TRACE ELLIOT GP7 SM 150 SOME INFO PLEASE

[rocker19]

HI to all
I bought TE GP7 SM 150W a few days ago and LOVE it. I love how it looks and like MUCH how it plays.To me, TE is almost unknown brand so I`ve read the all info I found I know the whole ESSEX KAMAN GIBSON PEAVEY story but I would have a few questions. I am SURE people in UK will have the right answers and THANKS A LOT IN ADVANCE.

So ...1.Does ANY instruction manual for the EXACT model exist? I downloaded a few very useful PDFs and propably got all the info needed but NOT for THIS model...Of course I can use the combo without any info I am just curious...

2.I`ve read several times that during GIBSON era /1998-2004-5?/ the quality went down BUT also that GIBSON was only selling leftovers and all the [attachment=157005:TE_4.jpg][attachment=157006:TE_9.jpg][attachment=157007:TE_10.jpg]stuff was made by THE SAME PEOPLE AT THE SAME PLACE AND THE SAME QUALITY So...how it was?

3.I am including some photos could you tell me which year is my combo made in?/I suppose 2001 but not sure../.

4.The combo does not have headphones output is there any way to find some headphone preamplifier and connect to LINE OUT?

Thanks a lot again Jan

Edited March 7, 2014 by rocker19

[VTypeV4]

Hi,

To answer your questions..

1: I don't think one does exist, best bet will be the GP7 SM manual which covers all models from the little BLX combo through to the big 1200w head. The pre-amp is the same on all except for some BLX models which do not have a balanced output (DI). Rear panel facilities vary from model to model. 150w versions like yours will not drive an external speaker as the internal speaker is 4 ohms however the 300w models will. 600 and 1200w have two power stages ie 300+300 and 600+600 respectively.

2: Quality did come down a little particularly the middle ranges but some great models including the AH1000-12 and BFC and V8 came from this period. The main problem was that they were under developed not so much bad models if you see what I mean. All were built by the same people in the same factory.

3: Your combo will date earlier than 2001 as it's an SM. The SM was superceded by the SMC (with compressor but no EQ balance) and the SMC then updated with a different facia and glowing panel simply called GP7. I would guess yours comes from around '97 as it has the later green carpet covering but still the earlier pre-amp. You may be able to tell by looking at the serial number but not always. Some are written T****/*** whereas some have an extra division T****/***/*** with the last three numbers showing date for example 397 which would be March 1997.

4: You can use a headphone amp by using the line out on the amp but you will have to disconnect the internal speaker as I think the line level is governed by the 'output level' control.

Hope that helps!

[rocker19]

Hi

OF COURSE it helped A LOT!!!Thanks you A LOT too .BTW I don`t understand this"150w versions like yours will not drive an external speaker as the internal speaker is 4 ohms however the 300w models will. " There is output /socket/ for additional speaker.I don`t need it my neigbours would kill me it`s just curiosity...

[VTypeV4]

No problem, I've been using Trace stuff for many years and it's always been great. Glad I could help.

To clarify the 150 / 300 watt and extention speaker thing..

On the back panel of yours there is only one jack socket for speaker output and this is utilized by the internal speaker. The internal speaker is a 4 ohm speaker and the minimum impedance for the amp is also four ohm so if you were to add any more (which you can't as there's no more sockets) speakers (in parallel) then it would total less than this which would cause the amp to overheat and shut down. On the larger 300w models, their internal speaker is 8 ohms so a second socket is provided to drive a separate 8 ohm cab in addition to the internal speaker bringing the load back down to four ohms.

Hope that makes it a bit more sense.

[Musky]

Re dating the amp - the circuit boards often have a date written on them (although the board may have been hanging around a while before construction), but there are sometimes other hand written markings or inspection stickers that give dates.

[rocker19]

I THANK YOU A LOT AGAIN GUYS... [size=4] [/size]

[TimR]

Beautiful amp. I had one for about 10years.

Had to get rid of it as carrying up stairs needed 6men and my cars braking distance was 3miles at 30mph.

[rocker19]

Yes it is pretty heavy..But sounds beautiful...

[TheGreek]

For me, weight was the deciding factor when I decided to sell - far too heavy. However I think most people agree that the distinctive TE sound is fantastic and in a smaller package could make them a real contender in the 21st Century. I'd certainly consider buying another one if they were the same size/weight as my Genz Benz.

I met Paul Stevens (CEO for TE) at the LBGS a couple of years ago - really nice fella - told me about one of the former employees who was "relocating" parts from the factory while it was supposed to be closed, building amps which he then sold under the TE name. The one I had was actually one of these. Distinguishable by the lack of serial number.

I've emailed Paul with questions a couple of times and he's always responded in good time :

[email protected]

Fire an email to him with any queries..

[rocker19]

Hi thanks alot fo rthis email I will definitely write to the man...Thanks!Jan

[Mr.T]

I gigged with Trace gear for over 20 years.
I owned a GP11, a GP12 and an SMX250..... never had a problem with any of them.
They are quality amps and much, much louder than the number of Watts might suggest.

Like many of us 'older' Bass Players, I only switched to lightweight gear to save my back :-)

Enjoy!