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Thunderfunk Bass Amp Owner’s Manual
April 2007 - revision 8
Thunderfunk Bass Amp Owner’s Manual
until you have the level you wish to play at. To have a more “compressed” signal increase the Gain/Limit
control as needed, and balance this by decreasing the Volume control to a proper overall level. Once this
knob is set, it generally will not need to be adjusted until you change instruments or effects.
To play without the Limiter you can either press the Limit Switch to the OUT position, or set the
Gain/Limit control low enough so that the red LED never lights.
RED LED Limiter Indicator
– used with the Gain/Limit control, it lights when the input signal
crosses the threshold of the limit circuit, and limiting is taking place. It might also light when the Limiter is
switched off, but the LED can be ignored. The circuit is not limiting.
Enhance Control
– This tone-shaping control changes the instruments harmonic effect, giving the
bass a more identifiable, penetrating tone. When set to the minimum level, it is effectively out of the
circuit. As you advance the knob, the sound tightens up, boosting the very low, upper middle and, high
frequencies, while adding a dip in the lower middle frequencies. This brings out the fundamental notes by
reducing frequencies that mask them, and it enhances the high-end transients, similar to techniques often
used for recording bass in the studio. The effect is especially noticeable when “slapping” on the bass
guitar, and becomes more “transparent” as the control is turned to maximum. Adjust this control to taste.
TONE CONTROLS
To match your speaker cabinets and the bass instrument to the room you are playing in, a very wide range
of tone shaping is available. While the amps are renown for sounding great flat, you can also dial in nearly
any tone imaginable. A little can go a long way; excessive boost or cut in any one area may destroy your
tone, while a single boost or cut can make a world of difference.
Overall bass and treble adjustments are made with the Bass and Treble controls, which control a broad
range of the frequency spectrum. Many players use these controls to compensate for acoustic situations,
relying on the Enhance and Parametric controls to achieve their sound. Experiment! Add bottom to fill in a
low volume gig. Adjust the lower-mid’s to compensate for that dead spot on your vintage neck. Add
midrange to cut through the mix. Lower the high end to reduce fret noise and string squeak.
Bass Control
– This tone control is a shelving type, providing a boost or cut of 15dB starting at 80 Hz.
Frequencies above this are not really affected, but frequencies below are boosted uniformly. The control
is flat at the 12 o’clock position, for an easy and fast flat setting.
Semi-Parametric Controls -
There are four pairs of semi-parametric controls. These let you boost
or cut the sound at the specific frequencies, compensating for room and speaker variations, different
playing styles and instruments, etc, without conflicting settings. The upper knob selects the frequency,
and the knob immediately below selects the amount boosted at that frequency, providing a 15 dB boost or
cut adjusted in a fixed one-octave bandwidth.
