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Trace Elliot heads - which ones are the gems?

#41
I've always found the hybrid/SS heads to lack a little in the low end, A LITTLE, but once hooked up to a speaker, the colouration of the speakers make up for this, IME.

I deifnitkly feel the Series6 pre is awesome! Although, i LOVE that compressor of the SMX! I wish my V4 had the valve compressor, that'd be awesome!

The new Trace heads, imo, are nice; I think they look great! I felt the sound was that of the older Series6 hybrids; except.. more modern? I don't like the new single band compressor; i prefere the dual band.

I played a GP7 500W combo. A very tidy piece of gear imo. I can defo seen one in my future!

And sorry to say, the new cabs are srtill made of MDF; so as to keep that sturdy build, and produce that Trace-tone ;).

I really hope they start making some more valve series in the future!!!

For now my V4, and soon to be Quatra (paws off, UK!) will keep me happy :bassist:
 
#43
I've owned three completely different Trace Elliot rigs in my life and only the first one sounded "thin" and that's because I didn't have enough power going into it. I put a better power section under it and it completely opened up.

That "problem" rig was an SMX pre with PPA 300 power amp, biamped into the Trace compact 2x10 and 1x15 cabs. The PPA 300, at 100W into 8 ohms, had great sound quality in the practice room or studio at lower volumes, but really suffered on stage. I swapped in a friend's Traynor PA amp one night just before a gig and... BOOM.

The next rig was the SMX pre into a QSC RMX bridged mono into a Trace 4x12 vintage series cab. That rig cut into a jam like no other I've ever heard (except maybe a full SVT)

Now, I have the Trace rig that I'll likely never sell. It's the SMX series 4001 head, which I believe is the equivalent to the AH300SMX but in a different cabinet, then into the 2x15 cabinet. With the master volume on 2 and flat EQ everything in the room is shaking, and there's still plenty of headroom left in it. The 5-String HH StingRay seems perfect for the rig, and vis versa. The only other time I've heard a StingRay sound more pure was direct into a Bergantino IP112/EX112 combo, but I prefer the warmth the SMX pre injects into the sound.

The Series 6 and SMX series are the best values right now, as they commanded a large price difference when new over the 6-band "low end" models but don't cost that much more now. When you "upgrade" to their old top-of-the-line preamp you do get a lot more tone shaping capability. I've never really compared the power amp sections in them because the 12-band models always won the battle just in the preamp section alone.

The V-series and T/Q/H-Valve models are fairly rare, and seem to command some pretty hefty premiums over their SMX cousins. One thing to look out for is the GP12XV preamp, which is the preamp section from the T/Q/H-Valve. There doesn't seem to be a premium on that model right now in preamp-only form.
 

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#44
Kelly - any thoughts on the use of MDF in the cabinets? Music123.com seems to have the new line in stock. I may pick up a used SMX or V-type head but I'll need a cabinet to start. Thinking about one of the new 1x15's as not too many used ones in good condition currently out there. What do you think?
 
#48
macmrkt said:
Kelly - any thoughts on the use of MDF in the cabinets? Music123.com seems to have the new line in stock. I may pick up a used SMX or V-type head but I'll need a cabinet to start. Thinking about one of the new 1x15's as not too many used ones in good condition currently out there. What do you think?
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I hear everyone complain about cabs being contructed with MDF. Personally, I prefer it over plywood.

It is a lot heavier but it also doesn't resonate like plywood. I think the sound quality is worth it. MDF, for any given thickness, is denser than a plywood of the same thickness. I admit it can't handle being rained on repeatedly like a good plywood can but who in the he!! leaves their cab in the rain that long? :eyebrow:

I carry a huge 10sp rack along with my 215, 115, Bright Box, and atleast two basses to every gig. I guess the weight just doesn't bother me yet. Maybe when I get in my 40's or 50's I might think deffirently about the weight. Maybe...:D

kitcar765 said:
what about the trace elliot quatra valve bass heads?
theres one on ebay with a few hours left and its genna go for pretty cheap, i definetly like the old school sound mixed with teh 70's era bass tones, would this be a good head for me?
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I have a QuatraValve. It is my favorite Trace Elliot head. It's 200 watts are plenty for just about anything IMO.

If you like old school sound then this is probably not the amp for you. Yes, it is tube. Yes, it is warmer than a SS amp. However, it is basically like a tube version of a Series 6 SS head. It has a traditional Trace tone that is sweetened by them glowing tubes. It is a very clean sound unlike a V8 or vintage Ampeg SVT.
 
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#53
00Funk said:
this head is a definate gem. Im pretty sure it's under the Gibson make, but man im sure happy with it.

I promise this is the last pic I will post of this amp. LOL
Im just so happy with it though :hyper:

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yup. its all trace elliot. gibson was just taking over around the time and allowed the original designers and manufactures to keep making them. i got mine recently from british audio service. augh. brand new. old stock.
 
#54
I've had two Trace rigs. A 150 watt 7 band head powering a 2 x 15 cab (good for the gig I had playing with acoustic instruments).

A couple of years later in the mid 90's I got an AH350SMX 2x10 combo, that I played either stand alone or partnered with a 1 x 15. I've always prefered the clarity of SS, but the SMX had the ideal blend with the valve pre-amp just kicking that extra bit of warmth in there. what with the dual compressor and the pre-shape I could get some good sounds out of it and switch between a cool fretted and fretless sound by a simple flick of the presets.

I really liked it, and I still have both amps, but they are both dead and they both died the same way. Mid song, just died, no power, no LED's coming on, fuses intact, seemed like a complete power supply failure. Haven't really trusted them since.
 
#55
My brother has a VA350 and it is truly amazing. It's probably the best bass amp I've ever tried.

I thought that all green carpet trace gear was gibson era?

IFAIK the pre-gibson carpetted stuff used black/grey carpet; It's pretty rare nowdays. I may well be wrong though!
 
#58
I have the new AH1000-12 and I challenge anyone to compare thier old TE heads with and see if they don't sound very simular/same.
BTW I still have an old AH350X and it sounds incredible JUST like the new stuff.
Seriously, Trace Elliot is BACK.
Try it out thier new Tube Pre-amp on the AH1000-12 is just butter.

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#59
In keeping with the ancient thread revival here... I'll bite. My main rig is a '95 AH350SMX (to this day the blacklight lit face gets lots of comments and questions at gigs) with TE 2x10 and TE 1x15 cabs (can't recall the model numbers at the moment). I love my TE gear and sold off my SVT w/8X10 rig when I decided I liked the TE much more. One of the bands I play in is a blues band and I've never had a problem getting blues tones out of it, or dialing in just about any other sound I want. Great stuff, I'm very happy TE is back.
 
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