Audio Kinesis Thunder Child

[gimmeagig]

I just saw an article about the Audio Kinesis Thunder Child.
I've been thinking about replacing my Bag Ends with something new and that made me curious.A single 12" cab that can handle the low B and is full enough to handle rock gigs?
I'm not doing a lot of rock these days,I'm more of a smooth Jazz Funk latin player with a 5 string J bass but I'm definitely intrigued by this cabinet.
Does anyone here own one?

[gimmeagig]

Nevermind, I just found the thread, sorry!

[KJung]

That thread is a great source of info on these wonderful little cabs. Hard to dig through the thousands of posts though.

Here is a quick summary for you (and you can hear this cab with a number of difference basses and heads if you click on the Youtube channel link in my sig).

1) Very small and lightweight... wonderful form factor. The rear ports require about 5" of space between the cab and back wall, but that is about it as far as 'special needs'.

2) Total volume is that of a good quality 210. Low end will be a bit more full and capable of handling slap transients better than the vast majority of 210's. This cab has a proprietary 3012LF Eminence neo driver with 4ohm impedance. It can actually handle and use about 500 watts, making it a perfect match for the various 300 into 8ohm/500 into 4ohm micro heads. And, the wonderful handle cut-out design allows any small head to sit flat on top. Wonderful.

3) The absolute bass extension of this cab is not the thing that is impressive... it rolls off at a similar frequency and rate of other cabs. However, the key is that this 'super driver' can reproduce those bass frequencies when pushed quite a bit better than most cabs.

4) The most unique part of these cabs IMO is the upper mid voicing. VERY flat and smooth with very little distortion. So, the cab gives you a bit of that 'playing through a studio monitor' sort of vibe. Very pure, very clean, very smooth. There will be limited upper midrange grind and distortion eminating directly from the cab, versus a more typical mid drive loaded 112 or 210 with a high crossed over tweeter. This is a good thing in an absolute sense, but it is a 'voicing' that some will find too polite and smooth.

Great quality, rugged, and loud enough to use as a stand-alone. Nice 'slap/R&B cab' if your tone goals are kind of that 'play the bass direct through the board' thing.

LeCover and Tukey have the dimensions of the cab on file, so you can easily order a padded cover.

[jnewmark]

^ This. I've had mine for a couple weeks now, and , per Ken's comments, the best short summary of this cab is that it is quite like " going through the board " . I was trying to think of a description, and Ken nailed it. Have'nt really decided yet if it's what I want in a band mix , though. I am so spoiled by my 3012HO 212, that I'm kinda missing that sound. I would not hesitate in using the TC as a stand alone for small to medium volume gigs, but, it definitely has it's own sound.

[AJ Brown]

I love my Thunderchild + GB Streamliner 600 combo. Sounds great in the "mix".

[Ric Vice]

Originally Posted by KJung

That thread is a great source of info on these wonderful little cabs. Hard to dig through the thousands of posts though.

Here is a quick summary for you (and you can hear this cab with a number of difference basses and heads if you click on the Youtube channel link in my sig).

1) Very small and lightweight... wonderful form factor. The rear ports require about 5" of space between the cab and back wall, but that is about it as far as 'special needs'.

2) Total volume is that of a good quality 210. Low end will be a bit more full and capable of handling slap transients better than the vast majority of 210's. This cab has a proprietary 3012LF Eminence neo driver with 4ohm impedance. It can actually handle and use about 500 watts, making it a perfect match for the various 300 into 8ohm/500 into 4ohm micro heads. And, the wonderful handle cut-out design allows any small head to sit flat on top. Wonderful.

3) The absolute bass extension of this cab is not the thing that is impressive... it rolls off at a similar frequency and rate of other cabs. However, the key is that this 'super driver' can reproduce those bass frequencies when pushed quite a bit better than most cabs.

4) The most unique part of these cabs IMO is the upper mid voicing. VERY flat and smooth with very little distortion. So, the cab gives you a bit of that 'playing through a studio monitor' sort of vibe. Very pure, very clean, very smooth. There will be limited upper midrange grind and distortion eminating directly from the cab, versus a more typical mid drive loaded 112 or 210 with a high crossed over tweeter. This is a good thing in an absolute sense, but it is a 'voicing' that some will find too polite and smooth.

Great quality, rugged, and loud enough to use as a stand-alone. Nice 'slap/R&B cab' if your tone goals are kind of that 'play the bass direct through the board' thing.

LeCover and Tukey have the dimensions of the cab on file, so you can easily order a padded cover.

Just one thing to add to Ken's excellent summary,

It is hand's down the best cabinet around if you double on
Electric and Acoustic through the same cabinet. It gets both instruments really well.

Ric

The article about Duke LeJune is in the current online issue of Bass Gear Magazine, as well as the print edition.

[gimmeagig]

Thanks Ken, I checked out your clips on youtube. very informative. Love the sound of your Alleva Coppolo by the way.
I have 4 Bag End S15 XD cabinets. I used to have two in the truck of my band for on the road and two at home for local gigs or rehearsals. My Amp is an Eden world traveler 550.
Nice rig but now that I'm not playing professionally anymore I'm mostly at smaller to medium size events playing Contemporary Jazz Funk Latin type of music.So having 4 cabs is kind of overkill.Mostly I use just one of the Bag Ends and by itself it's not as deep sounding as I would like.I think the Audio Kinesis cabinet might be all I would need for what I'm doing and it might actually be a much better fit for my Atelier Z M265 5 string Jazz bass than the Bag Ends. I could maybe keep one of the Bag Ends ( 8 ohm)to go with the AK cab just in case I need to move more air on a corporate dance for example or a classic rock gig.I'm pretty sure my WT550 could handle the resulting impedance( whatever that might be,I don't know).
Anyway, Ken, thanks again for all your postings here on TalkBass.Always great information!!!

[Derek Kiernan]

There is a bit more extension than many commercial cabinets, just sans-bump, and not at a fEARful-level.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by gimmeagig

Thanks Ken, I checked out your clips on youtube. very informative. Love the sound of your Alleva Coppolo by the way.
I have 4 Bag End S15 XD cabinets. I used to have two in the truck of my band for on the road and two at home for local gigs or rehearsals. My Amp is an Eden world traveler 550.
Nice rig but now that I'm not playing professionally anymore I'm mostly at smaller to medium size events playing Contemporary Jazz Funk Latin type of music.So having 4 cabs is kind of overkill.Mostly I use just one of the Bag Ends and by itself it's not as deep sounding as I would like.I think the Audio Kinesis cabinet might be all I would need for what I'm doing and it might actually be a much better fit for my Atelier Z M265 5 string Jazz bass than the Bag Ends. I could maybe keep one of the Bag Ends ( 8 ohm)to go with the AK cab just in case I need to move more air on a corporate dance for example or a classic rock gig.I'm pretty sure my WT550 could handle the resulting impedance( whatever that might be,I don't know).
Anyway, Ken, thanks again for all your postings here on TalkBass.Always great information!!!

Thanks! I gigged a couple of those Bag Ends back in the day, an 'x' and 'non x' stacked. Nice rig.

Those cabs IMO have a strong low mid and midrange bump, and a very 'upper treble' extended treble response, which makes them quite loud per watt.

The Thunderchild voicing is quite different.... no mid bump whatsoever, and surprisingly, a more 'papercone' top end due to Duke's wonderful crossover making that big horn sound like the top of a very good driver.

You might dig it. The Thunderchild at 4ohm with around 500 watts going into it will be 'about' as loud as a single 8ohm Bag End 15 Cube with the same head, but will be more even, have more true low end, and again a much more 'studio monitor-like' top end, which again, might or might not be a good thing. It will also handle slap transients much better... less low end compression.

Definitely lighter than a single 15Dx though, and for the type of music you are playing now, possibly a more 'appropriate' tone (wide, smooth, clean).

[gimmeagig]

Hey Ken,
Yes, the Bag Ends are pretty loud and efficient.But there's a harshness to the top end that I don't like and there's that midrange bump.I put in a variable attenuator for the horns and dialing that back just a tiny bit helps.But they still sound kind of "in your face". I do slap quite a bit in my band..I get to do the Alex Al thing on the Lorber tunes we are doing and we're playing Fourplay tunes and Yellowjackets and we're going to start playing a Dirty Loops tune( have you heard of them?)...A lot of really fun stuff but I sometimes get complains about my bass being too loud.I try to be sensitive to that but I think it's just the way the Bag ends project.If I don't turn it up to a certain level I get no real punch.I have a feeling that the AK cab will blend much better with the sound of the band.I'll definitely will get one, but money is tight so I'll have to sell a couple of Bag Ends first...

[KJung]

Originally Posted by gimmeagig

Hey Ken,
Yes, the Bag Ends are pretty loud and efficient.But there's a harshness to the top end that I don't like and there's that midrange bump.I put in a variable attenuator for the horns and dialing that back just a tiny bit helps.But they still sound kind of "in your face". I do slap quite a bit in my band..I get to do the Alex Al thing on the Lorber tunes we are doing and we're playing Fourplay tunes and Yellowjackets and we're going to start playing a Dirty Loops tune( have you heard of them?)...A lot of really fun stuff but I sometimes get complains about my bass being too loud.I try to be sensitive to that but I think it's just the way the Bag ends project.If I don't turn it up to a certain level I get no real punch.I have a feeling that the AK cab will blend much better with the sound of the band.I'll definitely will get one, but money is tight so I'll have to sell a couple of Bag Ends first...

Those Dirty Loop guys are scary! Smoking and kind of funny at the same time.

From the way you describe the Bag Ends (I hear them the same way), I think you will LOVE the TC112... much more even, smoother, and the top end is much cleaner and 'not in your face'. And, should provide more low end support without the perception of 'loud' due to the mid hump.

Very cool!

[gimmeagig]

I just read they are 800.- plus shipping.
Somewhere on this forum someone said said they cost 700.-.
Did the price just go up or is Duke a little flexible with that?

[Passinwind]

Originally Posted by gimmeagig

I just read they are 800.- plus shipping.
Somewhere on this forum someone said said they cost 700.-.

That (700) was the introductory price, and also back when neo drivers were about half the price they are now.

[thudfromafar]

Originally Posted by gimmeagig

I'm not doing a lot of rock these days,I'm more of a smooth Jazz Funk latin player with a 5 string J bass but I'm definitely intrigued by this cabinet.
Does anyone here own one?

I own one. I think if you add a 500 watt head, it will be a great cab for what you're doing.

[NWB]

You know, Duke is also in Idaho. Not sure how far from you are though.

If he's not too far away, maybe you could contact him and try one out.

[NWB]

Originally Posted by gimmeagig

I just read they are 800.- plus shipping.
Somewhere on this forum someone said said they cost 700.-.
Did the price just go up or is Duke a little flexible with that?

With AudioKinesis also in Idaho, I'd guess shipping would be pretty cheap for you.

[gimmeagig]

I looked it up, he's really far on the southern end and I'm in Hayden which is almost at the Canadian border so that would be too much of a drive.
Oddly enough there's a company (who shall go nameless) right down the street from my house, that is supposed to make pretty good cabs but I have attempted several times to contact them to try out a cabinet but they are only selling through the internet and are not interested in me coming by. Oh well....