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VTypeV4

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Everything posted by VTypeV4

  1. VTypeV4
    I have a little VC30 2x10 guitar combo that sounds lovely - it's nicely made and conveniently portable..
  2. VTypeV4
    I gigged a borrowed Laney rig about ten years ago and it was pretty kick-a$$ to be fair. I think it was the same head as pictured above (300w / graphic EQ / compressor) with matching Celestion loaded 4x10 and compact 1x15 - very impressive. I can't remember why I'd borrowed it, maybe my Trace combo at the time was in for repair or something but I was very happy with how big and tight it sounded and as such always stuck in my mind..
  3. VTypeV4
    I've said a few times but for me the pick of the bunch was the 400SMX - power for days and somehow better than the 600 IMO! The more compact sized heads pack plenty of power too - the 300SMX was my fave of those..
  4. VTypeV4
    Thanks! I still have the original knobs but I thought the black / white / silver colour combination was a winner. It's heavy but sounds fantastic.
  5. VTypeV4
    I'm not sure about my cab but my amp is an '81 - possibly the first year of the Black Face style 135.. Matching 135 grill by VTypeV4, on Flickr Most of the silver face versions I've seen have the silver grille cloth but I've seen a few black grille ones too although not with the ali trim. They probably went through a transitional stage around that time? Sorry I can't be more definitive..
  6. VTypeV4

    Hiwatt

    VTypeV4 replied to stewblack's topic in Amps and Cabs

    I used one a couple of times - it was given to me as a 'this is knackered, you can have it' kind of deal. I promptly fixed it and had it working but it wasn't the best as the amp was very rattly where it screwed to the enclosure. Some dampening by our old friend gaffa tape went a good way to curing it. It wasn't particularly loud either although it would just about stand with a drummer but I personally wouldn't have wanted to ever do a gig with it. On a positive note, the graphic EQ helped massively with tone shaping and the compressor worked reasonably well at lower settings plus the speaker is a Celestion (a cheap one, granted) which seemed to stand strong at all levels. I think £75 is almost the upper end of the market for one of these - for similar coin I'd take a Peavey TKO / TNT - but maybe your friend will get on with it and do everything he needs, hope he enjoys it.
  7. VTypeV4
    The 'inspiration' for the Reeves and Mywatt amplifiers - Hiwatt - claimed 400w from 6 valves as did Trace Elliot with the V6. There may be some number juggling but can't imagine there's much in it under real world conditions..
  8. VTypeV4
    Usually a frazzled voice coil caused by a thermal overload - bass boost + clipping amplifier come to mind. You may be lucky and find one of the tinsel leads which run from the terminals on the frame down through the cone to the coil itself has failed / split - I've got a few more years out of a couple of Peavey Black Widows by repairing the tinsel on drivers which would have otherwise been scrapped. Take the driver out of the box and do a visual inspection then check the speaker with a multi-meter set to continuity across the terminals. If you don't have a meter, you can use a battery and see if it clicks / moves. Take some pics of it out of the enclosure and report back when you've done the above.
  9. VTypeV4
    I had the the slightly newer, larger box TXF version. It sounded awesome but weighed 8000 tonnes..
  10. VTypeV4
    There's an old TNT 130 at our rehearsal space - the real old one with the parametric mid, not the graphic EQ - which is from the 1980's. We ditched the Scorpion speaker (which sounded a bit flat) and put a newer Celestion in (after trialing a JBL) and it for what it is, it kicks donkey. It's a bit 'clangy' but has plenty of power for it's rating and is more than usable in a gig situation - I used it at a wet / muddy show during summer last year as I didn't want my Trace or SWR boxes covered in muck! It'll never replace the Trace or the Fender but I'd happily use it again if I needed to.
  11. VTypeV4
    I think my Ashton 410 had these - part of the lower end Tru-vox / TF series and they worked great in that too. They haven't got an exceptional spec but there's something pretty sweet sounding about them.
  12. VTypeV4
    Me too, above and beyond - I'm not even a customer and I'm being offered support on a product that they didn't even build. Superb.
  13. VTypeV4
    Thank you.
  14. VTypeV4
    This, absolutely.. I've said this before but other than the odd exception of the smaller companies (TKS, Barefaced to name a couple), none have a presence let alone a real person here. The fact that Ashdown do - a multinational company - is something to be applauded. From a personal and slightly selfish perspective regarding my own gear - the Trace Elliot company that built my V4 haven't existed in over 15 years despite the brand still being around. I'd probably get more knowledge from Ashdown regarding it rather the current Trace Elliot. The Fender company that built my Bassman have gone through many changes since it was built during the CBS times and it seems unlikely to offer much support regarding it. And lastly, my SWR cabs were made by a company that also no longer exists. In conclusion, I have no real direct manufacturer contact for any of my gear which would, sometimes be really helpful..
  15. VTypeV4
    Oh dear.. You might be lucky and it's just taken a fuse (internal or external) out or maybe it has some sort of protection circuitry. Worst case, it's fried the PSU and everything else..
  16. VTypeV4
    I was close, I said '92!
  17. VTypeV4
    They're usually built reasonably tidy inside - nice layout, neat cables plus pre and power stages on their own boards. I became quite intimate with the inside of my 4808 combo as there were a few ropey solder joints on the pre-amp board. It had the later 320w Clive Button power stage after it's former 'Bi-Polar Bear' gave out with it's previous owner. The later power amp was very good and as ever, plenty loud and clean..
  18. VTypeV4
    Good luck, looks a nightmare!
  19. VTypeV4
    And the 1084 - 8x10 although it's 4 ohm so you'd have to pull the internal speaker on your combo. You'd need to recover from the hernia and back surgery first of course as they were 84Kg! All good - hope it works out for you if you choose to add.
  20. VTypeV4
    Be sure to post some pics when you do! Trace 1153, most have the same driver as your combo - most have the front mounted ports too although some earlier ones have them mounted behind the grill and the box is slightly shallower (front to back) - probably identical size to your combo. Some also come with an HF component but there seems to be fewer of these about. There's also the option of pretty much any other Trace cab from the era too as they're the same width, 1048H (4x10 + HF), 2103H (2x10 + HF), 1153 (compact 1x15), 1518 (large 1x15), 1818 (1x18 - same size as 1518 & 1048H)..
  21. VTypeV4
    The access for the combos is usually on top but the screws are covered by little plastic inserts you'll need to pop out first - my 715 and 4808 were like this.. With these out the amp should simply slide out but be sure to disconnect the speaker connection too.
  22. VTypeV4
    Ha, you could knock holes in a wall with it! It was as perceivably loud as the V-Type 4808 (300w / 4x8") I'd had previously. My V4 is a monster..
  23. VTypeV4
    Ha, yes indeed! Of the 15" combo models, I've owned two and both were great. First was a late ('03 according to the serial) 715 GP7 with the illuminscent panel and black tolex same as the later V-Type and Commando ranges. I paid very little for it as a friend was no longer using it - he'd bought a bigger Laney rig. I only moved it on as another mate was setting a rehearsal place up and was desperate for a decent bass amp. He still has it and it apparently is still going well although I recall he fitted it with wheels. Secondly was a Twin Valve which are quite rare (see what I did there?) and horribly heavy but sound fantastic. They came with the Series 6 GP7 pre-amp but with valve stage as well as an all valve output stage (2x 6550 making a claimed 115w) which is MUCH louder than the numbers suggest. I did a full review of this in the reviews section. I only moved this on as I'd mistakenly sold the V4 (Trace, not Ampeg) few years before and the opportunity came around to get it back so needed the pennies.
  24. VTypeV4
    I'm a little sketchy on the really early stuff but MK5 was mid eighties (maybe '86) to about '89, Series 6 was the next generation from '89 till '93 then these were superseded by SM and SMX from '94 with an upgrade of the SM to SMC (with the dual band compressor albeit single knobbed) in '97 and a change from grey panel / grey tolex to black panel / green carpet - SMX models received the cosmetic change but were otherwise unchanged except 250w models were now claimed 300w and the 350w model was now 400w. Last generation Gibson models were the last of the 'old guard' produced from '99 until about '02 - 150 and 300w models had a new design power stage, electro-illuminescent panel plus the old 400w was upped to 500w plus the crazy stereo / triamp 1000w replaced the 600w SMX. Both 7 band and 12 band pre-amps recieved tweaks most notably the 12 band with an added valve drive and enhancer facilities. Production ceased in around '03 when Gibson closed the brand and factory. Peavey production started in 2005. Yours looks to be a lesser spotted model as most series 6 were the smaller box design and all SM were larger off-set suggesting a very late Series 6 from about '92 just before they were replaced. Sorry for the essay! Ha!
  25. VTypeV4
    I started with a Boxer 30 (1x10 - 30w) back in '98 and I've been through the giant stack of the 12-band 600w head, 410 and 115 and an all valve V4 MK2 with matching 810 and pretty much everything in-between. I too needed a crane! Most have the smaller (and earlier) power stages up to 200w - I think most of the series 6 ('89 to '93 ish) seven band models were 100w and the 12 band being the 200 but there was likely options for both. Box volume was lower which may have affected low end response a little but I never really had issues with my Twin Valve combo which was the smaller variation and was built in 1990. Yours is the pre-cursor (I'd have said about '92) to the later (post '93) combos (and 1153 cab although it's a touch deeper) with the off set driver and front loaded ports which came as 200, 250 / 280 and 300w models featuring the SM, SMC, SMX and GP12X pre-amp stages. Hope that helps.
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