Trace Elliot - Rescue & Restore (and bargain finds)

[SimonK]

9 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

That's a lot of faith in the switching jack if you ask me.

 

No more than in any other cross-over. Just in this case there is an element of user choice whereas in most cabs it all happens internally without you seeing it.

 

Thus said while we do have a stereo power amp that we could use for biamping purposes, I'm not entirely sure it's worth the faff when we can just use one cable from a mono head in the normal way and get full range. The whole biamping thing may have been a product of the 80s/90s obsession with rack equipment and increasingly sophisticated signal routing, something that seems to have retreated a bit over the last twenty years (although for nostalgic reasons I do still have a 20u rack for my home guitar practicing fun - just coz I can)!

[pete.young]

These are not far from me: https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-bass-amplifiers/bass-cabinets-trace-elliot-£200-ono-vgc/1486968622

[Downunderwonder]

20 hours ago, pete.young said:

These are not far from me: https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-bass-amplifiers/bass-cabinets-trace-elliot-£200-ono-vgc/1486968622

Those look to either having had a cosmetic refurb or a very sheltered life.

[SimonK]

A whole bunch of Trace Elliot gear hitting the market this weekend but most wildly overpriced. Makes me feel a bit sad in a way as indicates the sellers do value the quality (and possibly their history with) the amps, but there is no way anyone is going to get £695 for a 40 year old GP7 combo, or £900 for a 4x10 and 1x15 stack... thus said there is a reasonably priced GP12 SMX in Bristol if anyone is that way...

[SpondonBassed]

On 07/10/2024 at 09:33, SimonK said:

I was hoping there might be others out there interested in the quest - let me see if I can change the thread title as well (edit - I can't)!

 

Very interested.  Thanks for starting this thread.

 

To edit the title, you have to edit your OP.  On the editing screen you should find the title edit box near the top.

 

 

[SimonK]

1 hour ago, SpondonBassed said:

 

Very interested.  Thanks for starting this thread.

 

To edit the title, you have to edit your OP.  On the editing screen you should find the title edit box near the top.

 

 

 

Thanks - have changed the title!

[dclaassen]

On 26/10/2024 at 12:51, SimonK said:

 

Thanks - have changed the title!

I love my TE cabs, but have a very hard time with the weight. How many of you are still hauling your big cabs around for gigs? I don't gig as much, so will probably just keep my cabs, especially since I can't even give them away in this area. 

[SpondonBassed]

52 minutes ago, dclaassen said:

How many of you are still hauling your big cabs around for gigs?

 

If you collect enough of them together in one place you create an enormous gravity well.  This leads to the spawning of a wormhole in the fabric of the universe.  Just point it at the venue and walk right in with an Elf and a long cable.

[SimonK]

4 hours ago, SpondonBassed said:

 

If you collect enough of them together in one place you create an enormous gravity well.  This leads to the spawning of a wormhole in the fabric of the universe.  Just point it at the venue and walk right in with an Elf and a long cable.

 

...actually it's enough of a gravity well that the gigs are drawn to the cabs:

 

[PaulWarning]

I've posted this before, always makes me smile

 

[DGBass]

I knew I had a picture of the loudest and heaviest 150 watt rig I ever owned somewhere. The rig was bought for £100 and fully restored to like new. It sounded colossal. Trying to shoe horn it into a small hatchback lasted ony a few times before it had to go. I did make a bit of money on the resale but even so I had to basically give it away for what it was. The 1818 cab was just something else. You could bomb the bass as much as you wanted and it handled it all without any fuss whatsover, better than sone 8x10s I've used. The 1048H cab was immensely loud. Both made of MDF were immensely heavy. If I had a roadie or even a much larger vehicle I may have been tempted to keep one of the cabs as they sounded so good. That's why so much modern bass gear won't ever come close to sounding like these types of cabs. They may be smaller, and lighter, but modern day tone just doesnt compare to the sound these things made. IMHO. My back hurts just thinking about how I managed to lift the 1048 onto the 1818😐

[uk_lefty]

Loving this thread. You could have a very niche TV show... Ok YouTube show... A bit like Repair Shop, Hoarders, Storage Wars all rolled in to one. I can imagine you and @TheGreekracing towards a "first come first served" bargain Trace Dual Band compressor for sale in Torquay.... 

 

In all seriousness, Trace amps sound phenomenal and we're built to last. It's great that someone is keeping them going. I'd be tempted but I already have too many amps. I am also a fan of the Marshall DBS amps and like with Trace Elliotts there's a quality in the sound that you just don't get from modern amps. 

[SimonK]

8 hours ago, DGBass said:

....The 1818 cab was just something else. You could bomb the bass as much as you wanted and it handled it all without any fuss whatsover, better than sone 8x10s I've used. The 1048H cab was immensely loud. Both made of MDF were immensely heavy. If I had a roadie or even a much larger vehicle I may have been tempted to keep one of the cabs as they sounded so good. That's why so much modern bass gear won't ever come close to sounding like these types of cabs. They may be smaller, and lighter, but modern day tone just doesnt compare to the sound these things made. IMHO. My back hurts just thinking about how I managed to lift the 1048 onto the 1818😐

 

 

I'm waiting for a nearby 1818 to come up for that very reason (there's one in Norfolk at the moment but too far for me) as I have been very impressed with the old 1818x (with both the 1x18 & 1x10 as on the previous page) but I suspect that even in the land of TE the 1818x is the heaviest they ever made - the problem is it's been sitting in one place for a couple weeks now and settled so far into the ground that I'm not sure it can be moved! I'm hoping the smaller 1818 would just about be transportable - I've more or less got the top half of the stack above but don't find the 1048 too bad for getting around. I'd quite like it for home practice \m/

 

Although to be fair I have been lucky enough to generally leave TE cabs in places I play regularly so as not to have to transport. Will be reunited with my 2103 & 1153 mini-stack this coming weekend which I stashed under some stairs in the church I play at, figuring no one will be able to move them until I need them next!

 

Edited October 29, 2024 by SimonK

[TheGreek]

Good to see that it isn't just me and Nick Smith keeping the Trace Elliot Love alive and well...

I currently have 6 heads, a 300w combo and a recently acquired Twin valve combo. 

That said, cash permitting,  I'm happy to rehome any that come along at the right price.

Nick and I both considered this but space and cash are limited for both of us.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/226414268566?_skw=trace+Elliot&itmmeta=01JAXGKA93YTBHE96C6AYXDFTB&hash=item34b7579096:g:taUAAOSwhIVm-AnB&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKn2Yq6VAQ%2BWXYmJDmSjE4zIkBYufM47Rh0PPxpCQdtbQSAJQNUfWXEIWwROxrn4%2F2qLj9hD58e7ck5uSn0ByL84d0T1gO5a48zfTDb3AdlDF4FCzcwsdCjMuHSIbGrkX0BsPSS1Gq495aGPWXuv2mUSW05GT7LMYCh1G2kMpAbnqHxreBKQ4h5KbYlwZS57IOjUrXqDW5dFsWnW1EY1PK2RLMtHVeF1l2g2TP7BMAOhg87RpqrJsWCCL7UIEFs9uYuyD4UlJYGdRUvGNRWi6plIcyJYqDikZm1ob%2FbZWNPonw%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR9ikzbDXZA

[TheGreek]

JOOI I have 2x pairs of these...haven't seen many on the used market. They were only available in black so somebody sprayed this pair at some time in their life.

 

 

[tauzero]

I never really got on with TE, couldn't get a sound I liked. Before I'd finally come to that conclusion, I bought a 4x10 combo. My first gig with it was up two flights of stairs. I didn't keep it much longer.

[SimonK]

24 minutes ago, tauzero said:

I never really got on with TE, couldn't get a sound I liked. Before I'd finally come to that conclusion, I bought a 4x10 combo. My first gig with it was up two flights of stairs. I didn't keep it much longer.

 

...can't... quite... compute...

 

33 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

Good to see that it isn't just me and Nick Smith keeping the Trace Elliot Love alive and well...

I currently have 6 heads, a 300w combo and a recently acquired Twin valve combo. 

That said, cash permitting,  I'm happy to rehome any that come along at the right price.

Nick and I both considered this but space and cash are limited for both of us.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/226414268566

 

Yes I was tempted too but only just did up a similar cab, and Cambridge is on the other side of London from me so difficult to justify five hours driving. I think if something is close by, or I happen to be going that way for other reasons, I will grab it.

[Rich]

17 hours ago, SimonK said:

 

...actually it's enough of a gravity well that the gigs are drawn to the cabs:

 

 

 

Well, it could be worse...

[SimonK]

Wow - some very early models and actual awards that Trace won in the 90s!

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/267028236554?chn=ps&_ul=GB&mkevt=1&mkcid=28&google_free_listing_action=view_item

 

[DGBass]

7 hours ago, SimonK said:

Wow - some very early models and actual awards that Trace won in the 90s!

 

 

 

None of those boxes look in tip top condition, and despite that legendary TE build quality, probably don't sound that great in their present condition. I also can't believe they mostly still have their coloured knob caps intact. They are usually the first thing that falls off old TE amps.

[DGBass]

Just powered up today since I bought this on FB marketplace for £30. The pre-amp section was near mint, only the little bulbs behind the Trace Elliot logo needed replaced. The amp was sold as no output but it was making a sound, albeit slightly distorted. The problem was easily 'traced' to the ubiquitous PM-4S mosfet output board used in many TE's of the time, and fixed with a few minor component swaps. Weighs a ton right enough, but i can practice my scales and work on my winter tan at the same time 🙂 It also sounds absolutely amazing. It's my third AH250 and the best (and chepeast) one yet. 

 

 

Edited October 31, 2024 by DGBass

[SimonK]

10 hours ago, DGBass said:

 I also can't believe they mostly still have their coloured knob caps intact. They are usually the first thing that falls off old TE amps.

 

FYI there's a chap on the Trace Elliot Facebook group selling 3D printed replacement coloured caps for £5 a pair (red & green). I got a set and he's done an excellent job getting them as close as possible. 

[SimonK]

This one looks interesting - probably neither a rescue or restore as it looks in excellent condition, mind you I wouldn't pay much more than the £200 it's already at (and that would also assume I was near enough to get it which I'm not!).

 

[SimonK]

This was free but only stayed on Facebook a number of hours. I wasn't quick enough!

 

[SimonK]

Dammit... this one is pretty close to me but do I really need to take my collection to eight TE cabs??

 

https://www.facebook.com/share/151BPrcrkS/