Garnet! – Epiphone Thunderbird IV – 2001 Korean Made – Transparent Red

There are guitars designed to sit politely in the background.

The Thunderbird was not one of them.

Garnet is a Korean-made 2001 Epiphone Thunderbird IV, finished in a wonderfully deep transparent red and supplied with a fitted Gator hard case.

At around 25 years old, he comes from an earlier era of Epiphone Thunderbird production and combines that unmistakable reverse-offset body with a bolt-on maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, 34-inch scale and 20 frets.

The result is enormous, gloriously impractical and immediately recognisable.

In other words, exactly what a Thunderbird ought to be.

A pair of passive Epiphone TB Plus humbuckers provide the sound, controlled by individual volume knobs and a master tone. There is no active preamp or battery to worry about; this is a straightforward passive Thunderbird arrangement with plenty of weight and presence.

Black hardware complements the transparent red finish, including the substantial three-point bridge and black tuners, while the cream Thunderbird pickguard provides the finishing touch.

Garnet has been through our workshop process rather than simply being cleaned and listed. He has been thoroughly inspected and cleaned, restrung and properly set up, with his frets levelled where required before being crowned and polished.

The transparent finish has come back beautifully and really allows the grain beneath to show through.

As you’d expect from an instrument approaching a quarter-century old, Garnet isn’t completely unmarked. There are two marks to the rear of the neck, some ordinary light surface scratching and several small knocks from use. None are significant, and overall he presents extremely well for his age.

Better still, he comes with a fitted Gator hard case.

Given that a Thunderbird appears to have been designed without reference to conventional concepts such as “normal guitar dimensions”, this is rather useful.

If you’re looking for something small, restrained and easy to overlook on stage, Garnet is probably not your bass.

If you’d prefer an enormous red Thunderbird with twin humbuckers and approximately the same road presence as a 1970s American car, however, we may have something for you.

Adoption Fee: £375 including fitted Gator hard case

Rescue • Restore • Rehome