1997 Gibson Thunderbird IV Neck Through Bass Ebony, Near Mint w/ Case & Hangtags, Yamano

Up for sale, a 1997 Gibson Thunderbird IV in near-mint, 100% original condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original hardshell case and hangtags. This Thunderbird was ordered by Gibson's Japanese distributor Yamano, and Gibson's USA-made guitars distributed via Yamano are often considered among their best, featuring the highest quality woods hand-picked for Gibson's discerning Japanese audience.As its name would suggest, this bass thunders and growls with the best, producing incredible low end thump and grind. Featuring nine-ply mahogany and walnut neck-through body construction, black hardware, a three-point bridge, and an Ebony gloss nitro lacquer finish, the Thunderbird delivers the goods via two imposing TB Plus ceramic magnet humbuckers. The pickups deliver the kind of push and compression that brings out the growl in the mahogany and walnut construction, and a thick slab ebony fretboard adds top end detail and note attack. Currently strung with roundwound 45-105 strings on the full 34" scale, these strings accentuate the rich, aggressive tendencies of the Thunderbird design. The bass weighs 8lbs 11oz with very little neck dive thanks to the low profile Schaller-made tuning machines. This Thunderbird has been professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar with comfortable action and accurate intonation.The neck has a slender C-shaped profile carve at the nut with appreciable roundness and shoulder as you travel up the fretboard, measuring .820" deep at the 1st fret and .965" at the 12th. The thick slab ebony fretboard retains the flawless original frets which have their full factory height and well-rounded crowns. This bass plays cleanly in every register with a straight neck and responsive, optimally adjusted truss rod. The nut measures 1 1/2" in width, and the headstock retains the original Gibson-branded truss rod cover as well as the black Schaller-made and Gibson-branded tuning machines.The electronics all function as intended, with Gibson-embossed Alpha pots. The black plating on the three-point bridge and Grover tuners is notably clean, and the trio of original reflector cap knobs are intact, along with the multi-ply pickguard that retains its Thunderbird silkscreen. This is an exceedingly well-kept example, with cosmetic wear on the gloss Ebony finish limited to a couple tiny dings and faint finish scratches on the body as a whole. The smooth gloss finish on the neck profile is pristine.The original brown tolex Gibson USA hardshell case is included, along with the hangtags and Gibson/Yamano manual.