redstriper

[quote name='Ajoten' post='362615' date='Dec 24 2008, 10:17 AM']Please forgive my endless reminiscing, but does the Vic still have The Jukes on every Wednesday night? My power trio supported some other band there once and we died such a horrible death I really wanted the ground to open up and swallow me. Re dearth of Uni gigs, when I was there the Uni Ents committee only ever put on right-on "world" or folk music acts, although we did get Dr Feelgood one xmas. Even The Waterboys had to ask to play (instead of being invited). But the blues band I was in managed half a dozen gigs in the Union over one academic year, so it's not impossible.[/quote] The Jukes play the Vic every Boxing day, but there's no regular gigs there now, just one offs and it's easy to die a death. Getting a gig at the uni is now almost impossible, it used to be easier and I played there a few times in the 80s, but the new ents dept. favours DJs and hardly ever put bands on. It's a shame because there are thousands of students and plenty of music fans who have to go to Manchester or Liverpool to see live bands. Ah well.........

[quote name='solo4652' post='347980' date='Dec 7 2008, 05:15 PM']Not quite sure which forum to post this, but here goes anyway. I'm considering a move to Anglesey soon. Can anybody tell me about the opportunities for a realtively inexperienced but mad-keen bass player in Anglesey/North Wales, please? Ideal would be a pub covers band of some description. Are there any well-known venues in Anglesey for pub-rock/classic rock music? Don't want to move there only to find there's nobody tp jam/play/rehearse with... Steve[/quote] Hi Steve, I've lived on Anglesey for over 25 years now after emigrating from Manchester and my advice is don't do it if you like things to happen fast - it's very laid back here and it takes a lot of getting used to. It's a place that young people leave and oldies retire to, so apart from a bit of summer cabaret the music scene on the island is almost non existant, even Bangor has no regular live music venue and the university almost never puts live music on. Best venue is Hendre Hall and there are a few good local bands but the scene ain't exactly vibrant and it's even worse further down the coast. Sorry to sound negative, there's lots of reasons to move here, but the music scene's not one of them. On a positive note, there's a good rock gig on at the Vic in Menai Bridge on boxing day if you're around then.

[quote name='mistahbenn' post='354876' date='Dec 15 2008, 11:18 AM']Im afraid I took my 1000 back to the shop and got my money back, as I just snagged an old SWR rig for the same money as the amp alone! I thought the LH1000 was ok but love the tone of the old SWR much more![/quote] I also bought an LH1000 and returned it for a refund. I really wanted to like it, but just couldn't get 'my' sound. I got an LM11 instead which suits me just fine with a smoother, warmer and deeper sound. Still think the LHs are great value and would suit a lot of players, but you have to try one first.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='341441' date='Nov 30 2008, 09:35 PM']The more power and fewer speakers thing only works if the speakers can handle the power without overexcursion - that knocks all 2x10" cabs bar Acmes off the list and almost all 1x15"s. Ignore the 'power rating' claimed on the cab, it's the thermally limited power handling which is usually far greater than the excursion limited power handling. Alex[/quote] Good point - you might as well keep the Trace amp and just look for a lighter 15" cab to go with the 2 x 10 if it's not loud enough on it's own.

Any 500 + watt amp will be a big improvement and the extra watts are the main thing you will appreciate in getting the most from your speakers, all the other features are just icing on the cake. The Hartke LH 500 is worth trying, not quite as smooth sounding or as versatile as the LM 11 and much heavier, but still a very good amp for the money with a full rich tone. The Ashdown has a similar sound to the Trace and will match your new cab if that matters to you. The LM 11 is very controlled, clean and warm with a flexible eq that will do anything the Trace does only louder. Hard to say if the 2 x 10 will be sufficient, it depends how loud and deep you like it, but there's a good chance it will be fine - plenty of people happily play gigs with that set up. Keep the Trace 15 for now just in case and if you find you do need the extra cab, look out for a lighter weight one eg. the Ashdown mag 115 deep, which is only 20 kilos and very good value, or maybe another Ashdown superfly 2 x10. Disclaimer: This is just my opinion based on personal experience.

[quote name='TheBrokenDoor' post='340238' date='Nov 29 2008, 01:40 AM']I thought if you were replacing a speaker you had to know the "Thiele/Small" info or it would all go horribly wrong!!??! How are you guys choosing replacement speakers? Just on size and power? Dan[/quote] In my case trial, error and advice from this forum - I can't understand the science and I trust my own ears more anyway.

[quote name='Mr.T' post='340058' date='Nov 28 2008, 08:38 PM']I guess that I want an amp and cab/cabs that will 'do everything' needed of them, like my old Trace gear does... Only lighter weight.[/quote] That's exactly what I wanted and the closest I found after extensive trial and error was markbass. There's a basschatter called rasta who has just made a similar conversion and I recommend you make contact with him - I think he lives down your way too.

I've been reading this topic with interest, having recently been through a similar situation, so I thought I'd let you know my story so far - I have a bad back and wanted to reduce the weight of my rig which was an old Trace Elliot 15" AH 150 watt combo, sometimes used with a heavy old Ashdown 12" extension cab. I tried a lot of new amps and cabs, even buying a few and returning them because I couldn't get 'my' sound from them. The 1st thing I did was to separate the amp from the combo, which left me with 2 quite heavy boxes instead of one stupidly heavy one. Then I replaced the driver in the combo cab for an Eminence kappalite 3015 LF which is much lighter than the old Fane and goes louder and deeper. I then realised that to get the best from the new speaker, I needed a more powerful amp. After trying loads of amps, I bought a Hartke LH1000 online without trying it and while it was incredibly loud, it didn't have 'my' sound so I returned it for a refund. I then tried a friends little mark 11 and finally found 'my' sound only louder and lighter, so I bought one on ebay. Next, I bought 2 very reasonably priced speaker cabs from another basschatter with the idea that I would try them and if they didn't work out, I could sell them on. One was an Ashdown mag 115 deep which sounded great and weighed only 20 kilos, but wasn't loud enough. I replaced the blueline driver with my kappalite and bingo - sorted for a lightweight 15" cab for £150 all in. The other cab I bought was a Hartke 2 x 10 traveller, which is small, easy to carry and also about 20 kilos. I didn't really take to the sound of the aluminium drivers and I bought 2 used ashdown blueline drivers and fitted them instead. This cab has now cost £100 and with the Ashdown/Eminence 15 cab I get 'my' sound with plenty of volume without breaking my back for £250. The LM11 was £350, so the whole rig cost £600 and it does the job, although it's not ultra lightweight I can manage it without help. I only take one cab to practises and small gigs and use both for the bigger venues. My solution came after months of trying loads of amps and cabs, many of which sounded great to other people's ears, but didn't have 'my' sound. My advice to you is to try as much gear as you can, buy second hand or make sure you can get a refund if buying new. To be more specific, I would buy ezbass's Ashdown 2 x 10 for a start and sell your Trace 2 x 10, that way you are immediately reducing the heaviest part of your rig for very little cost and old Trace cabs usually do very well on ebay. Next, I'd buy a lightweight 15 driver (Eminence kappalite 3015) and either put it in your trace cab to reduce it's weight, or look out for a secondhand lighter cab and put it in that. Or, try Alex's compact if you can afford it - I would have done that if I'd had enough dosh and I still plan to replace the Ashdown cab with one when funds allow. You could keep the Trace amp and try it with these cabs, but to get the best from them or to be able to use just one, I think you might need more power. I would recommend the Hartke LH500 if you play rock music - it's got balls and should get more from your speakers than the Trace. If you want a smoother sound with less edge go for the Markbass LM11, it's twice the price but less than half the weight. Well, that's my 10 bob's worth and it's only my experience, sound is absolutely subjective and you have to trust your own ears and follow your heart to get it right. The problem is, you already have 'your' sound and finding it again can be hard work, but your back will thank you for it.

[quote name='Protium' post='337355' date='Nov 26 2008, 03:16 PM']Everywhere on the inside walls of the cab, but avoid it touching the speaker chassis and don't obstruct any ports. It should help prevent standing waves inside the box.[/quote] Thanks - I'll give it a go. How should I attach the wadding - glue or staples ? What difference can I expect to hear soundwise without the standing waves ?

I put an Eminence kappalite 3015 LF into an Ashdown mag 115 deep cab and it sounds very good, much deeper and louder than the original blueline driver. The cab is made of chip board and has no bracing or acoustic damping, but it's quite lightweight at under 20 kilos with the new neo driver. The kappalite has a wider diameter than the ashdown driver and I had to widen the hole slightly with a spokeshave, but the screw holes line up fine and I used slightly longer screws to allow for the extra depth of the kappalite. The original speaker was quite hard to remove, being glued as well as screwed, but came out with firm persuasion. [quote name='Protium' post='336870' date='Nov 26 2008, 12:49 AM']The cab will be fine, though you might want to put some acoustic damping inside. I might add acoustic damping and wonder where to apply it and what extra benefits I should expect ?[/quote]

Works for the brass section too -

I'm no expert, but I would say no you can't use the pre amp without the power supply it shares with the power amp.

[quote name='johnnylager' post='328310' date='Nov 13 2008, 12:59 PM']Not very much according to this... But bear in mind I know bugger all about anything except early/mid 80's rock/metal and we didn't use these namby-pamby lightweight things back then [attachment=15950:fender2.pdf][/quote] This isn't lightweight in any sense of the word

[quote name='Merton' post='328145' date='Nov 13 2008, 09:23 AM']Coda Music They also have the LH1000 for £319 - that's 31.9p/watt, to carry on clauster's arithmetic fun [/quote] That must be the best value new amp in the country and one of the loudest

[quote name='Merton' post='327533' date='Nov 12 2008, 01:03 PM']I've found it on the interweb for £189 plus £12 delivery.[/quote] Where ? My interweb won't go that low...............

Have you tried project music in Exeter? [url="http://www.projectmusic.net/hartke-kilo-3207-p.asp"]http://www.projectmusic.net/hartke-kilo-3207-p.asp[/url]

Thanks again for the info T Head, it explains why the Selmer valve amp felt like a wild stallion compared to the ss amps. BTW - can you tell me the mains fuse value for my TE AH 150 ? I was recently advised that the Trace combo is outdated and ineficient and that I would get more deep bass and volume from a modern lightweight rig. I tried markbass, aguilar, ashdown, epiphani, hartke and bergantino amps, cabs and combos, none of which had the warmth or volume of deep bass as the old trace. So I removed and re-housed the head and fitted a neo driver which at least means I can get it in and out of the car single handed. I still yearn for more oomph at bigger gigs with no PA and am considering adding another speaker - maybe a 2 x10 or another 15. It would be nice to get the sound and feel of an Ampeg 8 x 10 (my favourite cab) in something I can carry. Can you suggest anything that might do the job, bearing in mind that I play reggae and need a deep warm and punchy sound ? Which mesa cab do you use ? Maybe I should forget the arthritis and just go large !

Are you sure it's the amp and not your bass or cable ?

[quote name='stingrayfan' post='305836' date='Oct 13 2008, 10:38 PM']This is identical to the head I've got in my 1984 4x10 combo. That also has two things (MOSFETs) and is 150w but like you say, LOUD. There should be a date written in the power amp section (the back part) if you unscrew it. My amp tech remarked how smooth and clean these heads sound.[/quote] Smooth is the operative word, other amps have more growl but I love the clean warmth of this amp. I think the smoothness comes from the pre amp because I've slaved other amps from it and they seem to adopt the same character. I fed a new Hartke LH 1000 from the Trace pre amp and it sounded fantastic, far better for me than using the Hartke on it's own. Mine is from a 1985 1 x 15 combo, (I have the original receipt from Monkey Business in Romford) and I still use it with the old cab, I would be interested to try it with a 4 x 10 to compare tone and volume.

[quote name='BassInThePlace' post='305732' date='Oct 13 2008, 07:35 PM']AH250 MkIII doesn't have the effects loop. You can usually tell the difference between MkIV and MkV owing to the slightly different aesthetic features such as front-panel Output dial and effects loop location. Just like Thunderhead says, yours looks like a MkIV red.[/quote] Very interesting - it's nice to know what I've been playing through - a MkIV AH 150 and very nice too I decided to look for a new rig recently after finding that I ran out of volume at mid sized gigs where there is no PA. My tone is deep bass with no treble or upper mid and the speaker was distorting at higher volume levels. I was advised to get a more powerful amp, but having tried quite a few I found the speaker still distorted at the same volume level. The answer is more likely to be in adding another speaker and running the amp at 4 ohms, which is probably my next step. That way I can keep the sound I like and just get that bit more volume, I'm not sure whether to go for another 15 or a 2 x 10, or even a 4 x 10, but I don't want it to be too heavy and it needs to match the 15 for volume.

[quote name='Thunderhead' post='305704' date='Oct 13 2008, 06:57 PM']Valve amps do sound much louder for their rated power than solid-state, but even so I find that surprising! Those old Selmers are not even the loudest 50W valve amps...[/quote] Thanks again, do you know where I can buy spare fuses - these haven't been replaced in 23 years and it might be a good idea to have a couple of spares just in case. The Selmer was mad loud and incredibly full sounding. My 15" speaker could barely cope with it and I felt like it needed a lot more speakers to handle it. To be fair, it probably wasn't louder than the Hartke LH 1000 or maybe even the others, but it was the only one I felt likely to blow the speaker out of the cabinet if I turned up the volume and it just felt like a Harley compared to 3 mopeds. The Trace is still my favourite because it has 'my' sound and it works well with the single 15 for most of the gigs I do. The combo speaker cab is a quirky Trace design, narrow with an internal panel behind the driver and a massive front flared port. I was told that a more modern and larger cab would sound better, but having tried lots of other small cabs I still prefer this one and I wonder where all the advances in cab design from the past 1/4 Century have actually got us! The more modern gear I try, the less impressed I become.

[quote name='Thunderhead' post='305081' date='Oct 12 2008, 10:22 PM']The power amp number was probably written on the back in one of the little green boxes, but the writing usually fades. Do you remember seeing if it has two or four power transistors, when you had it apart? If two, it's a 150 (most likely if it came out of a combo) and if it has four it's a 250. You can also tell by the speaker fuse value, 5A for a 150 and 8A for a 250, but the writing often fades away too. (This is a brilliant piece of design that all solid-state amps should have by the way - just last week I fixed a 150 combo that some idiot sound engineer had plugged a DI box into the second speaker out of - I'm not sure exactly what then happened but the amp's speaker fuse blew, which means that if it hadn't, probably in any other amp it would have taken out the power transistors instead. 10 seconds and 35p to fix it, instead of an hour's work and a few pounds in parts. I didn't even charge the customer, I never had to move the amp into the workshop!) I've also compared one of these amps to a new 600W Ashdown, through the same cabinet, and the AH150 held its own - seriously. It had much more punch and dynamics, and although it probably wouldn't quite shift as much air it would certainly stand up at least as well in a mix. It just sounded better, too...[/quote] Thanks for the information, I have been trying to find out more about this amp with little success. The original owner's manual doesn't mention the amp power ! It does have the serial number, which is H4143. All the writing on the back has faded away, but I'm pretty sure it's a 150, there are 2 big blue round things inside, which I presume to be the power transistors. Can you tell me the mains fuse value ? To return to the original poster's question - I don't know if it's a Mark 3, 4 or 5, (how can you tell)? As far as I know the 1st Traces appeared in the late 70s, but were not generally available until 1980 when the GP11 pre amp was introduced to great aclaim - Norman Watt Roy of the Blockheads is still using his since buying it new in 1980. I recently compared it side by side to 3 new amps - Hartke LH 1000, Ashdown ABM 400, Markbass 450 and an ancient Selmer Treble n' Bass 50. I wouldn't change it for any of those, but if I had to choose one of them, it would be the Selmer which was the loudest of the lot. It seems like the older the amp and the lower the power, the louder and fuller the sound ! It's surprising to me how little the sound of bass amps has improved in the past 25 years - IMHO.

I'm just adding my experience to the pot. I think I have an AH 150, I say 'think' because it doesn't say anything about the model or wattage apart from GP11 on the front, which is the pre amp. It was part of a 1115 combo bought new in 1985 and I have recently removed the amp head and re housed it in a plywood sleeve to reduce the weight of the combo. I also replaced the Fane driver with a new Eminence neo unit to further reduce weight, but I digress............. The amp is excellent and has never had a problem in 23 years of regular use. I have tried lots of other amps and done many direct comparisons and I have not found anything that can give me the deep smooth tone that I get from this amp. It is very loud for the rated output and is more than enough for the 450 watt 8 ohm 15" speaker that I use with it. I would have no hesitation recommending a TE amp of this vintage, providing it has been looked after and the GP11 pre amp is first class.