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Thunderbird Club

That doesn’t appear to be dual 15s. Looks like a single 18” facing backward, in a folded-horn cabinet like the old acoustic brand 360s and 370s. I have one of each and they blow away ampeg 8x10s, which I’ve owned many and love. The folded horn was pure genius.
My brother had a 'fridge at one point. I set up my 360 next to his Ampeg and we played through them. The 360 made the Ampeg sound like it had a head cold. It was all dry and scratchy sounding, with a lot of gray in the sound and some dusty brown. The 360 was big and round and juicy with a lot of teal and electric blue and black. Funny thing is that I'm not a fan of the sound of a 370 so much, but a 320/408 stack is right there with a 360. A 408 cabinet has four 15s. Two are front firing, and two fire at each other in a central slot to produce a column of sound similar to a folded horn. I don't know if it really does that, but that cabinet with a 320 head sounds phenomenal. I kinda wish I had kept it, but having a 360 and a 320/408 and a Grexa 360M is a little bit of overkill if you don't need to light up a stadium with Thunderbird sound.
 
Happy Chinese New Year! It’s the year of the Ox:smug:
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:D

I remember my sisters and I getting antsy hanging around waiting while Dad sorted out the light meter. :laugh:

He switched to the Canon near/at retirement for a trip to visit his brother in Kelowna and had a nice trip built around that. Then he took it around Australia a couple of times. Fun when he was practicing with a macro ? lens in the backyard on the flowers and insects.

I assume the old SLR lenses would still fit on a digital SLR ? I’m assuming that is a standard.

That all depends on the manufacturer.
For example, you can use most Nikkor manual lenses on most Nikon full frame DSLR’s.
I need to use an adapter on my Fuji for all my old Nikkor glass.
I prefer analog glass over digital.
But using a converter changes the focal length.
A 50mm would now be a 75mm.
In some ways that’s an advantage for me.
I’m sure @PillO can chime in on this as well.
 
That all depends on the manufacturer.
For example, you can use most Nikkor manual lenses on most Nikon full frame DSLR’s.
I need to use an adapter on my Fuji for all my old Nikkor glass.
I prefer analog glass over digital.
But using a converter changes the focal length.
A 50mm would now be a 75mm.
In some ways that’s an advantage for me.
I’m sure @PillO can chime in on this as well.
I can, but I won't. ;):D

I have not been moved by digital photography. I am still on film and don't expect that will change. I still like processing B&W. So the closest I have to a digital camera is a phone.
 
That all depends on the manufacturer.
For example, you can use most Nikkor manual lenses on most Nikon full frame DSLR’s.
I need to use an adapter on my Fuji for all my old Nikkor glass.
I prefer analog glass over digital.
But using a converter changes the focal length.
A 50mm would now be a 75mm.
In some ways that’s an advantage for me.
I’m sure @PillO can chime in on this as well.
I still have some of my b&w darkroom stuff from the seventies in the garage. Including the enlarger. Haven’t thought about it since we moved into this house in ‘97 and I put it in the cabinet.
 
Happy Chinese New Year! It’s the year of the Ox:smug:
View attachment 4166912

Kind of a rare '60s IV with a stripy mahogany upper wing. You can see the lower one and center neck-thru section's are not stripy - like every example I've ever seen.
 
All these wonderful heads and cabs makes me a little sad. My '90s V-4B that I have in my home office has died! I was playing and the sound just went away. Tried it again later several times and can't get a thing out of it.:crying: It had new tubes installed about 3 yrs ago and a grid resistor just before I got it from a TBer. It was always more quite than my trusty V-4BH (same 100w head), which was not a problem since I just had this as a back up and for home use. The store that had my trusted amp tech closed and I have no idea where he's at. Going to have to find someone when this gift from another region is under control. Why can't I live in SoCal or better Chucky live in Ky?:rollno:

View attachment 4164411
You could move here!
 
That all depends on the manufacturer.
For example, you can use most Nikkor manual lenses on most Nikon full frame DSLR’s.
I need to use an adapter on my Fuji for all my old Nikkor glass.
I prefer analog glass over digital.
But using a converter changes the focal length.
A 50mm would now be a 75mm.
In some ways that’s an advantage for me.
I’m sure @PillO can chime in on this as well.

I hadn’t thought about the camera for years. I might have to see how the land lies around here. He had a small tripod for it as well - it must be around as well, I think I may have given it to no. 3 when she was doing photography at high school.

When we were young and he was using the Leica he was doing all slides I think. Every so often would be slide night. I expect he got that camera in the mid 50s, like his nice watch it most likely predated marriage. So he may have had a few shekels in his pocket in those days.
 
No surprise at all, given the only problems with them are the horrendous neck dive and headstocks popping off. Oh wait... :D

I can't imagine anyone playing one and getting rid of it. Maybe someone stuck on the sound of a Jazz bass maybe. After my first one I knew right away why they hardly show up used.
I’m glad someone did! Altho he got seller’s remorse and immediately bought another one (also used).
 
Gig tonight went well. We cleared them out early. Gig tomorrow night 86'ed.
ADDENDUM: :poop:
When we play at VFW's, American Legions, Knights of Columbus Halls, Elks Clubs, etc., they often have a "50/50" raffle. Within minutes after the drawing, ~2/3 of the people leave. I've suggested to the band that we learn to play "Exodus" as they head for the door.
 
Happy Chinese New Year! It’s the year of the Ox:smug:
View attachment 4166912

I think it interesting to note how high Mr. JAE wears that Bird and how it hangs on him, he's barely touching it and it's not living up to it's reputation.
 
had forgotten this Ampeg design....dual 15’s.....BEAST is an understatement.....
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Thunderbird 1 in MIke's Garage.jpg


Folded horns were incredible. My rig in the early to late 80s included an 8-10 and a 4-12 folded horn that would have sound guys screaming about shaking walls in every venue it graced.

These Risson cabinets powered by a biamped GK800RB were incredible. The 8-10 had 6 CTS and 2 Altec speakers (isolated pairs like Ampeg). All alone, it sounded monstrous, but articulate as well. Then that 4-12 brought so much low end that it really did overpower dual Marshall stacks if I turned it up too much. I was young and inexperienced, so I was surprised that the 8-10 was so loud with only a 100 watt feed (while the 4-12 got 300 watts), so I felt like I needed to make sure it was always turned up really high so it could be heard. :D
 
I think it interesting to note how high Mr. JAE wears that Bird and how it hangs on him, he's barely touching it and it's not living up to it's reputation.
IDK, looks pretty neck divey to me...
IMG_4517.JPG

....(psssst, we need to keep these horrible balance rumors going, otherwise everybody will want a Thunderbird, and they're already too expensive). ;)