The 1963 Thunderbird II specs were as follows: Honduras mahogany body, through neck, unbound Brazilian rosewood fretboard with pearloid dot inlays. The short scale, single pickup Gibson EB0 was listed at $210 - broadly similar in price, but outsold the Thunderbird II significantly in every year the two basses were offered.Įven though this sheet was produced in 1963, and the Thunderbird II was listed in price lists as early as July of that year, Thunderbird shipping statistics suggest only two basses were shipped from the Kalamazoo plant that year.Ĭustom finishes available for the Thunderbird II were as follows: Cardinal Red, Heather poly, Inverness Green poly, Ember Red, Polaris White, Pelham Blue poly, Frost Blue, Kerry Green, Silver Mist poly and Gold Mist poly. Another surprise is the poor sales for this bass. Considering the extra craftsmanship involved in producing a neck-through bass it is perhaps a little surprising that this price difference is as low as it is. At the same time (July 1963) The Precision had a list price of $229.50 / $240.97 for Sunburst / Custom finish. This was Gibson's first long scale bass, and their first real answer to the Fender Precision. The Gibson promo sheet for the 1963 Thunderbird II bass listed some specifications, and gave a price (accurate for the period July-August 1963) of $260 for a sunburst bass, and $275 in one of Gibson's custom Duco finishes.

Gibson thunderbird headstock