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Bass Guitars > Bass Guitars > 4-String Bass Guitars > Epiphone Thunderbird IV

Epiphone Thunderbird IV

Item ID: EBTBVSBH

4-string Electric Bass with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, and Two Humbucking Pickups - Vintage Sunburst

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You're looking at Serial 1210201743
Weight: 8lbs 14oz
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Epiphone Thunderbird IV

From Our Research Team:

A Distinctive, Great-playing Bass from Epiphone

The Epiphone Thunderbird IV bass provides you with tone that lives up to its name! Its distinctive alder body and fast 34"-scale neck give the Thunderbird IV a great combination of striking looks and unbeatable playability. Two well-placed pickups put out plenty of volume, plus tonality that ranges from thick to punchy. Though it features a substantial body shape, this bass is lightweight and very comfortable for holding down the bottom end onstage. You'll get a ton of tone when you pick up the thunderous Epiphone Thunderbird IV!

Epiphone Thunderbird IV Bass at a Glance:
  • A history of distinctive quality
  • Great tone

A history of distinctive quality
Nearly four decades ago, the Thunderbird bass design was introduced by Gibson. Bassists could now enjoy some distinctively shaped instruments and get their moment in the spotlight. It doesn't hurt that the Epiphone Thunderbird IV sounds amazing! Much thought went into the design of this bass, including a thicker middle/thinner wing alder body construction for a substantial yet lightweight playing experience.

Great tone
The pickup configuration on the Epiphone Thunderbird IV is unique. Rather than placing a pickup near the neck, which could muddy up the tone and reduce its effectiveness, Epiphone gives the bass essentially middle and bridge pickups. This lets you dial in everything from growling tones to funky punch. Each pickup gets its own volume control, along with a single tone knob for fine-tweaking.



Epiphone Thunderbird Bass Features:
  • Color: Vintage Sunburst
  • Body: Alder
  • Neck: Maple
  • Fingerboard: Rosewood
  • Inlays: Dot
  • Scale: 34"
  • Width at nut: 1.73"
  • Electronics: 2 humbucking pickups, 2 volume controls and 1 tone control
  • Hardware: Black

The Epiphone Thunderbird IV bass gives you a distinctive, great-sounding playing experience!
Specification Detail
Body Type Thunderbird
Left-/Right-handed Right-handed
Number of Strings 4
Color Vintage Sunburst
Body Material Alder
Body Finish Polyurethane
Scale Length 34"
Number of Frets 20
Fingerboard Material Rosewood
Fingerboard Inlay Dots
Neck Material Maple, Bolt-on
Neck Shape Slimtaper
Nut Width 1.73"
Bridge/Tailpiece Flush Stoptail
Tuners Die-Cast
Number of Pickups 2
Neck Pickup No Neck Pickup
Middle Pickup 2-TB Plus Humbucker
Bridge Pickup 2-TB Plus Humbucker
Controls 2 x Volume, 1 x Tone
Case Included No Case Included
Manufacturer Part Number EBTBVSBH1

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I love the personalized service from Sweetwater! I buy almost all of my musical equipment from you. That way, my rep knows exactly what I'm working with and can therefore anticipate my needs in many ways.


Jennifer, Chicago, IL

Be the first to review this product

Excellent Bass

by Jon Remy from Dallas, Texas
October 18, 2010
Music Background: Writing, recording, performing.
Excellent bass, 'nuff said.

Amazing Bass

by Kevin Sturges from Milwaukee, WI
November 14, 2008
Music Background: Pro Musician/Recording Engineer
This must be the best bass you can buy on this planet at this price. Always wanted one of these. Saw one in a store (it just looked amazing AND expensive). When I saw Epiphone on the headstock, and ... read more [+]the ultra low price I was very skeptical. Shortly after picking it up I was walking out the door with it. (I paid for it :)

The action with a little tweaking is perfect. The neck is one of the best I've ever played on any bass. The sound is huge. Similar to a Rick but slightly darker and with more growl. Put some Rotosounds on it and it's perfect for Prog Rock. Kind of a lead bass sound, but also very versatile. The volume and tone controls work very well together, and give you a very wide range of tones.

The finish is awsome - looks like a piece of expensive living room furniture. I love this bass - it's my number one now. How Epi can make this so good for so cheap is beyond me. They did everything right on it. A classic! close [-]

Great bass for a great price

by Steven from Danbury, CT
March 2, 2012
Music Background: Student
I got this bass after my old beginner bass wasn't cutting it for me, mine was in Arctic White. Pretty much everywhere I went, people were complimenting it, it has looks that can kill. It plays well, I... read more [+] enjoy the tone of it, but it definitely needs new strings. The only problem I have with it is the fact that there's maybe one gigbag for it and one hard case made for it. There are other minor problems like neck-dive, but that's not really a big con. close [-]

Sweetwater Advice

Mark Magdich
This bass is flat out AMAZING! I first saw the low price and of course had some reservations. I now have one and believe me, the tone is thick, cuts through, and records beautifully! As an owner of eight basses, including this Thunderbird IV, it's fast becoming my go-to!! Worth every penny!!

Not Bad - Just Awkward

by smith1279 from Whetstone, AZ
May 27, 2011
Music Background: Semi-Pro
I bought this bass as a backup to my '82 Ibanez Roadstar II. Out of the box, the intonation was perfect and it has a smooth, playable neck. It is much heavier than my Ibanez and has a larger and longe... read more [+]r neck that will take getting used to. The neck reminds me of a J-bass neck. My first ever bass was a P-bass in 1975. This Thunderbird is just as heavy if not more so than that was. The bass has great low tone when playing through my GK MB115, and great highs as well. My major problems with it are the unbalanced feel that can probably be fixed by different strap placement, which may void the warranty. Also, the beast has very little sustain - I will need to add an EQ or compressor/enhancer to get the sustain I want - experimentation time, it seems. Maybe I should just get the sound man to stop drowning out my bass with the kick drum in the mains..... I would not recommend this bass, but my preference is Ibanez, anyway. close [-]
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See Also: Epiphone , Epiphone 4-String Bass Guitars

Epiphone Thunderbird IV

Today's Payment: $109.66
Includes $10 processing fee
Payment 2: $99.66
In approx. 30 days
Payment 3: $99.66
In approx. 60 days

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