FACTOIDS & TRIVIA

The Thunder 1 amps were designed to have a very clean sound that would not be prone to distortion. While that may be appealing to jazz guitarists it was less desirable for rockers since some harmonic richness (read: overdrive) was sacrificed. Hence, the Thunder 1 amps tend to sound “Hi-Fi” when they are directly compared to their contemporaries from Fender, Ampeg and even other Guilds. Oddly, Guild chose to use power tubes that were commonly used in old table radios rather than instrument amplifiers. This could partially account for the clean sound of the Thunder 1 amps. The Guild Thunder 1 amp in a 2x10 speaker configuration was called the “Baby Bass Amp” in the Guild catalog. However, this amp was not really a bass amp at all. The 2x10 layout provided richer tones and more bottom end than its single speaker counterparts. As such, the T1-Twin model is probably the best sounding non-reverb Thunder 1, especially if an outboard reverb unit is used. Nevetheless, the early cathode-biased Thunder 1 amps should not be discounted since they possess a unique chimey sound.

Top: 1965 Guild Thunder 1 T1-12

Bottom: 1966 Guild Thunder 1 T1-Twin

 
 Power Amp:  Tube; 2 x 6GW8, 12 watts RMS @ 8 ohms

 Preamp:  Tube; 2 x 12AX7

 Rectifier:  Tube; 1 x 6CA4

 Speakers:  1 x 12" CTS ceramic

 Channels:  1; 2 inputs (Normal, High Gain)

 Effects:  Tremolo

 Controls:  Bass, treble, volume, bright switch; tremolo on/off switch, tremolo speed

 Dimensions:  18 1/2 H  x 18 1/2 W x 9 D inches

 Weight:  25 lb

Power Amp:  Tube; 2 x 6GW8, 12 watts RMS @ 4 ohms

 Preamp:  Tube; 2 x 12AX7

 Rectifier:  Tube; 1 x 6CA4

 Speakers:  2 x 10" CTS ceramic

 Channels:  1; 2 inputs (Normal, High Gain)

 Effects:  Tremolo

 Controls:  Bass, treble, volume, bright switch; tremolo on/off switch, tremolo speed

 Dimensions:  21 1/2 H x 22 1/2 W x 9 D inches

 Weight:  33 lb