PANTERA's REX BROWN Partners With EPIPHONE For Signature Thunderbird

For over 150 years, Epiphone has been a leading innovator in instrument design. By leveraging its iconic past and leaning into the future, Epiphone has set the stage for the next era of sound for present and future generations. Epiphone is proud to unveil the latest addition to its collection of bass guitars and its first collaboration with Rex Brown, the Epiphone Rex Brown Thunderbird Bass. The acclaimed multi-instrumentalist, solo artist and member of PANTERA, Rex worked closely with Epiphone luthiers to create the Thunderbird bass that can fulfill any level of a player's ability. A striking new bass model in ebony with gold accents, the Epiphone Rex Brown Thunderbird Bass is available now at select global dealers and on www.epiphone.com.

"Sometimes, it's not about the price, but the quality, and Epiphone has some of the coolest bass designs ever made, [in my opinion]," says Brown. "I've had Thunderbirds as long as I can remember! There is nothing cooler looking than a TBird… All my favorite bass players growing up have played them!! From Tom Hamilton to Pete Way, these fckr's Rule, you fool…" Rex adds, "I worked really hard with the Epiphone guys to design something that has never been done before! The pick-ups were made by Richard Aker, who has been with Gibson for 40+ years. We put the same thumpers that were in the ‘76 Anniversary T-Birds, passive & deadly!"

Brown is famous for his work with legendary metal bands PANTERA and DOWN and his hard-rocking solo album, "Smoke On This…"Epiphone is proud to release the first Epiphone Rex Brown signature guitar in partnership with the legendary musician. The Epiphone Rex Brown Thunderbird Bass features a 9-ply neck-through-body mahogany and walnut neck with a C-shape profile, mahogany body wings, and a standard 34" scale length. It is powered by a pair of Epiphone ProBucker 760 bass pickups, which feature nickel covers that complement the otherwise all-gold hardware. The passive electronics have two volume controls and a master tone control that feature smooth CTS potentiometers. The gold pickguard bears the famous Thunderbird logo with Rex's signature reproduced on the back of the headstock and a Brown logo doodle on the rear control cover. A hardshell guitar case is also included.

Plenty of folks who've accomplished a lot less are content to rest on past achievements, but Brown is forever charging forward. Renowned worldwide, Brown and his Texas brethren forged a blueprint with PANTERA that's been studied by nearly every metal act that followed. Late lead guitar player Darrell "Dimebag" Abbott is rightly immortalized as a good-natured, guitar-shredding legend. The rhythmic punch forged by Rex and PANTERA's drummer, the late Vinnie Paul Abbott, has yet to be outdone. Along with singer Philip H. Anselmo, hailed as one of the greatest frontmen of all time, the self-described Cowboys from Hell, PANTERA, sparked a movement that reinvigorated heavy metal, inspired countless bands, and is memorialized in tattooed skin around the world, representing the band's five groundbreaking multi-platinum albums unleashed between 1990 to 2000 with billions of music streams annually. Rex and singer Philip H. Anselmo partnered once again in the group DOWN, crafting their doomy, smoke-enhanced Southern dirges that helped shine a light on a whole other subculture in heavy music.

With the addition of Zakk Wylde (guitars) and Charlie Benante (drums),PANTERA began touring worldwide in late 2022 and will return to the stage February 2024 on the second leg of their North American headlining tour. The journey follows the band's massively successful twenty-city run this past summer, a tour which stood as one of the most anticipated tours of 2023, as well as their dates supporting METALLICA. The 2024 trek will commence on February 3 in Sunrise, Florida, and the band will be joined by special guest, acclaimed metal powerhouse LAMB OF GOD, with additional support acts to be announced in the weeks to come.

Photos courtesy of Epiphone