Count Bassie

Disclaimer: These are cell phone pix, and I hate being photographed- so my aspect is one reflecting discomfort at the thing. Oh well, it's only me. Here's the deal with the bass, so far... Because of the strap button positions, it tends to be very well balanced and stay where you position it... Still sounds hugely phat and slammingly excellent.

[quote name='ziggydolphinboy' post='1234692' date='May 17 2011, 01:34 PM']hiya , yep both basses are active , but with the trace heads ive set them to passive and just adjudted the gain control so they dont overlaod, i ran the 4x10 through one head and the 2x10 and the horn through the other , it really sounded good untill the band started ! and its hard to be restrained when you know you are a tad queit !(no sound engineeer). then the ex bass player of the band saif to e there were certain bnotes he couldnt hear . mayb sour grapes. !!!![/quote] Ah, yeah I'd keep the jury out if that's all you've got to go on at this point! I can't believe your rig isn't doing its job there.

[quote name='amnesia' post='1233453' date='May 16 2011, 02:07 PM']Its a 1048H (10"x4, 8ohm with Horn) Its 300W, and probably from the late 90's. I have one with the TE badge stuck on it like yours that I bought new in 1996 or something like that. I have another with the TE logo printed on, and that is a later model.[/quote] Thanks amnesia. I just couldn't remember...

Hey all, I have a green-carpeted Trace Elliot 1048, I think it's an "H" with the horn and attenuator knob on the jack-plate. It's got the tunable ports, black steel grille, supposed to have a red racing stripe (but it was coming undone so I pulled it), and it's on casters. Pretty heavy bastard. Looks to me like the SM/SMX era, or nearly afterward. I'm wondering if, from the description and photo here, anyone might be able to discern the pedigree and wattage of it? I'm pretty sure it's 8 ohms... I might just have to open 'er up... thanks!

Ah, can't figure it. Your eq looks relatively 'flat' like. You might be trying too hard- maybe just one rig, and are your basses active? Maybe you have too much eq stages and they're stepping on each other, cancelling out some of your more useful signal?

[quote name='BottomE' post='1232035' date='May 15 2011, 09:49 AM']Count - that is amazing! How does she sound? The colour has calmed down and she looks silky and sexy. Are you pleased?[/quote] Pretty much, yes. I still need a couple refinements, but I've plugged 'er in and it's still a great rumbling beast with some nice smack on top- so the wood loss has come up mostly negligible. And light as a feather! That and the near-perfect neck make for an effortless player. I'm too busy at present to get nice pix up, or pix of how the strap button placement works. I will though! But yep, I'm pretty happy with it, thanks for the good word dude. I need to get some playing time with 'er now. I'm off to Portuguese band practice, I'll plug it in there and have a run- it's been a long time!

No more clogging the site with pix after this, until I get a playing-shot. She's essentially finished: Off to find my iron...

The top of the concentric knob for the 2-band pot is missing- I have it, but need the proper size allen-key to get it fastened on. And it turns out I'm going to need a pick guard...

[quote name='BottomE' post='1224955' date='May 9 2011, 07:01 AM']That is looking sexy Count. It looks like a really pro job. I love the way the cut of the bass makes the headstock look even more classy. They match up well. And the colour of the spray has chilled out and looks silky and gorgeous. Ooooohhhhh inspiring stuff.[/quote] Thanks for the good words... interesting how it worked out. Now I just need a couple screws and a jack! Everything takes so long...

Two almost-done pix: Note the hole in front by the knobs. The new hold (I drilled) is where the concentric knob is for the pre. The output jack goes in the old one that remains. My strap-button scheme. It pulls the bass to my right, bringing the headstock (aka "first position") closer so I don't have to extend my arm so far. This is the standard configuration for any of my basses now. Nerve issues...

and that 2-Tek just might happen down the road apiece...

[quote name='BottomE' post='1221437' date='May 5 2011, 02:24 PM']Theres still time to cut a big hole in it and whack in a 2-Tek. Seriously - i know its going to sound even better with the new paint job. My birthday is coming up and have asked Nicole, my wife, for soldering kit and a bass kit with rulers, gagues and truss rod things. As you might have guessed i am a complete noob at this kinda thing but you have inspired me to start tinkering. I have a mate who asked me to "take a look at his bass and sort it out" He is a guitartist and bought it (old Ibanez) for people to use in his studio. He is under the impression that i know what i am doing I've never even put a scratch plate on and always given jobs like PuP swaps to techs. 1 willing victim + inspiration = ? Is it possible to die from re-wiring a bass incorrectly he mused to himself. Can't wait to see the next set of pics when she's all tackled up.[/quote] Go for it! Inspiration is everything. Okay, well everything else follows! But as long as you're having a good time, it's worth doing. Glad I could be a part of forward motion- and that is what it is. One thing I have learned from my tinkering/modding/shade-tree engineering/failures: Always keep it moving forward. It's all motion towards something, and there are no mistakes. I look forward to seeing a project! I'll post more pix when I get the pickups in. Time is a dollar bill on a shop floor...

Staying with what I've got for now, getting some Radio Shack knobs just to get it working. I need it playable... I'll move up the scale as I go along here. Pix asap!

[quote name='witterth' post='1217598' date='May 2 2011, 09:38 AM']I once sold a pre EB stingray which Ive tried to but back, for serious cash,but "no dice". smx's are ten a penny, keep the Mark IV Im right you know.[/quote] You are, actually. The SMX is on craigslist, unfortunately... but it's the lesser of evils.

[quote name='hubrad' post='1217408' date='May 2 2011, 07:08 AM']Just to chip in.. I have the AH250SMX, which I bought new way back when.. also tank-like and never let me down once! Keep them both unless you really, really have to let one go![/quote] Hate to, and ideally I'll try not to, if I can. But hey. It's stuff, and there'll be more stuff! I'm trying to keep the best of what I've got so I have fun stuff to use. As long as I don't feel like I'm "losing" I'm alright with giving something up... does give me pause though, gotta admit.

[quote name='squire5' post='1217358' date='May 2 2011, 06:27 AM']LOL Any wonder I couldn't find it.I'll get back to you on that.Ta![/quote] Sure! Yeah, only in America! Hey, we got everything ova heah...

[quote name='squire5' post='1217349' date='May 2 2011, 06:23 AM']Excuse my ignorance,but wot is BAS?[/quote] "British Audio Service". The fact it's here in Tennessee probably explains your "ignorance"! Speaking of... I'm not actually sure where it is! Lol! But it's in the US.

[quote name='squire5' post='1217339' date='May 2 2011, 06:15 AM']I've had a Mk IV for as long as I can remember,and I'm talking at least 25 years.It's just a solid workhorse.Only stopped once when it overheated due to the fan being on the low setting.Switched it off,waited a few mins,switched it on again,turned fan setting to 'high' and I've never looked back.Brilliant amp.I cant get a UV tube for love nor money though. [/quote] I can get you a bulb if you can't find any, or have you tried BAS? EDIT: Rec noted, thanks... I'm being pretty easily talked into it. And the head is one of those gold nuggets that I ran into by a 'stupid' deal. Probably real dumb to lose it, even if the SMX is a 'sexed-up' model.

You guys are reaching my guts, I think. Witterth, I'm thinking you perhaps reveal the most popular reason for having the old TE heads! Lol!

I know, I need to keep 'em both, but I need a 5-string and the cash flow says I have to let something go. I've found a real nice Ibanez BTB405 I'd like to keep and use, but I have to come up with bread. It's a realistically wise idea for me to have a 5-er. I also have other concerns I need bread for, like my kid's musical life, which is starting to bloom nicely... Trace heads: AH250GP12SMX... 90s pre-Gibson, was in a sleeve but it's now rack-mounted in a soft gig-bag. AH250GP11MK IV... early 80s, uv light, fewer features, but solid as a Sherman tank. The MK IV has a sweeter, subtler graphic eq than the SMX, but less the compressor and with the older power section it seems apparently not as powerful-sounding. Still gets loud though- you just have to turn it up more. The MK IV is maybe 1/3 or more again the weight of the SMX, but that doesn't bother me any. I'm scrawny-but-wiry, pretty fit for a 50 year-old bugger. The MK IV has had no significant issues at all in its lifetime, I don't believe. I also dig the simple layout, and the flexibility for integrating other amps, etc. Old-school style head. The SMX has had a few minor issues, but they did get in the way of playing... and I don't like to think about my gear. I have had to think about the SMX. But it sounds big and gorgeous... the dual-band comp, tube, pre-shape/eq blend and the eq balance are nice features to a great signal-chain... So what would you do- I mean besides keep them both!

Shot last night. I can re-visit and change it later, but at this point I'm going to stay with white. I evidently have a thing for a white bass, but it has to be the right one. I've modded and shot 2 white in the past, and this is working for me: Here's Stan, the guy doing the shot. I'm kinda sorry it's not more of a showcase for him at this point! But I may add a color, we'll see if I can't stand it in white, over some time. There's a clear coat of gloss (2 coats) over the satin white. It should eventually do that nice yellowing thing... It'll 'tighten up' in a day or two and lose that slight orange-peel thing, and I'll give it a coat of "Turtle Wax" when I get it home. More shots after it's cured, and put together...

Maybe I'll make it a headless... hmmm...

[quote name='BottomE' post='1210307' date='Apr 24 2011, 03:09 PM']What colour knobs? Now theres a question. I saw these [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Guitar-Amp-Control-Knob-Pedal-Chicken-Head-White-Ham-/220423558813?_trksid=p4340.m263&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC%26its%3DI%252BC%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%26otn%3D15%26pmod%3D220398431660%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D8687004091386240575"]Chicken Knobs (its not pornographic)[/url] They do red, white and black. Red on red? Could be a double denim moment.[/quote] Those look pretty hip. One of the pots is concentric though, and I'd like to find a split-knob for such a purpose if I could... two regular, one concentric. I'll have to start looking I guess, ebay might just be the ticket. Thanks for the thought.

[quote name='BottomE' post='1209397' date='Apr 23 2011, 01:59 PM']Forgot to say i stumbled across your posts on Talkbass (i am not stalking you honest). Did you get the chicken heads?[/quote] No, no peripherals yet. Things're a little tight here... I have a kid who plays string-harp and I'm financing one for her; the other one plays violin, and I'm still catching up on getting us out of the red from last year. So my own little project is sort of limping along. I need the bass though, so for now I'll just pick up some bland-stock knobs at the local music store. I'll be looking for chickens though. Even local junk-shops might be a cool place to find funky ones.

[quote name='BottomE' post='1208046' date='Apr 22 2011, 05:41 AM']Are you sure you are not a lady[/quote] Ahem... actually fickleness is not limited to the ladies... I like blue however, and this has taken long enough to cause me to lose my grip on my resolve! The gut says 'Reds', so it's reds.