VTypeV4

I'd consider finance to get one of these rigs, I think the 4x10 and the 300w head would do nicely.. Knowing Fender, they sound as good as they look..

I like to fret all my notes, makes it easy to transpose and just prefer it these days..

I'll have to try one but these may well be worth selling some gear to buy one.. Either the 100w or 300w big daddy would suit me as I don't play in an aggressive/loud group..

Never heard a bad Fender amp.. These look great

[IMG]http://i778.photobucket.com/albums/yy70/VTypeV4/LinearStackL30.jpg[/IMG] As mentioned above, a Linear / RSC Conchord L30 housed in a custom built wooden case with matching speaker cabs.. Linear L30, 30w (? Hmm, on a really good day maybe!) Two input channels and a passive top and bottom tone stack. Its a bit noisy, probably due to the EF86 input stages but is solid and smooth and compresses nicely before break up I expect due to the valve rectifier. 2 x EL34 (Ruby Tubes EL34Bs due to a heater failure in one of the original Mullard EL34s) 1 x GZ34 (Mullard - Yellow writing) 2 x EF86 (Mazda NOS) 1 x ECC83 (Mullard - White writing) The speakers are loaded with Goodmans Axiom drive units (I think they're the 20w ones although they might be the 15w model, can't remember) which are a little lacking in anything much less than 100hz although that is likely be the compact dimesions of the cabinets. You can probably see the dimensions by using the clarinet and the 'normal' sized stack next to it.. Lovely and old school, sounds great with the NE-1 and the Warwick!

I will indeed!

[IMG]http://i778.photobucket.com/albums/yy70/VTypeV4/B1001.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i778.photobucket.com/albums/yy70/VTypeV4/B1002.jpg[/IMG]

A friend has given me one of these things as payment for a repair on another amplifier.. But it too is not working.. There is a small transistor that has fried on the power amp board (I'll post a pic in a bit) that is clearly not right! My question being, before I tear into it, has anyone any experience of these things and is this a common fault? Is it likely to have taken anything with it? Once fixed I'll post it on here for sale for a bargain price! Cheers, Matt

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1325438588' post='1483154'] This is the 'Ashdown' VU meter we are talking about... well known for being as much use as a chocolate fireguard! [/quote] In such a case, another reason I'll stick to Trace Elliot! I'm not a massive fan of VU meters anyways, my Allen & Grief GL3000 has a number of them on the meterbridge. They are interesting but do have to be interpreted differently, especially with transient signals ie bass guitar or drums vs hammond organ.

Use the VU meter and trim it to just less than 0dB. Its what its there for so you trim the input to the optimum level irrespective of passive or active input..

I would happily contribute to an anti-Crashdown thread however surely, its our differences and and prefernces that make todays world of bass so diverse? We're only talking about amps here let alone bass guitars / uprights themselves and or playing styles..

I think a 135 and cab are on my GAS list..

[quote name='Highfox' timestamp='1324804168' post='1477873'] I had a TE GP12 series 6, bought it new in the late 80's. It was the new fad at the time and I had to have it! anyone who thought they were a slap funk dude needed one I used it all the way up till 2004 or so (a real workhorse) The thing I will say is that I obviously liked it, but evertime I used it I always had a fiddle with the EQ, I could NEVER get the exact sound I was looking for. It sounded great whilst I was having a slap (all 2 or 3 bars) but getting back to playing the ska/reggae/rock type thing I was doing most of that time and I could never get it to sound right. I guess I stuck with it for so long because I'd often get comments from other bass players on how nice the bass sounded, [i][b]maybe it was the Warwick TE combo that sounded good to their ears[/b][/i]. Anyway nowadays I use a set and forget type setting with my new amp, maybe a slight tweak of the knobs if I'm booming or not cutting through, but it seems much easier to get the sound I'm looking for in modern gear. [/quote] Works great for me..

I always liked the idea of a big Fender rig as I think they look great. A Bassman 135 with the big double 15 or the funky 4 x 12" would be mint. Not sure their sounds would suit as I like the tighter sound of more modern speakers (even if they're driven by valve amps) and also the inclusion of HF units is a nice bonus too.. Incidentally, what do the odd 4 x 12" cabs sound like? I did borrow a silver face Bassman 50 and the matching 2x15" and it sounded great but when presented with a drummer, it just crunched up a little too much and the drivers were also telling me that they'd had enough.. Great a little quieter and probably mint flat out with a Ricky for Lemmy/Alan Davy type sounds. I'd love a go of the big modern 300T with an 8 x 10", monster!

Love 'em.. The only amp I ever bought and kept that wasn't a Trace was the Ashton and thats sort of for sale cuz I bought my V4 back. I did have a Hiwatt for a bit but it wasn't healthy so moved it on a while back. Ampeg stuff works for me as does SWR and EBS but I really have a dislike for Crashdown gear, now I can't cope with that. Their speakers are OK but I find the amps disagreeable. I think the Trace sound character is distinct and with a bit of a tweak, works very well for me. The V-Type, 7-band and 12-band have all served me well over the years. With the graphic ranges, people don't take the time to look at or understand how the frequency bands affect their sound, especially on the 12 band series. I've seen people putting big boosts in at 30 hz when using a 2x10 with a four-string.. Pointless. Long live Trace!

The long plate Siemens were the best ECC83/12AX7 variant I've used..

Trace Elliot Commando 10s (if you can find one) are great. They're compact, punchy, have plenty of lo-end warmth and have a flexible but simplified version of the V-Type pre-amp.. 65w RMS 1 x 10" Celestion speaker Mid-Shift facility Headphone output

Took my V4 to rehearsal this eve but didn't wind up using it as there was an old 1215 SMX combo there. I thought I'd give it a go and it sounded great inspite of having the wrong speaker in it. I've used Trace stuff for many, many years and i would say pre-shape by itself is a little too 'clumsy' but with use of the graphic,a great sound can be achieved. I've always found 'my' sound quite easily with Trace Elliot equipment whether it be a 7 band, 12 band or V-Type model. I do think simply slapping a 'smiley' on an EQ is a bit of a waste. I always suggest people start with a flat EQ and whilst playing, fully boost and cut each frequency individually so they better understand how each band affects their program.. Gotta Love 'em!

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1323969642' post='1469403'] Th [i][size=5]They also love $2000 power cables[/size][/i]. But there's nothing that captures the feeling of being there in the room with the band recording with you like the smell of transformers melting, due to stinkyness and swearing, that is the hallmark of sharing a confined space with a band who are recording. [/quote] Very true indeed!

Not suggested then, boys? The hifi crowd seem to love 'em..

Anyone tried those big-bottle KT120 power tubes in anything? I understand they're a direct replacement for any KT88/6550 based amp simply requiring a tweak to the bias. According to the specs, they can deal with more current than any other power tube out there and, if the power supply allows, can give the amp a bit more juice and clean headroom.. I've read a couple of reviews and papers on them in hifi applications and no-one seems to have a bad word against them either sonically or in terms of reliability.. I expect our applications would be the likes of the Ampeg SVT, Trace Elliot V-Type range, Peavey Classic 400, Fender/Sunn 300T etc..