Thunderbird Club

[Chucky Stiletti]

Pasta?

certo, my dad would not go on holiday without having my mom pack it..

 

[godofthunder59]

Can it hit a low "B"?

I was destined to be a Thunderbird II player! Mine since I was a kid!

Can it hit a low "B"?

Mine since I was a kid, I was destined to be a Thunderbird II guy!

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

I was destined to be a Thunderbird II player! Mine since I was a kid!

Mine since I was a kid, I was destined to be a Thunderbird II guy!

those were awesome! you still got yours, cool..

 

[RedVee]

The scrounged PA from hell! Dig up used equipment. Selling a PA is harder than buying one, which means used equipment is a far better value. Better than used bass guitars or amps, in my experience.

Could be. I’ve a bit absent from OBF for a few weeks, returned last weekend and 2 mixers went in and then out of their classifieds in the last few days- week.

I suggest a Behringer XR18 digital mixer and a pair of powered monitors. I've done 5 gigs and lot's of rehearsals with mine.
Yes an analog mixer will work, but an XR18 does a lot more. Off the top of my head:

• 16 mic inputs and 2 line inputs
• Mixing from a laptop and/or tablets
• 6 monitor outputs that can all have their own mix
• Lots of good sounding reverbs and effects to choose from
• Real time analyzer and EQ that lets you easily ring out the room
• 16 track recording over usb to a PC

Thanks, may be a bit much for us though. I’ll keep it in mind though.

In general, I need to keep the cost down as we have zero budget, just what my fellow volunteers and I put together. We have no income as a group, this is solely a volunteer / charitable endeavour and have the group are retirees.
Lowish cost, say $600-$800(tops) in Aussie dollars. Low volume, we are singing in nursing home common rooms, charity dining room style room. So 300w up to about 500w would be ample. I want to start with vocals, maybe a backing track in the case the instruments can’t make in one day. So, min 4 xlr inputs but a couple extra would be better. We have an accordion, and me atm and regularly . Prospects of a new guitarist in the new year, and a couple of our regulars have threatened to bring their ukes along but all talk in that area so far.


At the moment I’m just generally looking around in case something jumps out at me, and mainly looking for an information source that can give me an idea on what I’m looking at/for.
A “PAs for Dummies” type website.

 

[PillO]

Wow - so they’re sending the VP with black pick guards now?!?

It is a Pro-IV, not a VP.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Could be. I’ve a bit absent from OBF for a few weeks, returned last weekend and 2 mixers went in and then out of their classifieds in the last few days- week.



Thanks, may be a bit much for us though. I’ll keep it in mind though.

In general, I need to keep the cost down as we have zero budget, just what my fellow volunteers and I put together. We have no income as a group, this is solely a volunteer / charitable endeavour and have the group are retirees.
Lowish cost, say $600-$800(tops) in Aussie dollars. Low volume, we are singing in nursing home common rooms, charity dining room style room. So 300w up to about 500w would be ample. I want to start with vocals, maybe a backing track in the case the instruments can’t make in one day. So, min 4 xlr inputs but a couple extra would be better. We have an accordion, and me atm and regularly . Prospects of a new guitarist in the new year, and a couple of our regulars have threatened to bring their ukes along but all talk in that area so far.


At the moment I’m just generally looking around in case something jumps out at me, and mainly looking for an information source that can give me an idea on what I’m looking at/for.
A “PAs for Dummies” type website.

from my experience abroad US made gear is too expensive. Ideally you pick up a used Mackie 1604 (8 channel with 2 sends) and a pair of powered speakers. this said, Yamaha makes equivalent gear that's better priced abroad. their powered speakers are really light (plastic) these days and if all you are worried about is vocals, there's no real need for a heavy sub. Aside from effects, mikes, stands and mike cables I could buy a used 500 Watt system (mixer and 2 powered speakers) for about 500USD. As mentioned before, buy used. Audio gear has gotten very reliable and unless something catastrophic like beer being poured into the mixer or stuff like that you'll get more bang for your buck..

 

[Mike.C.]

Oh, yes. Sorry/thanks/dumb.

 

[RedVee]

I was destined to be a Thunderbird II player! Mine since I was a kid!

Mine since I was a kid, I was destined to be a Thunderbird II guy!

I was a Thunderbirds, and Thunderbird 2 in particular, fan in my primary school days... and I still get a kick out of them. Looks to be a great model you have there.

 

[godofthunder59]

I was a Thunderbirds, and Thunderbird 2 in particular, in my primary school days... and I still get a kick out of them. Looks to be a great model you have there.

It's the old Dinky brand, made in the UK of course!

 

[georgiagoodie]

Where can we have that discusion? “Off the books: the underground economy” great book.



Naw I’ll keep the bird... soapboxes are cheap and music is better than any soap box but thanks this has been quite helpful. I’m starting to see which members I might really like above and beyond bass talk... as well as how much time I’m wasting.

I used to waste a lot of time on taborama when I was between 17 and 20.... thank god it was shut down. I never would have escaped. It helped me refine my own thoughts and oversights. It’s important to speak your thoughts out loud so that they may be challenged. Just have to find somewhere else....

PillO speaks of some secret shadow only paid members have access to. Can we not start something for the rest of us?

True, you could be wasting your time here. Good news is you haven't wasted any money...

 

[Gaolee]

Could be. I’ve a bit absent from OBF for a few weeks, returned last weekend and 2 mixers went in and then out of their classifieds in the last few days- week.



Thanks, may be a bit much for us though. I’ll keep it in mind though.

In general, I need to keep the cost down as we have zero budget, just what my fellow volunteers and I put together. We have no income as a group, this is solely a volunteer / charitable endeavour and have the group are retirees.
Lowish cost, say $600-$800(tops) in Aussie dollars. Low volume, we are singing in nursing home common rooms, charity dining room style room. So 300w up to about 500w would be ample. I want to start with vocals, maybe a backing track in the case the instruments can’t make in one day. So, min 4 xlr inputs but a couple extra would be better. We have an accordion, and me atm and regularly . Prospects of a new guitarist in the new year, and a couple of our regulars have threatened to bring their ukes along but all talk in that area so far.


At the moment I’m just generally looking around in case something jumps out at me, and mainly looking for an information source that can give me an idea on what I’m looking at/for.
A “PAs for Dummies” type website.

The scrounged PA from hell cost me about US $1000 total over several years and is scalable from common room size to heard on the moon size. The common room size version has two Wharfedale wedge monitors, a couple Gibson 210 guitar cabinets repurposed as mains, and a 100 watt Acoustic Control six channel powered mixer. The cabinets stay for the large version, but the small powered mixer gives way to a twelve channel Yamaha mixer that drives an Acoustic 400 power amp (two 375 watt power sections from a 370 bass amp) for the mains and a smaller 100 watt ART power amp for monitors. The mains for that one are a pair of enormous Acoustic 811/812 mains that include four front firing 15s on each side, a mid-range horn, and a six piezo array for treble. The wattage isn't awesome for any of it, by modern standards. But, it will rattle your eyeballs. The smaller version is plenty adequate for small-ish outdoor gigs. It won't push instruments, so any stage volume from guitar and bass amps is also going to be audience volume. I have run keys, bass, miced acoustic guitar, and miced small guitar amps through the big version without any problem. Moving it is a task, but it looks the part. Set that thing up and you look serious. It's not as hard to move as it could be, since I use an appliance hand truck to get the big cabinets where they need to go, and the rest of it lives in a rolling rack I built out of scrap plywood to keep it all contained and organized. It's a whole lot of fun to set it up and set up a 360 for the bass. Most people in the audience don't even notice, except that it looks like a big PA. People who have a bit more familiarity with PA equipment start out wondering if it will really work, because it's old and isn't molded plastic and isn't class D. Then it works, and they remember that things were plenty loud enough and had plenty of headroom back when gear was "underpowered" and heavy. It's not for everyone, but I sure get a kick out of it. I also have a place to store it and a van to haul it with, so there's that.

The odd part is that when I decided I needed this or that, an Acoustic Control product that fit the bill would pop up on eBay or Craigslist for cheap. It would be some model they made that I had never heard of, and it would then turn out to be the only one I ever saw for sale. It's not just Thunderbirds that choose.

 

[RedVee]

The scrounged PA from hell cost me about US $1000 total over several years and is scalable from common room size to heard on the moon size. The common room size version has two Wharfedale wedge monitors, a couple Gibson 210 guitar cabinets repurposed as mains, and a 100 watt Acoustic Control six channel powered mixer. The cabinets stay for the large version, but the small powered mixer gives way to a twelve channel Yamaha mixer that drives an Acoustic 400 power amp (two 375 watt power sections from a 370 bass amp) for the mains and a smaller 100 watt ART power amp for monitors. The mains for that one are a pair of enormous Acoustic 811/812 mains that include four front firing 15s on each side, a mid-range horn, and a six piezo array for treble. The wattage isn't awesome for any of it, by modern standards. But, it will rattle your eyeballs. The smaller version is plenty adequate for small-ish outdoor gigs. It won't push instruments, so any stage volume from guitar and bass amps is also going to be audience volume. I have run keys, bass, miced acoustic guitar, and miced small guitar amps through the big version without any problem. Moving it is a task, but it looks the part. Set that thing up and you look serious. It's not as hard to move as it could be, since I use an appliance hand truck to get the big cabinets where they need to go, and the rest of it lives in a rolling rack I built out of scrap plywood to keep it all contained and organized. It's a whole lot of fun to set it up and set up a 360 for the bass. Most people in the audience don't even notice, except that it looks like a big PA. People who have a bit more familiarity with PA equipment start out wondering if it will really work, because it's old and isn't molded plastic and isn't class D. Then it works, and they remember that things were plenty loud enough and had plenty of headroom back when gear was "underpowered" and heavy. It's not for everyone, but I sure get a kick out of it. I also have a place to store it and a van to haul it with, so there's that.

The odd part is that when I decided I needed this or that, an Acoustic Control product that fit the bill would pop up on eBay or Craigslist for cheap. It would be some model they made that I had never heard of, and it would then turn out to be the only one I ever saw for sale. It's not just Thunderbirds that choose.

Thanks Will, I’m guessing that is what will happen - I’ll pickup odds and sods along the way.
Though easy transportation would be a bonus!

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I suggest a Behringer XR18 digital mixer and a pair of powered monitors. I've done 5 gigs and lot's of rehearsals with mine.
Yes an analog mixer will work, but an XR18 does a lot more. Off the top of my head:

• 16 mic inputs and 2 line inputs
• Mixing from a laptop and/or tablets
• 6 monitor outputs that can all have their own mix
• Lots of good sounding reverbs and effects to choose from
• Real time analyzer and EQ that lets you easily ring out the room
• 16 track recording over usb to a PC

I loathe Behringer as a company (too many design ripoffs) and refuse to buy their products. I like Mackie gear. Yamaha is a good bargain, too.

 

[Engle]

Thanks Will, I’m guessing that is what will happen - I’ll pickup odds and sods along the way.
Though easy transportation would be a bonus!

I know us bass players like our old technology, but now that I have a digital mixer, it’s like I went from this:

To this:

 

[PillO]

I know us bass players like our old technology, but now that I have a digital mixer, it’s like I went from this:
View attachment 3250852

To this:
View attachment 3250854

Something something, getting your tone dialed in...

 

[Engle]

I loathe Behringer as a company (too many design ripoffs) and refuse to buy their products. I like Mackie gear. Yamaha is a good bargain, too.

Fair enough.

 

[ThaCoast]

Something something, getting your tone dialed in...

The fancy stuff lets you tweak for hours, but you know the good old gear A-Z.

 

[PillO]

The fancy stuff lets you tweak for hours, but you know the good old gear A-Z.

A surfeit of choices becomes its own limitation in that there is not enough time and attention to properly evaluate all the possible options.

 

[Count Bassie]

I loathe Behringer as a company (too many design ripoffs) and refuse to buy their products. I like Mackie gear. Yamaha is a good bargain, too.

Same sentiment here. Plus some of their gear is garbage.

 

[Inky13]

*my edit

Big Island, Oahu, Maui and Kauai.

7 nights of this vacation will be cruising on Norwegian's Pride of America where the wife and I will have a separate cabin from the kids and they will share an equally nice cabin. Both of our adjoining cabins have balconies making the 180 sq. ft. per cabin feel less cramped as well as providing lots of daylight.

Once the cruise is over, we'll stay in Oahu for the remainder, leaving on the 2nd.

Forecast here is 30’s and snow. To quote Fast Times At Ridgemont High: “I hope you had a good pi$$ Arnold!!”

Living vicariously through you.