Bach Non-Reverse Thunderbird | ~2010 | Very Good Condition

This is an insanely cool bass, and a real unique tone. It's based on one of the rarest and most niche Gibson basses, the non-reverse Thunderbird. Not many people used them, they were never popular, and as such, they're insanely rare. Epiphone ones and other 3rd party basses are nearly impossible to find for $750-$1000, and they're often not even close to vintage spec. This is an amazing deal, and a beautiful (and rare) bass.

It's about a half foot too long, and is wildly unwieldy. I'm not really sure what players Gibson had in mind when they designed this bass (people 6'6 and taller). However, when you get used to the staggering length of this monster, it has so much stage presence, resonance, and tone. Nothing really compares to this. The sound is so unique, and it's a real head turner.

Something super cool about this bass is that it was designed as a mod platform. The TalkBass forum got together and asked Bach, a Czech bass maker, to custom order 30-40 of these Thunderbird basses. They wanted a super stripped down bass that could be turned into a dead ringer for a vintage bass, but also one that was fully playable when stock. They absolutely succeeded. A lot of these were bought to part out and then turn into vintage spec Thunderbirds, and you can find those online, but this one is pure stock from the factory.

There are no dead spots, all the electronics work perfectly, and the frets are all level. It's been set up to have good string height, where it won't be a buzzy mess, but where it's still easy to play. It plays amazingly, and has that Gibson bass feel.

The pickup has the warm low end of an EB-0, but more of the clean range of a Jazz Bass pickup. It's about the same output as a Precision Bass pickup, but it sounds very different. It's not a Thunderbird pickup either, it's something different. It's very unique, and it reacts well with whatever you throw at it. I've run it through an Ampeg V4B, and the warm clean tone is like nothing else. I've also run it through my Marshall JMP, and it has such a creamy and alive breakup tone that it's hard to not like it.

There are some cosmetic issues. One side of the bottom has some scratches in it, where the white is showing. There's an area near the headstock where the finish is flaking away. It is NOT a headstock damage area, just a small chip of finish fell off. Other than that, there aren't any issues with the cosmetics or functionality of the bass.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Be sure to follow me @boomtexan on Instagram for reviews, demos, and special deals, along with other content that I don't post on Reverb.