Gibson Thunderbird Short Scale Bass

Want to get the low end rumbling with plenty of alternative style and a heavy dose of attitude? The Gibson Thunderbird Short Scale Bass is your weapon! New from Gibson USA, this bass blends iconic styling with legendary Gibson tone, in a package that is perfect for players looking for something different than the same old long-scale basses out there. The Thunderbird Short Scale Bass (which at 30 1/2 inch is still somewhat larger than a full-sized guitar) is perfect for players with shorter arms and smaller hands, beginners and students, or those who are more familiar with 6-string guitar scale lengths. But the short-scale bass isn't merely an "alternative" or a "student" instrument by any means. Two of the world's most famous bassists, Paul McCartney and Jack Bruce, played short-scale basses at the most influential points their careers, and countless others have used them to make legendary rock, pop and blues recordings. The Gibson Thunderbird Short Scale Bass brings weighty tones and easy playability to a package styled for the 21st century, and suitable for every variety of music.

Like several classic Gibson tone machines, the Thunderbird Short Scale Bass has a body crafted from solid mahogany in the classic "Reverse-Bodied" shape, finished in a tactile grain-textured Satin Ebony nitrocellulose finish that looks instantly "played-in" and feels great under the fingertips, and offset by a white pickguard with Thunderbird motif. It has a… read more glued-in neck made from superior quarter-sawn mahogany for improved strength and superior resonance, and a rosewood fingerboard with 22 frets. The neck is carved to a comfortable Thunderbird profile and measures .850 inch deep at the 1st fret and .900 inch at the 12th, with a width of 1.60 inch across its PLEK-cut Corian nut.

Strings are anchored at the body end by a rock-solid three-point Thunderbird bridge with individually adjustable saddles, and high-quality Grover tuners at the headstock, all plated in black to match the rockin' look of the Thunderbird Short Scale Bass. All this tonal goodness is cranked through a pair of contemporary Gibson Thunderbird Bass pickups, with ceramic magnets for enhanced punch and clarity. Individual volume controls and a master tone control allow you to blend pickups as desired for a wide range of tones. Pack it all together, and it's a great looking, smooth playing, and fierce sounding bass that a lot of players will appreciate. read less