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Awesome cabs and one of the best if not the best 1x15 cab I've ever owned and gigged. GLWTS! -
Trace Elliot - Rescue & Restore (and bargain finds)
DGBass replied to SimonK's topic in Amps and Cabs
Perhaps more of a cautionary tale in buying old school Trace Elliot equipment is that what you may find is that thirty plus year old gear will actually need some TLC and repairs to get them back to a solid gigging standard. My last find was a thirty four year old TE AH250 GP12 SMX head that was sold for parts or not working on a well known auction site. It arrived in very good cosmetic condition but needed a whole lot of work to bring it back to a usable gigging standard. The cooling fan circuit was shot, the mosfet output transistors were distorting badly, and the pre-amp needed a new tube. The power supply caps on the output board and the pre-amp were shot as well. Not all vintage Trace Elliot stuff is going to be a bargain once repair costs are factored in, but some of it is well worth spending some time and money on because at the end of the day you might well have an amp or cab that out performs anything that's currently available in the here and now for a fraction of the cost. Well thats IMHO. -
I think sometimes attachment to certain basses is all about first impressions. Picking up a bass for the first time can be an inspirational experience. For me that has always been with either a p-bass or a jazz bass and more often than not a Fender derivative like a MIM or a USA Standard. Not everything is going to endear you to a particular brand but sometimes the feel, the playability, and the tone of a certain instrument is going to make you think wow! this is a keeper. Once that has happened, it's going to be difficult to pass an instrument on to someone else even if it becomes a case queen you still love but rarely play or use.
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The photo is the correct way around and yes, I'd agree totally with what you say.
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That emotional attachement to things is sometimes difficult to break, and I understand completely what can be a bit of a dilemma when it might be time to move something on. I sympathise with the OP. I have an Overwater bass that was in real terms the first proper bass I owned as a young lad and that's my attachment. For over forty years I've cherished it but in reality used it sparingly mainly because the thought of some bufoon at a pub gig falling on top of it, or knocking it over fills me with dread. I usually use it for short spells just to give it an airing then its back to being a case queen for years at a time. It is well looked after, is well maintained, and still feels fantastic and plays as beautifully as it did when new. There I go extolling why I like it so much, but it rarely gets used at gigs anymore and only occasionally now for studio work. It's part of my personal history as a bass player. Deliberating for the last forty years about what to do with it does make it easier for me now to put it up for sale, and see if anyone might be willing to look after it for the next forty years. It would also help knowing it went to someone who was going to use it, cherish it, and not just flip it on eBay or Reverb or the like at an inflated price. Another musician I know is the exact opposite, he has never formed an attachement with any instrument or musical equipment in his long playing career and even instruments he's played and enjoyed for years at a time could be up for sale tomorrow if something else takes his fancy, or he needs the money otr doesn't have the space. There are times when I'm quite envious of that mindset. My advice would be to think carefully why you are so attached to your instrument and if you can pinpoint that, and rationalise it, it should be easier to decide the next step. Don't though wait another forty years to make up your mind! 🙃
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The easiest way to prove if you have a noisy tube is to make sure the valve drive plus button is switched off, ie all the way out. Plug your bass in and you will be bypassing the tube function with the valve drive button out. If you still hear a buzz/hum then its not the tube that's causing it. FYI, ABM's like the EVO IV will be quiet with no instrument plugged. The input jack has a switched signal contact to ground with nothing plugged in. In general most ABM's should be quiet at idle with an instrument connected, and not buzz or hum if they are in good condition. If you have only just bought the amp, and the noise persists and it doesnt appear to be the tube, might be worth returning it or taking a chance and asking a Tech to look at it for you. It could be something simple, like a loose ground screw or ribbon cable plug if its been jiggled about in a courier truck at some point in time. But then again it might be something else that is causing the noises. My own EVO IV is dead silent at idle with a bass plugged in and any ABM I've owned in the past has always been quiet at idle with a bass connected.
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Impromptu Tyneside gathering... gratituous pics!
DGBass replied to wateroftyne's topic in Bass Guitars
A Basschat Mini-Meet. What a great idea! Love the Mesa road ready rig, thats proper room filling bass amplification imho 🙂 -
Replacement Gallien Krueger transformer (240v to replace 110v)
DGBass replied to dangerboy's topic in Repairs and Technical
Something like this if you can find one would probably be usuable. This one has a 230V ac primary, and a 32.5Vac - 0v - 32.5Vac secondary. It was salvaged from an early 80s Carlsboro 100 watt pa amp and is likely rated around 100 - 120VA. The 250 ML is a 50 watt per channel unit so you will likely need a transformer rated around 100 - 120VA. The GK diagram also notes the mains fuse should be T 1 Amp for UK operation so you would need to change that from the current 3 Amp fuse for 110-120v working. The fuses for the transformer rails ( the 32-0-32 outputs) remain the same. You could also go all fancy and fit a modern toroidal transformer. Ideally one with a 240V primary, and around 30-33v ac dual secondary. That should give you around the 45-0-45v rectified supply you need to power the amp. It's not rocket science, but it is messing with mains voltage so a great deal of care is needed to avoid any unpleasant outcomes. Just saying. Maybe a different tech might help you out and it may even be worth emailing Gallien Krueger to see if they can suggest a modern part to replace the 110V-120V transformer. They may also be able to offer any insight into anything else you might need to factor in to a voltage conversion. -
What are your irrational prejudices? I have some bonkers ones...
DGBass replied to kwmlondon's topic in General Discussion
1. Anything Trace Elliot that doesn't run on Hitachi or Semelab TO3 Mosfets 🙄 2. Precisions with rounds 3. Stingrays with flats 4. Lefty players with upside down righty basses🙄 5. Righty players with upside down lefty basses😬 6. Amps with missing knobs! Phew. I feel better already getting all that irrationality out in the open. Dear Basschat, thank you for being my catharsis! -
Show us your rig of choice for the weekend ** Basschat edition**
DGBass replied to bassace97's topic in Amps and Cabs
Rig of choice for a live studio recording session last night. -
This is my Ashdown MAG300 EVO II bass guitar amp head which is now surplus to requirements. It's an early EVO II 300H model with the black carpet covering which is in very good condition all round. What can I say about these amps other than they are generally solid, reliable workhorse amps, and its super easy to get a useable tone from them. This one is in full working order, all controls work smoothly and crackle free, VU light works fine. Ashdown rate these as 300 watts RMS / 500 watts peak @ 4 ohms. I've used this with a 4 ohm cab and it runs perfectly. It's fan cooled so probably not ideal for home or bedroom use as the fan is audible at home volumes. Used sparingly as a back up and occasionally rehearshal amp by me and never abused. It's in very clean condition throughout. I'd prefer collect in person, tea and biscuits included free so you can try it out. I may consider posting to a UK mainland destination if a buyer is willing to arrange their own courier to collect. PM/message me if that is something you are interested in. Not looking for trades, thanks as i'm "thinning the herd" for now. -
Thanks to Duncan for purchasing my Ashdown amp. A real gent to deal with, friendly, straight forward, and knows his bass stuff. A true no fuss, straighforward, and super smooth transaction. Cheers! DG
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Some video that surfaced after our gig last week, courtesy of Eilihd our talented videograher on the night. The emphasis as always was on keeping it laid back. Our version of the Sonny Boy Williamson classic "Help Me". It's a bit grainy, and sounds better with decent monitors. HelpMe.mov
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That is one of the coolest lefties I've seen in a very long time. Congrats!
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My Ashdown Labs MK500 head is now surplus to requirements and needs a new owner who can appreciate its capabilities. I bought this from another basschatter and its served me well and been faultless in operation since I've owned it. For those not in the know, this is the special edition UK made Mark King 500 watt head based around the ABM power stage but with a 12 band graphic EQ. It also has a couple of unique features in a low noise XLR input and an 'enhance' knob that basically brightens the tone in a way not found on other Ashdown amps, a bit like a super presence control. The paintwork is in i'd consider very good condition. There are some minor paint scratches and marks from being in a rack over time, but none since I've owned it. It was kept in a pro rack case all the time i've owned it. Has only been gigged a handful of times and did most of its work in a studio enviroment as its beautifully quiet in operation, and the low noise input and DI out work extremly well together for recording or PA use. Everything works as it should and the controls are smooth and crackle free. The cooling fans operate all the time when its powered on but are remarkably quiet for such a powerful amp. It's rated 500 watts RMS @ 4 ohms and will power just about any sort of cab or combination of cabs down to 4 ohms safely. It's quite a clean and crisp sounding amp and quite unlike the slightly grungey tones that you can get from ABM's. I'm in central Scotland and would prefer collect in person so a buyer can try it out first. Tea and biscuits at no extra cost! I may consider posting the unit as long as the buyer can arrange their own courier and insurance. It would be well packaged in bubble wrap and good quality packaging. If you are interested in this option please PM me to discuss. A rough estimate based on the courier I used to buy this would be around £20 for a next day fully insured deal from a reputable courier. I'll only send to destinations within the UK mainland. Any questions please ask/PM thanks.
