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Trace Elliot


vicar
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Please excuse my ignorance and feel free to educate me, but, I see a lot of money changing hands for second hand TE cabs but was always led to believe they were only celestion speakers in them! Is this the usual case of paying for the badge on the front?

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Isn't a TE cab with celestions the same as a celestion filled cab that has a TE badge on it? Unless one is a fake, of course. Or am I missing your point?

As an aside, I used a TE 15" combo for the first time ever in our rehearsal space. They've had an Ashdown ABM 410 in there for ages, but the pots have got really nasty and scratchy - to the point where it's pretty much impossible to get a consistent input gain setting.

So now they have this TE combo. It's only 130 watts but my god its damn loud. And a great tight sound too. Really very good actually - and would be more than loud enough on it's own for most gigs I do.

Anyway, my 2 penneth..

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No. And that is exactly my point! Anyone can make a cabinet and put celestions in it. I bought a 4x12 cab many years ago with 4 x 12" celestions in it from a music shop that had their own cabinets made to the same spec as a well known company. The cabs were less than half the price. Same spec cab. Same spec speakers. People were still willing to pay over double for the cabs with brand name on them. A TE cab with celestions is not the same as a cab with celestions in it just because it has a TE badge!! If the speakers are a custom spec, fine. Enlighten me. If the speakers are the same, tell me how the quality of the cab differs from any other top name 4x12 cab construction. Many thanks.

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[quote name='vicar' timestamp='1358705291' post='1943707']
Please excuse my ignorance and feel free to educate me, but, I see a lot of money changing hands for second hand TE cabs but was always led to believe they were only celestion speakers in them! Is this the usual case of paying for the badge on the front?
[/quote]
I'm not sure where you're looking but I thought one of the attractions of used TE kit was the bargain prices they could be picked up for. The other thought that occurred was that Celestion is one of the leading designers and manufacturers of drive units and make some very capable speakers (although of course they don't usually make their way into commercial bass cabs, along with high end speakers from other manufacturers).

I not sure that it's a secret that brand names can command a premium, but the upside for the consumer is that used prices will also hold up. Unless of course the brand falls out of fashion, in which case it's bargain time for buyers of used gear. :)

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Didn't Trace Elliot go through a period of using Fane speakers as well?

On the topic, different cabs will have different dimensions, tunings, types of wood, quality of construction and finishing materials like screws, vinyl etc. The speaker is only one component in the sound of the cab, albeit an important part. I'm not an expert in cab construction but that would be my general viewpoint anyway.

Trace Elliot amps and cabs are also easy to find and trade on the second hand market for several reasons:

1. There are loads of them about from the 80s and 90s when Trace Elliot had a strong market presence.
2. They tend to be heavy and not desirable for those looking for a lighter rig.
3. They are not actually very cool at the moment.
4. They tend to be cheap because of reasons 1, 2 and 3
5. They are generally good quality products and thus a good option for someone who wants to put together a half-decent rig for a few hundred quid.

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[quote name='RandomBass' timestamp='1358708480' post='1943794']
As an aside, I used a TE 15" combo for the first time ever in our rehearsal space. They've had an Ashdown ABM 410 in there for ages, but the pots have got really nasty and scratchy - to the point where it's pretty much impossible to get a consistent input gain setting.

So now they have this TE combo. It's only 130 watts but my god its damn loud. And a great tight sound too. Really very good actually - and would be more than loud enough on it's own for most gigs I do.
[/quote]

Our other bassist has one of these. Incredibly loud, and a great sound. As per thodriks post though, for a small amp it is very heavy.

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[quote name='vicar' timestamp='1358705291' post='1943707']
Please excuse my ignorance and feel free to educate me, but, I see a lot of money changing hands for second hand TE cabs but was always led to believe they were only celestion speakers in them! Is this the usual case of paying for the badge on the front?
[/quote]

How many bass cab manufacturers actually make their own drivers?

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[quote name='vicar' timestamp='1358705291' post='1943707']
I see a lot of money changing hands for second hand TE cabs but was always led to believe they were only celestion speakers in them!
[/quote]

I'd observed the opposite!

From what I can see, Trace amps and cabs tend to go for pretty cheap nowadays - your typical TE 2x10 or 1x15 cab going for the £70-100 and the 12-band 250 watt combo's going for around £250-300. I just old my aboslutely mint 1215 SMX combo, plus a 2x10 cab for £250, though to be fair, I let it go for cheap to a friend.

I think all the heavy amps from 10-20 years ago are now going for cheap, which means that theres some bargains to be had if you can put up with the weight.

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[quote name='Merton' timestamp='1358801132' post='1945384']
Thanks, point proven... :)
[/quote]

In fairness, they are one of the few I can think of, Bergantino maybe? I personally have no issue using a cab from a company who source their drivers elsewhere, I'm too technologically ignorant to know any different!

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[quote name='risingson' timestamp='1358802112' post='1945416']
In fairness, they are one of the few I can think of, Bergantino maybe? I personally have no issue using a cab from a company who source their drivers elsewhere, I'm too technologically ignorant to know any different!
[/quote]

Exactly :) Most cab manufacturers use OEM drivers from Celestion/Eminence/B&C/Fane/Sica/Jensen etc etc etc. It really doesn't matter as long as it sounds good :)

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Still not sure where you get the idea that they are expensive? You can hardly give them away at the moment, so they can be picked up SH for coppers. I never had any problems with my old eighties Trace gear. Bomb-proof but too damned heavy. They still sound good if you have a strong back... Not sure what the issue is with celestions speakers either? :huh:

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