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Thunderbird Club

#54,982
All this talk about rigs is cool, lots of different directions and solutions. Just one more example of one size not fitting all. :thumbsup:

I basically have three current rigs. Two for gigging (one small to medium venue, and one large to outdoor venue) along with a combo I use for practice. The practice combo is a GK210 ultra light and serves its purpose well. The small rig is a Thunderfunk 420 SS amp on a Bergantino HT322 cab. The Thunderfunk is currently taking the place of my vintage Musicman HD150 hybrid amp and doing a very good job of it. Here's a Gibson family photo with the TF/Berg rig (and a 15 amp Guitar Parlor combo in progress).
IMG_1834.JPG

The big rig (not shown in this pic) is an Ampeg SVT VR on a Bergantino NV610. The NV is more compact and easier to move than the 810 Ampeg fridge I had before and to my ears sounds less colored and cleaner than the Aguilar GS412 it replaced. Overall I've been very pleased with the Bergantino offerings. For some reason I seem to favor closed cabs with tube amps and vented cabs with SS amps, not sure why but they just sound better to me (FWIW I also hate tube amps on acoustic guitars). If I were still doing lots of big venues I'd be all over a matched set of NV215's. Alas, as it stands right now I just don't see any more big venue work in my future, so the big rig needs a new home, hopefully local, I ain't packin this muther up for shipping.

Disclaimer: never tried or heard a Greenboy in person, but I've seen plenty of rave reviews. Maybe someday. ;)
 
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#54,983
I arrived at not being keen on Ampeg from a different direction than @Gaolee -- everyone uses 'em, so and so sounds great, they must be great. Then I had unsatisfactory experiences with a Ampeg class D head and a well known and popular SVT emulator and decided they are not the holy grail, for me, after all.

The tone in my head is the NZ built 75W 'Jansen' Bassman clone with matching 212 cab I started out on. I dropped the cab down the stairs of a pub we used to play at, and there was forever more a broken tread under that hideous carpet (the cab was fine). A NZ built 100W 'Holden' Marshall clone through a 412 sounded pretty decent as well. Hindsight is always perfect isn't it?
 
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#54,984
kat888 said:
Traynor, don't forget Traynor.
Click to expand...

Oh I haven’t!

kat888 said:
You seem to like Mesa. Strategy with 215, or even better 2 x 212/1 x 412?


Really, you should check out the Traynor heads, either the YBA200/2 or the YBA300. And for in and out use with supplied backline, get yourself a Darkglass Vintage Ultra. It does a very nice old school valve amp emulation with its selectable saturation curves and eq points.
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I like what I’ve heard on the Traynors. Just never see em around here. My sealed cabs are either a 118, 212 or 218. I like em a lot :)

GBassNorth said:
All this talk about rigs is cool, lots of different directions and solutions. Just one more example of one size not fitting all. :thumbsup:

I basically have three current rigs. Two for gigging (one small to medium venue, and one large to outdoor venue) along with a combo I use for practice. The practice combo is a GK210 ultra light and serves its purpose well. The small rig is a Thunderfunk 420 SS amp on a Bergantino HT322 cab. The Thunderfunk is currently taking the place of my vintage Musicman HD150 hybrid amp and doing a very good job of it. Here's a Gibson family photo with the TF/Berg rig (and a 15 amp Guitar Parlor combo in progress).
View attachment 2842627
The big rig (not shown in this pic) is an Ampeg SVT VR on a Bergantino NV610. The NV is more compact and easier to move than the 810 Ampeg fridge I had before and to my ears sounds less colored and cleaner than the Aguilar GS412 it replaced. Overall I've been very pleased with the Bergantino offerings. For some reason I seem to favor closed cabs with tube amps and vented cabs with SS amps, not sure why but they just sound better to me (FWIW I also hate tube amps on acoustic guitars). If I were still doing lots of big venues I'd be all over a matched set of NV215's. Alas, as it stands right now I just don't see any more big venue work in my future, so the big rig needs a new home, hopefully local, I ain't packin this muther up for shipping.

Disclaimer: never tried or heard a Greenboy in person, but I've seen plenty of rave reviews. Maybe someday. ;)
Click to expand...

I like em, but that stuff is crazy subjective! Man, you have some nice gear!

kat888 said:
I arrived at not being keen on Ampeg from a different direction than @Gaolee -- everyone uses 'em, so and so sounds great, they must be great. Then I had unsatisfactory experiences with a Ampeg class D head and a well known and popular SVT emulator and decided they are not the holy grail, for me, after all.

The tone in my head is the NZ built 75W 'Jansen' Bassman clone with matching 212 cab I started out on. I dropped the cab down the stairs of a pub we used to play at, and there was forever more a broken tread under that hideous carpet (the cab was fine). A NZ built 100W 'Holden' Marshall clone through a 412 sounded pretty decent as well. Hindsight is always perfect isn't it?
Click to expand...

Sure is! I love the right Marshall on bass!
 
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#54,989
GBassNorth said:
For some reason I seem to favor closed cabs with tube amps and vented cabs with SS amps, not sure why but they just sound better to me ;)
Click to expand...

I think that’s a popular view, whether folks know it or not. Good sealed cabs keep the lows from getting too sloppy and tend to have better transient response. That’s great on tube amps. The right vented cab can be made much smaller/lighter and still get great results. I have vented 112 cabs and especially 115 cabs that are more than enough for a lot of my gigs. The 18 we’re using in my 1822 cabs was the smallest/lightest I could go sealed and still get the sound/SPL I’m after.
 
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#54,991
dukeorock said:
Anyone interested in discussing their rigs they prefer with their ‘Birds?

My main three amps at the moment are;
Reiner 6SL7 tube pre w/power amp
Mesa M9
Mesa D800
Jonseing for an all tube amp again.

My sealed 18” based cab gets the most gigs, but I have others.

Last night I just used the house rig because the changeovers were as fast as possible, no soundchecks and there were 5 acts on the bill. It was a GK700rb with an Ampeg PF115 cab. That poor cab was hanging on for dear life. It just can only take so much low end. Though my Bird was fantastic, I could see myself with another, strung with flats
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I got this:
20171205_142122

20171205_142122

SVT 3 Pro, HartkHartke 410XL's
 
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#54,992
Korladis said:
Truth? Bah, Ampeg tube amps sound great, and salami also goes great on pizza!
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I’ll stay out of the great salami debate of 2017 :)

Like I’ve said, I’ve heard a few Ampeg that were incredible. Mostly VR’s and II non pros in the past decade. The problem is I’ve heard way more bad ones than good ones, so it can shake ones faith in em pretty easily. Those recent PF series heads sound pretty anemic and at least at one time had a high failure rate. A local club I play had two PF500’s go down very quickly, so they replaced it with a PF800 and went through two of those in a year. They replaced that with a 700rb and it’s been rock solid
 
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#54,993
dukeorock said:
I’ll stay out of the great salami debate of 2017 :)
Click to expand...

Oh, you can join in in 2018.

Those recent PF series heads sound pretty anemic and at least at one time had a high failure rate. A local club I play had two PF500’s go down very quickly, so they replaced it with a PF800 and went through two of those in a year.
Click to expand...

Snap!
 
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#54,994
dukeorock said:
Anyone interested in discussing their rigs they prefer with their ‘Birds?
Click to expand...

Thunderbird>Line6>GK700RBII>2x4x10SBX Gets it done for me, all the volume I'd ever need.
 
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#54,995
kat888 said:
I arrived at not being keen on Ampeg from a different direction than @Gaolee -- everyone uses 'em, so and so sounds great, they must be great. Then I had unsatisfactory experiences with a Ampeg class D head and a well known and popular SVT emulator and decided they are not the holy grail, for me, after all.

The tone in my head is the NZ built 75W 'Jansen' Bassman clone with matching 212 cab I started out on. I dropped the cab down the stairs of a pub we used to play at, and there was forever more a broken tread under that hideous carpet (the cab was fine). A NZ built 100W 'Holden' Marshall clone through a 412 sounded pretty decent as well. Hindsight is always perfect isn't it?
Click to expand...
I have never been a Ampeg guy but I used Blue line SVTs to buck up my Marshall Majors. Once I could afford and get Hiwatts I sold off the SVTs.
 
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#54,998
'Bird chain:

Thunderbird->Shure digital wireless->Boss LMB-3 compressor->fdeck HPF-> Aguilar Tonehammer -> Carvin MB12 or Acoustic 360 depending on venue and FOH support/lack thereof.

The compressor is 'Bird specific. The HPF and Tonehammer are more upright specific for feedback killing and making the upright sound like itself through the Carvin. That's the entire signal chain. I have an Acoustic 126 combo at a rehearsal space in that band's drummer's basement, but that amp never comes out of the basement for gigs. It's reliable as a stone, but it doesn't sound as good as a 360 and isn't as light as the Carvin. So it is more or less stationary until the band falls apart or retires and it gets evicted. Then I might sell it even though I have had it for 36 years now.
 
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#54,999
Gaolee said:
'Bird chain:

Thunderbird->Shure digital wireless->Boss LMB-3 compressor->fdeck HPF-> Aguilar Tonehammer -> Carvin MB12 or Acoustic 360 depending on venue and FOH support/lack thereof.
Click to expand...

The funny thing is you have more devices in your signal chain than I do. Which Shure? You may have said before but I wasn't taking notes.
 
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