help needed- very quiet trace Elliot?

[rogo]

hi, so my ‘trusty’ trace Elliot AH350 head and 115 cab is pretty much my dream rig (except maybe getting an SVT/ barefaced combo) and I thought I’d take it out for it’s first gig a few weeks ago and it sounded very very quiet, even the guitarist was telling me to turn up! The soundguy kept turning me up during soundcheck because apparently I was getting quieter and quieter throughout. It’s a hybrid solid state- valve head (I think?) so my first thought is the valve is dying and needs replacing. Second thought is my cab speaker is going but it’s a brand new celestion 400w so shouldn’t be. Any advice or tips on what to look for? Cheers

 

[Downunderwonder]

Brand new speakers are sometimes duff. If it's not that and it's not the tube then you're going to need a tech to sort it out.

 

Looking at your knob settings you could possibly have blown the new speaker. 4 on the output is all she's got when the green light is constant on the input side. There's a lot of low bass on the EQ. 

[rogo]

2 minutes ago, Downunderwonder said:

Brand new speakers are sometimes duff. If it's not that and it's not the tube then you're going to need a tech to sort it out.

 

Looking at your knob settings you could possibly have blown the new speaker. 4 on the output is all she's got when the green light is constant on the input side. There's a lot of low bass on the EQ. 

thanks man, yeah I was experimenting with the EQ that’s not how I gigged it lol. When I say brand new speaker the guy I bought it from told me it was brand new which may have been bs of course. Might be a job for a tech I think

[BassBunny]

Try the effects loop trick first. Get a jack plug and insert/remove it several times in the send and return. Or connect send to return with a lead. If not used the effects jacks can oxidise causing the issue you describe.

If you need it looking at speak to Dave or Guy at Ashdown as they repair and service Trace gear now. Makes sense as Ashdown were born out of the TE purchase by Peavey.

[Chienmortbb]

1 hour ago, BassBunny said:

Try the effects loop trick first. Get a jack plug and insert/remove it several times in the send and return. Or connect send to return with a lead. If not used the effects jacks can oxidise causing the issue you describe.

If you need it looking at speak to Dave or Guy at Ashdown as they repair and service Trace gear now. Makes sense as Ashdown were born out of the TE purchase by Peavey.

Yes try this first. I agree that the RQ curve is extreme in the image but as you say you did not gig it like that it is probably not the problem.

Have you got another c AB you could try? Or another amp with that cab?

[Downunderwonder]

Trace SMX fx loops are parallel. The only way defective loop jack could cause dropout is if the Effects Level was cranked.

[mr zed]

Active bass? If so, is the battery on its way out?

[rogo]

5 hours ago, mr zed said:

Active bass? If so, is the battery on its way out?

 passive fender jazz 

[DGBass]

'Very quiet Trace Elliot' is not something i've come across before in my experience with this brand of amplifier. It's usually a good sign that something is not quite right! It's been mentioned that plugging direct into the return jack (on the rear panel should bypass the pre-amp) and let you test the power amp. If its still quiet and your bass and lead are good then something is wrong in the power amp section. I've never come across a quiet power amp in a Trace, usually they either work or don't. If its loud testing from the return jack then its likely to be a pre-amp issue. The SMX front end is usually pretty robust.  The pre-amp will still work fine with the valve blend fully anticlockwise even if the valve was dead. SM and SMX pre-amps do have a few common issues though, again in my experience. The standy button can develop intermittent issues and most of the knobs on the front panels will wear and go crackly or cause drop outs after many years of service. It's a full stereo pre-amp and most of the pots are dual gang types and can cause bizarre intermittent issues when they are worn. The master volume control is particularly prone to this as its dual gang type. GP12 SMX pre-amps are about as complex as old TE front ends come so if you aren't confident popping one open for a look its probably a good time to seek tech help.

Regarding the speaker, if the amp was working ok before the new one was fitted, its worth checking the wiring is ok and polarity is correct. Even better, using a test meter to measure the speaker resistance ( while unplugged ) will tell you if its good.  

 

[Downunderwonder]

I think the 350 version is more like my 250 in having a simplified mono version of the GP12 SMX preamp?

[PaulWarning]

I had this on my SMX GP12, it had to have new output transistors