VTypeV4

The 400 / 600 were pretty weighty - I'd estimate ~22 kilos. The more compact 250 / 300w heads were far more manageable in that 12 / 13kg as suggested. As for the light cabs thing, if I was still doing 3 or four shows per week then absolutely, yes but I haven't done that for years.. I've seen there's more than a few on here using exactly as described with a couple of Barefaced (or similar) and their Trace head - I expect it works great. The lightest things I've got are a pair of SWR Goliath Jr III (of which are notably lighter and more compact than their TE counterparts) - I'm only 20 years behind the curve! The Trace cabs will likely become a permanent feature at my studio which is no bad thing, really as they still sound fine. Thanks, it really is - having owned all one one point or another (300, 400 and 600), I'd say these are the jewel in the crown of the SMX series..

Smx 1020 by VTypeV4, on Flickr Smx 1020 by VTypeV4, on Flickr

Smx 1020 by VTypeV4, on Flickr Smx 1020 by VTypeV4, on Flickr This week I grabbed true bargain from the wonders of eBay.. Here we have a 400SMX, an 1153 & 2103H - classic Trace gear from the late '90s which still kicks a$$ more than 20 years later! I'll take it all to rehearsal later and see how it goes. I'd forgotten how good these things are despite weighing 10T..

I bought a cheap Cecilio Soprano about 12 months ago from a friend - he'd previously had it serviced and re-padded.. Progress is a little 'glacial' but I'm very happy with it..

Trace Elliot AH400SMX - bags of power, lots of EQ options and looked as cool as a cool thing..

A few years back, I had an Ashton BV300 and that was pretty good - I'd probably still have it if I'd not got my Trace back.. Review here:

My experience of valve swaps is somewhat varied. What I've found is that the same valve in a different circuit responds very differently. I swapped the cheap Chinese ECC83s out of my Fender Bassman a few years back and replaced them with long-plate JJ ECC803 types. There was a difference - they were definitely a bit bigger / fatter sounding adding a thickness but it wasn't a night and day contrast - maybe 10% at best which I found a little surprising.. By contrast, I put a set into my home built 60w 'Beavis' head (Marshall circuit - Linear L50 components) and that absolutely loved them! They made it sound bigger, bolder, brighter, cleaner and really added a new chapter to it's sound. I've no experience of the LB30 / CTM30 amplifier so can't comment on that but it sounds like it might be a great platform for a little experimentation..

Yup, still using them exclusively - for bass at least.. DSC01673 by VTypeV4, on Flickr 135 number ten by VTypeV4, on Flickr Beavis nearly by VTypeV4, on Flickr I don't do many gigs these days but all definitely have their place at the studio..

Risky Roch by VTypeV4, on Flickr Agree completely about the SWR cabs..

Nice one, glad both your SMX and Hexa are back on form! 😀

Given the pedigree of a Hexa (so very cool!), any valve(s) that's within spec will sound great. 😀 I've done lots of tube rolling over the years and I've found their individual characteristics vary rather more by the circuit they're in than the individual valves. So, my 60w head 'Beavis' has had all sorts of pre and power tubes in over the years and is usually my reference for testing. It's based on '60s / '70s Marshall circuit and generally brings out the 'character' of various valves very well. My little Laney VC30 is also great for this - wierdly, it sounds best (IMO) with the cheap small plate Sovtek valves in. The Fender 135 on the other hand still shows the character of the tube(s) but the effect is far less pronounced - possibly due to the lower gain of the Fender design. Your Trace is probably somewhere between the two - mine is. Bit of food for thought but like I said, when it's running correctly, you have a killer amp irrespective of what brand / version of valves are in it. 😀

Personally, I don't think any amp is irrelevant or obsolete, just horses for courses..

When a valve amp 'hums' it's sometimes a failing component or the bias is set a bit on the hot side. If your tech has been through the amp and you trust him, then it's probably fine - it might have been something as simple as a noisy mains supply. My current V4 and previous Twin Valve weren't noisy, nor was the V6 I borrowed but if your Hexa has the earth lift switches, it might be worth a flick - this was handy on the TV but the V4 doesn't have one. As for the '3rd' valve, I don't see one on the diagram and I'm pretty sure my Twin only had two also - think someone might be fibbing with their valve kits. I can't comment on the Mesa tubes but most are re-branded Sovtek / Reflektor which is no bad thing but I feel there's little point paying a premium for what's essentially a standard valve with a fancy badge. The gain stages in all the Trace amps are low to moderate at best so whilst additional shielding won't do any harm, you're better spending your pennies on a better grade of valve. When I feel the V-Type is due, I'll gladly do a JJ re-valve although it's working fine atm.

I've good experience of the JJ valves in several platforms.. My V4 has several of the 'short plate' ECC83S which sound lovely have been trouble free for many years. They're pretty cheap too. The Fender Bassman 135 and custom built 'Beavis' amp I have also have JJ types although they're the more expensive 'long plate' variant, the ECC803. Again, these have been great - the Fender gets lots of use so has plenty of hours with zero issue. Whilst not quite the same as vintage Mullard or RCA types, they're at least 90% of the way there without the worry of fragility or big expense. I'll dare say they're much better than the 'TE' ones which look to be Chinese although my experience with them shows they're better than might be expected at that price point. If they're the originals, they'll be over due for replacement by now I would have thought anyways.

I think it was on here, our Ashdown representative said that if I needed anything for my Trace V4 that I should contact them. I can't find the thread but I remember thinking it was a great gesture. Once again, hats off to Ashdown for their customer service - even if you've never had one!

My personal thoughts, feelings and experience on the Fender.

New jj 6L6s 1217 by VTypeV4, on Flickr Faultless in my 135.. Your pre-amp valves are ECC83 / 12AX7 and the driver / inverter valve will be an ECC81 / 12AT7..

Just sharing the link - I've been very happy with them. 😀 In fact, I've been very happy with all the JJ valves I've had. 😀

https://www.jj-electronic.com/en/6l6gc-7027-a

IMG_20200329_213446 by VTypeV4, on Flickr IMG_20200329_214141 by VTypeV4, on Flickr IMG_20200329_213733 by VTypeV4, on Flickr Thought I'd try some arty shots.. Musically, the little setup works superbly. 😀

Thanks, Bob.. 😀

SynkHomeCVD1920 by VTypeV4, on Flickr Despite all of the Covid-19 madness, I'm doing my best to keep the music going by taking half of the setup from the currently closed Rigger Venue. As can be seen, my 'Dual Unity' 02R is in service. It's nearly 9 years since I started this thread and six years or more since I purchased my first 02R. Despite all the time and as we head into April 2020, I'm still very happy with them. 😀

Cheers, man! 😀 Nice to see they used the first part of my Trace V4 review as their description - do you think I'd get a discount? The old Fender is a bit 'looser' the way the power stage drives the speakers plus the natural compression is a bit more ever present. The Trace feels a bit more 'scooped' with all the controls set at noon but even with them adjusted to taste, it's always a little more 'hollow' sounding than the Fender.. I think I suggested in my review of the V4 that the Trace was still a 'modern' sounding amplifier and made comparisons to that of the Swedish EBS products - very much a classic modern classic if that makes sense?

I'd forgotten that, ha! - Clive button ones have 'clive button' on them too..

Evening, folks.. The two boards look similar but they're easily identifiable by a few bits.. The main heat sinks on the bi-polar bear are separate but it's a single bigger one on the CB, also the main caps are physically larger and the gizmo mentioned above is a transistor that has something to do with controlling the fan - has its own heat sink. As I recall, they're a direct drop in replacement - I did my own on the 4808 years ago. I never had any bother with it (although I had some bad joints on the pre-amp board) and it had plenty of power too..