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Thunderbird Club

#23,582
Had the rig out this weekend for Who's That. We recorded the entire show, should be mixed in a week! This rig paired with my beat 66 sounds massive!
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#23,583
kat888 said:
In all seriousness, that Audio Kinesis Hathor 212 cab is naked mole-rat ugly.
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I have a pair of the Hathor 1203's (and a ridiculous amount of other great bass cabs), and I have to say that in terms of tone, evenly covering the stage, power handling and ease of transport, they are right about the top of the heap for bass enclosures, IME/IMHO. The looks are certainly unique and utilitarian, but I kinda dig it. I would prefer a recessed grill, but Duke has functional (and of course cost) reasons for doing them that way.
 
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#23,584
tombowlus said:
I have a pair of the Hathor 1203's (and a ridiculous amount of other great bass cabs), and I have to say that in terms of tone, evenly covering the stage, power handling and ease of transport, they are right about the top of the heap for bass enclosures, IME/IMHO. The looks are certainly unique and utilitarian, but I kinda dig it. I would prefer a recessed grill, but Duke has functional (and of course cost) reasons for doing them that way.
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I dealt with Duke once, very nice guy. Won't be affording his cabs anytime soon though, I'm afraid!
 
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#23,586
One of the reasons I like playing through a big ol' Acoustic Control stack is visual. Yeah, I'm kinda shallow that way, but I wouldn't do it if it didn't sound good, too. I only have one 360 on stage, but that's enough to make the point. A 'Bird and a 360 is my idea of bliss. I was playing the fretless 'Bird through the old 360 at home last night because the upright is in for some repairs. It sure sounded good, and the range of sounds it makes with Alumitone pickups and the amp's controls makes it even better. I think so anyway, and I'm happy, so not a whole lot else matters. Another symptom of being shallow that way. :smug:
 
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#23,589
TBird1958 said:
An interesting question - hard to answer.
Realistically, the Lull is light years better in terms of fit, finish overall quality of the build, pickups etc.,etc. Which should be expected as it's not a mass produced instrument like Gibson, so nothing unusual there. Mine plays, looks and sounds great.
I have 5 Gibsons, 3 '76s, an '89 and a Nikki Sixx Mk.II, each, in their own way is unique as production instruments always are. The '76s are very different due to their pickup design (and production variation), they're big, with large headstocks and tuners, and the ability to produce a huge clanky, angry piano tone, playing one is like driving a muscle car, using a pick yields a tone no other bass has - including the Lull. The other two Gibsons have Lull pickups in them, I wanted the tone of an early '60s original Thunderbird in a modern bass that I could take out to a show and not worry about losing/destroying an expensive vintage one. The Gibsons just have some very endearing idiosyncrasies that I really like, so like the saying goes "my favorite bass is the one I'm playing now"
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‍ Thank you for the great thorough reply. They look amazing and I'm glad to hear that they enough sonic qualities to earn them their own unique spot in a quiver. I for sure would love to add one to mine. Thanks again.
 
#23,594
godofthunder59 said:
The gear hauler! 2014 Honda Odyssey. I can't believe what I can fit into this thing. Good on gas, lots of power and comfortable. No stickers of any kind to indicate that it's a band vehicle, I like to blend.View attachment 1032111
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Very similar to my ex-government issue Chevy Van. The Chevy is bigger than your Honda and gets far worse fuel economy, but it's as anonymous. It is dark green and has tinted windows so you can't see what's inside. It looks like something the government would use, which means it is about as invisible as a large object can get. It must be, since people keep hitting it, but that's a different story. I can fit all kinds of gear and people in it without drawing any attention. It's pretty close to being a perfect nebbish.
 
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#23,595
tombowlus said:
a ridiculous amount of other great bass cabs
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There's no need to show off you know Tom! No doubt the AK cabs will be the business. Do they pass the spouse test? Husband says 'no' (when I was cab shopping he insisted 'not one of those horrid garish yellow ones' - ie the MB cabs that buskers use in town).

Domestic space limitations were one of the key considerations for me when I was looking for a cab - but having size enough to support a valve head in the future. There aren't a great number of 4Ω 212 cabs which are both affordable and easily available here. In the end the PF500 was gone so quickly I needn't have fretted about finding a 4Ω cab.

Your review of the SVT212AV was crucial in my decision, so thanks.
 
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#23,596
Gaolee said:
One of the reasons I like playing through a big ol' Acoustic Control stack is visual. Yeah, I'm kinda shallow that way, but I wouldn't do it if it didn't sound good, too. I only have one 360 on stage, but that's enough to make the point. A 'Bird and a 360 is my idea of bliss. I was playing the fretless 'Bird through the old 360 at home last night because the upright is in for some repairs. It sure sounded good, and the range of sounds it makes with Alumitone pickups and the amp's controls makes it even better. I think so anyway, and I'm happy, so not a whole lot else matters. Another symptom of being shallow that way. :smug:
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Not shallow at all. When I go see a band half the experience is checking out the gear. I like seeing unusual stuff, makes me think the player put a whole lot of thought into his sound, not that the audience can tell the difference between a Squier run through a DI or a sweet vintage bass through a vintage tube rig. Bottom line is I drag this gear along because it sounds great. On this last gig our sound man was a convert, he loved the tone, literally raved about it.
 
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#23,599
godofthunder59 said:
Not shallow at all. When I go see a band half the experience is checking out the gear. I like seeing unusual stuff, makes me think the player put a whole lot of thought into his sound, not that the audience can tell the difference between a Squier run through a DI or a sweet vintage bass through a vintage tube rig. Bottom line is I drag this gear along because it sounds great. On this last gig our sound man was a convert, he loved the tone, literally raved about it.
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You are absolutely right about the audience. It is very rare that anybody notices the big Acoustic rig or what I'm putting through it. That rare person is almost always a musician of some kind. The fretless 'Bird would get some pretty odd looks, but only from those same rare people. I have been playing through Acoustic Control solid state amps since the early 1980s, which means I know what they do and how to get what I want out of them. They have their quirks. That's OK with me.

But, I'm happy to be shallow. It saves a lot of explaining. ;)
 
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