Sell a vintage reissue '58 Precision to buy a Gibson Thunderbird?

Gyver

Gyver

Jul 17, 2011
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Binghamton, New York
#1
I am considering selling my Fender AVRI '58 Precision to buy a Gibson Thunderbird. I have always liked the look of the TBird but until last week had never played one (it was a 2014, I believe). I really liked it, the sound, the playability, everything. Now the '58 is an excellent bass, and I love everything about it - except for the large, baseball bat sized neck. If it had a smaller neck I would not consider selling it. I also own two other basses, a Fender 50th Anniversary Jazz and Fender Tony Franklin fretless P/J.

On the plus side I feel the TBird would add variety to the Jazz and P/J. On the down side the '58 really is a killer bass. Anyway just curious what y'all think - thanks!
 
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#2
Gyver said:
I am considering selling my Fender AVRI '58 Precision to buy a Gibson Thunderbird. I have always liked the look of the TBird but until last week had never played one (it was a 2014, I believe). I really liked it, the sound, the playability, everything. Now the '58 is an excellent bass, and I love everything about it - except for the large, baseball bat sized neck. If it had a smaller neck I would not consider selling it. I also own two other basses, a Fender 50th Anniversary Jazz and Fender Tony Franklin fretless P/J.

On the plus side I feel the TBird would add variety to the Jazz and P/J. On the down side the '58 really is a killer bass. Anyway just curious what y'all think - thanks!
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Nah, just buy a T-Bird, I have almost always regretted selling a bass.
 
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#9
Gyver said:
I love everything about it - except for the large, baseball bat sized neck. If it had a smaller neck I would not consider selling it
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Hi Gyver :)

You don' t like the neck? Sell her to someone who does!

Gyver said:
I really liked it, the sound, the playability, everything.
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You like everything about her? :D

Catch that bird!!! :hyper::hyper::hyper:

gip.gif


and have fun!!!

may the bass be with you

Wise(b)ass
 
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#10
Unless the '58 P has some
Sentimental connection or just slays it in the studio, I vote for selling it.

I had a somewhat similar situation myself a couple months ago. I had owned a Fender '62 AVRI P (maybe a 2004 or so...not vintage anyway). It was an awesome bass to record with as I'd set it up with Sadowsky Black Label flat sounds but I hated the thick neck and sold it off to help purchase a Mike Lull T5 (Mike's updated version of the Gibson Thunderbird) that I'd been lusting after for years. No regrets as the Lull is quickly becoming my favorite stage bass in my stable, it's great to have a bass with humbuckers to complement my Sadowsky Jazz, and the guy who bought my Fender adores it.

One thing about the Gibson Thunderbirds is that they're definitely NOT all keepers straight off the wall! Unless you have a reason for wanting the three-point bridge, I'd suggest finding a 2015 or newer one as I believe that these were when Gibson started using the Babicz bridge (which is much more adjustable than the three-point bridge). Also, don't discount used Thunderbirds as they can generally be had for under $1k if you keep your eyes open...and of course try before you buy or make sure the seller has a good return policy (the Gibson Thunderbird I had was a 2014 and while it resonated like crazy it had just a bit of a case of neck dive and some things like the tuners and hardware were actually installed a bit crooked).

Also, don't be afraid to pop into the Thunderbird Club here on TB. We're generally friendly and chill folk over there.
 
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#13
Keep the P.
Buy a new Epi T-Bird Classic that has real pickups in it. Why would I suggest this?
Played '64 T-Birds for over a decade(1970's to 1980's), bought a 2006 Gibson later and sold it because it did not produce.
Got a new Epi Embassy and the pickups are alleged to be repro's of the '64 pickups..... they come VERY close and slay the black plastic pickups in Gibsons. Liked it so much a red one and black one live here. Now we're waiting for the T-Birds to arrive. Buy it on FlexPay, makes it much easier to afford.
THIS is what Gibson should've done but never did.
Epiphone Thunderbird Vintage Pro Bass Guitar
EpiBirdFinallyDoneRight.jpg
 
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#14
Johnny Crab said:
Keep the P.
Buy a new Epi T-Bird Classic that has real pickups in it. Why would I suggest this?
Played '64 T-Birds for over a decade(1970's to 1980's), bought a 2006 Gibson later and sold it because it did not produce.
Got a new Epi Embassy and the pickups are alleged to be repro's of the '64 pickups..... they come VERY close and slay the black plastic pickups in Gibsons. Liked it so much a red one and black one live here. Now we're waiting for the T-Birds to arrive. Buy it on FlexPay, makes it much easier to afford.
THIS is what Gibson should've done but never did.
Epiphone Thunderbird Vintage Pro Bass Guitar
View attachment 2793002
Click to expand...
I am in the process of retro-fitting my 2013 Gibson bird with thunderbuckers and a badbridge 2 because i also am not a huge fan of the modern gibson tone. I hope the new hardware makes it more to my liking.
 
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#16
Tough call. I had a '58 AVRI, and really liked it. But the neck eventually became an issue due to the 1.75" nut width. I've also had many T-birds. The best being one I owned in the early 90's. I don't know if I changed, or the T-bird pickups did, but I've not liked the tone of any I've owned in the last 10 years. At the time I sold the '58, I owned several other P basses. But I don't believe I would ever sell my last P bass to buy a T-bird.
 
#19
Mojo-Man said:
Take your 58 P-Bass to a good guitar tech, and have it shaved down to a neck size you like.
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I would personally never do that... better getting a new neck and keep the original stock in a case you want to sell it... shaving the neck will kill its value IMHO

Yeah @Gyver did you think about a neck change? If the sound is so good a Jazz or 42mm C shape P neck could make a big difference in playability!
 
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#20
I have a P and Thunderbirds. The 'Birds are what I play. If you can find a 2015 Thunderbird, the electronics in that one are versatile enough that you can get an approximation of a P sound out of it, but then with a little switching, go full thunderous if you want. Thunderbirds are their own thing. They choose you, not so much the other way around. If one has chosen you, then that's the way to go.
 
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