at least?) pickups, and the sound was dullsville. Very nice gloss finish too. I have no intention of ever buying one, but I wanted to give a big thumbs up to this bass. 

Yeah, the necks on the bolt-on models slimmed down noticeably in recent years. I have one of the white LE models with the chrome pickups and the neck is quite beefy. It plays very nice, but my left hand gets fatigued a lot quicker than with my other Thunderbirds.

[lowend1]

If you don't have the bucks to waste and are a kid, Epi is never less than value for money.

And that Epi Explorer sounded indeed dull, but came to life with real Gibson TB Plus pups - the wood (limba) on that bass was actually great and very resonant (if so soft you could dent it with your fingernail). The original pups let the poor thing down beyond recognition. With proper pups, it creamed the 80ies medium scale Gibbie Exes into the ground.

FYI... EY Guitar Parts - they of the Chinabucker T-Bird pickups - now offers a drop-in replacement for the black Epi pickups with Gibson-style internals.
https://www.eyguitarmusic.com/Thunderbird-Bass-for-Original-EpiphoneWith-Gibson-Thunderbird-inner-coilsNeck-and-Bridge-Set_p_2807.html

[uwe]

Gibson pups make a huge difference on all Epis, I've done it a couple of times. Of course it won't change a bolt-on maple neck Rev into the neck-thru maho-walnut real thing and you won't have the mid-neck cello effect, but you'll have a well-sounding bolt-on bass that looks like a TBird and growls a lot.

[gearHed289]

FYI... EY Guitar Parts - they of the Chinabucker T-Bird pickups - now offers a drop-in replacement for the black Epi pickups with Gibson-style internals.
https://www.eyguitarmusic.com/Thunderbird-Bass-for-Original-EpiphoneWith-Gibson-Thunderbird-inner-coilsNeck-and-Bridge-Set_p_2807.html

Wow, good idea. Honestly surprised to see someone making something like these.

[Ken]

Wow, good idea. Honestly surprised to see someone making something like these.

Agreed.  I see people rushing to replace the TB+, but I am a big fan of them.  I think I get a great tone through my rig.

[uwe]

Amen! I'm a worshipper in the Temple of the TB+ too.

I believe a lot of people replace their soapies just for cosmetic reasons - general nostalgia and untreated childhood abuse experiences, that sort of stuff you know.

[lowend1]

Agreed.  I see people rushing to replace the TB+, but I am a big fan of them.  I think I get a great tone through my rig.

The TB+ is a great pickup - they seem to save everything I put them in. One of the few pickups that doesn't lose its oomph when the bridge pickup is solo'd. I love them in a PJ setup in place of the J.

[Ken]

Amen! I'm a worshipper in the Temple of the TB+ too.

I believe a lot of people replace their soapies just for cosmetic reasons - general nostalgia and untreated childhood abuse experiences, that sort of stuff you know.

I love black hardware.  But I see people complaining that the TB+ sound too dark and lack clarity.  I don't find that.

[uwe]

Not for a pick player, they don't.

[Ken]

Not for a pick player, they don't.

I only play with my fingers (never learned to play with a pick) and still love them.