I got the pelham blue for about 3 years now. It was good then and its good now I LOVE IT great for metal/thrash the colors are nice since there metal flacked. overall great buy!

I managed to get my hands on one of the last Limited Edition Silverburst Thunderbirds that was Epiphone's Special Run bass for 2009 that was in stock. Compared to the Standard Epiphone Thunderbird bass, the changes are Mahogany used for the body as opposed to Alder body wood, Chrome hardware (chrome pickup covers and unique pickups for this model, chrome-plated bridge and various other pieces of hardware compared to the Black hardware and "TB Plus" pickups) and custom Silverburst finish.

First, the positive: this is an AMAZING amount of bass that you're getting for your money compared to what the same would have bought you when I was starting (the early 1990's) - the Quality Control is up-to-par and it sounds far better than it has any right to for the money, and it embodies the "Rock 'n Roll" *look* to a T.

...however, the negatives, as relatively few as they are, were ones that I wasn't willing to deal with. There's the legendary "Thunderbird Neck Dive" which although can be fixed by relocating the front Strap Button to the Neck Plate, was additionally increased on me given that I'm hardly the tallest bass player in the land. Adding to that the size and shape of the neck which is akin to a P-bass on 'roids, and I had a bass that ergonomically didn't work for my body or my style of playing. If I were a pickstyle player that would have solved a fair amount of these issues, but unfortunately I'm not... not to the degree that I'd need to be for this bass to work for me. Additionally, the pickups used to fit the Chrome covers aren't the standard "TB Plus" and lack a fair amount of gain and low-end. And because they're sealed as well as a different shape, conventional aftermarket pickups can't fit in either the covers or body routes. I've heard that swapping out the Volume Pots to 500K from the standard 250K allow the pickups and electronics to "open up" more, but with the above issues it wasn't a task I felt like taking on.

This review makes the bass sound far worse then it was. I simply have already found what suits me as a bassist, and those factors simply weren't there for me in this instrument... but I know plenty of bassists that play and enjoy their Epiphone Thunderbirds to death, so it must be doing something right!

i got this bass about one year ago to replace my hand-me-down silvertone bass. it sounds incredible and the tone dial makes a significant difference when played with. i only have two complaints out of mine. the neck dove down but i moved the strap holders on it like nikki sixx does on his basses. the pick guard was also warped out on mine but that was just a factory problem. the pick guard did eventually lay flat some how.

I bought this bass a few months ago, and it was good then. When you start to learn, it gets a good, solid tone, with amazing lows. Great for metal (that's why SOAD's bassist uses it), and rock. As soon as you try and slap/pop it, you will be disappointed, and you will just get a thump (slap) or a crack (pop), followed by a very flat sound.

IN A NUTSHELL: If you want to play...

Rock, Metal, etc... Buy this bass. You will really love the tone of the whole bass.

Funk (Slap/Pop), Go for a different bass. The tone from this bass will disappoint you.

I own two of these basses I have also owned the Gibson and Epiphone Elitist version. If you have several of these to pick through and know what you are looking for you will find one of the best basses out there for any money. Some of these are built badly and full of flaws. I would not recommend this bass for beginners as it is top heavy and difficult to set up. For pro players or those who have some experience working on guitars they are great. The front strap button has to be moved to the lower front neck plate bolt for perfect balance. This is too much work for the novice guitar tech.