Count Bassie's "Freedom-of-Choice" Trace-O-Rama

[Count Bassie]

First things first: I'm in New England (USA), so we're talking about over-the-pond shipping here, which will significantly add to the price... but I'm taking every available route I can come up with to "git 'er done".

I need to generate a down payment for a (string) harp for my daughter. She just got offered her first professional gig (a wedding in June- she's 12... yes I'm horribly swolled-up with fatherly pride ) after playing a service at my wife's church organist gig last Sunday. She's currently playing a borrowed instrument, but if she's going to be getting gigs then I'm going to have to get her an axe of her own. They ain't cheep, so I'm jump-starting it by selling off one of my beautiful Trace Elliot bass heads and a Trace cab.

I have to keep one head so I can still play! And I have a ratty old, mojo-imbued Trace 4x10 that I've decided to hang onto. There will be another amp someday... But here are 2 head/cab combos for your consideration, including the following:

OFFERING #1) Mid-90s Trace Elliot AH250SMX, recently gone over: It's had a couple solder joints repaired, a couple new caps, all pots and toggles cleaned up. It's a smooth-running, booty-kicking little monster, lots of tone-shaping ability, and powerfully loud. Comes in a well-used soft rack-bag. Note: It is wanting for 2 of the little flourescent green back-lights that go behind the front panel... I'll get 'em in there before it ships.





OFFERING #2) Trace Elliot AH250 GP-11 MK IV, an early 80s edition. Still has the "Soundwave" company business card stapled to the inside of the plywood sleeve- Soundwave is the company that eventually became Trace Elliot, but most of you guys around here know that. Features are a tad less sophisticated and integrated than in the SMX version, but this more essential feature set includes the renown pre-shape, 11-band graphic (interesting note, the freq centers are the same as on the SMX- minus one- they got it right the first time!), noise reduction toggle, fx loop and slave and pre-amp i/o, and it has the fun black-lit front panel.

It's also been serviced, as I was having issues with intermittent signal and noise when I first got it. It had been sitting in a guy's house unused for 10 years. Anyway it turns out the uv light's ballast is tied into the actual amplifier circuit, and the ballast and starter for the light needed replacing. That was it, and "viola!" No more noise. Beyond my own playing, that is.

I'm pretty sure that in the lifetime of this amp, that's the only repair it's ever undergone. The tone, for a Trace fanatic, is pretty much to die for. Mark King. Say no more...





Both heads were serviced by Dave at B-Sharp Music here in Providence, RI. Either head is being offered here along with a Trace 1153-T single 15 cab:



It's in good condition, only a tad of dingage/ rust on metal corners here or there, and the plastic feet-holder cups have been moved around. But it looks fine and sounds like deep, dark gold, with a nicely balanced mid-range and a good smacking dose of highs. Well-balanced cab all around. I've used both heads at gigs with the cab, and it's a sweet set-up both ways.

So... for the [b][i]AH250SMX head/1153 cab[/i][/b] I'm looking for [b]$600 US[/b].

For the [b][i]AH250 GP-11 head/1153 cab[/i][/b], I'm looking for [b]$800 US[/b].

In any case, feel free to make an offer or inquire individually for what you want, but I'll be inclined to give preference to a sale for a head/cab short-stack together. If I didn't have a very good reason for doing this, I'd never have done it! I dig, and use my amps- older Trace Elliot is all I'm using to play out these days (besides a Hartke A100 for rehearsals). I don't mind letting go of stuff though, as long as it represents gain and not loss. We got a young chopper here that needs a harp!

I realize the logistics for this deal are a semi-long-shot! But I gotta try and do what I gotta do! Thanks for reading, and for your consideration.

Edited April 5, 2011 by Count Bassie