Trace Elliot GP12 SMX 1215 Combo

If I was looking for the sound of the GP12 SMX preamp I wouldn't ask a question for any other amp.

If you are not familar with the sound of a distinct amplifier its a good idea to check it out first.

I like the GP12 SMX sound very much but also like different sounds such as the svt sound. It does not mean these sounds meat your cup of tea.

 

I had to look it up. It's one of the Peavey 1st run at succeeding the SMX.

 

I just picked these up about a week ago and couldn’t be happier. It’s got its own character for sure. To me it hits a spot somewhere between Ampeg and GK but definitely its own thing. And don’t be fooled—the power rating is deceptively conservative. It gets thunderously loud.

 

Uhm, I don't think I want to share your opnion.
At the other hand side I'm more familar with the GP12 SMX sound.

 

Heavy as @$([email protected]@, ,but tone for days, and louder than you think it will be.

 

I probably worded that poorly. Not tubey like Ampeg or harsh/hi fi like GK, just its own beast. I use an Ashdown Spyder for band practice, and I’d say it and the TE are in the same neighborhood. Both are great pedal platforms, which is key for me.

 

Everything in the ballpark. Some preamp compression may do the trick.

 

Keep in mind the one he is looking at is Peavey not the old Trace SMX. You don't hear much about the Peavey Trace until they got with the Elf / Transit programme.

Edit. Seems advertiser must have mixed it up for OP. It's a 90's one after all!

 

Never experienced the GK sound kinda "harsh/hi fi like"

 

Never mind then. My experience was with an old green rat fur amp. I don't miss carrying it after a gig, but loved it when on stage.

 

I have no experience with the combo, but did own a TE amp with 4x10, 1x15 cabs. It was LOUD, and it was HEAVY, but somehow I couldn't get the sound I wanted, although I played it for years.
Sold it, and bought an Ashdown ABM EVO II C575 combo, with an C115 extra cab. Loud a.f., even louder than the Trace, and yes, both were/are Mark Gooday products. But the Ashdown is way more versatile and punchier in my humble opinion. If I had to choose again, not a single second in doubt: the Ashdown is the way to go. For me, that is.

 

I was a Trace user and decided a combo was the way to go and sold it for an Ashdown and was very disappointed with the tone which I felt was somewhat muddy. It got wrecked when I sold it so I ended up with the amp part back and I wish I knew what I did with it as it was pretty reasonable as a preamp and I suspect it was the speaker cab letting it down. It was a 1x15 but I use 1x15s now from TecAmp and they aren't muddy at all.

 

Friend of mine uses this combo with double bass (and fretless bassguitar). He's got an ordinary plywood bass, realist pickup, no preamp; I'm always surprised how great he sounds. The only setback is that the combo is really heavy; he cut the head off and made it head+box to ease the transport.

 

It will be loud enough. And heavy enough.

 

My experience over the decades of playing rock and funk music told me that a 115 did rarely fit my "volume" needs on stage .
Can't remember I ever played this music genre without PA support.

The last time I played a backline 115 combo on a "noisy" stage (it was a couple of years ago) and also had PA support I did wish to have an extension cab.

Sometimes a 115 combo/cab is loud enough, sometimes its not. As usual it all depends.

btw, it might be benefical with the TE combo that there is no HT device present thus the power amp can (likely) be pushed a little harder without getting (nasty) distortion artifacts.

 

When I had a TE combo I popped the head out and built a box for it. With an extension cab it was heavy overall. Then I got a more powerful head and 2x10 that was even heavier. So now I'm dedicated to light 1x15s as the speaker area is similar but they weigh less

 

So not a Peavey one. Most likely similar to the one pictured in the stack above but carpeted. Plenty loud for a monitor and will handle not so loud bar gigs with vocal PA.