Thunderbird Club

[dukeorock]

Watts are a funny thing... Nowadays people talk about amps that are between 500W - 1000W being the norm, and anything lower than 500W not being enough etc...

My last rig (full stack Marshall 100W SuperBass with two 412 cabs) was deafeningly loud and way overpowered for the gigs I used to do back then.

Agreed. Don’t know the technical ins and outs, but they gotta be measuring the watts at a different frequency. I’m more interested in the power at 60hz than 1k. My ‘200 watt’ Traynor gets as loud or louder then my ‘800 watt’ class D amps. Not knocking class D. My Mesa sounds awesome, but the power rating thing is a head scratcher and that’s even assuming every manufacturer is being honest with their specs. TC Electronics very famously took a lot of flack over their
‘450 watt’ amp. It bench tests at 236 watts, if memory serves. Their response was that due to their clever digital processing, the amp ‘feels’ like a 450 watt amp. I’ve played em and they don’t.

Had a nice visit with the at The Bass Shop | Selected Used and Vintage Bass Guitars this morning, it's not at far from where I live but there's just no quick way to get there, anywho.........

Basses, there's lots of them, but not too many Gibsons just now.
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Quite honestly, these 3 made the drive in Seattle traffic worth the trip.
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Jeff Rouse with my Epi.
Turns out he's looking for a black '76, so let's keep an eye out!
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I'm doubtful that I'd own, but the Dingwall proved to be quite interesting, I'd never played a fan fretted bass, it was quite comfy and felt very natural. The craftsmanship is simply amazing, I was a bit nervous handling it. The body contours are just beautiful.
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If you look at the lower right you'll see a faint contour line that runs at an angle to the upper left, subtle beauty. I played it for a while, nice, modern tone, maybe not what you'd expect from a 'Bird, but certainly very good.

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Not sure what it would take for me to spend $3,600 on a T Bird that doesn’t sound like a T Bird, though having owned a Dingwall in the past, I have no doubt the build quality is beyond amazing. Fanned frets feel awesome and require pretty much zero learning curve unless you play way up high a lot (I don’t). They can also be a bit fussy if you do a lot of vibrato or especially heavy bending. Had to adjust to that.

How did you like the way it balanced? Knowing Dingwall, I’m guessing the ergonomics are stellar

 

[kat888]

Watts are a funny thing... Nowadays people talk about amps that are between 500W - 1000W being the norm, and anything lower than 500W not being enough etc...

My last rig (full stack Marshall 100W SuperBass with two 412 cabs) was deafeningly loud and way overpowered for the gigs I used to do back then.

Class D amps seem to work better when they're not running flat out.

 

[dukeorock]

Class D amps seem to work better when they're not running flat out.

Wouldn’t you say that’s true of most amps though?

 

[BklynKen]

I have a scrdi, sounds awesome, $200. A sansamp di is about $200 as well

Very curious how my Darkglass A/O would work DI, without an amp. They have a DI there I could use....

 

[dukeorock]

Very curious how my Darkglass A/O would work DI, without an amp. They have a DI there I could use....

I’d imagine you could do a lot worse!

 

[JJR58]

Very curious how my Darkglass A/O would work DI, without an amp. They have a DI there I could use....

Just a guess, but probably really well. Especially if you don't run much distortion.

 

[hillerup]

And would still kill a lot of what's out there today.

I believe you’re right..

 

[kat888]

Also funny that our cat will actually sometimes make me come with her and essentially keep guard while she’s in there.

Our two can be bickering and chasing each other around the apartment, then one runs in and parks on the tray and the other waits patiently until business is concluded ... and battle recommences.

 

[JJR58]

Ken, you want me to bring the B7Ku tomorrow night, it's got those extra eq toggles.

 

[kat888]

I have a scrdi, sounds awesome, $200. A sansamp di is about $200 as well

Well they must be better than the VT Bass DI, that thing barked at strangers and chased parked cars when I wasn't home, of that I am certain.

 

[tminus10]

Anybody here in the Seattle area been out to Thunder Road Guitars in West Seattle and checked out that 77 Gibson Bicentennial Thunderbird they have for sale? Its a beaut! They're asking $3200 I have no connections to them, just played it today and wish I could afford it.

 

[dukeorock]

Anybody here in the Seattle area been out to Thunder Road Guitars in West Seattle and checked out that 77 Gibson Bicentennial Thunderbird they have for sale? Its a beaut! They're asking $3200 I have no connections to them, just played it today and wish I could afford it.

From what I’ve seen online, that’s a good price

 

[BklynKen]

I’d imagine you could do a lot worse!

Just a guess, but probably really well. Especially if you don't run much distortion.

Agreed!

Our two can be bickering and chasing each other around the apartment, then one runs in and parks on the tray and the other waits patiently until business is concluded ... and battle recommences.

There’s respect in battle.

Ken, you want me to bring the B7Ku tomorrow night, it's got those extra eq toggles.

Thanks again, Jeff, but I’ll likely use that Ampeg one of the other bassists is bringing and offered to let me use.

 

[LH MCCURDY BASSES]

I'll second 12 inch speaks.

12 and 15 is all I will ever use now. Unless it’s an old SVT square-back cab!!

 

[kat888]

Wouldn’t you say that’s true of most amps though?

Solid state amps yes.

What I was trying to say, not very well, is that Class D amps seem somewhat 'limited', like cruise control or engine governing = 'beyond this point, you shall not pass'. Whereas you can push a class A/B amp a bit harder on the transients.

 

[JJR58]

12 and 15 is all I will ever use now. Unless it’s an old SVT square-back cab!!

Right now i'm using a 2006 US 810. I swapped out the top 2 chambers with Heritage speaks.
I do need to downsize my cab though. Just to much for my purposes. But hard to let go of. These cabs are meant to be pushed.
It's (cough), my practice amp. Haven't gigged in a long while.

 

[wolfkeller]

Well they must be better than the VT Bass DI, that thing barked at strangers and chased parked cars when I wasn't home, of that I am certain.

I have an ampeg SVT classic and a heritage SVT, the scrdi sounds very similar, much more than any sansamp. I had a VT programmable and a VT rack mount, they were second only to the scrdi.

 

[MommyPlaysBass]

12 and 15 is all I will ever use now. Unless it’s an old SVT square-back cab!!

You're in Beacon? Isn't that near Lake Carmel?

 

[dukeorock]

Solid state amps yes.

What I was trying to say, not very well, is that Class D amps seem somewhat 'limited', like cruise control or engine governing = 'beyond this point, you shall not pass'. Whereas you can push a class A/B amp a bit harder on the transients.

Very true, I think. Though one of my first amps was an Ampeg V4b. Great sounding amp if you stayed in it’s sweet spot. Too loud or too quiet and it was really unspectacular and you’d be hard pressed to find a guitarist willing to stay within your sweet spot

 

[wolfkeller]

Very curious how my Darkglass A/O would work DI, without an amp. They have a DI there I could use....

From what I've seen, all that stuff, the Di pedals sound great. For example, saw my buddies ACDC Tribute last week. He uses P with flats into an AMPEG heritage/810, sounded PERFECT. later I found out he didn't have the heritage on, he was running a sansamp DI v1 with the drive off. Totally fooled me.