Thunderbird Club

[GonePlaid]

Hopefully someday you'll be able to try a B-15 ... it may change your opinion. Most decent recording studio's have one.

I got to play(what used to be)my 66 EB-3 through a guy's B-18. Awesome. He was selling it-but he knew what it was worth. I couldn't touch it.

 

[GBassNorth]

I've only plugged into a Fliptop one time. It was a used one at GC, a 1960's B15N I believe. I gotta say, I wasn't at all impressed with the one I tried. Sound was good at low volume, but farted like crazy at any volume above bedroom level. I have no idea if this is normal for for the amp or if GC just had a bad one but it turned me off of that quest real quick.

So, did I just run across a fluke or is this really just a bedroom/studio (with mic) amp?

 

[JIO]

I got to play(what used to be)my 66 EB-3 through a guy's B-18. Awesome. He was selling it-but he knew what it was worth. I couldn't touch it.

I played a gig with a borrowed B-18 in the early '70s but had no idea what tone was then. (high school combo) I was impressed by the glowing AMPEG glass plate and how it folded into itself.

 

[JIO]

I've only plugged into a Fliptop one time. It was a used one at GC, a 1960's B15N I believe. I gotta say, I wasn't at all impressed with the one I tried. Sound was good at low volume, but farted like crazy at any volume above bedroom level. I have no idea if this is normal for for the amp or if GC just had a bad one but it turned me off of that quest real quick.

So, did I just run across a fluke or is this really just a bedroom/studio (with mic) amp?

I use mine for live shows and it's plenty loud/present and clean. I never have the volume set above 10:00. If it's got bad tubes or isn't biased it won't perform at its optimal.

With Bond Girl at the now defunct Slims SF - it was d.i.'d there but mostly go direct in the smaller clubs.

 

[RedVee]

I was in an old railway workers Timber cottage from the late 1800s up in the Blue Mountains when I played one. The cottage had a raised wooden floor and the Ampeg shook the room. Not even that loud but it was fun.

 

[Gaolee]

Hopefully someday you'll be able to try a B-15 ... it may change your opinion. Most decent recording studio's have one.

It would be great if that happened one day. I would like to have my opinion altered that way.

 

[Gaolee]

I played a gig with a borrowed B-18 in the early '70s but had no idea what tone was then. (high school combo) I was impressed by the glowing AMPEG glass plate and how it folded into itself.

I'm shallow, so that lit up logo is AWESOME!

 

[dagrev]

I found the a high pass filter made a huge difference with my Thunderbirds. I got it mostly for feedback taming on the upright, but I like what it does on Thunderbirds even more. The sound is the same, but better. I can't explain it any differently. It does not change the sound. It does seem to sharpen it and expand it.

You are deviously trying to get me to spend more money! I really would like one of those, but I think the way you describe it, my sonic stop does something kind of similar. It doesn't alter the sound of the bass, but it brings about some focus and/or clarity maybe. It can add lows but it doesn't get boomy; it can add some highs but it doesn't get brittle or clanky. I don't really know how to describe it. It does something, but I can't put it into words. Some people think it doesn't do anything, because it's subtle unless you go crazy. I really just need to engage that in the signal chain and work with that a little bit too. You all are making me wonder if I don't have a good answer already present but I am not using it.

 

[JJR58]

Until two weeks ago it was going to be a WD 800. But now, TT 800. Even though there’ll likely be good deals to be had on WDs. It’ll be my Christmas present.

Lot of WD, and D series users are selling off their amps for that TT.

 

[dagrev]

I played a gig with a borrowed B-18 in the early '70s but had no idea what tone was then. (high school combo) I was impressed by the glowing AMPEG glass plate and how it folded into itself.

Ha! Sounds like me in the late 70s. A fliptop was the first amp that I ever played and used. It wasn't mine but I got to use it for a couple years. Couldn't tell you what it sounded like now. I do know that it was loud enough to play good size rooms at modest volumes and didn't fart out.

 

[JJR58]

I'm not a fan of Ampeg amps in general. Then again, I have never played through a B15. Other than that, the ones I have played through had a scratchy, dull, brown quality to the sound. They detract from the blues and greens and teals that a Thunderbird makes.

I'll just throw in my 0000.2 cent here. Love an SVT-VR/Blueline.
Gigged with a Magnavox series Fridge back in PDX, was awesome. The B-15 and B-18 are in a league of their own.
Had an SVT Classic for a short time, absolutely did not like the tone of that head at all, at least on it's own.
I had a Tech21 RPM rack mount pre-amp i ran into the SVT Classic. That's when that thing came alive.

All that said, when comes the time, I'll be all over that TT800.

 

[JIO]

I'm shallow, so that lit up logo is AWESOME!

It was easy too...

 

[JJR58]

It would be great if that happened one day. I would like to have my opinion altered that way.

Loves me some B-15 action.

 

[JIO]

No, unfortunately. But I suspect that would be very handy in this situation. I do have a BBE Sonic Stomp (Maximizer). It may function like that in some small way, but that's not what it is. Some claim it's just a Bass and Treble boost. That may be closer to the truth, but I suspect there's a little more to it that just that. BBE doesn't seem to agree with that description, but I can understand wanting others to believe there' really something more impressive going on other than Bass and Treble boost. But I haven't really fooled with that as I'm trying to figure out how to EQ the amp then seek add that, but maybe I need to throw in on in the mix.

What the Sonic Stomp "does."
Lo Contour: Regulates the amount of phase corrected bass (+/- 12db @50 Hz) frequencies
Process: Regulates the amount of phase corrected treble (+/- 12db @ 10Hz) frequencies

I have one and it isn't a boost - if it's anything it's a comb. It makes an already good/tone sound cleaner, less audibly tangled. It's subtle but once I heard the difference it is always part of my pedal chain - or if no pedal chain it is the only pedal I always use. I usually leave the settings the same; 10:00 Lo Contour/2:00 Process but do some adjustments with a hollow-body..

 

[Gaolee]

You are deviously trying to get me to spend more money! I really would like one of those, but I think the way you describe it, my sonic stop does something kind of similar. It doesn't alter the sound of the bass, but it brings about some focus and/or clarity maybe. It can add lows but it doesn't get boomy; it can add some highs but it doesn't get brittle or clanky. I don't really know how to describe it. It does something, but I can't put it into words. Some people think it doesn't do anything, because it's subtle unless you go crazy. I really just need to engage that in the signal chain and work with that a little bit too. You all are making me wonder if I don't have a good answer already present but I am not using it.

Could be. I started with an fDeck HPF and then moved on to a Broughton high and low pass filter. Both work very well. The Broughton works just a little better for my purposes. What you have may be a filter. I'm not familiar with a Sonic Stomp, so I don't know for sure. What I discovered is that the filter somehow conserved the amp's energy to create more overtone capacity or something. And with the LPF portion of the Broughton, it can kill high overtones that take up amp wattage without adding much. At least that's my guess about how it works. And it's especially effective with the Gibson Thunderbirds. I assume that's because those pickups make so many different colors, all rolled into one complex sound. The filter simplifies just enough to provide more clarity, but not enough to change the perceived sound.

[edit] Looks like Jio addressed what a Sonic Stomp does. Now I'm curious and might need to spend money...

 

[JIO]

Ha! Sounds like me in the late 70s. A fliptop was the first amp that I ever played and used. It wasn't mine but I got to use it for a couple years. Couldn't tell you what it sounded like now. I do know that it was loud enough to play good size rooms at modest volumes and didn't fart out.

The Portaflex B-15 (and 18) was made for 20 years, 1960-1980. During that time it went through a few changes, but was essentially the same - a 30watt tube amp that folded into itself for travel. Every recording studio worth their salt has one to this day. In NYC, (not sure what years - it's folklore) a consortium of bass players and guitarists pooled their money and bought up as many Portaflexes as they could and parked them in all the studios so they would for sure all have at least one. This was logical for bass-players especially because they didn't want to have to keep navigating the various studio sessions in NYC dragging a heavy amp. Guitarist love them too - I bought mine from a guitarist. They are not about 'loud' - they are about tone, with a capital T so as much as they can be used live, they are primarily used for recording. A RI was made about 10 years ago and I think it had 40watts but otherwise was an authentic reproduction. (and pricy) I was lucky to buy my '76 (with Thiel ported cab) for a very good price right before the RI was on the cover of BassPlayer magazine which caused a spike in awareness/prices for the vintage ones.

But to get back to getting optimal sound - I owned mine for years liking the sound/tone but a pot went out and I had it serviced by a local amp wizard here in SF. He replaced the pot, did a once-over, put a couple new tubes in and biased it. When I got it back it was like a different amp - much cleaner/flavorful at higher volume and just the way it should sound. So point being, if one works it still may not be optimally dialed/set-up and would give a less than "wow" response. Once you hear one in top stripe, you will hear the "wow" and then will know why it's the most famous amp for recording bass players.

 

[TBird1958]

I have the somewhat hard to find Thunderbird Pro IV in translucent black. The grain shows thru and she is a tone monster. The guy I bought it from couldn’t get rid of the pre-amp hum. I shielded the tone/volume and pickup cavities with copper tape and soldered the seams. She rumbles and is whisper quiet. If you have noise issues try the shielding. View attachment 3875330

Welcome Subhuman with a nice Epiphone trans black Pro! Ours is a long, winding conversation about our favorite bass - The Thunderbird, please feel free to join in at any point, no watermelon helmet required! You're #820 here!



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Miles_ONeal #693
Xansky #694
Megaton Aaron #695
Mr Wrench #696
Jakeman #697
byoung93888 #698
MommyPlaysBass #699
Nighttrain1127 #700
LH MCCURDY BASSES #701
Tooned #702
Gar Ulfr #703
Dysnomia #704
Thunderbird82 #705
Milchlingr #706
Vsp13 #707
bking#708
Fogboundturtle #709
ZenGuitarist #710
cableguy #711
Tori2013 #712
megatapper #713
hisdudeness #714
jpmcbride #715
Chuck King #716
netohugo #717
DLEE #718
Pixu #719
Scoops #720
GonePlaid #721
Engle #722
Moody Tuner #723
cellkirk74 #724
Wayfan #725
johnnyCreep #726
MrKeef #727
Elder Rynok #728
cornfarmer #729
tbird42 #730
Kriegs #731
bassstrangler #732
DChid #733
Bill Kron #734
yobtaf #735
mr_dave138 #736
Jonathan C #737
jackn1202 #738
ToddofThunder #739
Phat Stanley #740
Jakeman #741
Kikegg #742
ZeroSymbolic #743
Erik herman #744
Bassmaticmatt#745
Moosehead1966 #746
Crusher47 #747
lopeha #748
N4860 #749
Ginkgo+ #750
Greginperth #751
Nunovsky #752
Hounddog409 #753
Bassblisters #754
Toybreaker #755
BurtMacklinFBI #756
JD Ronson #757
lasbassplayer #758
jumbo steelie #759
mr zee #760
Cuzzie #761
Felix Lopez #762
mbell75 #763
badgenes #764
Redwine006 #765
Robert Hutton #766
Jonithen #767
ModuMan #768
Jeff K #769
DDXdesign #770
Kipp Harrington #771
stratoclutter #772
bobyoung53 #773
Patrick J #774
Richard I #775
TerribleTim68 #776
BuddhaFingas #777
Tom Ward #778
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Dasgre0g #780
Keith Rawlings #781
JJP_1984_LB50 #782
Overdriven 66 #783
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Jeremiah_S #785
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subduded67 #796
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T-BirdsAreGo #798
Beginner Craig #799
tykus #800
Midas #801
West Delta Slim #802
LetItGrowTone #803
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AlxRaiche #805
BC Blackmur #806
kevin wells #807
Yok #808
rollyolly #809
upsidedownlefty #810
Fluffy94 #811
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Dave814 #814
11th Street Kid #815
T-BirdBassist89 #816
treydogg #817
bassgtrman #818
TWolf #819
Subhuman #820
Kat888 #888

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

The Portaflex B-15 (and 18) was made for 20 years, 1960-1980. During that time it went through a few changes, but was essentially the same - a 30watt tube amp that folded into itself for travel. Every recording studio worth their salt has one to this day. In NYC, (not sure what years - it's folklore) a consortium of bass players and guitarists pooled their money and bought up as many Portaflexes as they could and parked them in all the studios so they would for sure all have at least one. This was logical for bass-players especially because they didn't want to have to keep navigating the various studio sessions in NYC dragging a heavy amp. Guitarist love them too - I bought mine from a guitarist. They are not about 'loud' - they are about tone, with a capital T so as much as they can be used live, they are primarily used for recording. A RI was made about 10 years ago and I think it had 40watts but otherwise was an authentic reproduction. (and pricy) I was lucky to buy my '76 (with Thiel ported cab) for a very good price right before the RI was on the cover of BassPlayer magazine which caused a spike in awareness/prices for the vintage ones.

But to get back to getting optimal sound - I owned mine for years liking the sound/tone but a pot went out and I had it serviced by a local amp wizard here in SF. He replaced the pot, did a once-over, put a couple new tubes in and biased it. When I got it back it was like a different amp - much cleaner/flavorful at higher volume and just the way it should sound. So point being, if one works it still may not be optimally dialed/set-up and would give a less than "wow" response. Once you hear one in top stripe, you will hear the "wow" and then will know why it's the most famous amp for recording bass players.

I really like the whole PF series (12 trough 25)....Joe Piazza was a very clever designer who I believe may have trained in the military...when Marshall was copying Fender who in term copying the RCA applications sections that were direct takeaways from the Western Electric design manuals I know... Piazza kept his eyes and ears open for military tube surpluses that could be purchased cheap and would design around them for better margin....it's for this reason Ampegs have a variety of tube types never seen on other popular (Fender, Marshall, Mesa...etc.) amps...
B-15s and 18s depending on vintage used 7027 output tubes instead of 6L6s and these are the most sought after...that said, a common mod to slightly augment output power and provide more of a bass amp type response has always been to replace the VT rectifier with a ss one....BIG difference....

 

[davelowell2]

I got my copy of The Gibson Bass Book today. Looks very nice!

 

[dagrev]

I have one and it isn't a boost - if it's anything it's a comb. It makes an already good/tone sound cleaner, less audibly tangled. It's subtle but once I heard the difference it is always part of my pedal chain - or if no pedal chain it is the only pedal I always use. I usually leave the settings the same; 10:00 Lo Contour/2:00 Process but do some adjustments with a hollow-body..

Good description. It is subtle--and it does do something helpful in my experience. Normally it's on as much as it's off. I find whenever I do turn it on, I don't turn it off. My settings are Lo: 1:30-2:00 / Process about 10:00. About the reverse of your settings. It seems to make the sound bigger in some ways, but have more definition at the same time. I brought it home, and it seems to do the same with the 06 Gibson. It will be on next Sunday.