Vintage Gibson Guitar – Thunderbird IV (1963-1969)
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The Thunderbird IV, a vintage Gibson guitar released originally in 1963, is a masterpiece. There are few guitars that are as easily recognizable as the Thunderbird with its unique zigzag design.
Try, Try Again
Try as it could, and boy did they try, Gibson never could match the success that Fender enjoyed in the bass guitar market. When Fender introduced its Precision Bass in 1951, it revolutionized the guitar industry. Since that time Gibson has been playing catch-up.
After many years of producing bass models that tried to compete with Fender’s P-bass, and failing, they hired an auto designer named Raymond H. Dietrich to do some design work for them.
Dietrich first designed the hugely popular Firebird electric guitar for Gibson (left) then followed up with the Thunderbird bass guitar (right). As you can see, the Firebird and Thunderbird guitars are nearly identical in appearance, which is fine as they were meant to complement each other.
Design Changes
A radical change in appearance wasn’t the only thing different about the Thunderbird. This was the first Gibson base that used a neck-through design, meaning that the neck continues through the guitar body, before now they were separate pieces.
In addition, previous Gibson bass models used a 30.5 inch scale length but the Thunderbird had a scale length of 34 inches, about the same as (you guessed it) the Fender P-bass. There were actually two Thunderbird models issued in 1963, the other was the Thunderbird II which had one pickup as opposed to two pickups for the Thunderbird IV.
The original Thunderbirds had a reverse solid body. In 1966, Gibson was forced to change to a non-reverse body due to a Fender lawsuit claiming that Gibson had infringed on their reverse body design. The non-reverse model of the Thunderbird was discontinued after 1969.
Bring it Back
In honor of America’s 200th birthday, Gibson brought back the Thunderbird IV in 1976 with a bicentennial version which replicated the reverse body construction of the original vintage Gibson guitar. Gibson reissued the Thunderbird IV in 1987, based on the original design, and it has continued in production ever since.
Although it wasn’t a cash cow for Gibson when it was first released, the Thunderbird IV has seemingly gained more popularity through the years.
Some of the more prominent bassists using this model are: Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic, Simon Gallup (The Cure), U2’s Adam Clayton, Nikki Sixx (Motley Crew) and many others. In fact, there is a special model of the Thunderbird called the Nikki Sixx Blackbird.
1963 Thunderbird IV Specs
• Reverse solidbody
• 34” scale length with neck through body construction
• Sunburst finish
• 2 metal covered pickups no visible poles
• Right angled tuners
Collectibility
As with many collectibles the first years of issue are usually the most sought after and have the most value, the Thunderbird IV is no exception.
The 1963 original issue in excellent condition is valued at about $12,000. If you were lucky enough to get your hands on a 1964 Thunderbird IV, with Pelham Blue or Frost Blue custom colors, its value in excellent condition is around $22,000. Now that’s a vintage Gibson guitar worth having.
Just goes to show you what time and inflation will do. Back in 1963, a brand new Thunderbird IV bass guitar only cost $335.
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