thodrik

Exactly. Most gigs I play are multi-band gigs with 2-3 bands. There just isn’t time in the allotted sound check for every bassist in every band to go out front to check what their individual bass signal sounds like FOH and in all corners of the venue. You just have to know your gear, set up quickly and efficiently and let the sound engineer get on with their job.

I used to have a Trace Elliot 2x10 and 1x15 stack (Peavey era). Generally it sounded fine, though the sound quality wavered from venue to venue. I can't say it was definitely because of the mismatched cabs, but I felt that I got a more consistent sound quality when using the 1x15 by itself and in practice I didn't need a full stack when gigging in a three piece rock band. So I sold the 2x10. I have since bought a big Mesa 6x10. The Mesa cab is rated at 900 watts, which is the same combined total 'wattage' of my old Trace stack, but the difference in sound quality is staggering. Though the difference in sound quality might be more to do with the quality of the cab and speakers than the size of the speakers themselves. The big Mesa cab was kind of a bucket list purchase as my dream set up from 2008 onwards was one of those and a Big Block 750. I finally got hold of that set up in 2019, but for practical purposes my main gigging set up will continue to be my old Mesa Walkabout 1x15 combo. If I have PA support (which I usually do) I generally don't need more than that.

Changing speakers won't make much of difference to the weight. The real weight is in the wood. Also, assuming the cabinet currently features four 16 ohm 10 inch speakers wired in parallel (to give an 8 ohm cabinet), I would guess that you might have trouble finding four 16 ohm neo speakers that would also deliver similar frequency responses to the speakers you are removing. Most drivers on the market for the public to buy are 8 ohm speakers. Even if you can some speakers that will do the job it will probably cost you upwards of £300 or more. For me, that is too much outlay relative to the benefits. I would just sell the cabinet and use the money from the sale and the money that you would have spent on buying new speakers on a a lightweight 4x10, or two lightweight 2x10s.

I haven't really noticed it in the UK. Trace Elliot amps and cabs are so prevalent on the used market (though less so now than 10-12 years ago IMO) that there is never really much demand that would result in higher used prices. The lower powered amps and combos from 80s can generally be snapped up for £150-250. The 90s combos and amps go for a bit more, not because they are better amps, but they are newer and generally in better condition. Peavey era stuff used to be very expensive used but you can now get one of the 12 band amps for £350 or so which is impressive considering they were more than £1,000 new. The VA valve amps, Twin Valve etc generally go for a bit more, as they are less common. I am tempted of looking for a Series 6 or AH350SMX myself, even one of the Peavey era amps. This thread has done terrible things to my desire to once again own a graphic preamp Trace! The only Trace amp that would get a premium price on the used market would be the semi-mythical V8 but they are very rare.

I certainly agree with this statement. My first 'proper' amp was a Trace Elliot combo that just completely failed. It was under warranty so I got it sent away for repair. Trace Elliot actually sent me a brand new unit along with an official 'Notice of Fault' for the old unit which was provided a a one word explanation for the fault, 'DEATH'. This was in about 1999. The replacement unit worked for years without issue until I sold it in 2016. I also had issues with the Peavey era cabinets, as I bought a 2x10 which arrived with a speaker which hadn't been properly fitted into the basket and a 1x15 which arrived with the screws for the rubber feet already coming loose. Both were easy fixes for me but it did rankle me that I was paying a premium for cabinets which didn't look like they had gone through the proper quality control before being boxed and shipped. These cabinets were made in the UK, so perhaps quality control improved when production shipped to the US.

Awesome, a 4x20. If that was a real cabinet then I am sure the 'recommended systems' would include two 4x20 cabs being used for the lows and then two 8x10 cabs for the highs in a bi-amp system that would be an 'ideal full range system for a working professional'.

I think that you are correct in that the lack of continuity prevented Trace from fully developing like other companies. I don't put all of the blame on Peavey for this though. I think that the real issue was when Gibson essentially shut things down in the early 2000s. That meant that Peavey were not really trying to turn around a business/company as a going concern, but rather having to relaunch a dead brand. That put Peavey in a tricky position in terms of whether they should (a) launch a new modern product that is totally different to the old amps at the risk of alienating TE traditionalists; or (b) try and do a 'new and improved' version of the old classic design. They tried (b) circa 2005 and are now trying (a) with the Elf. Trace Elliot only exists now because Peavey decided to launch the Elf under Trace Elliot branding rather than Peavey. I don't think that there is really a separate Trace Elliot design team that is really separate from the Peavey design team (as was the case in the 2005 relaunch where Paul Stevens was essentially the head Trace Elliot design guy). It doesn't bother me though because the Elf is a cool product and it is better than nothing. If they launch other products under the TE branding I will certainly consider them.

When this thread opened I was definitely of the 'why not do a class D SMX?' opinion, however when you look at the old Peavey 'Tour' amps and the current Peavey Headliner amp, you can totally see elements of the old TE layout in those amps. The current Headliner amp features, a seven band graphic EQ, a 'contour' pre-shape, onboard compression and '1000' watt class D power section. So, given that, it would make no sense to market a TE head that would pretty much have the same features as something Peavey are already making. Peavey tried the 'old school' approach with previous line. The amps didn't catch on. While the amps were good, they were not really significantly different/more powerful/reliable/reliable/flexible than the old Trace Elliot amps they were replacing and which were easily available on the used market for dirt cheap prices. The original TE amps are very much classics, but they are very of 'of their time' type designs. One look at the monstrosity (in a nice way) of the TE 'recommended systems' on the 1980s Trace Elliot brochures on the other thread makes this clear. The days of 'needing' to a take a really heavy 200 watt 4x10, a really heavy 200 watt 1x15 and pairing them with a heavy as hell 300 watt amp for a weekend club gig are well and truly gone. Peavey now own the brand, so I guess they can do what they want with it. It has to be said that the launch of the Elf has been very successful. It isn't the Trace Elliot of old, however the 'Trace Elliot of old' is no longer commercially viable, which as a long-time Trace Elliot fan is something I don't really want to admit. However, even I have sold or given away all of my old TE gear apart from the V6 at this point.

I never knew that Trace did a 2x18 cabinet. Fantastic. Impractical but fantastic.

I have tried a Jabba Custom and thought that in terms of playability, fit and finish it was as good as any other boutique jazz bass. I have a couple of Vigiers and Sadowskys and I put the Jabba I tried in that class. Exceptional. I would definitely like to try one of the Patriot models.

Thanks for this! Those recommended setups are something else. Though nothing for me looks more impractical than a 4x10 combo. I think used to have the V1 version of the Peavey era brochure, before production shipped to the USA. It’s either in the attic or lost. I would love to see the V-type brochure as I have never seen them.

Apologies, I was not really looking at the the issue of efficiency. More that in the future I thought that it might be possible for manufacturers to create a pedalboard amp with a more powerful class d power section, rather than maximising the efficiency levels of the existing power section. Though at the moment this would require a larger footprint for the unit which would probably defeat the purpose of the product in the first place. As you say above though, I think that it would work better as a head.

Some amazing basses in these lists! This is all of my electric basses since I started in 1998, the two I now longer have were (a) my first bass and (b) a touring back up bass I never used. I would love a Warwick Thumb 6 or Spector Forte 6 but I think that the basses below will be 'it' for the foreseeable: Westfield P Bass copy - 1998 (gifted to nephew 2016) - basic, solid, starter bass. 1979ish S9 Fender Precision - 1999 - solid workhorse bass from 1999-2009. Awesome neck profile. Lacquer on the neck is now coming off. Still gigged now and then. 1974 Gibson EB3 - 2000 - bought while in a Jack Bruce/Andy Fraser phase. Crap intonation until I bought a Babicz replacement bridge last year which finally solved the issues! Vigier Excess - 2004 - Insanely 'hot' the pickups and electronics which can be hard to tame. I actually appreciate the bass more now than I did when I first got it. Squier Affinity Jazz - 2008 - (sold 2016) - Cheap back up bass. It was perfectly fine when I demoed it in the shop. I never actually played it after that but it travelled to nearly all my gigs! Sadowsky Metro MV4 - 2009 - my 'new' workhorse bass since 2009. Sits perfectly between my 'vintage' Precision and the 'modern' Excess above. Vigier Arpege Five string - 2011 - Very modern tone. Is bolt on rather than neck thru. Top notch build quality. More 'polite' and 'polished' tone than the Excess but the EQ can change that. Sadowsky NYC 5 string - 2016 - My 'go to' home practice bass. Not gigged it yet as I don't fancy bringing it to a stoner rock gig with bodies and beer flying everywhere!

Yeah, I think that quite a lot of amps work on this basis. I had an SMX Trace head and it was very much a ‘gain high and master low’ amp. I think that the master volume knob was even coloured red as a ‘danger’ warning!

I see you are a 'master up full and adjust gain' to taste person. I must admit I had never thought of doing that when I had the M6. Normally I set the gain to 10 o'clock and by the time I set the master to about 9 o'clock the volume level was such that it felt like the apocalypse was coming! The finish on that Spector as well is gorgeous!

I might be wrong, but I think that most Boss pedals act as a buffer (I read it on here years and years ago...I think...might be imagining it). So I just stick the Boss tuner at the end of my pedal rather than the beginning. Saying that though, any Mesa product will be good!

Well, they could pull the old trick of buying Trace Elliot specifically to own the IP and prevent the brand from ever being put back in the race. Not unlike Fender buying SWR and Sunn. I don't see that happening though.

TE being sold might actually be good news. Essentially Peavey did one launch of gear in 2006 and the ELF in the last couple of years, with not much inbetween. I mean, surely a 500 watt class D amp with the classic SMX preamp should have been a no-brainer?

Hmmm, not necessarily a 'budget' bass, but my first 'proper' bass was an S9-era Precision. I bought it in 1999 for about £380 as back then the late 70s/early 80s period of Fenders were not really considered as particularly desirable and it was easier for 13 year old me to afford than a new 1999 American Standard. Previous owner had cut the scratch plate in two, I think to allow easy access to the jack socket which was a bit dodgy when I got it. I got the jack socket re-soldered and it has been fine ever since. Apart from that it was in pretty much spotless condition when I got it. Not so much anymore! The lacquer on the neck is flaking off at an accelerated rate. Still, this is a 'never sell' bass, even ahead of the two Vigiers and Sadowskys I have. Also, considering the state the bass is in, nobody would really want it anyway! The Precision is still my 'benchmark' bass, in that if a bass doesn't feel as nice to play as the Precision then I have to rule it out. That has had unfortunate consequences as if I hadn't had had my bloody Precision to hand when I walked into Guitar Guitar in about 2010, I would have probably bought a Wal MK 1 for 'only' £2,000 which I would probably be selling for £4k now...

That Jackson is so bad that I really want one.

[email protected] That is the email address for the UK distributors detailed on the Markbass site. They should be able to provide you with details of the nearest authorised service provider. The service provider should be able to provide you with a reason for the fault and the potential cost for repair. I would look at that route before buying a new amp. It might be a reasonably straightforward repair. As it is, for a budget friendly amp that is a good pedal platform, I recommend the TC Electronic BQ500. 500 watts and a simple EQ. No special or unique features but it is plenty loud and you don’t need any external features if you have additional EQ and pedals.

Sleeping on this and I am not as negative on this as I was last night. If the new Gibson management want to really make a statement that 'things are different now' then this is magnificent opportunity for them. For Mesa, it is a way of ensuring that the brand lives on way beyond the working life of its founder Randall Smith, who is entitled to make succession plans in any way he sees fit.

Well, I hope it goes better than when Gibson bought Trace Elliot, Steinberger, Philips and pretty much every brand ever purchased by Gibson. I was willing to give the new ownership structure of Gibson a chance, but that 'Play Authentic' campaign was a massive blunder from the start so my expectations are pretty low here. I say the above despite being an owner of a Les Paul and an EB3 and being a big fan of Gibson guitars (not so much the basses). Hopefully, Gibson will have a 'light touch/hands off' approach to Mesa. If it is a disaster then I will at least own a bunch of 'Pre Gibson' Mesa gear. What I can see happening is Gibson trying to sue any amp company who makes a high gain amp, on account of it being a 'Recto Clone'.

Mostly fingers, but can play with a plectrum as well, though not as fluidly. I learned to use a plectrum just in case a paying gig required it. So far, it never has! If using a plectrum my main pick of choice is the Jim Dunlop Tri Stubby 1.5mm (the red one). The 2mm Stubby or the blue Dunlop Tortex 1mm pick is fine as well. On guitar I use the green Dunlop Tortex .88m or the blue 1mm, basically whichever one is nearest.

That is a beautiful bass. Lovely colour and finish. Thanks for sharing!