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Gibson / Thunderbird II / 1964 / Sunburst / Bass

This is a rare find. An all original, 1964 Gibson Thunderbird II Bass with no breaks or repairs!

Yes, these are superb basses but always seem to suffer the dreaded headstock break that causes some to shatter in more than one place. When you find one like this the is a) completely unmolested and b) free from any kind of savageries that may have stressed the vulnerable neck design then you know you are on to a good thing and you have found a rare bird indeed…

Designed in the early 60’s by U.S. auto designer Raymond H. Dietrich (Chrysler, Lincoln, Checker) this, along with the original Firebird was a revolution in design that has to be said, failed to set the guitar world alight. Since then, things have moved on and appreciation for 60’s futurist design is strong and the Thunderbird now looks an uber cool piece to strut around with.

Unlike most Gibson basses, the Thunderbird has a 34” scale length, just like Fender basses do and a sound that can growl with the some of the best Fender can offer together with a rich and very deep bass that altogether provides a most pleasing and powerful bass tone. The likes of Kings of Leon, UFO, Cheap Trick, System of a Down, John Entwistle, Wishbone Ash, Motley Crue, Jethro Tull seem to agree so if you ever fancied one of these iconic basses, you would be in great company.

This lovely example is in excellent condition, it does have a few dings here and there but is overall in excellent shape - have a good look at the photos to see what we mean. Serial number is actually in very early 1965 and pots are mid 64 so this is probably one of the last reverse body Thunderbirds to leave the Gibson Kalamazoo plant in early 1965. All solder is original and pickup has never been rewound. All hardware is nickel and correct and in great shape with some cool tarnishing.

Included is a late Gibson Thunderbird case, probably from the 90’s which is a good thing as the original cases were of a pretty poor design.

Super fast action makes this a beautiful player and it is the one bass I cannot put down right now. A firm store favourite.

If you seek one of these then you are really going to struggle finding an unbroken, unmolested example as nice as this one so do not delay, buy it today :-)

Instrument sold

ATB Guitars, UK  

Contact name:
Mike Long
Brands:
Languages:
English
Specialties:
Vintage Gibson, Fender and Martin from 1940's-1970's
Opening hours:
24 hours

Hello we’re ATB Guitars.


We are one of Europes leading sellers of vintage and rare guitars. We only sell vintage Gibson and Fender electric guitars from 1950 until 1975 and have an extensive inventory to browse in our bricks and mortar store in Cheltenham, UK or in our online web store.

Payment and p/x:

All prices are in UK GBP £ Sterling. Payment can be made by Paypal, bank transfer, cash, or money order cashiers cheque etc. 


Should you not be absolutely delighted with your purchase you may return it to Cheltenham, at your own expense, within 7 days from the date of delivery for a full refund. The item must not have been altered or tampered with in any way, and it must arrive in the same condition as it left us.

Postage and shipping:

We ship within the UK by Royal Mail Recorded (small items under 2Kg), TNT or UPS and Worldwide by Royal Mail Airmail Signed For (small under 2Kg) Parcelforce, UPS or FedEx. All shipping prices include expert packing, cartons and packing materials but not insurance which is typically around 2% of items value. Currently approx shipping rates for a single guitar are as follows:

UK excluding Northern Ireland and Highlands £29
Most of mainland Europe £49
U.S.A. £129
Asia £149 - £190
Rest of World including S. America £149 - £275

 

 
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