DGBass

Did a recent deal with Mick. What can I say, first class dude to deal with. Straight forward, no fuss and great comms. Cheers,😎DG

If you mean something like this then a suitable replacement shouldn't be too hard to find. Just getting the right diameter to fit the exisiting hole can be tricky but not impossible on these old MKII GP11 pre-amps. The obligatory safety warning is needed because it means re-wiring the mains supply. UK mains voltage can be very hazardous for your general health. If the original is dud, disconnecting the mains and measuring the old one will give you an idea of the right fit for the hole. You could then source one and get a tech to professionally fit the part for you. Coloured ones are nice, but plain ones with a black cap will do the same thing and usually be cheaper. Would likely need to be a latching type switch and not a momentary one but without a schematic I couldn't be sure. If it pushes in, clicks and stays in and needs to be pushed again to pop out its likely latching.

I've definetly become a worse player as I get older. Listening to recordings of original music I played on years ago, everything seems so complex when at the time I was learning as I went along. It would be fair to say I peaked early. Since converting to playing covers, I usually just learm the tunes well enough to get by because no one in the band is playing the cover note perfect. The songs are quite recognisable but for example my bass playing on "Won't Get Fooled Again" doesn't quite match what John Enwhistle does. Then again no one I've seen covering that tune plays it like he does 🙂 I do find it much easier nowadays to work out a key and transpose stuff if needed so some of my playing has improved over the years. I would say it was competent in certain parts but could always be improved upon in others.

That sounds about just right for bar gigs in and around Central Scotland. Regular venues I've played aren't paying anymore than what they did pre-covid and mentioning an increase of even £20-30 quid doesn't go down well. I've heard that there is a better paying class of bar gig further up the East Coast so I may explore that. Travelling further does means more cost, and time to get there and back. Generally speaking, there seem to be less live venues to play post covid so there is less bookings available and bands are playing for less or the same as four or five years ago just to get a gig.

The serial number doesn't appear on the Fender lookup but basses either side of it are AM Standard Jazz models black with rosewood necks and most likely white pickguards. Serial ending 815/816 don't bring up anything. The body does look AM Standard of the time, its string through and the bridge is period correct for the year 2000. Its the stubby AM Standard through hole bent plate one with three groove saddles. The neck also looks AM standard and the truss adjuster is in the right place. The machines are period correct. The vendor is also including what looks like the original AM Standard parchment pickguard with the access cutout for truss adjuster. The strap locks are also period correct Schallers which were fitted on AM Standards of the time. The neck plate i'm not 100% sure about but think the corona stamped ones did start appearing on AM Standards from year 2000 onwards. Earlier late nineties Jazz had the big Fender logo stamped ones. A few questions the the owner might reveal if the blocks are peel off. I suspect those block inlays as @AndyTravis mentioned might peel off easy enough to reveal the orignal dot inlays. With the tacky tort removed, and the block inlays peeled off, I suspect there is a nice and quite rare natural gloss finish year 2000 AM Standard Jazz bass lurking underneath.

What - A 1996 Trace Elliot GP12SMX Stereo Bass Pre-amp. Why? - Can't bear to part with it and not heard anything that can do the same silky smooth dual band compressed sounds via its blendable tube input and 12-band EQ/pre-shape settings . There is other rack stuff but that changes from time to time, the GP12SMX Stereo is a permanent fixture. It's getting on a bit now like its owner but unlike me its still in perfect working condition🙃

Decided to go for the safe bet rig for fridays gig. You can't really go wrong with an ABM.

Are those chrome cab/amp stands original Vox hardware?

Trying out a setup at tonight's rehearshal for this weekends gig. Perhaps just a tad overkill for a small pub venue. Glorious sounding combination though and another tick on the bucket list of fantasy gig rigs. MK500 + '98 P-bass + custom 2x12 500 watt ported Marshall cab running @ 4 ohms. Lots of cubic inches does seem to make a difference.

The new cookie banner is one of the most complex I've seen in recent times, stuck at the bottom of the page and the orange and black colouring is quite off putting. Just looking at a few of those vendors who are setting cookies as well as using 'other means' to track your device is alarming. Of the random vendors I checked who have a link to their own site, most are quite open about stating any data they collect will more than likely be shared overseas to other interested parties whoever they may be and to countries with different data laws. Saying something is legitimate interest is such a grey area. It could be legitimate in that without being able to collect data they couldn't run their businesses. I think what is most annoying to me is you must choose a cookie option to either login or lurk so logged in users are treated no differently from lurkers in that respect and the greyed out options will be set in your browser even if you dont consent to the rest. I think the banner needs some fine tuning. A simple 'reject all' button would perhaps improve matters. Even the cookie setters have reject all buttons on their sites eg this is one from Skimlinks

I would say no. I've spent most of my playing life as a bass player in originals bands and admittedly had a slightly less favourable opinion of covers bands during those years. I'm quite late to the covers band party having only got into it by accident as a dep bass player for what was supposed to be one gig. That was over four years ago and at present I don't see me gigging ever again in an originals band. There are a few posts that strike a chord when discussing the differences between originals bands and covers bands and for me at least the most obvious ones are always getting paid for a covers gig while rarely ever getting paid for originals gigs in the past. Getting a Tennents Lager rider at King Tuts for a one hour originals set never really counted as getting paid. As far as I am aware, a typical pub venue I'd play would be covered under the likes of the PPL PRS license scheme for live music so something is going back to creators they rep and that doesn't seem parasitic to me. It's not big money you get paid to do covers but nice to have help with your fuel/replacement strings and out goings. Originals gigs were also rarely longer than an hour whereas a local covers gig at the dog and duck could be 3 x 1 hour sets and the bar manager is timing you to make sure he gets his contracted hours from you. I don't think covers bands are making it any harder for originals to get gigs. IME, there tends to be originals circuits and venues who still support new/upcoming originals bands and covers bands tend to also keep to their own haunts. I find it a bit more business like being in a covers band, dare I say harder work, and I have gained a deep respect for any covers bands who put in the work to make a good show. Once I'm up on stage and playing for a crowd who engage with the band, all the differences between covers bands and originals don't matter to me and I'm sure don't matter as much to the audience.

Having a clearout and found this. Free to the current owner - proof required🙂 Wherever you are! Late 70's Fender USA hang tag S/N S830880.

It's an intruiging potential purchase...a time machine Trace Elliot amp from around 20-25 years ago. I assume if its being sold 'as new" it would come with a full warranty? My AH250 GP11 bought for £60 off eBay came with its original price tag still on the back panel from LiveWire Music in Cardiff where I assume it was first sold as new for £599 in 1985. That was a lot of cash back then and I suppose still is today. In real terms it would be almost £1800 in todays money. If a time machine AH250 GP11 came up for sale now would I pay £599? Probably not and definitely not £1800. 290 euros does seem a lot for even a pristine GP7 SM150 thats being sold as never used. They are good amps though, well made and all the major parts like caps and output devices are easily available so they can easliy be repaired by a decent tech. 290 euros will also buy you a reasonably powered brand new lightweight bass head and even some conventional class A/B heads with superior output and you'd be getting a full manufacturers warranty with a new amp. I guess its maybe better buying a never used pristine GP7 SM if its a Trace Elliot itch that needs scratched than a used one with maybe a thousand gigs under its belt and no service history. Something like an Elf may not be a bad idea, but there are other brand new amps around for around 300 euros that may be worth considering if it doesn't need to be a Trace Elliot.

Most old school TE amps are getting on a bit now and thats probably the main thing to look out for, one that all works as it should. Of the two heads mentioned at the start of the thread, the AH250 GP11 is a monster in every respect wether the earlier models or its last incarnation the MK5 GP11. I don't think there is any gig situation one of them wouldn't cope with. Downside is they weigh as much as your average 4x10 cab. The GP7 SM150 is a completely different beast, lighter, more modern and perhaps a little under powered compared to earlier MK5 or Series 6 amps. I still own an AH250 GP11 MK5 that I picked up for £60 on eBay however it needed a bit or work to get it gig ready. I've giged it recently and its a joy to use. The power sections are bomb proof, and mostly issues with AH250's will be found in the pre-amp module. If I were to recommend an older TE amp, I'd plump for something like a Series 6 AH200 GP12, or an AH250 GP12 SMX as these are mostly bomb proof. The GP7 SMC 300 watt heads are also very good mosfet powered amps. If you can find an AH250 GP11 that is all in good order, its a fantastic amp for the money as long as you don't mind the weight.

I picked up an MK500 recently, actually from @Chimike of this parish and as a long time ABM user I was curious how the 12-band thing stacks up against an ABM. It's a completely different beast pre-amp wise, more akin to a Trace Elliot GP12 SMX without the dual band compression and valve harmonics. I wouldn't say it was super hi-fi clean but it is generally quite crisp sounding. The Harmonics control is reminiscent of the EQ balance on a GP12 SMX in that it lets you swing the tone to the bass end of the specturm or the treble end easily without messing around with the EQ sliders. Power wise it can shift air just like any of my ABM's can. It doesn't have that ABM pre-shape thump but the 12-band will let you dial in all the bottom end you want. My MK500 is based around an ABM EVOIII power section configured to 230V working. I've modded my MK500 to run at 240V as the big original TD00531 transforner is designed to run at this voltage. It now runs whisper quiet even at very high volume settings and dare I say a bit more hi-fi like. I can see it also being excellent in a studio setting, I haven't tried the DI as yet but hope to do so soon.

Aye. I still find it the best way to locate what interests me most.

The Series 6 amps had multiple primaries and were normally torodial type transformers. @BassBunny metioned Ashdown as a potential route and I'd agree here. For example, I recall reading some time in the past that some Ashdown export models as well as being set for 120V also had slightly different transformer ratings from UK bound versions so simply converting a 120-0-120 primary to work as a single 240V primary ins't always an ideal solution. Ashdown may be a good point of contact as I'm sure they could recommend or perhaps even fit a suitable replacement transformer to power a 500 watt amp. Basically rather than converting your exisitng transformer, fitting a modern replacement spec'd for UK mains might be a worthwhile consideration.

Bought an amp recently from Mike, a straighforward no fuss deal from a straighforward no fuss dude! Many thanks Mike - DG😎

I think there may have been a few pages dedicated to the subject of notched or smooth volume pots somewhere back in this thread. I prefer smooth and all my ABM's are that way. I llke my Trace elliots notched though. All my DI's are also whisper quiet and I always use a proper balanced DI cable as unbalanced XLR cables can cause noise issues.

Having an option to opt out of uneccessary cookies and I guess GDPR regulations would be a reasoanble guide as to what constitutes an unecessary cookie would I think go someway to helping forum users not get the fear from the "Got It" pop up. At the moment it serves no real purpose in my mind other than to tell a user we are using cookies to profile you for advertising purposes and there is no choice other than to agree to make the pop up go away. I've also noticed on my browser that posts are now re-arranged by likes and not date by default? It's easy enough to re-order but i'm not sure if its a bug from the new implementation or deliberate to push the most likes to the top of a thread? Using different browsers has a marked effect on what you now see when browsing basschat whether logged in or lurking. Firefox on strict as @Silvia Bluejay mentioned is fairly useable and helps minimise ads so far.

Looks like a new feature and I recall there was some discussion about cookie banners fairly recently. I did get some friendly feedback from the powers that be to explain why certain cookies were needed but I must admit i wasn't fully convinced all the cookies could be classed as totally necessary. Anyway, my cookie flavours appear to be in italian for some reason🤔

If its a GP12 you mean and is the SMX variant and not one of the high power series AH amps, I'd have to wobble and say try it out to see if you like that sound. The tube provides no real distortion, its more harmonic overtones. The dual band compression is sublime imho. I still use one although its the pre-amp only version with an uber lightweight class D rack power amp. A curious mix but it works for me. Classic TE 4 x10's like the 1048H made of mdf or ply are getting on for high 30's Kgs, they feel even heavier. The 1x15 1815 cab isn't far behind that. They are an itch i've scratched and although they sounded grand, they were just too much to handle and overkill for bar gigs. I still use a couple of older bigger cabs, all 1x15's but not together. Lightest is 18kg, heaviest around 27kg and thats heavy for me. Try the GP12, it may surprise you, but i'd pass on the cabs!🙂

Thaks for the clarity @agedhorse. Smoothing caps would be correct as Phil Star kindly pointed out. I wouldn't agree entirely with your sweeping logic, I did point out as with anything electrical with dangerous voltages present, you have to be careful and if in any doubt an amp tech would be the way to go. I wouldn't say safety advice or a suggestion to take it to a tech if you have any doubt about what to do was suspect information. Forum diagnostics are never going to be a perfect way to help another member fix a broken amp, it was only my experience of Laney RB designs I was trying to convey. I'm sure we all only try to share our experiences with best intentions and maybe if enough people do, especially the more learned forum users with vast knowledge and experience of musical equipment and i'm not reffering to myself as I'm a DIY-er, another potential diy-er might gain an insight into the innner workings of their equipment from collective viewpoints, take that first step to realise that it may be possible with an appreciation of electrical safety, some thought, and bit of learning to save a broken amp from the dumspter. And of course save £££'s in repair bills.

There isn't a monumental difference between the EVOIII ABM500 and EVO IV models in my experience. Some early EVO IV's around 2017 were still using the green EVOIII main pre-amp board with the newer 9 band tone circuit. Later EVO IV's use the blue Ashdown re-designed pre-amp main board with the 9 band tone circuit. Transformers in both EVOIII and early EVO IV's were more or less the same, large output Xinzi branded, and had a T12A output fuse to protect cabs from excess output. Newish ABM EVO IV's have a new redesigned high quality/very quiet Euro designed transformer and also thermostatically controlled fans that only come on when you put your foot down. New EVO IV's are very quiet in operation and ideal for studio/home use because of this. There is a bit more grit in the later ABM EVO IV mainboard and also as mentioned you have two more sliders to fine tune tones. If your EVO III is working fine with no issues and doing the job, might be worth saving your money for the EVO VI if / when it comes along😁 I'm sure someone at Ashdown will be already drawing up the specs for it! Both EVO 3 and 4 are very capable amps and either can do that ABM sound.

A loud uncontrollable hum on the speaker output usually means something has gone on the output section of the amp, test for dc on the output that shouldn't be there. But not always! Laney amps of this era are fairly simple to repair and parts can be found for them easily online. If an output transistor had failed, it would usually take out the fuse as well, so it may be a failed smoothing capacitor or even a dry solder joint on one of the caps. Vibration over a long period can rattle things loose and from Laney RB bass amps I've worked on before, they seem to be sparing on the hot glue to keep big caps fixed and stable on the circuit board. The pic below is from a bigger 300w RB version of your combo that had similar issues. The big black bits with 5/22 on them are the smoothing caps. If they move or feel wobbly at all it could be they've worked loose. Any good amp tech would find an issue like that very quickly. Can be diy but as with anything electrical with dangerous voltages present, you have to be careful and not get yourself electroplated. If in any doubt, an amp tech is the way to go. Any amp is worth repairing if its cheaper than buying something to replace it. 🙂