• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Thunderbird Club

Do most of us have 5 different overdrives in the pedal board? It takes guitarists to do weird stuff like that. ;)
All the bass players I can recall that I know personally all have a certain sound in their head that they are persuing. If that cab gets them that sound, they care that it can do it, not how it gets it done. Of course, that's a really wide brush to paint with, but I don't know of any that change speakers unless they're blown or damaged. Most of us will replace the whole cabinet rather than the drivers.
Ha Ha. Yes, I always marvel at the seemingly saturated market of overdrive and distortion pedals.

Thanks to those of you who chimed in on this. The speaker thing was really a "Seinfeldian" thought ("did you ever wonder"?). Guitar amps do seem to be a different animal. For example, we think of speaker brands and power tubes as indicative of certain tones (e.g., Vox and Marshall as "British" with EL84 power tubes and Celestian blues or golds that "chime" or get gritty vs "American" clean tones such as Fenders with 6V6 tubes and Eminence speakers). They (e.g., Tech 21) even make pedals based on this premise. I guess that we don't seem to think that way with bass tones (maybe with exception of Eden or Ampeg emulation pedals).

I agree about a 1 x 12 not cutting it on stage. However, it works nicely for a recording application (and as an extension cab in smaller venues).

And now back to our regularly scheduled Tbird programming.;)
 
Last edited:
I don't even own a dirt pedal. And, I dabble with the guitar a bit, too. Go figure. The fuzz and growl circuits the Acoustic amps have is plenty, and I rarely use those. For guitar, five watt max combos overdrive on their own just fine for anything I'll ever do.

I have always been dead against silicon dirt but a boost pedal (Micro Amp) can help make an already wide open amp really cry. I do have a thing for tonebender-ish fuzz to get that Mick Ronson sound, which is why the EHX Cock Fight is my favourite guitar pedal at the moment. That's my ideal guitarist - Cock Fight, Microamp and a reverb pedal into an AC30 or Fender Deluxe. Chances of finding = 0%.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Stevis
Ha Ha. Yes, I always marvel at the seemingly saturated market of overdrive and distortion pedals.

Thanks to those of you who chimed in on this. The speaker thing was really a "Seinfeldian" thought ("did you ever wonder"?). Guitar amps do seem to be a different animal. For example, we think of speaker brands and power tubes as indicative of certain tones (e.g., Vox and Marshall as "British" with EL84 power tubes and Celestian blues or golds that "chime" or get gritty vs "American" clean tones such as Fenders with 6V6 tubes and Eminence speakers). They (e.g., Tech 21) even make pedals based on this premise. I guess that we don't seem to think that way with bass tones (maybe with exception of Eden or Ampeg emulation pedals).

I agree about a 1 x 12 not cutting it on stage. However, it works nicely for a recording application (and as an extension cab in smaller venues).

And now back to our regularly scheduled Tbird programming.;)
About the 112 not cutting it on stage. It's like anything else. It depends on the stage and the 112. I have, and always use, 2 Hartke Hydrive 112s but there have been some smaller bars I've played where I could've gotten away with using one. Another factor is PA support where a 112 is basically a personal monitor. If being on TB has taught me anything it's to be a bit more flexible. Just my two drachma.
 
You could build your own?

So are we considering Buzzards as being birds of a feather with Thunderbirds?

I must be mellowing - I think that looks pretty ok. First time I saw a pic of one...
I didn't.
I don't know about others, but I at least consider Buzzards to be stylized Thunderbirds, basically.

Do most of us have 5 different overdrives in the pedal board? It takes guitarists to do weird stuff like that. ;)
All the bass players I can recall that I know personally all have a certain sound in their head that they are persuing. If that cab gets them that sound, they care that it can do it, not how it gets it done. Of course, that's a really wide brush to paint with, but I don't know of any that change speakers unless they're blown or damaged. Most of us will replace the whole cabinet rather than the drivers.
I don't have five different ones, but I used to have two different fuzz pedals on my board until I got a custom built Dunwich one that does the job of both.

Check out the FX forum, you'll be surprised.
Indeed. It's pretty common.

Ha Ha. Yes, I always marvel at the seemingly saturated market of overdrive and distortion pedals.

Thanks to those of you who chimed in on this. The speaker thing was really a "Seinfeldian" thought ("did you ever wonder"?). Guitar amps do seem to be a different animal. For example, we think of speaker brands and power tubes as indicative of certain tones (e.g., Vox and Marshall as "British" with EL84 power tubes and Celestian blues or golds that "chime" or get gritty vs "American" clean tones such as Fenders with 6V6 tubes and Eminence speakers). They (e.g., Tech 21) even make pedals based on this premise. I guess that we don't seem to think that way with bass tones (maybe with exception of Eden or Ampeg emulation pedals).

I agree about a 1 x 12 not cutting it on stage. However, it works nicely for a recording application (and as an extension cab in smaller venues).

And now back to our regularly scheduled Tbird programming.;)
There are so many overdrive, distortion, and fuzz pedals because the circuits are endlessly tweakable and don't require any proprietary parts.

Anyway, back to what you were asking, just saying what speakers are in the cab tells you very little in terms of bass sound. Depending on the cab design it could be very tight sounding or very rumbly sounding. So it's not really as useful as the specs themselves.

Conversely, I've noticed that with guitar amps, while they'll tell you what kind of tubes are in it, the manufacturers say very little about the EQ used, whereas with bass amps they'll often tell you how much each control can cut or boost a certain frequency.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Stevis
I have always been dead against silicon dirt but a boost pedal (Micro Amp) can help make an already wide open amp really cry. I do have a thing for tonebender-ish fuzz to get that Mick Ronson sound, which is why the EHX Cock Fight is my favourite guitar pedal at the moment. That's my ideal guitarist - Cock Fight, Microamp and a reverb pedal into an AC30 or Fender Deluxe. Chances of finding = 0%.
I suppose the ToneHammer can function as a boost. I mostly use it as a preamp for the upright to make the upright sound like itself. It also has some kind of aggro circuit that probably is a dirt/boost, but I never use it because it causes the upright to feed back and 'Birds don't need any help to sound aggro when necessary.

And, come to think of it, I'm full of crap when I say I don't have any dirt pedals. I have a Big Muff Deluxe. I forgot about it. That tells how much it gets used.
 
I have always been dead against silicon dirt but a boost pedal (Micro Amp) can help make an already wide open amp really cry. I do have a thing for tonebender-ish fuzz to get that Mick Ronson sound, which is why the EHX Cock Fight is my favourite guitar pedal at the moment. That's my ideal guitarist - Cock Fight, Microamp and a reverb pedal into an AC30 or Fender Deluxe. Chances of finding = 0%.
My fuzz pedal has silicon and LED diodes. It sounds nasty. I like it a lot, though it's not an "always on" pedal. I get my regular overdrive sound from my amp... the fuzz is for "extra" at certain parts.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Stevis
It's full carbon fiber, above my pay grade. That's actually the third version of the Buzzard. The first was made by Warwick in 1986, all wood, then built by Warwick with four and 8 string CF necks by Modulus. Then Modulus built some complete CF basses (I think). Finally, Status built the ultimate version. Full CF, natural weave black. JAE had six of them in Las Vegas when he died, 4-four strings and 2-8s.

So these were the basses he played for sixteen years.

I once thought the headstock was really over the top, now I think it's just right!

Yeah, I was thinking of a wooden one I admit. :) the Carlo Special?

It could become a model line -
Ladies & Gentlemen, introducing
*** the Cataldo JAEzzard ***
 
So many Thunderbirds (Some Ho's too) in fun colors, just one more thing Gibson missed the boat on - A few of these are mine :D



NavigatorBird.jpg




thunderbirds025.jpg
Ahhh! Where to begin! I'll start with these two. 'k thanks.

That red one boggles my mind a little. It looks like it may have started life as a Greco Suzi Quattro Thunderbird and then got 7enderbird-ized. Or maybe not. For what it's worth, there are a few Grecos on Reverb right now, including a single pickup Thunderbird. I'm in a self-imposed 'Bird splurge ban, otherwise I would be suffering from serious GAS. Ah, who am I kidding. I'm suffering from serious GAS, but just won't do anything about it.
 
About the 112 not cutting it on stage. It's like anything else. It depends on the stage and the 112. I have, and always use, 2 Hartke Hydrive 112s but there have been some smaller bars I've played where I could've gotten away with using one. Another factor is PA support where a 112 is basically a personal monitor. If being on TB has taught me anything it's to be a bit more flexible. Just my two drachma.
I have one of the same Hartke cabs. I haven't quite decided if I have "bonded" with it or not? I bought it because they are so damned light and I can easily toss in car to bring to jam, as extension for my tiny 2 x 8 TC Electronic combo. It sounds like you really like your pair.
 
I have one of the same Hartke cabs. I haven't quite decided if I have "bonded" with it or not? I bought it because they are so damned light and I can easily toss in car to bring to jam, as extension for my tiny 2 x 8 TC Electronic combo. It sounds like you really like your pair.
I do. They go together very well with my VT500 head. I wish the tolex was a bit tougher though. Easily scratched.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Stevis
Yeah, I was thinking of a wooden one I admit. :) the Carlo Special?

It could become a model line -
Ladies & Gentlemen, introducing
*** the Cataldo JAEzzard ***

JAEzus, it's the JAEzzard!

Thanks for the confidence, guys' but it's not gonna happen. I'm too busy building what I build...like this just started run of 8 and 12ers. Gonna be HUUUUGE!

P1100780_zpsx49oz3wf.jpg