Stub Mandrel Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 (edited) I've got a TE 1110 combo. GP11 Mk. 2 preamp, 300W power amp, 4x10. Would it be sacrilege to convert such a classic piece of kit to a separate head and cab? Edited March 5, 2020 by Stub Mandrel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 Seems like an eminently sensible thing to do. Put it back together when you decide to part company. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted March 5, 2020 Author Share Posted March 5, 2020 1 hour ago, Paul S said: Seems like an eminently sensible thing to do. Put it back together when you decide to part company. Problem is it would be a one-way process as I'd have to cut the top off the cab for it to be worth doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 4x10 combos dont seem to sell, but the amp would. I did that very thing and sold the amp, but ended up pulling the vintage Celestion drivers, and dumping the empty behemoth cab at the local recycling centre 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodwind Posted March 6, 2020 Share Posted March 6, 2020 I think it would be an excellent thing to do. The head won't weigh a huge amount and would partner well with any other cab you have or may use. I've seen 4x10 combos by various makes going for so little money that I've often thought of getting one just for the amplifier section and would ditch the rest 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted March 6, 2020 Share Posted March 6, 2020 17 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said: Problem is it would be a one-way process as I'd have to cut the top off the cab for it to be worth doing. Just make a sleeve for it and leave the combo intact? Could even just rack it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodwind Posted March 6, 2020 Share Posted March 6, 2020 17 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said: Problem is it would be a one-way process as I'd have to cut the top off the cab for it to be worth doing. Go even further and turn it into two 2x10 cabs. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted March 7, 2020 Author Share Posted March 7, 2020 On 06/03/2020 at 11:14, Woodwind said: Go even further and turn it into two 2x10 cabs. Probably a step too far! I think I might split into racked head and a cab. Mind you I reckon the head will be the best part of 30lbs, a 300W transformer is not small! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Defo Posted March 7, 2020 Share Posted March 7, 2020 Strangely I am thinking about doing exactly the same thing with my 715x - what's the best way to start? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBunny Posted March 7, 2020 Share Posted March 7, 2020 (edited) If either of you decide to do this, I've got a sleeve that Mike Walsh, (Zoot Bass, Zoot Cabs, Purple Chili), made for me out of his "Helium Filled Ply". It may suit the TE Head. If it's of any interest, ping me a message. Edited March 7, 2020 by BassBunny 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted March 7, 2020 Share Posted March 7, 2020 On 06/03/2020 at 06:14, Woodwind said: Go even further and turn it into two 2x10 cabs. +1. A pair of 2x10 are a lot easier to pack and haul, they can be vertically stacked for much better results than a 4x10, and you can leave one at home when you don't need both. By the looks of it the amp will fit into a standard 19 inch rack case. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deedee Posted March 7, 2020 Share Posted March 7, 2020 Definitely worthwhile splitting and rehousing the head in a 2U rack case. I've just got my faulty MkV 150 head back after a lengthy stay with the amp tech. It was once part of a 4x10 but now the gremlins have been fixed it sounds fantastic through the various cabs I have. Too many old Trace amps are sat wasted, unused and unloved due to them being part of huge 4x10 combos. Once rehoused it should only weigh the same as most other 2U Trace heads (around 12-14kg). As for the rest of the combo, if you love the sound of it and don't mind the (reduced) weight, chop away! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmjos Posted March 7, 2020 Share Posted March 7, 2020 Don't do it. its pointless. The cab will still be heavy and so will the head. It is what it it is. If you want something lightweight go buy it. The drivers are old and won't hold to their original parameters so if you carve it up you won't get the cab right. The drivers are heavy and won't get lighter. leave it be and don't be like the guys who stripped their old 1962 P basses and painted them in a great shade of day-glo green car paint.Its a bit of history enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted March 7, 2020 Share Posted March 7, 2020 1 minute ago, pmjos said: Don't do it. its pointless. This. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted March 7, 2020 Share Posted March 7, 2020 It isn't pointless at all, he could just rack the head leaving it entirely reversible. It's just old music gear, if you like the sound of it and want to gig it then knock yourself out. It's there to be played. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deedee Posted March 7, 2020 Share Posted March 7, 2020 1 hour ago, pmjos said: Don't do it. its pointless. The cab will still be heavy and so will the head. It is what it it is. If you want something lightweight go buy it. The drivers are old and won't hold to their original parameters so if you carve it up you won't get the cab right. The drivers are heavy and won't get lighter. leave it be and don't be like the guys who stripped their old 1962 P basses and painted them in a great shade of day-glo green car paint.Its a bit of history enjoy it. 58 minutes ago, chris_b said: This. Surely it would be more pointless to have it sat unused? I’m pretty sure that the OP is fully aware that the resulting separate items would still weigh the same as they do now, but the OP clearly likes what he has otherwise he wouldn’t own it. Yes the head will still be heavy but comparing 12-14kg for the removed head to the 45kg plus that the combo currently weighs is hardly pointless (and no this isn’t an Old School vs Class D argument). The speakers being old is a valid point, that’s why most who do this keep the head and dispose of the old speakers and combo casing. With regard to comparing chopping this down to butchering an old Fender, I’m pretty sure if these old combos were going to become hugely valuable or collectable the market would have started to show signs of that long before now. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmjos Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 16 hours ago, Deedee said: Surely it would be more pointless to have it sat unused? I’m pretty sure that the OP is fully aware that the resulting separate items would still weigh the same as they do now, but the OP clearly likes what he has otherwise he wouldn’t own it. Yes the head will still be heavy but comparing 12-14kg for the removed head to the 45kg plus that the combo currently weighs is hardly pointless (and no this isn’t an Old School vs Class D argument). The speakers being old is a valid point, that’s why most who do this keep the head and dispose of the old speakers and combo casing. With regard to comparing chopping this down to butchering an old Fender, I’m pretty sure if these old combos were going to become hugely valuable or collectable the market would have started to show signs of that long before now. That wasn't my point. It wasn't about value or collectability it was about the fact that once you chop this down it's nothing. Not what it was, not better and not even residual with a residual value. Its a piece of its time, leave it be and get something light if you want. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deedee Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 1 hour ago, pmjos said: That wasn't my point. It wasn't about value or collectability it was about the fact that once you chop this down it's nothing. Not what it was, not better and not even residual with a residual value. Its a piece of its time, leave it be and get something light if you want. We’ll clearly have to agree to disagree on what the residual value would be. The value is practical not monetary. To say you’d be left with nothing is a little extreme. What you would be left with is a more portable, quality (albeit old) amp. If that means that it is used more then to my mind it has been made better. There are people who think that anyone spending more than one minute faffing with these old amps need their bumps feeling. However, fans of the marque and particularly of this era would recognise the value of rehousing the amp. Popping out and buying the lighter weight head only version is not that easy as they’re not exactly easy to come by. The OP could indeed leave it as is, untouched as a piece of history but very few people have the luxury of space required to have old 4x10 combos sitting dormant. To my mind if splitting means that it or at least part of it is going to be used more, it’s a no brainer. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billynoband Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 I recently cut the head off a hh studio amp even though it was small and did the same on my ex Baron Knights B100 Yamaha combo. On the Trace i would just rack the amp and sell three of the great speakers and use one in a homemade cab for practice then buy a lightweight cab for gigs. But that's just me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 I did it with my H122smx (2x10) combo and re-sleeved the head. I also managed to make the cabinet work separately as a 2x10. There was even enough covering left to re-do the top of the cab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 JFC these aren't priceless antiques - they are old, outdated low value amps that some people still like the sound of which can be found everywhere. Stick it in a rack and gig it if you want! The value thing is nonsense as well, the heads go for the same or more than the combos because nobody wants heavy inefficient cabs any more. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 (edited) 25 minutes ago, lemmywinks said: JFC these aren't priceless antiques - they are old, outdated low value amps that some people still like the sound of which can be found everywhere. Stick it in a rack and gig it if you want! The value thing is nonsense as well, the heads go for the same or more than the combos because nobody wants heavy inefficient cabs any more. this is true, I love Trace heads but the cabs, as good as they sound are just too bloody heavy in fact @kev b gave me 4 x 10 cab because he didn't want to cart it around and when I got it I knew why, I sold it for £40 and split the money with him, felt a bit of a wimp when the guy who bought it carried it out the front door with one hand 😂 Edited March 8, 2020 by PaulWarning 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 23 minutes ago, PaulWarning said: this is true, I love Trace heads but the cabs, as good as they sound are just too bloody heavy in fact @kev b gave me 4 x 10 cab because he didn't want to cart it around and when I got it I knew why, I sold it for £40 and split the money with him, felt a bit of a wimp when the guy who bought it carried it out the front door with one hand 😂 I can always remember using a practice room which had a huge but knackered old Trace rig (4x10 and 1x15 which both farted out at low volume), I used to turn up with my mini 1x10 rig and have to shift this behemoth into a different room completely defeating the object of me having lightweight gear in the first place. Incidentally the room we use now has an old TE head plugged into two TC cabs which is a perfectly manageable big rig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 Do it!! The TE combos, though great to use, are far too cumbersome to be practical to those of us of a certain age with "well used" backs who need to move their gear. Personally, I'd pull the head and rack it. They are manageable this way (12kg - ish?). Leave the combo intact but transplant the speakers into another cab (I have an empty 2x12 cab with grills if you need it) - just replace the "face" for one with two 10" holes. Doing this means you can finish the cases any way you like - I was well impressed with the blue snakeskin head and cab that were for sale here recently. You can also transplant all the parts back into the original case if Bruce Banner ever comes round with the cash and wants to buy it from you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted March 8, 2020 Author Share Posted March 8, 2020 On 07/03/2020 at 19:01, Deedee said: The speakers being old is a valid point, that’s why most who do this keep the head and dispose of the old speakers and combo casing. All the drivers have been replaced with new Eminence units, which undermines some of the case for originality... 7 hours ago, pmjos said: It wasn't about value or collectability it was about the fact that once you chop this down it's nothing. Not what it was, not better and not even residual with a residual value. Its a piece of its time, leave it be and get something light if you want. The irony is @fleabag is right about monetary value; it cost next to nothing. I've seen the preamp alone sell on here for what I paid for the whole combo. Ditto I've seen the speakers (Alpha 10s not Beta's, sadly, advertised go s/h on eBay for what I paid) so I could double my money and and that would leave me with the power amp as well as a large box... so value isn't an issue. Although I'm 57 I can lift it no problem at the moment (which embarrassed the young lad I bought it off - his mate who'd come to help him shift it cracked up when I picked it up carried it over to my car and put it in the back car unaided 🤣 ). The plus point of splitting is not just portability, but being able to use it with a smaller speaker and allowing me to use the 4x10 (amd my even bigger Peavey 1x15) when pride asks for a stack 🙂 . The plus point of keeping it original is it's the amp I wished I could have had when I had to settle for a Laney head and I do love the sound. Also folk may think I'm stupid for having a 95lb amp but no-one is going to say 'you need a proper/louder/better sounding amp'... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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