Epiphone Thunderbird E1, Electric Bass Guitar

This is the third base I have purchased through Chicago Music Exchange. As always the instrument arrived undamaged professionally packaged and way ahead of the scheduled delivery date. In this case two days before the delivery date. Before purchase I had spent a couple of hours playing this bass at a local Guitar Center but didn't want to pay the markup and extra $43 and taxes they were asking for.Bass players please note this instrument has a jazz style neck. I wish it had a p style setup but that's just personal preference. the tuning keys need to be upgraded and are not very precise but overall this is a beautiful bass. it's very unique, very fun to play. it looks good, it sounds good. I put a solid 2 hours on this instrument with a thick heavy strap and found that it really cramped and hurt my left shoulder just from the weight of the instrument but I was having so much fun the pain seemed to dissipate with my smile. I wouldn't say this is a great bass for beginners and if you're used to playing a traditional electric bass or acoustic bass you will have to adjust your playing style as the insturment plays way forward towards the neck. Please know this is a passive bass and does not require a 9 volt battery. One last thing the picture of this bass on Amazon shows the Finish to be very light brown but in reality the instrument is very dark and rich in color extremely beautiful.

Amazing bass for the price. It sounds great and looks great. A good wide strap is recommended to prevent the neck dive as the headstock is heavy. The body is thin and the neck is thick but it plays beautifully. There are more comfortable basses out there but this one rises above most in the look and feel department. I like it and for the price it's a great deal. Get the case here too... It's amazing.

I have always wanted a Thunderbird, and this bass does not disappoint!! I had to tune it up and adjust the truss rod some. Other than that, it was perfect. I would buy again!!

To start, I've been playing bass for about 5 or 6 years. I've played Thunderbirds at Guitar Centers before and I've always loved their look and sound, so I decided to buy one for myself. Overall, I love it but it has some drawbacks.Pros: -It's a beautiful looking instrument. The vintage sunburst on the body looks great and so does the distinctive Thunderbird logo. The 'reverse' body gives it a radical, eye-catching look.-It has a great, deep, rumbling tone. The bottom end is nice and clean and the higher end sounds pretty great too. Out of all the basses I own, I love the sound of this one the most. Its a great sound for rock or metal.Cons: -Thunderbirds are notorious for their weight and tendency for neck-dive, and this one is no different. It's fairly weighty, although not as heavy as some other basses I own like my Schecter Stilletto 5. If you're used to playing basses on the heavier end it shouldn't be an issue. The neck will sometimes dive if you take your hands off the instrument with the neck at a low angle, but if you keep the neck at a high angle before you let go, it usually won't dive on its own. If you play it sitting down, it feels pretty comfortable, but for some reason something about the design of the body always makes my right leg fall asleep.-THE WORST ISSUE: perhaps in response to complains about neck dive in earlier Thunderbird models, Epiphone have moved the location of one of the strap attachment points. Instead of being positioned on the side of the body above the neck (as it is in most guitars/basses and as it is in the picture) it is now located on the back of the instrument where the neck bolts on to the body.While this has largely corrected the neck dive issue, the problem is that for whatever reason Epiphone decided to make one of the neck bolts extra long and make the strap attachment nub a part of this bolt. After playing it a few hours a day for about 3 or 4 days, this neck bolt ripped right out of the body (fortunately I caught the Thunderbird before it hit the floor). The weight of the bass had caused the bolt to strip it's threads inside the body and slip right out, taking the strap with it.Besides this glaring issue, I love this bass and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a deep, growling tone for rock or metal.EDIT: I called Epiphone and they had me send in the bass to be repaired. They moved the strap button to where it is on the picture (above the neck) and repaired the stripped bolt. And...now the neck dives like no tomorrow. Seriously, if you play this bass standing up you can't take your fretting hand off of the neck at all or else it will dive straight for the floor. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.That said, I've had this bass for eight months now and I'm still madly in love with it. It can handle anything I throw at it and it looks as beautiful and eye-catching as ever.

Great bass guitar, neck is heavy and will lean down if you don't hold on it, but it's a great sound and play hecka well.

Was looking for something to keep practicing on, and I just love the look of this thing. Super affordable and it sounds and plays fine.

purchased and defective within 3 hours of play time. Warranty response was to take it to certified technician to fix. beautiful and fun to play for $300, but looking to return.

Guitar was delivered today. And needed a full professional setup before even trying it out