Thunderbird Club

[Chucky Stiletti]

Ampeg Rocket Bass RB-210 2x10" 500-watt Bass Combo Amp
I will say I played one of these at a church once and it sounded really nice. Being SS I had to turn the treble back as it could do what I think of as super clear almost glassy sound. Rolling back the tone made it nice and warmed it up. I'm not a much on SS (at least the one's I've played--excepting Ashdown and old Peavey), and was impressed how it sounded. I could use it, which says a lot. I will say it seems Ampegs to have more lows. I'm about 1:00 with my Ampeg tube head and when I use the Ashdown RM 300 the bass goes to 3:00 for the same heft. With the Ashdown you can always hit the Sub harmonic button and it will sound even bigger.

yeah, as much as I dig MarkBass stuff, not my idea of true “deep lows”….

 

[semiprohooker]

Those PF 50T and PF 20T sound fantastic.

 

[MCF]

GC usually has a used Mesa Walkabout combo for sale at any given time. Usually with a 12" speaker, but sometimes with a 15.

Yep. There are a lot of them out there.

Love it.

I fell for the ‘Bird in American Beauty. No, not her.

This ‘Bird…
View attachment 5209104

But I’m not wedded to the hood scoops - they are the one thing I’d leave off

Rockford’s gold birds were pretty iconic.

 

[Ringhammer]

Rockford’s gold birds were pretty iconic.

If I recall, they were frequently updated, always a brief clip or two of it during opening credit sequence. I even think on the earliest seasons he had a rubbernosed ‘70-‘73 style.

 

[Engle]

‘76 still had round headlights, right?

Yup, round headlights, shaker hood with the big bird, 455, 4 speed.
The Smokey TA was actually a later one with square headlights.

 

[MCF]

So something like this…
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is this a 2x12?

Hard to tell from the pic. They came in 2x10 and 2x12. Extremely heavy. Big low end.

 

[dagrev]

a keyboardist we auditioned last night showed up with a 200 Watt Rumble….man that thing was LOUD…..

And they are crazy light.

Those PF 50T and PF 20T sound fantastic.

Yes! That was my first thought. Build your own combo! Which is nogt really a combo any longer. I like the 50 as it gives several mid options.

 

[MCF]

Dayum! Not getting there means missing all the fun.

It was a great weekend.

 

[TBird1958]

Not finished, a custom Non Reverse that Rob van den Broek @Basvarken is building.

 

[Bruce Pete]

I have a bunch of amps. My favorite for around the house is either my PF20T and 112HLF, but not necessarily loud(I have a PF50T and 115LF at the studio for recording which is a sweet rich and deep combo and great DI). I recently got an Ampeg RB-112, and at 100w it is really impressive, sounds very good in my garage space where not everything sounds great. It’s very lightweight, I know you don’t care, but now you know. You may want to consider the RB210, which I think will go 250w on its own and if you add an 8 ohm cab to the extension speaker out, will get you to 500w. Clean lines, top control panel. I really like my 112 a lot more that I expected to.

I use an RB115 (200w) for small stuff and if I need a bit more punch I plug in a SVT210AV cabinet.

All things considered, it sounds pretty good and it's lightweight!

 

[Ringhammer]

Yup, round headlights, shaker hood with the big bird, 455, 4 speed.
The Smokey TA was actually a later one with square headlights.

Yeah, the “Bandit One” was a ‘77. That movie probably sold more ‘77 and ‘78 T/A’s than any social media campaign could ever do nowadays (ugh, yes, I said “nowadays”).

I was 11 and I was associated with a single screen movie theater in old Walnut Creek. By “associated” I mean, basically, as I recall, however inaccurately, the mother of a kid I knew, knew the owners of the theater and that kid and I could be there all day but our “job” was to clean up after each screening. I think that was how I spent the summer between 6th and 7th grade. The “managers” of the place were a couple young (and hot, I was just at the age where I was paying attention to these things) women probably like 22 years old or something, but complete party people. I think they were pseudo babysitters for us. The store next to the theater was a place that specialized in “Blow ups”, basically making big pictures or posters out of your snapshots. Also run by a young woman. I spent a lot of time hanging out with her too. They were in total ‘70’s girls, laid back, some pot smoking going on.

I saw Pink Floyd live at Pompeii, (I wasn't quite old enough to appreciate this one) the Grateful Dead movie (Truckin’ or something) and some other stuff. But I must have seen Smokey and the Bandit over 20 times that summer.

 

[MCF]

Here is a 2010 Custom Shop in white. $300 and very local to me. I know nothing about these other than they have guitar pickups. The PG looks like the Bicentennial colors.

View attachment 5209434

If it’s a Bicentennial pickguard, which I doubt, someone added it. The logo on mine is screened black.

Buy it Dave. $300 is a very good price.

 

[Engle]

I use an RB115 (200w) for small stuff and if I need a bit more punch I plug in a SVT210AV cabinet.

All things considered, it sounds pretty good and it's lightweight!

I tried a 210AV with my Ampeg 115 cab once. That was a sonic mess!

 

[MCF]

White bird Wednesday!

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

If I recall, they were frequently updated, always a brief clip or two of it during opening credit sequence. I even think on the earliest seasons he had a rubbernosed ‘70-‘73 style.

too bad about those cheesy whitewalls...

 

[TBird1958]

This bass is coming out for our next show on October 28th, can't wait to hit the big stage at 7 Cedars with it!

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

If it’s a Bicentennial pickguard, which I doubt, someone added it. The logo on mine is screened black.
View attachment 5209707
Buy it Dave. $300 is a very good price.

especially if all works.....

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

White bird Wednesday!
View attachment 5209709

we're such snobs....she doesn't care about black hardware...three point bridges....prolly one of the reasons Gibson ignores our pleads.....

 

[MCF]

especially if all works.....

Yeah mine has something going on with the electronics. Just haven’t had time to mess with it. It all works, but it’s “staticky.”

 

[MCF]

we're such snobs....she doesn't care about black hardware...three point bridges....prolly one of the reasons Gibson ignores our pleads.....

Yep. She just plays them. She records, tours, and is a Mom to twin daughters who are nine or ten. She doesn’t have time to pick nits. Not sure how many Thunderbirds she has, at least six or seven reverses.