57-601: The Gibson Thunderbird is an electric bass guitar made by Gibson and Epiphone . The Gibson Thunderbird was introduced in 1963. At the time, Fender had been the leader in the electric bass market since their introduction of the Precision Bass twelve years earlier. The Thunderbird was designed by U.S. auto designer Raymond H. Dietrich (Chrysler, Lincoln, Checker) along with the Firebird guitar, which it resembles in design, construction, and name. The Thunderbird bass, like
114-522: A single coil pickup similar to that of a Telecaster . By 1957 the Precision more closely resembled the Fender Stratocaster with the body edges beveled for comfort, and the pickup was changed to a split coil design. The Fender Bass was a revolutionary instrument for gigging musicians. In comparison with the large, heavy upright bass , which had been the main bass instrument in popular music from
171-415: A 30-inch (762 mm) scale-length instrument. The Fender VI , a 6-string bass, was tuned one octave lower than standard guitar tuning. It was released in 1961, and was briefly favored by Jack Bruce of Cream . Gibson introduced its short-scale 30.5-inch (775 mm) EB-3 in 1961, also used by Bruce. The EB-3 had a "mini-humbucker" at the bridge position. Gibson basses tended to be instruments with
228-620: A budget alternative to the Gibson models, has a maple neck bolted onto an alder body, Alpine white finish with black hardware and assembled at the Epiphone Custom Shop in Korea. This model is currently no longer produced. (Epiphone has had other runs of the LE in other colors, as well.) The Epiphone Special Run Thunderbird-IV limited edition silverburst is also an Epiphone alternative to the Gibson model with
285-521: A circle, representing the material world, supported by a square Christian cross intersecting it. After the Fall of France , Vichy government relied on pre-existing organisations to implement its youth policy according to the principles of the National Revolution . The field was dominated by Catholic scout movements, the leaders of which were put in charge of Secretariat-General of Youth. In 1941,
342-526: A flag with a Celtic cross in the centre. A version of the Celtic cross is used as a symbol by white supremacists . It was used by Nazis in Norway in the 1930s and 1940s, and more recently it has been used by neo-Nazis , Klansmen , and other white supremacist groups. In general, white supremacists use a version of the symbol with a square cross as opposed to the traditional elongated cross. This symbol forms part of
399-666: A head in cross form include the Cross of Kells , Ardboe High Cross , the crosses at Monasterboice , the Cross of the Scriptures, Clonmacnoise and those in Scotland at Iona and the Kildalton Cross , which may be the earliest to survive in good condition. Surviving, free-standing crosses are in Cornwall , including St Piran 's cross at Perranporth , and Wales. Other stone crosses are found in
456-434: A hybrid between the two. Coated strings have their surface coated with a synthetic layer while tapewound strings feature a metal core with a non-metallic winding. Taperwound strings have a tapered end where the exposed core sits on the bridge saddle without windings. The choice of winding has considerable impact on the sound of the instrument, with certain winding styles often being preferred for certain musical genres. In
513-667: A mahogany body, and is finished in vintage sunburst or ebony. It was produced from 1999 through 2021. This reappeared as the Thunderbird E1 in 2023. The Epiphone Goth Thunderbird is similar to the Epiphone Thunderbird IV. However, it has a mahogany body, a Celtic cross symbol on the pickguard, and is finished in a "pitch black" flat finish. The Epiphone Nikki Sixx Blackbird is similar to the Epiphone Goth Thunderbird in build and appearance. However, in addition to
570-487: A major role in formation of Fédération Nationale Catholique and Ligue DRAC [ fr ] . The same year, impressed by Quickborn [ de ] , a Catholic organisation within the German Youth Movement , he founded its local equivalent, Cadets. Doncœur, inspired by the G. K. Chesterton's novel The Ball and the Cross , decided that the symbol of the movement, croix cadet , should consist of
627-467: A maple neck and rosewood fretboard bolted onto a mahogany body (as opposed to the standard Epiphone alder body) which gives it a much closer tonality to the Gibson Thunderbirds, which use mahogany as a major wood in the construction of the bass. Chrome hardware is used (tuners, pickup covers, bridge, and screws) as opposed to the standard Epiphone black hardware, differently-shaped pickups compared to
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#1732891159039684-541: A nine-ply mahogany-walnut neck-through with mahogany wings attached to form the body, and was offered in vintage sunburst or walnut finishes. The Nikki Sixx Thunderbird bass has a mahogany-walnut neck-through with flame maple wings attached to form the body, finished in transparent black cherry. The fretboard is inlaid with red acrylic X s at the third, fifth, seventh and twelfth frets. The Gibson Thunderbird Studio models (which were also available as five-string versions) have mahogany necks set into mahogany bodies. This model
741-585: A number of theories as to its origin in Ireland and Britain. Some scholars consider the ring a holdover from earlier wooden crosses, which may have required struts to support the crossarm. Others have seen it as deriving from indigenous Bronze Age art featuring a wheel or disc around a head, or from early Coptic crosses based on the ankh . However, Michael W. Herren, Shirley Ann Brown, and others believe it originates in earlier ringed crosses in Christian art . Crosses with
798-527: A red, white, and blue Thunderbird logo. The bass was offered in tobacco burst, ebony, white, or natural finish. After the bicentennial, the Thunderbird was continued as a regular production model until 1979, when it was discontinued once again. The Thunderbird IV was re-introduced to the Gibson line in 1987 and was in regular production until 2015. The most recent official Thunderbirds produced by Gibson Guitar Corporation: The standard Gibson Thunderbird IV has
855-545: A ring representing the celestial sphere developed from the writings of the Church Fathers . The "cosmological cross" is an important motif in Coelius Sedulius 's poem Carmen Paschale , known in Ireland by the seventh century. It is not clear where the first high crosses originated. The first examples date to about the ninth century and occur in two groups: at Ahenny in Ireland, and at Iona , an Irish monastery off
912-967: A shorter 30.5" scale length than the Precision. Gibson did not produce a 34-inch (864 mm)-scale bass until 1963 with the release of the Thunderbird . The first commercial fretless bass guitar was the Ampeg AUB-1, introduced in 1966. In the late 1960s, eight-string basses, with four octave paired courses (similar to a 12 string guitar), were introduced, such as the Hagström H8. In 1972, Alembic established what became known as "boutique" or "high-end" electric bass guitars. These expensive, custom-tailored instruments, as used by Phil Lesh , Jack Casady , and Stanley Clarke , featured unique designs, premium hand-finished wood bodies, and innovative construction techniques such as multi-laminate neck-through-body construction and graphite necks. Alembic also pioneered
969-459: A single pickup . Around 100 were made during this period. Audiovox also sold their "Model 236" bass amplifier. In the 1950s, Leo Fender and George Fullerton developed the first mass-produced electric bass guitar. The Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company began producing the Precision Bass , or P-Bass, in October 1951. The design featured a simple uncontoured "slab" body design and
1026-529: A six-string bass tuned (low to high) B0, E1, A1, D2, G2, C3, adding a low B string and a high C string. Celtic cross The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages . A type of ringed cross , it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses erected across the islands, especially in regions evangelised by Irish missionaries , from
1083-410: Is termed a fretless bass . The scale of a bass is defined as the length of the freely oscillating strings between the nut and the bridge saddles. On a modern 4-string bass guitar, 30" (76 cm) or less is considered short scale, 32" (81 cm) medium scale, 34" (86 cm) standard or long scale and 35" (89 cm) extra-long scale. Bass pickups are generally attached to the body of the guitar and located beneath
1140-656: Is usually tuned the same as the double bass, which corresponds to pitches one octave lower than the four lowest-pitched strings of a guitar (typically E , A , D , and G ). It is played primarily with the fingers or thumb, or with a pick . The electric bass guitar is acoustically a relatively quiet instrument, so to be heard at a practical performance volume, it requires external amplification . It can also be used in conjunction with direct input boxes , audio interfaces, mixing consoles, computers, or bass effects processors that offer headphone jacks. The majority of bass pickup systems are electromagnetic in nature. According to
1197-479: The Ardagh chalice . However, the shape achieved its greatest popularity by its use in the monumental stone high crosses , a distinctive and widespread form of Insular art . These monuments, which first appeared in the ninth century, usually (though not always) take the form of a ringed cross on a stepped or pyramidal base. The form has obvious structural advantages, reducing the length of unsupported side arms. There are
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#17328911590391254-572: The Fender Jazz Bass , initially known as the "Deluxe Bass", used a body design known as an offset waist which was first seen on the Jazzmaster guitar in an effort to improve comfort while playing seated. The Jazz bass, or J-Bass, features two single-coil pickups. Providing a more "Gibson-scale" instrument, rather than the 34-inch (864 mm) Jazz and Precision, Fender produced the Mustang Bass ,
1311-562: The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians , an "Electric bass guitar, usually with four heavy strings tuned E 1 '–A 1 '–D 2 –G 2 ." It also defines bass as "Bass (iv). A contraction of Double bass or Electric bass guitar." According to some authors the proper term is "electric bass". Common names for the instrument are "bass guitar", "electric bass guitar", and "electric bass" and some authors claim that they are historically accurate. A bass guitar whose neck lacks frets
1368-536: The Rickenbacker 4000 series and the Firebird guitar designed concurrently, has neck-through construction: the neck wood runs the entire length of the body, with the rest of the body glued into place. Some less expensive Epiphone models feature a more conventional bolt-on neck construction. The Thunderbird was Gibson's first model built in the 34-inch scale , which had been made popular by Fender . Previous models use
1425-451: The StingRay , the first widely produced bass with active (powered) electronics built into the instrument. Basses with active electronics can include a preamplifier and knobs for boosting and cutting the low and high frequencies. In the mid-1970s, five-string basses, with a very low "B" string, were introduced. In 1975, bassist Anthony Jackson commissioned luthier Carl Thompson to build
1482-409: The "Beatle bass". In 1957, Rickenbacker introduced the model 4000, the first bass to feature a neck-through -body design in which the neck is part of the body wood. The Burns London Supersound was introduced in 1958. With the explosion in popularity of rock music in the 1960s, many more manufacturers began making electric basses, including Yamaha , Teisco and Guyatone . Introduced in 1960,
1539-591: The 1850s, the Celtic cross has been used extensively as grave markers, straying from medieval usage, when the symbol was typically used for a public monument. The Celtic cross now appears in various retail items. Both the Gaelic Athletic Association and the Northern Ireland national football team have used versions of the Celtic cross in their logos and advertising. The Church in Wales since 1954 have used
1596-404: The 1930s, musician and inventor Paul Tutmarc of Seattle , Washington, developed the first electric bass guitar in its modern form, a fretted instrument designed to be played horizontally. The 1935 sales catalog for Tutmarc's company Audiovox featured his "Model 736 Bass Fiddle", a solid-bodied electric bass guitar with four strings, a 30 + 1 ⁄ 2 -inch (775-millimetre) scale length, and
1653-556: The 1950s. Kay Musical Instrument Company began production of the K162 in 1952, while Danelectro released the Longhorn in 1956. Also in 1956, at the German trade fair "Musikmesse Frankfurt" the distinctive Höfner 500/1 violin-shaped bass first appeared, constructed using violin techniques by Walter Höfner , a second-generation violin luthier. Due to its use by Paul McCartney , it became known as
1710-473: The 2020 NAMM show. The Gibson Thunderbird non-reverse announced during 2012 features a choice of vintage sunburst or Pelham blue finishes, both in high-gloss nitrocellulose lacquer. The Epiphone Thunderbird Vintage Pro bass (Introduced in 2017) is a fairly accurate reproduction of the classic electric bass first introduced in 1963. Featuring ProBucker bass humbuckers and a vintage styled 1960s tune-o-matic bridge and claw tailpiece. The new Thunderbird vintage Pro
1767-650: The Dublin Industrial Exhibition. In 1857, Henry O'Neill published Illustrations of the Most Interesting of the Sculptured Crosses of Ancient Ireland . These two events stimulated interest in the Celtic cross as a symbol for a renewed sense of heritage within Ireland. New versions of the high cross were designed for fashionable cemetery monuments in Victorian Dublin in the 1860s. From Dublin,
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1824-509: The Epiphone and Gibson Thunderbirds (much closer to the "classic" pickups of the 1960s and 1970s) and a special "silverburst" finish. The Epiphone Thunderbird Pro IV has a seven-piece (walnut-maple-walnut-maple-walnut-maple-walnut) neck with neck-through construction. It also has the Epiphone T-Pro bass humbucking pickups with custom active electronics and EQ. The Epiphone Thunderbird Pro V is
1881-566: The Fender Precision Bass around 1957. The bass guitar was intended to appeal to guitarists as well as upright bass players, and many early pioneers of the instrument, such as Carol Kaye , Joe Osborn , and Paul McCartney were originally guitarists. Also in 1953, Gibson released the first short-scale violin -shaped electric bass, the EB-1, with an extendable end pin so a bassist could play it upright or horizontally. In 1958, Gibson released
1938-715: The Scottish coast. The Ahenny group is generally earlier. However, it is possible that St. Johns Cross at Iona was the first high cross; Iona's influence as a center of pilgrimage may have led this cross to inspire the Ahenny group as well as other ringed crosses in Pictish stones . A variety of crosses bear inscriptions in ogham , an early medieval Irish alphabet. Standing crosses in Ireland and areas under Irish influence tend to be shorter and more massive than their Anglo-Saxon equivalents, which have mostly lost their headpieces. Irish examples with
1995-449: The core. Bass guitar strings vary by the material and cross-sectional shape of the winding. Common variants include roundwound, flatwound, halfwound (groundwound), coated, tapewound and taperwound (not to be confused with tapewound) strings. Roundwound and flatwound strings feature windings with circular and rounded-square cross-sections, respectively, with halfround (also referred to as halfwound, ground wound, pressure wound) strings being
2052-424: The early 20th century to the 1940s, the bass guitar could be easily transported to shows. When amplified, the bass guitar was also less prone than acoustic basses to unwanted audio feedback . The addition of frets enabled bassists to play in tune more easily than on fretless acoustic or electric upright basses , and allowed guitarists to more easily transition to the instrument. In 1953, Monk Montgomery became
2109-594: The first bassist to tour with the Fender bass, in Lionel Hampton 's postwar big band . Montgomery was also possibly the first to record with the electric bass, on July 2, 1953, with the Art Farmer Septet . Roy Johnson (with Lionel Hampton), and Shifty Henry (with Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five ), were other early Fender bass pioneers. Bill Black , who played with Elvis Presley , switched from upright bass to
2166-462: The five-string version of the Thunderbird Pro IV. It also has a seven-piece neck, a neck-through construction, Epiphone T-Pro pickups and active electronics. The Epiphone Thunderbird Classic-IV Pro, is a neck-through, reverse design and features Gibson pickups. This bass has a darker tone, similar to modern Gibson Thunderbirds. The Classic Pro was quietly dropped from the Epiphone website around
2223-828: The former Northumbria and Scotland, and further south in England, where they merge with the similar Anglo-Saxon cross making tradition, in the Ruthwell Cross for example. Most examples in Britain were destroyed during the Protestant Reformation . By about A.D. 1200 the initial wave of cross building came to an end in Ireland. Popular legend in Ireland says that the Christian cross was introduced by Saint Patrick or possibly Saint Declan , though there are no examples from this early period. It has often been claimed that Patrick combined
2280-454: The logo of Stormfront . It is suggested that adoption of the symbol in the context of right-wing politics is linked with the activity of Jesuit priest Paul Doncœur [ fr ] , a prominent figure of the interwar scout movement in France. In 1924, the victory of anti-clerical Cartel des Gauches in general elections caused the mobilisation of right-wing forces, with Doncœur playing
2337-400: The mahogany body, it has a slim profile mahogany neck, the fretboard is inlaid with white iron cross fret markers, the Thunderbird logo is overlaid on an iron cross for the symbol on the pickguard. It also features "Deep Sixx" humbucker pickups, an "Opti-Grab" handle on the tailpiece and an on-off switch instead of traditional volume-tone controls. The Epiphone Thunderbird IV limited edition,
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2394-559: The maple arched-top EB-2 described in the Gibson catalog as a "hollow-body electric bass that features a Bass/Baritone pushbutton for two different tonal characteristics". In 1959, these were followed by the more conventional-looking EB-0 Bass . The EB-0 was very similar to a Gibson SG in appearance (although the earliest examples have a slab-sided body shape closer to that of the double-cutaway Les Paul Special). The Fender and Gibson versions used bolt-on and set necks. Several other companies also began manufacturing bass guitars during
2451-474: The mid-1950s, the bass guitar has largely come to replace the double bass in popular music due to its lighter weight, the inclusion of frets (for easier intonation ) in most models, and, most importantly, its design for electric amplification. This is also because the double bass is acoustically compromised for its range (like the viola ) in that it is scaled down from the optimal size that would be appropriate for those low notes. The four-string bass guitar
2508-805: The ninth through the 12th centuries. A staple of Insular art , the Celtic cross is essentially a Latin cross with a nimbus surrounding the intersection of the arms and stem. Scholars have debated its exact origins, but it is related to earlier crosses featuring rings. The form gained new popularity during the Celtic Revival of the 19th century; the name "Celtic cross" is a convention dating from that time. The shape, usually decorated with interlace and other motifs from Insular art, became popular for funerary monuments and other uses, and has remained so, spreading well beyond Ireland. Ringed crosses similar to older Continental forms appeared in Ireland, England and Scotland in incised stone slab artwork and artifacts like
2565-405: The original reverse-body instruments retain a higher collectors' value. Gibson started producing the non-reverse Thunderbirds again for the public in late 2012. The Thunderbird IV was reissued in 1976 as a bicentennial edition. This reissue featured the original body shape and neck-through construction but unlike the previous issues, the bicentennial edition included the new "three-point" bridge and
2622-495: The price slightly. The specs appear to be the same as the Vintage Pro. The 60s Bass is only available in black and tobacco burst. The Who 's John Entwistle used Thunderbird IVs from 1971 to 1974, but was dissatisfied with the necks. He bought several Thunderbird basses after the model was discontinued and gutted them. He then had several bodies cut to the original shape, attached Fender Precision Bass necks to them, and installed
2679-482: The revival spread to the rest of the country and beyond. Since the Celtic Revival, the ringed cross became an emblem of Celtic identity, in addition to its more traditional religious symbolism. Modern interest in the symbol increased because of Alexander and Euphemia Ritchie . The two worked on the island of Iona in Scotland from 1899 to 1940 and popularised use of the Celtic cross in jewelry. Since its revival in
2736-534: The salvaged hardware. Bass guitar The bass guitar , electric bass or simply bass ( / b eɪ s / ) is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or acoustic guitar , but with a longer neck and scale length . The bass guitar most commonly has four strings, though five- and six-stringed models are also relatively popular, and bass guitars with even more (or fewer) strings or courses have been built. Since
2793-531: The short scale of 30½ inches. There were originally two Thunderbird models: the Thunderbird II, with only one pickup, and the Thunderbird IV, with two pickups. The Thunderbird usually features bass humbuckers , colloquially referred to as "soapbars" due to their appearance. In 1966, Gibson changed the Thunderbird's design and construction. The original Thunderbirds (and Firebirds) have a "reverse" body, with
2850-408: The strings. They are responsible for converting the vibrations of the strings into analogous electrical signals, which are in turn passed as input to an instrument amplifier . Bass guitar strings are composed of a core and winding . The core is a wire which runs through the center of the string and is generally made of steel, nickel, or an alloy . The winding is an additional wire wrapped around
2907-534: The symbol of Christianity with the sun cross to give pagan followers an idea of the importance of the cross. By linking it with the idea of the life-giving properties of the sun, these two ideas were linked to appeal to pagans. Other interpretations claim that placing the cross on top of the circle represents Christ's supremacy over the pagan sun. The Celtic Revival of the mid-19th century led to an increased use and creation of Celtic crosses in Ireland. In 1853, casts of several historical high crosses were exhibited at
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#17328911590392964-570: The symbol of Doncœur, now named croix celtique , was adopted as an emblem for Cadets of the Légion in Algeria , a youth movement within Légion Française des Combattants , a veteran organisation which the government hoped could be transformed to function as the single party of the state. Then it was used as insignia of Equipes nationales, a youth civilian service institution founded in 1942. After
3021-497: The treble horn extended and the bass horn recessed. Due to a lawsuit brought by Fender because of the resemblance to the Fender Jazzmaster , the body styles were modified, with the result being called the "non-reverse" body. Also, the expensive neck-through construction was replaced by traditional Gibson set-neck construction. The non-reverse Thunderbird was continued until 1969. Though fewer non-reverse Thunderbirds were shipped,
3078-615: The use of onboard electronics for pre-amplification and equalization. Active electronics increase the output of the instrument, and allow more options for controlling tonal flexibility, giving the player the ability to amplify as well as to attenuate certain frequency ranges while improving the overall frequency response (including more low-register and high-register sounds). 1976 saw the UK company Wal begin production of their own range of active basses. In 1974 Music Man Instruments, founded by Tom Walker, Forrest White and Leo Fender , introduced
3135-496: The war, Pierre Sidos appropriated the symbol as an emblem of the far-right movement Jeune Nation , founded by him in 1949. White supremacist use of the long and short Celtic cross represents only a small minority of the symbol's use. The symbol in both forms is used by non-extremists in contexts such as Christianity, neo-Paganism, and Irish patriotism. Still, according to the American Anti-Defamation League ,
3192-588: Was available in Alpine white, ebony, and tobacco sunburst. In 2021, Gibson announced a new non-reverse Thunderbird, in Pelham Blue, Burgundy Red, and Inverness Green. The specs are close to those of the mid-60s non-reverse Thunderbirds, with some updates such as Hipshot Ultralite tuners. At some point in 2021, without fanfare, Epiphone rebranded the Thunderbird Vintage Pro as the Thunderbird 60s bass and raised
3249-485: Was discontinued in 2007. The Gibson Thunderbird IV zebra wood bass, 2007, limited run of 400 (Gibson guitar of the week, week 11). "ZebraBird" Archived February 16, 2020, at the Wayback Machine Thunderbird short scale bass, 30.5 inch scale, 2011, limited run of 400. "Short Scale Thunderbird" The Epiphone Thunderbird IV, a budget alternative to the Gibson models, has a maple bolt-on construction onto
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