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Thunderbird Club

#20,041
kat888 said:
On occasion I check out the Squier website but they never seem to have anything with the right configuration/colour/shape *and* a rosewood neck (yeah you can change them). Three basses will be pushing the limits of spousal acceptance factor, four would be right over the edge. In truth, over the years I have tried so hard to like the Jazz (even had loan of one for a year) but there's just something missing.

If you turn the bass all the way up and the treble all the way down on the Italia's preamp it gives a reasonable approximation of a P bass. If you turn the bass all the way down and the treble all the way up it sounds like a pair of metal crushers mating (may be possible but definitely not recommended).
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I like the jazz, I supposes a lot of it is sentimentality because my first real bass was a jazz when I was a youngster when I knew little about different basses. Of course I flogged it on, regretted it and bought another and hated it, it was a completely different thing. The one I have now needed work before it became what I would call a decent guitar, swapping the bridge for a hipshot did the big change, then swapping the pups for quarter pounders gave it some real kick. Now it sounds more like a Tbird than a fender :roflmao:
 
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#20,050
Dadagoboi said:
Precision straight into HiWatts:



Is that the sound you're talking about?:D
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Closer to a Jamerson sound than that. Run a 'Bird strung with rounds through an Acoustic 360 and you get a sound like that. There's nothing you can't do with a 'Bird set up the right way. I might be a little biased. I also think the same thing about big ol' Acoustic Control stacks. If I'm going to use tubes, Hiwatt would work just fine. I had an opportunity to play through an amp called a Plush that had something like six 6L6 power tubes. I'm not sure how many watts that means it had, but it was blisteringly loud and sounded good, too. So, one of those would be OK, too.
 
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#20,051
Gaolee said:
I had an opportunity to play through an amp called a Plush that had something like six 6L6 power tubes. I'm not sure how many watts that means it had, but it was blisteringly loud and sounded good, too. So, one of those would be OK, too.
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6L6 pair = 55W max afaik. So your Plush would be 135W, 150W...

Update:
P-cat17.jpg
 
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#20,052
kat888 said:
6L6 pair = 55W max afaik. So your Plush would be 135W, 150W...
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Are there differences in tone with bass amp power tubes as there is supposed to be with guitar amps? For example, the 6L6/6V6 is argued to be more of an "American" sound (e.g., clean Fender amps), with EL84s being associated with "British" sound (e.g., chimey VOX amps or crunchy sound of overdriven VOX or Marshall). Circuit and speaker play a role too (e.g., Emminence vs. Celestian). I don't own a bass tube amp but was curious (e.g., might Fender, Orange, Hi Watt, Ampeg or other heads have different types of power tubes?).
 
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#20,053
Mason Nagy said:
Land Whale (TBird) Hipshot KickAss

Land Whale (TBird) Hipshot KickAss


DUDES! Just added the new Hipshot KickAss High Mass bridge on my 90's Epiphone Non-Reverse Thunderbird. I also have decided to name this bass the Land Whale. I am now going to order new pickups and I would eventually down the road like to replace the neck. Bridge is incredible. Incredible sustain and articulation is so sharp. Hipshot knocked it out of the park. As far as pickups, I am looking into Blk Tri Bass Destroyer pickups. They look angry and that is what I want. Anyone have any opinions on those? Thanks!
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Why stop with replacing the neck? Why not replace the body as well? Or would that be redundant? Lol j/k
 
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#20,054
Stevis said:
Are there differences in tone with bass amp power tubes as there is supposed to be with guitar amps? For example, the 6L6/6V6 is argued to be more of an "American" sound (e.g., clean Fender amps), with EL84s being associated with "British" sound (e.g., chimey VOX amps or crunchy sound of overdriven VOX or Marshall). Circuit and speaker play a role too (e.g., Emminence vs. Celestian). I don't own a bass tube amp but was curious (e.g., might Fender, Orange, Hi Watt, Ampeg or other heads have different types of power tubes?).
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I used to play with two guitarists both running AC30 knock-offs WFO. Just love the sound of melting EL84s to bits.

There are so many variables - circuit design, output transformers, voltage, bias etc etc - and valves are only part of it. Things may have changed but back in the day US amps used 6V6/6L6/6550 (and 6416 in the original SVT), whereas British amps used EL84/EL34 and KT88 output valves. The choice was probably down to price and availability. They all use pretty much the same preamp valves, just for some odd reason, Americans insist on calling ECC81/82/83 12A*7.

I don't have a strong preference either way (6550 or KT88) for bass amps. Guitar amps are different - *always* EL84 or EL34, ideally in a combo with two 12" Celestions (combos and separate heads sound different too).
 
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#20,055
kat888 said:
I used to play with two guitarists both running AC30 knock-offs WFO. Just love the sound of melting EL84s to bits.

There are so many variables - circuit design, output transformers, voltage, bias etc etc - and valves are only part of it. Things may have changed but back in the day US amps used 6V6/6L6/6550 (and 6416 in the original SVT), whereas British amps used EL84/EL34 and KT88 output valves. The choice was probably down to price and availability. They all use pretty much the same preamp valves, just for some odd reason, Americans insist on calling ECC81/82/83 12A*7.

I don't have a strong preference either way (6550 or KT88) for bass amps. Guitar amps are different - *always* EL84 or EL34, ideally in a combo with two 12" Celestions (combos and separate heads sound different too).
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One more word on guitar (not bass) amps - I have yet to find a tube amp that sounds good with acoustic guitar (electric guitar heck yes, but not acoustic). So my acoustic guitar goes strictly SS and my electric guitars go strictly valve.
 
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