Epiphone Thunderbird IV Goth Bass

Epiphone delivers

Advantages: Looks and sounds great
Disadvantages: needs a little tinkering to get just right

I bought the Epiphone Thunderbird from Merchant City Music online, having never played it, for aroung £230, purely because it looked great. A fairly conceted reason for buying a guitar I know but I have to say I am very happy with it. I did some research before buying it and was aware of the "neck dive" problem before purchasing it. On receiving the bass (the very next day from placing order) I quickly rectified the problem by fixing a strap button to the back of the bass, why epiphone don't fit these as standard is beyond me, problem solved! I also removed the cheap looking plastic volume pots and replaced with die-cast black metal ones. The bass itself, despite it's looks, doesn't lend itself to pick players becasue of the positioning of the pick-ups. I usually play with a pick and had to adopt a slightly different playing position to ...

infodakota 05.12.2007 (04.06.2008) · Read full review
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Review of Epiphone Thunderbird IV Electric Bass

Thundering Basslines and cool looks

Advantages: Great looks, great price, good build quality
Disadvantages: A little 'neck' heavy but just takes a bit of getting used to

In a world that seems dominated by either the classic Fender's or the more unusual 5 and 6 string basses, the Epiphone Thunderbird provides some of that 70's mystery at a price that still affordable. Combining cool looks with above average build quality for the price, the Thunderbird bass provides a deep rumble to an outfit. There is nothing refined about this bass, which is not always a bass thing. Its unlikely you'll be playing smooth jazz grooves in this but put your strap down low and grab a pick and you're away. Tones controls provide a sweep of sounds but I found it best just cranked to the max with some good old rock n roll playing on the stereo. Tuning stability is good, as are the quality of the parts and overall, for the right job, I think this is an excellent bass. ...

thebassman75 23.07.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Epiphone Thunderbird IV Electric Bass

It's Beauty (to look at) and a Beast (to play)

Advantages: Looks great.
Disadvantages: Awkward to handle or find accessories that fit.

When I first played bass guitar (late 80s-90s) this was the one I absolutely wanted to own. They had a great rock sound, looked amazing and all the cool bands were using them... the trouble was at the time you could only buy the original Gibson version for nearly a grand (or get a sponsorship deal) and so the dream never came true. Skip ahead 10 years to when I got back into playing bass to find Epiphone did a version for around £300 so naturally I had to get one! The problem was that in that time my attitude had changed from just wanting to have a cool looking guitar to wanting one that was practical and comfortable for playing gigs, because of this the Thunderbird experience was a bit of a disappointment. It still looked as good, the dark stained wooden body, black neck and headstock and the Thunderbird logo on the scratch ...

richb90 02.09.2007 (22.08.2007) · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Epiphone Thunderbird IV Electric Bass