Lew-Bass Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 (edited) Just agreed the purchase of a Trace Elliott 1028H which I'm very excited about (off topic of this thread really but any opinions on these cabs would be very appreciated). I now have a budget of £350 for a head to go with it. The Trace is 400W @ 8Ohm, and I'm just looking for something that will work well with the power and the tone of it. It has to be second hand (for VFM) and preferrably come with a rack case but that isn't neccessary EDIT: Don't want something too heavy and not really looking for anything with valves as they'd be too much of a hassle to maintain Thanks Edited October 16, 2009 by Lew-Bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike257 Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 (edited) Hey Lew, did you not pick up that Nemesis head then? I'm moving on my SVT-3 soon, but to be honest it doesn't have enough kick into 8 ohms, especially as you're metalling it up!! There's this [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=63158"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=63158[/url] GK 700 in the For Sale, but I'm not sure what it puts out at 8 ohms, although a more learned soul could enlighten you. In your budget, and only a hop down the M62. They're wicked heads, would do you fine tone-wise, I'd say. This guy [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=48813"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=48813[/url] has a Warwick head in your budget, but doesn't mention if he'll post or not. Or if you want lightweight, there's this: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=62426"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=62426[/url] Plenty of options, just keep an eye on the forum and see what takes your fancy! Mike Edited October 11, 2009 by mike257 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lew-Bass Posted October 12, 2009 Author Share Posted October 12, 2009 [quote name='mike257' post='623402' date='Oct 11 2009, 07:55 PM']Hey Lew, did you not pick up that Nemesis head then? I'm moving on my SVT-3 soon, but to be honest it doesn't have enough kick into 8 ohms, especially as you're metalling it up!! There's this [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=63158"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=63158[/url] GK 700 in the For Sale, but I'm not sure what it puts out at 8 ohms, although a more learned soul could enlighten you. In your budget, and only a hop down the M62. They're wicked heads, would do you fine tone-wise, I'd say. This guy [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=48813"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=48813[/url] has a Warwick head in your budget, but doesn't mention if he'll post or not. Or if you want lightweight, there's this: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=62426"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=62426[/url] Plenty of options, just keep an eye on the forum and see what takes your fancy! Mike[/quote] No mate, was meant to but as a fault fully of my own I wasn't ontop of time and arrangements enough. I've posted in that thread about the GK head, I'm very very interested. What is the GK tone like exactly? And the trace for that matter? I think it puts out about 250W @ 8Ohms. Reckon that's enough? How's the band going mate? Hope you're well Lewis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Maybe look at one of the Hartke 3500 or 5500 heads? Very punchy like the Trace but less brittle. Also cheap as chips now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lew-Bass Posted October 12, 2009 Author Share Posted October 12, 2009 [quote name='Crazykiwi' post='623676' date='Oct 12 2009, 02:40 AM']Maybe look at one of the Hartke 3500 or 5500 heads? Very punchy like the Trace but less brittle. Also cheap as chips now.[/quote] Just had a quick google and I'm not really into graphic EQ's, too much detail = too much to go wrong . The 4-band EQ on the GK is ideal, and I've also just seen that it puts out 320W @ 8Ohm, which is a pretty good match for the 400W capacity of the trace. Depending on the pics and nothing else coming up for sale, I think I could go for the RB700-II. Of course any suggestions and disuasions are welcome Thanks, Lewis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Maybe you'd better try both before reaching a decision, assuming you haven't already? I used to own a GK RB700 and its a much more aggressive amp than the Hartke. Not necessarily worse for that but if you pair bright sounding basses to it, your ears may end up bleeding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lew-Bass Posted October 12, 2009 Author Share Posted October 12, 2009 [quote name='Crazykiwi' post='623695' date='Oct 12 2009, 07:29 AM']Maybe you'd better try both before reaching a decision, assuming you haven't already? I used to own a GK RB700 and its a much more aggressive amp than the Hartke. Not necessarily worse for that but if you pair bright sounding basses to it, your ears may end up bleeding.[/quote] What was your view on the GK then, did you like it? I know it's the older model you owned but no doubt it's obviously very similar In reference to bright sounding basses, I tend to like a warm, defined fairly clean tone so I don't think that that will be a problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longtimefred Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 (edited) id cancel the order and re order a 4ohm cab, much more options that way. DUH!!! stupid me, i should research my opinions or thoughts before posting, just checked the "whats the difference between 4 and 8ohm cabs thread" but i do like things loud so lower impedance has always worked better for me. lol Edited October 12, 2009 by longtimefred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 What about the V-type combo in the for sale section? I have the 1x15" version and use a 1028H with it. Nice and simple - preamp valves only need replaced once in a blue moon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 [quote name='Lew-Bass' post='624113' date='Oct 12 2009, 04:08 PM']What was your view on the GK then, did you like it? I know it's the older model you owned but no doubt it's obviously very similar In reference to bright sounding basses, I tend to like a warm, defined fairly clean tone so I don't think that that will be a problem[/quote] It was the Mk II, I had two 1x15 combos. It was a great amp, certainly capable of delivering a warm and clean tone but like I mentioned in my earlier post, it can be aggressive. I ended up having to decide what to subtract from my sound rather than figure out what to add. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lew-Bass Posted October 12, 2009 Author Share Posted October 12, 2009 The GK was collection only unfortunately, so I'm back at square 1 & open to more suggestions. To the suggestions above; I'm just looking for a 1 cab + head solution. And as I've said, graphic EQs are too detailed for my needs, a 4 band EQ is great. No tubes atall either, it's just more hassle that I can't really afford to be dealing with. Look forward to hearing from everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike257 Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Hey Lew, Amps with a tube pre are ok, pre-amp tubes take much less of beating and rarely need changing. I haven't changed the ones in my SVT-3 since I bought it in 2006. Used a Trace cab with my Ampeg head on a gig earlier this year, found it had a lot more mid grunt than my Ampeg cabs, a very different sound - but a good sound! I'm not sure what they've got in Dolphin/Dawsons for bass gear at the moment, but it might be worth having a poke around and trying a couple of things, just to get a feel for what you're after. Oh, and the bands going great thanks mate, the EP is mastered now (some tracks on myspace.com/thebuffaloriot) and we're just getting a couple of dates sorted for Liverpool Music Week. Checked out your band on myspace, some filthy riffs on those demo tracks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 The unreliability and short-life of valves is fortunately mythical. They are tough components and even power amp valves can last decades - and unlike transistors can be easily replaced when they die. Lots of great heads out there which have one or two valves in the preamps and are thus well worth considering. A nice thing about valve preamps is that if you're bothered you can try different valves to tweak your sound - when I had an SWR Grand Prix I found that sounded much nicer with a NOS 5751 (a lower gain 12AX7 variant). To give you an idea of the toughness of valves, NOS military spec valves were produced for use in things like air-drop field-radios whilst the MiG-25 interceptor used valves for all its critical electronics because they're so tough and more resistant to electromagnetic warfare than transistors. In fact I would expect electrolytic capacitors (which are found in all amps) to wear out (within a few decades) before preamp valves do. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lew-Bass Posted October 13, 2009 Author Share Posted October 13, 2009 [quote name='alexclaber' post='624741' date='Oct 13 2009, 09:59 AM']The unreliability and short-life of valves is fortunately mythical. They are tough components and even power amp valves can last decades - and unlike transistors can be easily replaced when they die. Lots of great heads out there which have one or two valves in the preamps and are thus well worth considering. A nice thing about valve preamps is that if you're bothered you can try different valves to tweak your sound - when I had an SWR Grand Prix I found that sounded much nicer with a NOS 5751 (a lower gain 12AX7 variant). To give you an idea of the toughness of valves, NOS military spec valves were produced for use in things like air-drop field-radios whilst the MiG-25 interceptor used valves for all its critical electronics because they're so tough and more resistant to electromagnetic warfare than transistors. In fact I would expect electrolytic capacitors (which are found in all amps) to wear out (within a few decades) before preamp valves do. Alex[/quote] Ah, thanks for making it clear to me Alex Ok so, what head would you recommend to pair with a TE 1028H? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lew-Bass Posted October 13, 2009 Author Share Posted October 13, 2009 [quote name='mike257' post='624731' date='Oct 13 2009, 09:44 AM']Hey Lew, Amps with a tube pre are ok, pre-amp tubes take much less of beating and rarely need changing. I haven't changed the ones in my SVT-3 since I bought it in 2006. Used a Trace cab with my Ampeg head on a gig earlier this year, found it had a lot more mid grunt than my Ampeg cabs, a very different sound - but a good sound! I'm not sure what they've got in Dolphin/Dawsons for bass gear at the moment, but it might be worth having a poke around and trying a couple of things, just to get a feel for what you're after. Oh, and the bands going great thanks mate, the EP is mastered now (some tracks on myspace.com/thebuffaloriot) and we're just getting a couple of dates sorted for Liverpool Music Week. Checked out your band on myspace, some filthy riffs on those demo tracks [/quote] So by that do you mean that its 'aggresive' in the mids? What was the bottom end like? How do you get to try amps/cabs out in shops without purchasing? I'm just weary of pissing the staff off at the moment really Good to hear Mike, I'll take a listen, and I'll make an effort to see you at LMW, let me know where and when . Oh and thanks for the kind comments, as you could tell there's no bass on the recordings (still!) and it is extremely raw, but I think there's a basis for some decent songs there. Went to crash studios for the first time last weekend, seems a decent place and very reasonably priced, think that's gonna be our regular haunt from now on. Where do you guys practise? Lewis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lew-Bass Posted October 16, 2009 Author Share Posted October 16, 2009 BUMP to save starting a new thread. Which amp would be better; the Gallien-Krueger 1001 RB-II or the MarkBass LMII (the 2008 special edition one, but that's aesthetics)? Really need some opinions as I've got the opportunity of either one and I'm torn currently Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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