Thunderbird
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Gibson Thunderbird The Gibson Thunderbird was introduced in 1963 and was designed by U.S. auto designer Raymond H. Dietrich along with the Gibson Firebird guitar, which it resembles in design, construction, and name. In 1966, Gibson changed the Thunderbird's design and construction. The original Thunderbirds and Firebirds had a "reverse" body, with the treble horn extended and the bass horn recessed. Due to a lawsuit brought by Fender because of the resemblance to the Fender Jazzmaster, the body styles were modified, with the result being called the "non-reverse" body
The Epiphone Thunderbird IV & V is a budget alternative to the Gibson models and has a maple bolt-on construction onto an alder body. The Epiphone Thunderbird Pro IV & V are closer to their Gibson counterparts with a neck-thru body design and upgraded woods, hardware and electronics. |
Contents |
Models
Thunderbird-IV
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| Epiphone Thunderbird-IV Arctic White
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Epiphone Thunderbird-IV Metallic Red
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- 1999-Current
Body:
- Alder body
Neck:
- Bolt-on maple neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
- 34" scale
- 1.73" nut width
Electronics:
- 2 TB-Plus humbuckers
- 2 Vol. 1 Tone controls
Hardware:
- Black hardware
- 3-point bridge
- Black speed knobs
- White pickguard with Thunderbird logo
- Diecast tuners
Colors:
- Ebony (EB)
- Alpine White (AW)
- Metallic Red (RM)
- Vintage Sunburst (VS)
- Pelham Blue )PE)
- Silverburst (SB)
- TV-Silver (TS)
Thunderbird Pro-IV & V
- 2009-2013
Body:
- Mahogany body
Neck:
- 7-piece walnut/maple neck
- Neck through-body construction
- Rosewood fingerboard with SlimTaper Bass profile
- 12" fingerboard radius
- 34" scale
- 1.50" nut width (4-string)
- 1.93" nut width (5-string)
Electronics:
- 2 Epiphone T-PRO Bass Humbucker pickups
- Master Volume, Blend, High-EQ, Low-EQ controls
- Custom active electronics and EQ
Hardware:
- Black hardware
- Premium Die-Cast Bass tuners
- Flush-mount, fully adjustable bridge
- Black barrel knobs
Colors:
- Natural Oil (NO)
- Trans Black (TB)
- Vintage Sunburst (VS)
Thunderbird-IV Classic PRO
- 2013
Body:
- Mahogany Body wings
- Neck through-body construction
Neck:
- 7-piece Mahogany/Walnut laminated Neck
- 1960's rounded Bass profile neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with pearloid Dot inlays
- 20 Medium-Jumbo frets
- 12" fingerboard radius
- 34" scale length
- 1.50" nut width
Electronics:
- Gibson TB Plus humbuckers with ceramic magnets
- 2 Vol. 1 Master Tone 1 Neck Tone controls
Hardware:
- Black hardware
- Adjustable 3-point bridge
- Die-cast Bass tuners
- Black TopHat knobs with chrome metal inserts
Colors
- Vintage Sunburst (VS)
- Alpine White (AW)
Nikki Sixx Blackbird
- Designed with Nikki Sixx
Body:
- Mahogany body
Neck:
- Bolt-on hard maple neck with slim taper profile
- Rosewood fretboard with Iron Cross inlays
- Single-ply Thunderbird truss rod cover with "Epiphone Blackbird" inscription
- 20 frets
- 34" scale
- 1.50" nut width
Electronics:
- DeepSixx humbucking pickups
- No Volume or Tone controls
- On/Off pickup toggle
Hardware:
- Black hardware
- Iron Cross design on pickguard
- 3-point bridge with Opti-Grab
- 17:1 ratio diecast tuners
Colors:
- Pitch Black (PB)
See Also: Bass Signature Models
Goth Thunderbird IV
- 2004-Current
Body:
- Mahogany body
Neck:
- Bolt-on Maple neck with SlimTaper profile
- Rosewood fingerboard with an "XII" inlay at the 12th fret
- 20 medium-jumbo frets
- 12" fingerboard radius
- 34" scale
- 1.73" nut width
Electronics:
- 2 TB-Plus humbuckers
- 2 Vol. 1 Tone controls
Hardware:
- Black hardware
- Satin black pickguard with "Gothic Cross" design
- Black speed knobs
- 17:1 ratio diecast tuners
Colors:
- Pitch Black (PB) satin
See also: Goth Series Basses, Goth Series Guitars
Elitist Thunderbird
- 2002-2005
Body:
- Mahogany body
- Book-matched African Mahogany top
Neck:
- 1-piece, set mahogany neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
- Thunderbird headstock
- Bone nut
- 34" scale
- 1.50" nut width
Elcetronics:
- USA ETBR & ETBT humbucker pickups
- 2 Vol. 1 Tone controls
- 4-way rotary selector switch
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware
- Open-back Gotoh tuners
- White pickguard with Thunderbird logo engraving
- 3-point bridge
- Black reflector knobs
Colors:
- Vintage Sunburst (VS)
See Also: Elitist Basses, Elitist Solid Body Guitars
Elitist 1960's Thunderbird (Japan)
- Japan Domestic Market only
- 2002-2005
Body:
- Mahogany body
- Book-matched African Mahogany top
Neck:
- 1-piece, set mahogany neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
- Thunderbird headstock
- Bone nut
- 34" scale
- 1.50" nut width
Electronics:
- USA Classic Humbucker pickups
- 2 Vol. 1 Tone controls
- 4-way rotary selector switch
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware
- Open-back Gotoh tuners
- White pickguard with Thunderbird logo engraving
- 3-point bridge
- Black reflector knobs
Colors:
- Vintage Sunburst (VS)
See Also: Elitist Basses, Epiphone Japan
TB-90 (Japan)
Body:
- Mahogany body
Neck:
- Set Mahogany neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with "dot" inlays
- 34" scale
Electronics:
- 2 TB humbuckers
- 2 Volume, 1 Master Tone
Hardware:
- Chrome hardware
- 3-point bridge
- Diecast tuners
Colors:
- Vintage Sunburst (VS)
- Ebony (EB)
- Alpine White (AW)
Model, Info & Pics Contributed by GammyBird at MLP [1]
Non-Reverse Thunderbird 4 & 5
- 1995-1998
Body:
- Alder body
- Upside-down Thunderbird body style
Neck:
- Bolt-on Hard Maple neck
- Rosewood fingerboad with dot inlays
- 34" scale
- 1.65" nut width (4-string)
- 1.76 nut width (5-string)
Electronics:
- 1 Precision-style split pickup / 1 Jazz pickup
- 2-Vol. 1 Tone controls
Hardware:
- Chrome hardware
- Upside-down pickguard with Thunderbird logo
- Standard bass-style 4-screw bridge
Colors:
- Vintage Sunburst (VS)
- Seafoam Green (SG)
- Frost Blue (FB)
- Red (RE)
- White (WH)
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