• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

SCORE!! Trace Elliot V8 coming in!

#24
Alrighty. I had my first band session with this amp, yesterday evening. Man man man did this amp blow me of my sox!!

First of all. The sound is awesome. So rich in tone. Really excellent. The EQ is very very powerful. A little goes a long way on the the bass/mid/treble knobs. This amps doesn't have extended features like graphic eq's and tons of boost and cut knobs. The little knobs it has (bright/deep/midshift) are all very useful. The Bright knobs adds some nice overtones, nothing harsch. Deep smacks your balls to the walls and the midshift knob shifts the mids center position to somewhere to 2Khz. When I did this I couldn't believe my ears (and chest). Pumping out strong start/stop rhythms felt like someone was pounding my chest with a ten ton hammer. Talk about punch, my friends...

The compressor is also very very good. I don't know if it's got anything to do with the tubes but this comp. sounds good. I had a pedal compressor in the past, the 'should-be-goud' EBS MultiComp, but it didn't do much to my ears. This Trace comp however adds a lot. Good compression that is.... hehe this amp made me understand compression as well.

What I like a lot is the second, overdrive channel. It sounds very very gritty and that's the way I like it. The Ampeg I had sounds somewhat woolier. Less articulated. Of course you can make the Trace sound wooly if you like. I never really liked clean-clean tones. The SVT-3 was too, well, not punchy enough so I've always used overdrive. Yesterday night was the first time I fell in love with a clean sound. Channel I on this amp sounds so damn nice. Warm warmer warmest.

Ow yeah. This amp is loud. Really LOUD. REALLY REALLY LOUD! I had it on 2 and it was earthshakingly loud. hehehe I might check that half power switch on the back of the amp :)

Anyway. I'm sold. I want tubes and nothing else. This baby did it. Really. I had the SVT-3 Pro for two years and played and giggid it A LOT. And I liked it as well. Only, with the Ampeg I kept on changing my sound night after night, you know, in search of that holy-grail-sound that I never found in that amplifier. The V8 was instant GRAIL of the holy grails if you know what I mean. Everything set flat was already completely awesome sounding.

So far my first mini review. Next saturday is the first band rehearsal with this amp. Can't wait. Can't wait to hear it in some real songs; yesterday was a jam session.


One little problem though: I'm using two 8 ohm 4x10 cabinets. Nothing wrong with that. One 8 Ohm cabinet is working fine. Connected jack/jack. The V8, however, 's got only one jack output and one XLR. I bought this conversion thingie to put on my jack speakercable but it doesn't really work right. This cabinet is sounding 'BRRRRRRRRRRRRR' 'Broooooooooooaaaaaaaaaar' 'rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr'. NOISE!

Who else is using two cabinets with it's V-series tube amp and get it's working right?
Could I make a Y-cable and get it all running correctly (ohms and all, two 8 ohm cabs connected with a y cable to one 4ohm output is correct right?)

Or perhaps that XLR thingie is ****ed up? I don't know anything about stuff like that. Please help me out...

Bart
 
#25
Whoah Bart, that's one big friggin' amp!
I thought I heard something rumbling last evening, it was you!

That XLR thingie isn't *peep*ed up. I think it's meant for microphones... I'm not sure, but these things also do an impedance conversion?! I don't know for sure, just trying to help. :)

Instead of making an Y-cable you could solder an XLR plug to a jack cable. Are you sure this is speaker output even?
 
#26
I'm using Planet Waves speaker cables; I like these a lot. They do make a difference to cheaper cables. Anyhow. PW makes special connectors: i.e. XLR Male (what I need) to 1/4" jack. However the jack connection on those connectors are always STEREO. My cabinets and the cables I'm using are mono. Perhaps there's something wrong with that? Is XLR always a stereo connection?
 
#29
Does either of your cabs have 2 1/4" jacks? The easiest way go is daisy chaining, where you go from amp to cab 1, and then out of the other 1/4" on cab 1 into cab 2. If you must use the XLR, make sure you get an XLR speaker cable, not a regular mic cable. That converter thingy is probably your problem, most of them are made for mics and have impedance matching circuitry. You want a plain old non-shielded speaker cable.
 
#31
MBIYF said:
Is het wel een speaker-uitgang? Niet dat ik je niet op je woord geloof, maar 1 jack en 1 XLR uitgang klinkt zo onwaarschijnlijk.
Click to expand...

Thanks it's a speaker output for sure. Trace Elliot V8 manual says "The two sockets, one 1/4” jack and one female XLR, are for connection to speaker cabinets. These are internally wired in parallel, either or both may be used. However, due to the higher current rating of the XLR socket we recommend this is used whenever possible."
 
#33
jondog said:
If you must use the XLR, make sure you get an XLR speaker cable, not a regular mic cable. That converter thingy is probably your problem, most of them are made for mics and have impedance matching circuitry. You want a plain old non-shielded speaker cable.
Click to expand...

Thanks. This might be it! Perhaps the dude at the guitar store sold me a microphone XLR connector.
 
#34
The XLR is definately a speaker output. A lot of people don't realize that Trace used them as such.

Here are a couple of options.

1. Add a second 1/4" jack to one of the cabs so you can daisy chain them. Its not hard to do at all.

2. Have a custom cable made for it. Check these guys out: http://www.procablesnsound.com/ They come highly recommended and will make any type of cable you want.
 
#37
DEVILMAN said:
So out of the 75 V-8's built, it's good to see some are still around & being used.

I wonder how many TB'rs own these, 3 or ???...

~S~
Click to expand...

OOOOOH MYYYYY GOOOOOOOOD

I never realized that there were only 75 made!!!!!!!!???????? Really?
I was thinking about making an owner site for this amp. A website where user could 'register' their amp. Could be cool to locate them all...
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back