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History lesson - Thunderfunk/SWR/Eden, etc.

#61
hasbeen said:
At Genz, we strive for more of a natural response. Not quite Hi-Fi but not too colored either.
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I haven't looked at your stuff in the last 10 years, so I don't know if this applies, but I have to say when you first came out I couldn't believe you were making such nice cabs at such a low price. There was basically no way to compete with you and I recommended your cabs to everyone. This is when I was building tube guitar amps.
 
#63
IvanMike said:
Hey there. This post may bore some of you to tears, but personally I find the history of all the stuff ... fascinating. If you’re like me, you might actually enjoy some of this.
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Great post, Mike! And nice to hear the updates from Dave Funk. I'm one of those perverse folk :ninja: who really gets excited about such corporate histories. Especially this one, as I own a Thunderfunk 550, and think it has the nicest control selection of any bass amp out there, and is such a superb amp. Really a great buy at the price Dave is selling these for.

I'd heard some of this before. What strikes me about virtually all of the technical industries I've studied (I've written quite a number of case studies on computer and electronics companies) is that there always seem to be a core of a dozen or less enthusiast-engineers that seem to make it all happen -- whether its amps, or disk drives, or motherboards, or other items.

If you have any more of these mini-case studies tucked away, let us know by writing them up. I, for one, am paying attention in class :D
 
#65
jokerjkny said:
dave,

just so you know, the pain and gut wrenching agony of impatience is at its most complete in its exquisite wholeness, as i await my TFB550.

:)
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Cool! You took the plunge on the new model. It's a great 'pro bassist working amp'. I've had many amps that sound better in the family room playing alone... but none that sound better with a horn section and a full rhythm section on a gig.

Some say the switch is very subtle, by the way. It has a huge effect for me at volume on a gig with a good quality bass. I really like the sound of the amp with the switch in the 'off' position most of the time. However, in ugly, boomy rooms, the switch up adds just enough grind, grit and mid presence to really make a difference.

We will look forward to your 'as usual' excellent review :)
 
#66
KJung said:
Some say the switch is very subtle, by the way. It has a huge effect for me at volume on a gig with a good quality bass. I really like the sound of the amp with the switch in the 'off' position most of the time. However, in ugly, boomy rooms, the switch up adds just enough grind, grit and mid presence to really make a difference.QUOTE]

Dangit Ken, these kind of comments are what make me want to upgrade me TFB420 that I am perfectly happy with;)
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#67
Chef said:
KJung said:
Some say the switch is very subtle, by the way. It has a huge effect for me at volume on a gig with a good quality bass. I really like the sound of the amp with the switch in the 'off' position most of the time. However, in ugly, boomy rooms, the switch up adds just enough grind, grit and mid presence to really make a difference.QUOTE]

Dangit Ken, these kind of comments are what make me want to upgrade me TFB420 that I am perfectly happy with;)
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Ha! I hear you. I have a feeling a lot of people play their TF550 with the switch 'up'... i.e., the default voicing of the 420. If you aren't a 'new round wound slapper' sort of guy, I think you are just fine with your current 420.
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#69
"slapper"
Nah, that ain't me. But a little more clarity (and power) might be good with DB.

I loooove my 420 tho, so probably matters very little ultimately.
 
#70
Chef said:
"slapper"
Nah, that ain't me. But a little more clarity (and power) might be good with DB.

I loooove my 420 tho, so probably matters very little ultimately.
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+1... I think you are good to go with what you have!

PS More gigs with some of your local guys (Allen Beeson, etc.) this week. We need to hang sometime!
 
#73
KJung said:
Cool! You took the plunge on the new model. It's a great 'pro bassist working amp'. I've had many amps that sound better in the family room playing alone... but none that sound better with a horn section and a full rhythm section on a gig.

Some say the switch is very subtle, by the way. It has a huge effect for me at volume on a gig with a good quality bass. I really like the sound of the amp with the switch in the 'off' position most of the time. However, in ugly, boomy rooms, the switch up adds just enough grind, grit and mid presence to really make a difference.

We will look forward to your 'as usual' excellent review :)
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i do what i can... ;)

but eversince i read about your little blurb on the TF site about how that one switch cured your boomy room, i was a little skeptical. yet, the curiousity is too great for me to pass up and try that myself. :p

now back to your originally scheduled thread...
 
#75
Thunderfunk said:
I haven't looked at your stuff in the last 10 years, so I don't know if this applies, but I have to say when you first came out I couldn't believe you were making such nice cabs at such a low price. There was basically no way to compete with you and I recommended your cabs to everyone. This is when I was building tube guitar amps.
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that's nice of you to say Dave....a sincere thanks. We still represent a good value and work our hardest to keep that position. With some cabs though, as I know you're aware, when you start adding Neo speakers, the price goes up. You're also aware of the increase in cost of raw materials ..... birch ply, mdf etc. Over the last 18 months, those cost increases have come often.
 
#76
Brendan said:
Damn. Now I wanna know about the Berg/Epifani thing.

I was not aware there was soap opera. You should PM me what's up with that.

Brendan-
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Jim Bergantino did cabinet design work for both Epifani and Aguilar before starting up his own company. The "soap opera" is that he let people know about it :D

Epifani (and probably Aguilar) didn't like this much as it implied that the Bergs were the "real thing" or at least BETTER.

Of course if you actually take a similar cab from each maker none of them sound alike. Each has major design differences which are reflected in the sound.

The MI business is quite small and many of the "name" designers have flitted from company to company over the years.
 
#78
mgmadian said:
Stated very poetically, j... definitely wins TB's Walt Whitman award... :D
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hehe,

was actually goin' for a gothic Percy Shelley thing, but hey, its open lit to anyone. :)

and why cant everyone be like Dave/Funk and HB/Genz? good stuff guys. :cool:

and yes, if/when Jim Bergantino came out w/ a neo solution, the drool from my lips would be up to my hips. (me channelin' some Sir Mixalot. :D)
 
#79
westland said:
That's ugly ... a cheap part, and it's not even their fault (just the rectifier I assume).
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No, it was that they mounted it from the circuit board to the chassis for heatsinking and they broke from vibration. The amps were built by Oberheim (Belgian synth manufacturer) in North Hollywood.

A product manager at Gibson (now at Fender) said to me, "No matter how hard you try to kill a brand, it keeps coming back." Makes me think of Steinberger and Tobias. You think companies buy brands to expand their market share when really it's to eliminate the competition.

Since you own an amp I'll say that what gets me is how close my amp is the Eden and SWR, yet they don't sound the same. It comes down to bean counters ruining a product by designing to a price point to satisfy the consumer market which is where the volume and money is. Keith Horne (Hot Apple Pie) was offered anything from Eden for free and he bought a Thunderfunk instead. BTW, he uses the switch in the "down" position.

http://www.dreamworksnashville.com/artist.aspx?ob=ros&src=lb&aid=185

There's a duet on this first album with Willie Nelson. And that's the band on the record! Keith's a champion flat-picker also. You'll hear him playing acoustic on the webpage audio. He's a fusion player (the band "Secrets") that use to pack the house in Richmond where Dave Matthews was the bartender!
 
#80
Thunderfunk said:
A product manager at Gibson (now at Fender) said to me, "No matter how hard you try to kill a brand, it keeps coming back." Makes me think of Steinberger and Tobias. You think companies buy brands to expand their market share when really it's to eliminate the competition.
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This is very true, but I never understood these two cases in particular. Gibson never had anything that would even remotely compare (let alone compete) with a Steinie or a Tobias. IMHO.

I'm just totally thankful Mike came back in full force. I never stop falling in love with my MTD. It's a wonderful thing. :)
 

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