VTypeV4
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Who's finally happy with their rig?
VTypeV4 replied to Jean-Luc Pickguard's topic in General Discussion
Very much so, yes. 😀 I've got several rigs and all are different; the Bassman with it's 15" JBL speakers with a Jazz bass is distinctly different than the Trace V4 / SWR 2x10 with the Warwick Streamer. My choice of rig currently is Squier Jazz VM or 40th Anniversary > Trace V6 > Trace 2103H & 1153 of which I'm very happy with - no gigs with it yet but a few rehearsals and it's immense. As time has gone on, it's generally things I 'want' rather than things I 'need' these days, for example the Ampeg rig I bought last year for the studio. I love it as it sounds awesome. I've generally been pretty happy with every setup for the last 15 years or so but currently, I couldn't be happier. ❤️ -
Just finished a mini project with the 02R - spot on, as ever. 😀
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I thought my arty V-Type themed wall paper came out rather well. 🥰
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Lovely old thing, very cool. Probably a bit gritty and dirty for my personal tastes but I bet it'd be a fantastic tool to record with. ❤️
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It seems to be cheating a little as I run a commercial studio with an extensive analog setup but here's some of my rack candy through various stages of development. 😬 I'll not list everything as we'll be here for days but a few personal favourites are.. TC M1 multi-fx units as they have a size and fidelity particularly with reverb and delay that's tricky to match with other units. TC HOF 2 specifically for the drag / shimmer reverb effect. ART VLA 2 - almost certainly my favourite hardware compressor as they just make things sound better. WA Bus Comp does exactly what it says adding a positive 'binding agent' to mixes. KT76 which are as good as any plugin I own. For recording, I tend to use a Trace SMX as a first stage then feed out of this to other setups including an SVT, Bassman and sometimes a V-Type. The rack gear is exclusively for mix down with the A&H ML5000 console.
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Thanks for the reply. 👍 Based on the last 20 years or so, it seems a V-Type will likely always be my choice of weapon. They need a little support and as such I use a Yamaha NE-1 for additional EQ getting rid of that 'clank' and a Boss LMB-3 adding a little squeeze and 'ping' - I never leave home without them. I do agree, the Trace is not the most flexible tool which is something I've seen in various reviews of the CTM too. Despite these limitations, I still haven't found anything that quite delivers in the same way both my V4 and V6 do - something that's really difficult to put into words and is almost a feeling. Without much doubt, my SVT has a far more useful set of tone controls with it's EQ that does much more honestly what it says without too much interraction plus the 5-way frequency selection is an instant character shift assuming some boost or cut is applied. When the CTM appeared, I expected they'd be more like the Ampeg but seeing the familiar V-Type style control panel is probably why I jumped to the conclusion I did. As for having to drive the V-Type hard, I never felt I needed to, particularly. I drive the gain at 12 and keep the Yamaha / Boss quite hot in the FX loop - I'm not after drive or clipping but a little audible saturation and compression complete the sonic picture for me. Maybe after Christmas, I'll pick up a used CTM100 from the market place here and draw my own conclusions - many thanks, folks.
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This thread is ancient, I know but I wondered if anyone had any further experience with the two? Since this thread was started, I've bought another V-Type (I know, I know!) but it's an older V6 (green, furry carpet) which is a little different than my V4 plus I also purchased an SVT-CL setup - I've done all sorts of comparisons elsewhere so I'll not go on about them here but the CTM is still a point of interest. I'd love to hear from anyone who has had both. Cheers. 😀
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My lovely Squier VM 'plated up'.. I've gone backwards and forwards on this a few times and may well get a bridge cover with the 'F' at some point but I'm very pleased overall - added mojo! ❤️
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Glad it's been of use to you. 😀 My 400 is currently aloft the Ampeg PR810H at the studio which is a pretty formidable rig although it's usually used fo it's comprehensive I/O often linking into other setups and / or a clean DI rather than it's brute power. Recently, I've liberated the 2103H and 1153 for use with the V-Type V6 which also work really well together.
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- trace elliot
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Great purchase - that rig looks fantastic and I'll bet it sounds just as good as my SVT. 💯
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All Trace stack with V6 head plus 2103H and 1153 cabs - all original drivers too. It sounds a little harder and a bit less hifi than the V4 / SWR combination but it's still great. ❤️
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That SM is literally perfect - it's possibly the last 'new' one in existence.. I thought I was lucky when I bought my V4 at the end of 2003 when it too was NOS let alone 20 years later! 😃 I concur with most of the previous comments - you could get a more modern amp with more features and power for the money. An ELF may have the Trace badge on it and judging by posts on here, it does something akin to the Trace sound but that's about as far as it goes whereas that AH150 is definitely a 'real' one. Despite it's modest power rating, it will probably be surprisingly loud as that 715 (1x15" combo) I had (with the same or at least very similar power amp) played very loudly - I never ran out of steam.
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I've had my LMB-3 for many years and it quietly just gets on with it - I wouldn't want to be without it as I feel it's part of my sound when using the V-Type rig. I also have a Digitech Bass Squeeze Dual Band pedal which is a good tool and seems to work really well with my vintage Bassman setup although on balance, I still prefer the Boss.
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Of the less rare and esoteric Trace amps, an SMX with the big EQ and dual band compressor is a great tool. As mentioned a few posts back, the compact 250 / 300w heads are a great compromise in terms of size, power and capability - arguably the best all rounder in my opinion. The bigger 350 / 400w head is a better amp overall with it's more comprehensive I/O, greater power and the unquestionably cool ultraviolet lamp but it's notably larger and heavier than it's sibling. The 7-band models with the compressor (GP-7 SMC) and late model GP-7 were very good too - I personally much preferred these to the preceeding SM range which I found a little anemic somehow. Both the 712-SMC and late model 715 combo I had a few years back were decent - I felt the 715 was probably better than the 300SM head possibly owing to that compressor. All good - hope it got put back together. 😃
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The V4 MK2 are ultra rare - as far as I could work out plus a conversation with Paul Stevens, there's apparently only about 45 that were ever built with 15 being a 1x15 combo another 15 being 2x10 format plus the heads, again of which there's fifteen. They are based around the V8 pre-amp which was a more advanced version of the original V-Type but with additional drive and compression features. The four-valve power power stage has plenty of 'go' in it and does around 200w . Super rare and a glorious sound but I have little doubt the combos will weigh as much as a small planet - my V4 MK2 head is bad enough. @Kiwi The V4 MK2 combos are a little later than the '90s and are from around 2001. The V-Type combos from the 1990s were hybrids featuring the original V-Type pre-amp and the 250 / 300w SS output stage. Early green 'pimple' tolex ones only came as 1x15 although the later green furr examples also came as 4x8 (model 4808) using Celestion BG8-60 drivers. Again, like most Trace combos, they're horribly heavy but sound great.
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I expect it would have been near perfect with a matching 2x10 - as long as someone else was moving it all! 🤣 Good luck with your search. 😃
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I've had lots of Trace gear over the years and out of the two you mention (assuming the AH250 is in comparable condition), I'd take the 11-band AH250. There's nothing wrong with the 7-band SM but remember that AH250 was part of the premium range back in the '80s whereas the '90s SM was still only the middle sibling to the flagship 12-band SMX series. I had a Twin Valve combo for a while which was a fantastic sounding thing despite it's modest 115w rating and simple 7-band pre-amp. It weighed an absolute ton and was a pig to move plus the power stage was more than capable of finding the limits of the speaker but I'd happily own another - a lovely amplifier. I expect this was the amp you tried all those years ago as it was the only all valve combo they would have made back then - mine was built in 1990. As suggested above, the V-Types are somewhat different than the GP7, 11 and 12 ranges offering a valve pre-amp and basic Fender style EQ. Personally, I don't think they sound much like Fender and have a character of their own - these are a favourite of mine. Hope you find these links useful..
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Owning as many valve amps as I do now, the thought of re-valving them all at the same time does bother me a little although that scenario seems unlikely. 6 in one go wil be more than enough! The V6 was apparently done a few years back and has been on the bench a few times since and given a clean bill of health so fingers crossed, I'll get a few more years out of it yet. 😬 Valve clean and compressed with added 'ping' is where I'm at tone wise so much like the V4, it's sibling hit's the nail on the head very nicely indeed. In the unlikely event I need some drive and anger, I'll pull the 'Gain 2' pot on the V4 for 'gnarly and hairy'.. As for weight, agreed - the V6 is pretty reasonable for what it is whereas my SVT CL is an absolute pig. Don't get me wrong, I love the SVT but the first time a lifted it, I genuinely thought it was stuck down. ❤️
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I do feel a little greedy having two of these lesser spotted specials but I'll put the V6 together with my 2103H and 1153 cabs and enjoy - I'll share findings at a later date. 🥰
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Lots of weight, more power than you can shake a stick at and a truly wonderful sound - you can't beat a V-Type. ❤️
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This lovely V6 has been an on/off feature at the studio since early 2019 and is in plenty of pictures here on the forum. The previous owner and I had an agreement that I would store his Ampeg cab at the studio as long as the V6 came with it - something that has worked well for the two of us as both the 8x10 and V-Type have featured on many recordings. ❤️ As time has moved on and his band circumstances changed a little, I was offered the big Trace at a very reasonable price and let's be honest, if I ever had a weakness, it's TE V-Types. 😃 It's pretty clean throughout and sounds fantastic (obviously!) so I'll take it to rehearsal next week and see how it goes. I love these things. ❤️
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- trace elliot
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Ampeg Pro Series PR810H cabinet in used condition. It has some scrapes and marks but still sounds great and is capable of working at sound levels that are frankly, a bit daft - one for those playing in bands with 100w Marshall heads and multiple 4x12s. 😬 It's heavy and cumbersome but it sounds absolutely fantastic. 😀 I'm technically putting this ad up for a friend although I'm assuming all responsibility should the cabinet sell through the forum. Any prospective buyers are welcome to test the cabinet in my live room at the the studio (www.synkronize.co.uk) where it can be thoroughly examined - please PM me if that's you. I have the Trace V6, Fender Bassman 135, Trace 400SMX and SVT CL on hand to test the cab with or you're of course welcome to bring your own amplifier. This cabinet is exceptionally heavy - the typical Ampeg 810e, Marshall VBA 810, Orange 810, Trace 1084 etc are all easier and lighter than this cab. It's built more like a pro-grade L'Acoustics PA enclosure than an instrument spec cabinet so when I say this thing weighs around the 100 Kg (more than 200lbs) mark, I'm not kidding, it's a true monster! 🤣 ❤️ 1200w RMS power handling or split 2x 600w RMS Ampeg rate the cab at 2400w or 2x 1200w Program. The reality is, you'd have to work really quite hard to cause it any harm Cast frame, Edge wound and vented pole-piece 150w Eminence drivers Dual Fostex HF units - both with adjustable attenuators Quarter inch jack and Speakon input / patching Heavy duty wheels and integral handles / skids Collection only from Synkronize Music Group / Sun Street Studios in Hanley, Stoke on Trent. Bring a strong friend and a Volvo estate - it won't fit in an Aygo. 😆 In terms of sound, overall it's a little more aggressive than my 410HE / 115E combination offering a bit more upper mid 'bite' and 'clang'. It doesn't seem to have too much of a 'bass bump' in the low end and as such, seems to give quite a consistent and present bottom - possibly a little more than the usual cab of this configuration. https://ampeg.com/support/files/Discontinued User Manuals/PR810H/PR-810H.pdf Feel free to check my feedback - I've been a member here for nearly 12 years and have more than a few sales and purchases through the forum. Many thanks, Matt -
Thanks for that.. 😀
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Looking good, Mike! If had to choose, I'd probably go with A&H as I prefer the way they work and just find the whole process a bit more organic. Don't get me wrong, I do like Digico and can't say as I've ever had a bad show on one but the dLive is a fantastic tool - A&H really got it right. It's been a little quiter for me this year although I'm currentl in the throws of Bloodstock '23. It's only the small 'New Blood' stage with some ancient Community boxes and a pair of M32 consoles - I'm on FOH as I have been for the last few years now. Pics to follow. There's also Notting Hill Carnival coming up in a few weeks.
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I'm reasonably sure all of mine are MDF, too. I've never owned anything from the old TE company that wasn't a heavyweight - could they be all made from some sort of iron / concrete blend!? 🤣 The little Commando must weigh at least 20Kg (probably more!) which again, puts it on the heavier side things. If we were to scale it on a ratio for outright volume to weight, the poor thing would score really quite badly - good job it sounds sweet! 🥰
