Replacing my thunderfunk????

[mike perry]

First of all, I love my thunderfunk 550b with the gold chip, it sounds great. I use it to power my epifani ul310 series 2. I am thinking about buying a smaller and more portable amp. I was thinking about the mark bass f1 or the new GK mb2. Any other options you can think of? Will I regret this? What amps will give me the versatility like the thunderfunk? Thanks

 

[EastCoastThump]

You'll probably want to give the Shuttle a spin if you're GASing for a petite replacement for your already svelte 550.

Like your other options, it's a trade off in some features and voice. Will you regret getting rid of the Thunderfunk? If you're suffering GAS and asking already about regret, yeah: you'll regret not having both, because once the honeymoon is over, you'll realize not that you always preferred the Funk, but that the strengths of any two quality amps don't overlap exactly. Beyond that, if you're addicted to the idea of magic gear, you'll convince yourself that you let one slip away when you got rid of that old 550.

 

[Petebass]

What amps will give me the versatility like the thunderfunk? Thanks

In a word, nothing! Nothing on the market that I know of has as much tone shaping as does it as well as the TF.

You could get an F1 or an Acoustic Image (I have a Focus 1) or another portable amp, but now that you're used to the TF, you'll likely have to add an EQ pedal or something similar to make up for the loss of tone shaping. If that's not a problem, then go for it........

 

[12bass]

The SA450 may also be worth looking into, if you need a more versatile EQ section.

 

[mike perry]

Thanks guys, I figured that it would be tough to find an amp with the same EQ versatility as the TF. Maybe Dave will make a micro TF that produces 500 watts and blows all of the current micros out of the water. I can dream can't I? Thanks again

 

[KJung]

Thanks guys, I figured that it would be tough to find an amp with the same EQ versatility as the TF. Maybe Dave will make a micro TF that produces 500 watts and blows all of the current micros out of the water. I can dream can't I? Thanks again

I am a long time TF user who has now moved to the MB stuff. As I've posted before, with some minor EQ, I can get my LMII to sound VERY similar to the TF set flat (by reducing the low end and the upper treble of the LMII with the bass control and VLE treble filter, and boosting the low mids just a touch).

Just for context, I virtually never used the massive midrange EQ capability of the TF. I found the mid response sounded the best when just left alone, and basically just used the Enhance control and VERY minor adjustments on the Timbre control to optimally match the head to my various cabs, and control for room variation.

I hear nothing similar between the TF and the Shuttle (the 6.0 is much brighter and less 'pure clean' to my ear), and the MB LMII can get closer to the TF than the F1 (although that's pretty subtle). IMO and IME there.

The main reason I moved to the LMII from the TF is that the LMII, to my ear, has that nice mid presence of the TF that works so well in a mix, but has the additional capability of providing MUCH more wide, deep bass, and also a true 'Marcus Miller' sizzle if you want it (which is easily controlled and/or eliminated with the wonderful VLE filter).

The two voicing filters plus four band EQ seem just as 'powerful' to me in the real world as the TF ....IF.... you want a reasonably transparent, clean tone and use your EQ to keep that tone relatively constant across cabs and amps. If you are one that uses extreme settings with the TF semi-parametrics or Timbre, then the LMII might not be for you.

I also find the absolute volume of the LMII to be slightly higher than the TF, and find the Shuttle 6.0 to be slightly below the TF in terms of overall volume.

Finally, the LMII is a very good match with the 310UL, providing the mid definition that many of us need to punch through a mix (especially with a rather polite, wide voiced cab like the 310UL), but also the capability to use that deep low end and sparkly, airy top end of the Epi if you want it.

IMO there. I still own my TF and have no plans on selling it, but it hasn't been out of the house in quite a while.

Edit: Per the above post, the SA450 is basically an LMII in a slightly bigger box with more powerful EQ (two semi-parametric mid bands). That might also be an option, but it's more of a weight savings than a meaningful size savings versus the TF.