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ThunderFunk Amps

#21
ToneMonkey,

Welcome to TB!

I have a pair of the GB12T cabs. I don't know what you've powered it with before, but you should like what you hear with the TF amp you've got coming. I powered one of my GB12T cabs with a bridged QSC PLX1602 once. That little cab was singing. That's a potential of about 1000 watts going into a cab rated for 150 watts.

Let us know what you think about your new amp when you get it.
 
#22
I pulled the trigger on one of the Thunderfunk amps.....I'll let you guys know what I think after I have it a bit. I just hope nobody expects me to "Thunderfunk":eek:
 
#23
I was gonna wait until I played it at rehearsal but rehearsal got cancelled at the last minute, so I thought I'd post these initial impressions.

Caveat: I'm a part-time bass player with way less knowledge than most of you folks. Take what I say with as much salt as required.

Executive Summary: I dig this amp a lot.

I set the ThunderFunk to flat and hooked it up to the one remaining bass cab I own - a Genz 112T.

Now, for comparison sake, my old amp was a Nemsis 2-10 200 watt combo that I also used to drive this cab with. IMHO, the Nemesis is perhaps the wimpiest 200 watt bass amp I've ever played. I don't miss it a bit.

The ThunderFunk was noticably more articulate. Wow, I finally have a low E I can use. I set the gain all the way up and still wasn't clipping with my passive Barts unless I slapped. It sounds good but I wonder if a tad more gain on the input might be in order. I guess I'll never know.

I set the master to about 1/3. It really drove the cab much better than the Nemesis did. It just felt like it was all right there. The Genz cab is pretty in your face though. I wish it had a tweeter adjustment (I may relegate this Benz cab to the woodshed. The overly-agressive tweeter is starting to annoy me). I ended up dialing back the Treble more than I wanted to. It felt like I was muzzling the amp a bit. Still, it didn't sound bad by any stretch of the imagination.

I tried engaging the Comp/Limiter and really liked it. Way better than the outboard dbx 163 I've used on occasion. Still plenty articulate on the low notes. No sucking or pumping whatsoever.

I moved the Enhance around a bit and settled in around the 3:00 position, which rounded out the tone some. Nice. Dialed up a bit more bass. Nicer still. I'm pretty floored with how good this amp and a 1-12 2-way cab sound.

I did play with the parametric mids a bit but set them back flat pretty quickly. I need to get this amp to rehearsal before I start fine tuning the mids. My band's current instrumenation is guitar, sax, bass and drums so there's a lot of room in the lower mids. The guitarist especially wants a more aggressive bass presence than the last guy so that he can lay back more when comping. I'm still groping around for a tone that will fill up just the right amount of space but not walk all over the other guys. I'm pretty sure this head can get me there.

Hmmm.... now I need a cab or two.
 
#25
Originally posted by Brad Johnson
I can make a suggestion... here's the new Nahas 2-12 cab:D

Bergantino HT112's woukld work real nice also. I have a ThunderFunk coming next week. I've already owned the Gibson amd the AMP. The ThunderFunk is supposed to have a more efficient power amp section so I'm anxious to see how it sounds.
Click to expand...
 
#26
Yeah, I'm starting to be drawn to the sound of 12s.

I do have a portability issue though. I drive a Volvo. While the trunk is fairly spacious, I figure my max dimensions are 24" wide x 16.25" deep. The depth is really critical.

How deep is your cab? A lot of 2-12s seem to be 18" or even deeper.
 
#27
Originally posted by ToneMonkey
Yeah, I'm starting to be drawn to the sound of 12s.

I do have a portability issue though. I drive a Volvo. While the trunk is fairly spacious, I figure my max dimensions are 24" wide x 16.25" deep. The depth is really critical.

How deep is your cab? A lot of 2-12s seem to be 18" or even deeper.
Click to expand...

Berg HT112's are 15"H x 17-1/2"W x 13"D. The best portable cab I've heard and I've tried a lot of them.
 
#28
Originally posted by ToneMonkey
Yeah, I'm starting to be drawn to the sound of 12s.

I do have a portability issue though. I drive a Volvo. While the trunk is fairly spacious, I figure my max dimensions are 24" wide x 16.25" deep. The depth is really critical.

How deep is your cab? A lot of 2-12s seem to be 18" or even deeper.
Click to expand...

That 2-12 isn't mine, it belongs to a friend of mine who just got it last week. He was pretty skeptical and according to him the cab is pretty ridulous volume and tonewise. I'll contact Joey Nahas and get the measurements.

I'm still using my rear ported 1-12 and 1-15 Nahas cabs. My rig fits behind the seats in my PT Cruiser, with the cargo cover in place. After talking to Joey last week it might be time to try something new.:D
 
#29
Like Bergantino, it looks like Nahas uses 3" wheels.....much better than those cab tipping itty-bitty wheels the put on some 100 pound cabs:eek:
 
#31
I'm down to one cab... a Genz 112T.

Bottom line, the TF with one cab did not cut it last night. Not enough volume or attitude. Guitarist was playing thru his Super Reverb. I probably shouldn't expect a 200W (into 8 ohms) amp and 1-12 cab to really keep up. Therefore, I can't really say it was the amp's fault. I was playing the amp fairly flat (just rolled off some of the treble but bass and mids were dead flat). Tone was OK. I needed some more attitude. I'm just reluctant to do much midrange tweaking until I get closer to a usable sound.

I have an older Avatar CB115 (clone of a rear ported bag end cab instead of newer shelf ported style) on the way that should be here in time for next week's rehearsal. I'll be driving both the Genz and the Avatar with the TF. That will drop me down to 4 ohms and use all 400 watts of the TF. That should do quit a bit better in the balls department. I'm hoping the rear ported cab, in addition to being more portable, will be a bit punchier and less tubby than a shelf ported cab. I'll keep you guys posted.

I've got to say that for me, playing blues and old school R&B is just way more demanding than rock and country in every way... groove, phrasing, tone... everything matters and there's no place to hide. Quite the baptism by fire. Good thing my band mates are patient and supportive.
 
#32
Received my ThunderFunk a couple of days ago and it sounds great. Dave Funk made a couple of minor mods on the original Gibson design and it has a much smoother high end, very contemporary sounding. The power amp is supposed to be more efficient and that's noticeable also. If anyone is looking for an great amp at a reasonable cost you need to check these out. A friend of mine bought the Gibson GB440 and paired it up with a 4 ohm Avatar 4x10" and has a killer rig for low bucks.:bassist:
 
#34
I got one from Dave a few weeks back.....I'm really digging the amp.....very tight sounding! I've used it on a couple singer-songwriter gigs, and it's perfect for it......just great bang for the buck!
 
#35
Originally posted by ToneMonkey
I'm down to one cab... a Genz 112T.

Bottom line, the TF with one cab did not cut it last night. Not enough volume or attitude. Guitarist was playing thru his Super Reverb. I probably shouldn't expect a 200W (into 8 ohms) amp and 1-12 cab to really keep up.
Click to expand...

He must like to really crank :rolleyes:

I've used an AMP 420 and the lower powered 260 for years with 1-12 cabs in loud blues bands and never been close to being out of volume (even with the 260...never had the single volume knob above 12:00) and no problems filling the room with no PA support. That includes a stint using a GB 12T!!!
 
#36
I bought an Avatar 1-15 cab from a guy in NC. He ships it last Monday via UPS ground. Well, of course they send it to the wrong depot, where it sits all freakin' day yesterday. Sure enough, today it's on a truck to the right depot. It should get here tomorrow. Problem is, Tuesdays are rehearsal night. I've got to wait an entire week to try the TF with two cabs.

Did I mention that I hate UPS? Just say no to these bozos. FedEx ground is cheaper and the service is MUCH better.
 
#37
File this one under "I love it when a plan comes together."

'Came home yesterday to find the box containing my new (to me) Avatar 1-15 cab on my doorstep. Unpacked it, threw it in the trunk with the Genz 112T, ThunderFunk head and headed off to rehearsal.

Wow, what a difference. The cabs worked outstanding together. The tone truly was bodacious and inspiring. The bottom was big, round and tight with real nice detail on the E string. It was a real pleasure throwing down notes on the E string. It also gave me enough overall juice to play with a somewhat lighter touch... something I've been trying to do for years. I guess that there's just no substitute for power. I just felt like everything was "right there" if that makes any sense. I could tell the drummer was really digging it too. He sometimes plays a little "detached" might be a good way to put it. He was really laying into his kick and snare last night. The band never sounded better and more than one of my band mates mentioned that.

Being less experienced than most of you, it's hard for me to tell how much of the overall sound is due to the ThunderFunk head and how much is due to the rest of the rig. I just haven't played as much stuff as you guys, so I hesitate to speculate on that. But hey, the rig is working for me and that's all I really care about. I can definitely say that this is the best bass rig I've ever personally owned. While it probably wouldn't keep up with 800 watt and larger rigs, I thought it sounded every bit as good or better than comparable Eden and SWR rigs I've heard.

The guitarist was playing his Fender Super Reverb last night and my rig kept up with it for the most part. I did ask him to dime it briefly just to see if I could go toe to toe and I couldn't quite keep up... the tone got a bit too distorted and ratty for my tastes but I think I could've tweaked the EQ and played a gig that way if I'd been forced to.

If anyone is interested, I'll try to post a pic of my rig later.
 

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