Thunderbird Club

[Stealth57]

I really like my original SWR Goliath 410. Really heavy, but it's on casters. Too bad I never get to use it.

Tough to get onto the subway...

 

[Count Bassie]

Used to be a great Italian place just across the river in Jeffersonville, IN. It was a gem of a place. The owner, Ray, got there early and personally made meatballs every day (and a few other things). In the evenings he would walk around and talk to customers and ask if everything was alright. And he really wanted to know. After a while he would know your face and be happy to see you like family. It was a place I would take dates (if they were worthy!). Unfortunately he closed a several years ago. He was class act all the way. Everything was great and he kept things affordable. Who overcharges family?

"Ray Parrella, a U.S. Army veteran, met his wife, Rita, while he was stationed at Fort Knox. With a collection of his mother's Italian recipes, the couple along with their five children moved to Jeffersonville. In 1964, he opened Ray Parrella's Italian Restaurant in the Quartermaster Depot and it quickly became a Jeffersonville favorite. It moved to 214 West Court Avenue in 1972. Parrella was also an avid and accomplished distance runner, competing in more than 300 races. He still holds several local and national records. He continues to contribute to Jeffersonville through civic involvement."
View attachment 7196983

Good story, that sounds like the place you want to go. Sorry it closed, things have a lifetime.

 

[Count Bassie]

Be careful, i dont know how hard you have to work that amp.

The Master vol on the older Trace heads had a limit- at a point you didn't get any more out of it. But in their own right they have clean, I always say 'hefty', power. And like our Queen once mentioned, you can use the Pre-Shape and then hit the mids pretty hard with the graphic EQ, and you can get a nice 'crunchy' tone...

 

[Count Bassie]

I have wondered about those cabs. I've driven by his shop for years on the way to the in-laws' house. Prices seem fair. He was the EiCH distributor for a while until a couple years ago. Interested in hearing what you think of it.

I'll get a little more time in with it. But I jammed with a drummer after picking it up, and it was plenty loud. With some eq I pulled back the heavy low-mid bump and got a more relaxed, rounder sound in the low end. Nice zing up top.
And I'm not sure I mentioned how loud it is for a 210 size cab.
More informed mini review after I play it a little more. Trying that TT800 tomorrow, got the manual...

 

[bylar13]

Once I start playing in a live situation almost all of the “tone shaping” goes
out the window. Things move too fast and the “mix” is always different depending on so many additional, non-controllable factors.

Since I am wearing earplugs at practice now, most of the “tone shaping “ in that space is moot w/ -30db earplugs in…

 

[BklynKen]

Once I start playing in a live situation almost all of the "tone shaping" goes
out the window. Things move too fast and the "mix" is always different depending on so many additional, non-controllable factors.

Since I am wearing earplugs at practice now, most of the "tone shaping " in that space is moot w/ -30db earplugs in…

If I can hear myself, I'm already ahead of the game.

 

[Ringhammer]

If I can hear myself, I'm already ahead of the game.

Yep, this. Usually it quickly reaches the point of “well that’s good enough, time to start playing”. Then, when you do get that really good (to your ear) tone, and everything sounds pretty well balanced, it’s a bonus.

 

[Count Bassie]

Be careful, i dont know how hard you have to work that amp.

The Mk IV'll sit and play nice with the Carvin/Kappalites 215. It'll make that kind of shallow 215 cab somewhat top-heavy, but will sound nice. And, keeping everything isn't necessary. Gear is essentially ballast- I'm weeding through to an end of searching. I like it better when I'm just playing. So I'm closer to it than I think.

I'm going to have to also A/B the Schroeder with the 215. Made some noise with the Schro' last night with the modded EB-3. Now that's some old school: lots of fart, bump, and grind. I like that kind of sound, it's brutal, but getting nuance and dynamics out of it is fun! And it's an awful sounding description, but it translates to bass sound really well!

 

[Count Bassie]

Once I start playing in a live situation almost all of the "tone shaping" goes
out the window. Things move too fast and the "mix" is always different depending on so many additional, non-controllable factors.

Since I am wearing earplugs at practice now, most of the "tone shaping " in that space is moot w/ -30db earplugs in…

The end game, getting it played. Yeah...

 

[BklynKen]

Yep, this. Usually it quickly reaches the point of "well that's good enough, time to start playing". Then, when you do get that really good (to your ear) tone, and everything sounds pretty well balanced, it's a bonus.

And then the guitarist(s) turn up more and you're lost in the mix. Use the Force, Luke.

 

[Count Bassie]

And then the guitarist(s) turn up more and you're lost in the mix. Use the Force, Luke.

This is a point. Fur this reason there's a Sonic Stomp in my signal chain now. My thought is that instead of turning up and finishing off our singer, I can make a small change of getting the sound just a little "bigger" with that venerable small-change making stomp box.
In theory.

 

[MCF]

Used to be a great Italian place just across the river in Jeffersonville, IN. It was a gem of a place. The owner, Ray, got there early and personally made meatballs every day (and a few other things). In the evenings he would walk around and talk to customers and ask if everything was alright. And he really wanted to know. After a while he would know your face and be happy to see you like family. It was a place I would take dates (if they were worthy!). Unfortunately he closed a several years ago. He was class act all the way. Everything was great and he kept things affordable. Who overcharges family?

"Ray Parrella, a U.S. Army veteran, met his wife, Rita, while he was stationed at Fort Knox. With a collection of his mother's Italian recipes, the couple along with their five children moved to Jeffersonville. In 1964, he opened Ray Parrella's Italian Restaurant in the Quartermaster Depot and it quickly became a Jeffersonville favorite. It moved to 214 West Court Avenue in 1972. Parrella was also an avid and accomplished distance runner, competing in more than 300 races. He still holds several local and national records. He continues to contribute to Jeffersonville through civic involvement."
View attachment 7196983

Years ago, running was a thing for me. Here’s a Runner’s World piece. He was one of the country’s top Master’s runners. Ray Parrella

 

[BklynKen]

This is a point. Fur this reason there's a Sonic Stomp in my signal chain now. My thought is that instead of turning up and finishing off our singer, I can make a small change of getting the sound just a little "bigger" with that venerable small-change making stomp box.
In theory.

My Steel Leather accomplishes something similar, but there's only so much you can do when there are two guitarists turning up. This is why I tend to find a good level, then secretly turn it up a little more. Seems to work for me.

 

[Count Bassie]

Years ago, running was a thing for me. Here's a Runner's World piece. He was one of the country's top Master's runners. Ray Parrella

That's a nice little feature there. Guy's a natural, apparently.

 

[Count Bassie]

My Steel Leather accomplishes something similar, but there's only so much you can do when there are two guitarists turning up. This is why I tend to find a good level, then secretly turn it up a little more. Seems to work for me.

I always leave a little room in my bass' volume knob to give it a nudge if I have to... I remember my high school friend Angus telling me that when I was a new player. Simple prep is one of those straight lines in life.

 

[TBird1958]

I might've asked this before, but search is verboten. How do you find the Trace different/better than the GK for you?

It has a much warmer tone to my ear and there is this lo-mid bump that travels out real well without being too bassy. The 7 band eq lets you really fine tune the frequencies much better than the 4 knobs (bass, lo-mid, hi-mid, treble) on a GK, it's easy to get a good tone without much work, even when I take all varieties of T Birds in my collection into account the TE is so much easier to work with, especially at lower volume. For me, the 700RBII is simply too much amp for any situation I was regularly encountering with the band, my rig only very rarely has too carry the bass for the show because we play shows that have good FOH. In this situation a large, high powered amp isn't a good choice because you're not really "opening it up" (GK's manual for the 700RBII says to start with the gain and master at noon, at those levels it's insanely, unusably loud). So you have to really knock the gain and master back quite a bit and you lose the tone that the high volume setting gave you or you're pissing the FOH crew off. In this situation I just couldn't get what I wanted out of the amp or the GK cabinets, even tho I used it for quite a few years, I wasn't real gushy about it's tone, no warmth, kind of metallic, almost brittle and no lo-mid bump.
Frank and I visited The Bass Shop with the notion initially of buying an SWR amp there, and we tried it and liked it, but there was this Trace sitting there too and we plugged it in and my ears just "knew" that was "The tone" I had been hearing in my head and wanting all these years - The Trace came home that day, and I just love it, great tone, even at modest volume and it's really easy to move with it's cool little carrying case. A couple months later I came back and got the SWR as well, I left the GK there at that time - it's on their website. The other part of the equation is the SWR cabinet, the speakers are voiced different than the GK cabs I was using, again much better. After I bought the 6x10 I found a 4x10 as well, it stays upstairs in the practice room, the 6x10 is downstairs in the rehearsal room.
Anyway, I'm not down on GK, they make good stuff, I just happened to find something that suited my needs and tastes a bit better.


Trace Elliott and a Lull T4II = Bliss!

 

[dagrev]

This is a point. Fur this reason there's a Sonic Stomp in my signal chain now. My thought is that instead of turning up and finishing off our singer, I can make a small change of getting the sound just a little "bigger" with that venerable small-change making stomp box.
In theory.

The Sonic Stomps work some magic. But it certainly can tighten things up. Among other things. I don't use mine to get any perceived volume if things get a little loud, as it's always on. But I have used my Genzler Four On The Floor for that. If it wasn't already engaged, which it is with 70% of my basses. I have it set a little above the inactive volume just for those situations.

 

[Count Bassie]

The Sonic Stomps work some magic. But it certainly can tighten things up. Among other things. I don't use mine to get any perceived volume if things get a little loud, as it's always on. But I have used my Genzler Four On The Floor for that. If it wasn't already engaged, which it is with 70% of my basses. I have it set a little above the inactive volume just for those situations.

The Sonic Stomp is still an experiment for me, but I think the little bump up in presence is meaningful.
I don't just do one thing with the bass, in some contexts it's not up front but back and under in a mix, discerned and felt, but just a supporting role. And it's cool for reggae feels. A guy brings his keyboard and dub-jammy originals to Thursday Open Mic and I sit in with him. That's good fun.
In the rock bands I'll get more up front, sometimes I'll lay back. Still an experiment, that pedal, but it does a cool thing.

 

[dagrev]

Years ago, running was a thing for me. Here's a Runner's World piece. He was one of the country's top Master's runners. Ray Parrella

Nice! I ran cross country for a very short time. I was so bored I quit. ADHD or something maybe. I should have tried sprinting. I was really fast for a short while. In playing football only had one guy ever catch me from behind. Even then he dove and slapped my foot and I tripped into the end zone. I can still walk fast. Sometimes. If nothing is hurting.

Had HS science teacher (old football coach), who was 70+ and ran 10 miles several times a week and ran full marathons. He was a machine.

 

[Count Bassie]

It has a much warmer tone to my ear and there is this lo-mid bump that travels out real well without being too bassy. The 7 band eq lets you really fine tune the frequencies much better than the 4 knobs (bass, lo-mid, hi-mid, treble) on a GK, it's easy to get a good tone without much work, even when I take all varieties of T Birds in my collection into account the TE is so much easier to work with, especially at lower volume. For me, the 700RBII is simply too much amp for any situation I was regularly encountering with the band, my rig only very rarely has too carry the bass for the show because we play shows that have good FOH. In this situation a large, high powered amp isn't a good choice because you're not really "opening it up" (GK's manual for the 700RBII says to start with the gain and master at noon, at those levels it's insanely, unusably loud). So you have to really knock the gain and master back quite a bit and you lose the tone that the high volume setting gave you or you're pissing the FOH crew off. In this situation I just couldn't get what I wanted out of the amp or the GK cabinets, even tho I used it for quite a few years, I wasn't real gushy about it's tone, no warmth, kind of metallic, almost brittle and no lo-mid bump.
Frank and I visited The Bass Shop with the notion initially of buying an SWR amp there, and we tried it and liked it, but there was this Trace sitting there too and we plugged it in and my ears just "knew" that was "The tone" I had been hearing in my head and wanting all these years - The Trace came home that day, and I just love it, great tone, even at modest volume and it's really easy to move with it's cool little carrying case. A couple months later I came back and got the SWR as well, I left the GK there at that time - it's on their website. The other part of the equation is the SWR cabinet, the speakers are voiced different than the GK cabs I was using, again much better. After I bought the 6x10 I found a 4x10 as well, it stays upstairs in the practice room, the 6x10 is downstairs in the rehearsal room.
Anyway, I'm not down on GK, they make good stuff, I just happened to find something that suited my needs and tastes a bit better.


Trace Elliott and a Lull T4II = Bliss!

That point about the easily overwhelming power of GK amps is why I like the 400RB. You can get that "Hitting the Rails" thing without knocking out dentures and vibrating nails out of studs. And it's totally loud enough for the little clubs The Earthmen plays.