knirirr Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 (edited) Today I thought I'd retrieve from the garage an amp I put on a shelf* there when I moved house a couple of years ago - a Trace Elliot BLX combo (GP7SM 130 according to the label). Seems it still works, despite looking a bit worn from gigs, although the output level knob has become loose. The original warranty was underneath it showing that I'd bought it in August 1994 (from ABC Music in Oxford), and even the original user manual was still there. I used to use this for jam sessions, gigs in bars, college balls, the occasional wedding and so on, although I'm damned if I know how I managed to carry it around as well as a heavy EUB. As far as I recall there weren't any problems being heard in those circumstances. Is there anything else about these days which offers a similar capability but is lighter? I'm tempted to see about selling the BLX, though I doubt there's much interest in them any more. For now, a 15w Fender amp will suffice for an attempt to get into practice again. * This was a high shelf. Two people were needed to get it down again. Edited July 7, 2018 by knirirr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbayne Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 Were these the ones with a slot in the front? rather than a speaker grill? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knirirr Posted July 7, 2018 Author Share Posted July 7, 2018 9 minutes ago, Hobbayne said: Were these the ones with a slot in the front? rather than a speaker grill? That's the one. Sounded good, but rather heavy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted July 8, 2018 Share Posted July 8, 2018 A popular option these days seems to be re-housing the head independently to pair with a lightweight cab. That’s what i’d do with that bad boy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted July 8, 2018 Share Posted July 8, 2018 Sound advice..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knirirr Posted July 8, 2018 Author Share Posted July 8, 2018 6 hours ago, Pea Turgh said: A popular option these days seems to be re-housing the head independently to pair with a lightweight cab. That’s what i’d do with that bad boy. That is a thought that hadn’t occurred to me, and it is something I’d be interested in trying. Perhaps there are some examples for inspiration online somewhere... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted July 8, 2018 Share Posted July 8, 2018 3 hours ago, knirirr said: That is a thought that hadn’t occurred to me, and it is something I’d be interested in trying. Perhaps there are some examples for inspiration online somewhere... There has been a recent thread on this very forum! Probably more than one. Also companies that will do it for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knirirr Posted July 8, 2018 Author Share Posted July 8, 2018 39 minutes ago, Pea Turgh said: There has been a recent thread on this very forum! Probably more than one. Also companies that will do it for you. I've been looking, both here and on the internet in general, but no luck yet. Any suggestions would be welcome. Given my skills with practical work I expect I'd be looking for someone to do it for me. Here are a some that might do (i.e. I could drive there - I'm not going to try posting this amp), though I've not had any dealings with any of them before: http://www.oxfordpowershop.co.uk/ http://www.apgguitars.co.uk/ http://inerear.co.uk/ https://www.fixguitaramps.co.uk/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted July 8, 2018 Share Posted July 8, 2018 This is the one I was thinking of... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebenezer Posted July 9, 2018 Share Posted July 9, 2018 I took the amp section out of mine and had it semi flight- cased......great little amp!!...and louder than the 130 watts would suggest the original combo was quite heavy given it's size and sound wise was fairly poor although it had reasonable bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knirirr Posted July 9, 2018 Author Share Posted July 9, 2018 28 minutes ago, ebenezer said: I took the amp section out of mine and had it semi flight- cased......great little amp!!...and louder than the 130 watts would suggest the original combo was quite heavy given it's size and sound wise was fairly poor although it had reasonable bass. Did you do the re-casing yourself? If not, may I ask where you went to get it done? If you don't mind posting a picture it would be interesting to see how it turned out. At some point (once I can face another attempt to lift it down) I ought to try removing the amp from the cabinet so I can at least get that loose knob fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 (edited) I'm sure there would be some healthy interest in this if you were to put it up for sale. Just depends where you live as it's something someone would need to collect due to size and weight. I'd try selling it on here or somewhere else for "specialists". It would be a shame to split it when there are so many good value trace head units about and an enthusiast may want it all in one piece. Edited July 10, 2018 by uk_lefty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knirirr Posted July 10, 2018 Author Share Posted July 10, 2018 42 minutes ago, uk_lefty said: I'm sure there would be some healthy interest in this if you were to put it up for sale. Just depends where you live as it's something someone would need to collect due to size and weight. I'd try selling it on here or somewhere else for "specialists". It would be a shame to split it when there are so many good value trace head units about and an enthusiast may want it all in one piece. I'm not too far from Oxford. I got the impression that these aren't particularly popular and therefore aren't worth much at the moment, but I will keep my options open. I was hoping to keep it for when (if) I can get back to doing gigs again but I think weight will be prohibitive, so one way or the other it will have to go, either for sale or conversion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 My view is that if you have had the space to keep it for so long you may try holding on to it in case there's a surge in demand for the inimitable trace sound in future. It's a gamble but may be worth it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBunny Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 I may have a head shell that would do if you are considering going that route. If you want to measure the front panel and PM the measurements I can see if it will fit. It's a shell made by Mike Walsh, (Zoot, Purple Chilli), and made out of his super lightweight helium filled ply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knirirr Posted July 10, 2018 Author Share Posted July 10, 2018 1 hour ago, BassBunny said: I may have a head shell that would do if you are considering going that route. If you want to measure the front panel and PM the measurements I can see if it will fit. It's a shell made by Mike Walsh, (Zoot, Purple Chilli), and made out of his super lightweight helium filled ply. Thanks - not sure when I'll next get chance to get it out, but will check the measurements when I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b7l4s Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 On 08/07/2018 at 19:26, Pea Turgh said: There has been a recent thread on this very forum! Probably more than one. Also companies that will do it for you. I also remember reading one not too long ago where (if I remember) the original frame i.e. the wooden part, was retained and everything flipped round front to back, so a replacement upgraded speaker ended up mounted in what was originally the back... possibly the head section was switched for a higher power TE model and the result was a very high powered and compact combo, albeit still quite heavy... I recall thinking at the time that it was a very cool mod to make, although maybe not of much use to you if weight reduction is the intent? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knirirr Posted July 11, 2018 Author Share Posted July 11, 2018 (edited) 19 hours ago, b7l4s said: I also remember reading one not too long ago where (if I remember) the original frame i.e. the wooden part, was retained and everything flipped round front to back, so a replacement upgraded speaker ended up mounted in what was originally the back... possibly the head section was switched for a higher power TE model and the result was a very high powered and compact combo, albeit still quite heavy... I recall thinking at the time that it was a very cool mod to make, although maybe not of much use to you if weight reduction is the intent? I think that the weight is the main issue at the moment - I've not weighed it but it must be at least 30kg. Still, it will take me some time to get back into practice and even then I might not find an opportunity to do any gigs, so there's a bit of time to consider solutions. Edited July 12, 2018 by knirirr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 On 10/07/2018 at 08:32, uk_lefty said: My view is that if you have had the space to keep it for so long you may try holding on to it in case there's a surge in demand for the inimitable trace sound in future. It's a gamble but may be worth it. If the head is simply removed and re-housed, the rest of the cab can go back on the shelf. I might do the same with my old Peterson combo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 (edited) I was thinking that you'd be looking for a 2U case and transplant it straight into that. Keep your eyes on eBay - they sometimes sell for silly cheap money. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tough-ABS-4U-ABS-flight-Case-4-unit-Rack-mount-Amplifier-equalizer-cd-player-mix/202365905958?hash=item2f1df2ac26:g:ZlsAAOSwa2pbQ7AN Edited July 11, 2018 by TheGreek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebenezer Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 Just for info, when you undo the 4 bolts on the top of the combo and slide amp out, bear in mind , the amp itself has no lid (you can see the inside) I suppose you could get a sheet of steel cut for the top and use the amp like that, but a case to me looks better, be it wooden sleeve of semi-flight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knirirr Posted July 12, 2018 Author Share Posted July 12, 2018 1 minute ago, ebenezer said: Just for info, when you undo the 4 bolts on the top of the combo and slide amp out, bear in mind , the amp itself has no lid (you can see the inside) I suppose you could get a sheet of steel cut for the top and use the amp like that, but a case to me looks better, be it wooden sleeve of semi-flight Thanks, I wondered if it was like that. Should make it easier to get at that knob, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treb Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 On 11/07/2018 at 17:12, Pea Turgh said: I might do the same with my old Peterson combo! Always wanted one of those with the nice wood cabinets. Couldn't afford one back then, now hardly ever one turns up for sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alec Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 I loved mine when I bought it, but gradually fell out of love as time moved on, and bass amps grew lighter and better. When I compared it with my TC RH450 & Genz Benz STL10T, it was night and day - the new setup was so much lighter and better. Happy to have sold the old BLX on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 On 07/07/2018 at 18:56, knirirr said: That's the one. Sounded good, but rather heavy. that was my dream amp (combo) back in the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.