Trace Elliot combo

[4000]

I loved the old Trace gear. After I’d finally sold my Trace gear due to having a bad back, I remember trying almost every rig in The Gallery - Epifani, SWR, Eden, Aguilar, EBS, Ampeg, Markbass Etc and hating everything,  then finally plugging into a Trace combo, pushing the (mid cut) pre-shape in and bingo. Sadly I couldn’t buy it for the same reason I’d sold my old stuff; it was just all far too heavy for me. Tonally, for me, it blew everything else into the dust. 

[Sparky Mark]

I've finally found a matching cab for my 1215 combo and cannot wait to hear them live.

[Alba]

Looks the biz and bet it sounds great.

[isteen]

Can we get a pic of the back?

I was wondering about hooking up a 15” to my TE Combo for more beef 

[MacDaddy]

12 hours ago, Sparky Mark said:

I've finally found a matching cab for my 1215 combo and cannot wait to hear them live.

 

one either side of the drum kit! 

Edited August 13, 2020 by MacDaddy

[Nobatron]

4 minutes ago, isteen said:

Can we get a pic of the back?

I was wondering about hooking up a 15” to my TE Combo for more beef 

If your combo has a spare speaker output you should be able to plug any 8 ohm cab into that. A lot of TE combos use a short jack out of the cab to go into the head. If the head only has one output you might need to make a splitter cable to hook up another cab as well as the internal speaker.

The important thing is to check the impedance of the internal speaker. If it's 8 ohm you're good to go. If it's 4 ohm then you won't be able to hook up another speaker at the same time. Perhaps someone more familiar with that model will know the impedance of the speaker.

[Sparky Mark]

3 hours ago, isteen said:

Can we get a pic of the back?

I was wondering about hooking up a 15” to my TE Combo for more beef 

It's the same as this. Two outputs, one of which is used for the internal 8 ohm speaker.

[isteen]

18 hours ago, Sparky Mark said:Two outputs, one of which is used for the internal 8 ohm speaker.

 

Thank you. So the extra speaker has to be a 8 ohm speake?

[isteen]

22 hours ago, Nobatron said:

If your combo has a spare speaker output you should be able to plug any 8 ohm cab into that. A lot of TE combos use a short jack out of the cab to go into the head. If the head only has one output you might need to make a splitter cable to hook up another cab as well as the internal speaker.

The important thing is to check the impedance of the internal speaker. If it's 8 ohm you're good to go. If it's 4 ohm then you won't be able to hook up another speaker at the same time. Perhaps someone more familiar with that model will know the impedance of the speaker.

Thank you. I need to check What model it is, or I might upload a picture here, If anyone can help out

[Nobatron]

47 minutes ago, isteen said:

Thank you. So the extra speaker has to be a 8 ohm speake?

Yes, both the internal speaker and the external cab will need to be 8 ohms.

[Sparky Mark]

12 hours ago, isteen said:

Thank you. So the extra speaker has to be a 8 ohm speake?

If your combo is designed to allow an extension cab to be connected it's most likely the internal speaker is 8 ohms. Connecting an 8 ohm extension cab in addition to the internal 8 ohm speaker will present the combo's amplifier with a 4 ohm load. If the internal speaker is 4 ohms you should not connect another speaker whatever it's impedance as this could cause the amplifier to overheat and burn out.

[TheGreek]

Weight seems to be a major issue with the old Trace Elliot combos. Solution: get a TE head (around 12kg) and pair it with modern lightweight cabs. 

[JottoSW1]

23 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

Weight seems to be a major issue with the old Trace Elliot combos. Solution: get a TE head (around 12kg) and pair it with modern lightweight cabs. 

This. Am using Laney Nexus N410 + N115 cabs plus (more than 12kg) TE AH500x. Sounds fabulous.

[Sparky Mark]

33 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

Weight seems to be a major issue with the old Trace Elliot combos. Solution: get a TE head (around 12kg) and pair it with modern lightweight cabs. 

The real problem is the ageing process. A lot of us are in our 50s and 60s and simply can't schlep the gear we threw about with ease in our earlier days. Even 9lb plus basses are a major issue for some of our arthritic backs and shoulders. I use a folding trolley to move my gear and if that's not possible I ask if someone can grab the other handle to help me out. 

Edited August 15, 2020 by Sparky Mark

[Defo]

My ears say yes, my back says no. Bet it sounds incredible though

[Lozz196]

22 hours ago, Sparky Mark said:

The real problem is the ageing process. A lot of us are in our 50s and 60s and simply can't schlep the gear we threw about with ease in our earlier days. Even 9lb plus basses are a major issue for some of our arthritic backs and shoulders. I use a folding trolley to move my gear and if that's not possible I ask if someone can grab the other handle to help me out. 

Yep, I recently sold my beloved Ashdown ABM set up as I just can’t manage that kind of gear anymore. Luckily my Ashdown RM set up is almost as good.

[Sparky Mark]

2 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

Yep, I recently sold my beloved Ashdown ABM set up as I just can’t manage that kind of gear anymore. Luckily my Ashdown RM set up is almost as good.

I have a couple of neo single twelve cabs that are great when "almost as good" is good enough but for those special occasions I'm happy to make the extra effort. This particular TE combo and cab are the smaller 33cm deep versions and even I (nearly 58, 5'9", 11st 7lbs) can move them relatively easily. 

On the other hand, perhaps we should all quit public performances once we are too frail to move anything other than balsa wood instruments and ultra light gear? 😅

[JottoSW1]

4 hours ago, Sparky Mark said:

I have a couple of neo single twelve cabs that are great when "almost as good" is good enough but for those special occasions I'm happy to make the extra effort. This particular TE combo and cab are the smaller 33cm deep versions and even I (nearly 58, 5'9", 11st 7lbs) can move them relatively easily. 

On the other hand, perhaps we should all quit public performances once we are too frail to move anything other than balsa wood instruments and ultra light gear? 😅

Suspect the Stones et al will be tottering around on stage while they can still manage their (titanium/carbon fibre?) Zimmer frames. Or maybe animatronic substitutes.

[NickA]

I had the GP12smx version of that for years. Agree with everything Belka says.

It was a very clean and clear amp for it's day lots of punch .. too much for home practice in fact!

About scooping the mids ... I always did that with the trace EQ ( BIG Smile across the 12 bands,) Much too "thin and middy" otherwise.  Never scoop the mids on the PJB kit I have now ... it stays dead flat except for a little adjustment for room acoustics.

Paid £800 for my trace in 1998, sold it for £150 in 2018.  Miss it somewhat, especially with my Warwick. Don't miss the weight though. Had space allowed, I'd still have it.

Edited August 17, 2020 by NickA

[isteen]

Can anyone help me out? Unfortunately I don’t have pics of the back of this combo.

Can a 15” be added to this combo for extra beef?

 

thank you

Edited August 28, 2020 by isteen

[Musicman20]

Kinda wish I kept my GP12 SMX 400 head or whatever the model name was. Bought new from Electro music. Once Trace sent me some different fuses it NEVER missed a beat. NEVER.

I would have liked to have kept it for the fact it was so loud and reliable, and had a great clean clear tone. However, the Genz Shuttlemax 9.2 I have does basically the same so it had to go. Shame. 

 

 

[Stub Mandrel]

12 minutes ago, isteen said:

Can a 15” be added to this combo for extra beef?

Probably, if it's an 8 ohm cab.

[Nobatron]

11 minutes ago, isteen said:

Can anyone help me out? Unfortunately I don’t have pics of the back of this combo.

Can a 15” be added to this combo for extra beef?

It entirely depends on what the internal speaker is. If it's 8 ohm you can though you might need to make a splitter cable if the head only has the one output. However if it's 4 ohm the head is already at it's full capacity so wouldn't be able to take a second cab.

I think I've read before that the Trace 130 watt heads are often paired with a 4 ohm speaker in the combos whereas the 300 watt ones are often paired with an 8 ohm one. I could well be wrong about this though but either way you want to confirm the internal speaker is 8 ohm before attempting to power another cab with it.

[isteen]

8 hours ago, Nobatron said:

It entirely depends on what the internal speaker is. If it's 8 ohm you can though you might need to make a splitter cable if the head only has the one output. However if it's 4 ohm the head is already at it's full capacity so wouldn't be able to take a second cab.

There are an extra output, so I don’t think a splitter will be needed.

I have a 8ohm 15” - but how do I check If the internal speaker is 4 or 8 ohm?

[Stub Mandrel]

1 hour ago, isteen said:

There are an extra output, so I don’t think a splitter will be needed.

I have a 8ohm 15” - but how do I check If the internal speaker is 4 or 8 ohm?

Trace usually have something written by the speaker o/p. explaining what impedance speaker you can connect and how.