Description
What makes this bass special: An absolutely gorgeous road warrior that's experienced decades of use, and it shows! This bass came to us from the original owner whose young son, many years ago, accidentally dropped it & snapped off the headstock. Our own master luthier professionally reattached the headstock & did an amazing job! '64 is the second year of production for the Thunderbird IV & quite a rare find indeed. Don't miss out on a great opportunity to own a true vintage classic at an incredibly affordable price.
Cosmetic Condition: Lots of wear & tear from years of being on the road. We already mentioned the headstock repair, which was professionally done here at Cream City Music, and there are no issues with playability whatsoever. In addition to that there are various nicks, chips, dents & dings; surface scratches, light buckle rash, weather checking & finish wear. There's some deep grooves in the body between the pickup & neck from heavy playing over the years. The pickguard & truss rod cover have some cracks & chips, and the nickel hardware has tarnished over the years. There's an extra screw hole in the bass side of the body from a previous strap button. Overall the bass has a great look to it with a beautiful patina.
Neck: Slender profile mahogany neck with cream side-dots. Dark Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with mother of pearl dot inlays. The original dots in the third, ninth & seventeenth frets were missing, so our luthier put in newer ones, hence the color difference from the others. Original frets are in great shape with hardly any wear & plenty of life in them. Original nickel tuners are in perfect working condition. 1 1/2" original nut; 34" scale length. Neck is straight & truss rod function fine.
Body: Neck-thru design with solid mahogany wings. Original sunburst finish. Stop tailpiece with four-saddle adjustable bridge. The two middle saddles were missing when we acquired the bass, so our luthier found two replacements. Unfortunately they are chrome & not nickel, but function perfectly with the aid of a small shim made out of a thin tortoise pick underneath them. Original bridge cover. Original 3-ply white pickguard with black wooden finger-rest. The guard has aged into more of a cream color & has a few chips & cracks in it, but the Thunderbird logo is still quite prevalent. Bass weighs 8 lbs 11.6 oz.
Pickups: Original Gibson humbuckers with nickel bezels & covers. Bridge - 7.88K ohms; Neck - 8.03K ohms. Dual volume & master tone controls with original gold 'top hat' knobs. Original pots all date to '64. All electronics are in perfect working condition.
Case: Original hardshell case included.
