![]() ![]() The original Thunderbirds (and Firebirds) have a "reverse" body, with the treble horn extended and the bass horn recessed. In 1966, Gibson changed the Thunderbird's design and construction. The Thunderbird usually features bass humbuckers, colloquially referred to as "soapbars" due to their appearance. There were originally two Thunderbird models: the Thunderbird II, with only one pickup, and the Thunderbird IV, with two pickups. Previous models use the short scale of 30½ inches. The Thunderbird was Gibson's first model built in the 34-inch scale, which had been made popular by Fender. Some cheaper Epiphone models feature a more conventional bolt-on neck construction. The Thunderbird bass, like the Rickenbacker 4000 series and the Firebird guitar designed concurrently, has neck-through construction: the neck wood runs the entire length of the body, with the rest of the body glued into place. Josh Reedy of DecembeRadio playing a custom Gibson Thunderbird onstage Dietrich (Chrysler, Lincoln, Checker) along with the Firebird guitar, which it resembles in design, construction, and name. At the time, Fender had been the leader in the electric bass market since their introduction of the Precision Bass twelve years earlier. The Gibson Thunderbird was introduced in 1963. The Gibson Thunderbird is an electric bass guitar made by Gibson and Epiphone. Vintage sunburst or alpine white, ebony and metallic red, Pelham blue in limited edition models ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) JSTOR ( October 2022) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources.įind sources: "Gibson Thunderbird" – news The original hardshell case is included.This article relies excessively on references to primary sources. I find Thunderbirds, and Firebirds, to be fairly large guitars in terms of length but they are quite comfortable and well balanced. It is in very nice condition and plays well, with very light fretwear and only light finish scuffing. This Thunderbird bass dates to Novembut was built as a 2013 model – at this point Gibson had started stamping the model year on the back of the headstock, below the MADE IN USA stamp. ![]() Thunderbird humbucking pickups are used, and the hardware tends to be black. All of the models are built using mahogany for the body and neck, with rosewood fingerboards. The ‘Non Reverse’ models use a set-neck construction, instead of the original through-neck. The Thunderbird Bass in its ‘Non-Reverse’ form not only looks different from the ‘Reverse’ model, it’s built differently. Unfortunately, these futuristic instruments didn’t sell very well and there were some legal complaints from Fender regarding the shape of the headstock, so from 1965 to 1969 new versions, the ‘Non Reverse’ Thunderbirds and Firebirds were built. On ‘Non Reverse’ style instruments, like the Stratocaster, the upper bass bout is longer. The new models included the Firebird and Explorer, and they used a new ‘Reverse’ body style – the upper treble bout and the lower bass bouts were longer. Gibson introduced the Thunderbird bass in 1963 as part of a new lineup of instruments created by legendary auto designer Ray Dietrich.
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