Count Bassie

I haven't looked into my 1153 cab yet to see what speaker is in there, but I brought the 1153 w/ the AH250SMX to rehearsal earlier this evening, and it's a nailer. Sat in the mix like it belonged there, and as if it had been mastered into place by Bob Clearmountain. I tried the 1153 on top of the 1048 the night before that, and it was sonically like being run upon by a very large armor-plated animal wearing a big yellow "Happy Face" mask. Really, it was. I do really dig my Trace stuff. Happy as a pig in a bubble-bath.

[quote name='ziggydolphinboy' post='1070621' date='Dec 27 2010, 05:52 PM']thought id put my trace gear up , i now have two ah400s that hopefully i will run together in the new year , the bass cab being clean and the top cabs being effects channel sound!! hope you all like!![/quote] Ya, like the 1518 with the 210. And 2x AH400s... that's gonna leave a mark somewhere...

Yes that's the original in there... well, I think it is! You know- I've never looked! I'll do that next opportunity I get. After tomorrow though! I'm not going to be changing anything for a while now, I've found it takes me about 3-6 months to really get to know my gear, and moving stuff around before then either ends up in disappointment with what I get afterwards or I find out how good what I had was! So I'm sitting tight and using it until I have enough history to be able to either rave or rant. But I'll be back. Thanks for the words, replies, chiming-ins folks! Have a merry holiday, peace on you wherever you are.

[quote name='chris_b' post='1068805' date='Dec 24 2010, 10:29 AM']You are very near (about 30 miles) to the guy making the best cabs in the US. I'd get your Bergantino cab first then look for an amp that matches it.[/quote] I would too if I could afford him! That is, according to my own proclaimed ethic, the best way to do it...

[quote name='thodrik' post='1005457' date='Oct 29 2010, 10:55 AM']I have both an GP 7 SM 300 in the form of a 1x15 combo and the 300 SMX GP 12 head. Both are really nice and good enough to do a job. I do think however that the SMX offers a lot more, just in terms of features like the dual band compressor, effects send return and the valve drive. The valve drive is hardly that great and isn't really driven hard enough in my opinion, but it does add a little but of life to the sound and makes the tone sound less hi-fi and clean than the SM series, as you can get a little bit of grind when you drive it hard. It can do the clean hifi sound as well The 12 band graphic is also a lot more useful than the 7 band, and allows some decent scope for tailoring your sound. The GP 7 SM series offers the basic Trace sound with few bells and whistles. I think that it is a really good solid state amp that has plenty of power, I've disconnected the internal speaker and driven the amp through different cabs, and it copes well with a 4 ohm load through a 4x10, 8x10 etc. Both amps also have the 'preset 2' option, which I think was the company's attempt to do a 'mid-bump' preset than a mid-cut, and I think they both sound pretty bad. Both also seem to be built fairly well too and haven't caused me much bother.[/quote] Never did respond- thanks for the reply! Lol!... I'm in an empty room by now. But I've kept my SMX, and it's interesting comparing with the Series-6 combo (715-S) and an older MK IV head, coming back from the shop in a week or so. I like the head, been very successful with several cabs, including the little Bag Ends, an 1153 and an older 1048. Dig my Trace amps. Always fun to post this kind of toy-store stuff!... Gratuitous episode is past now. Thank you.

Here she is, maybe this'll be the answer... needs a little cosmetic/facade work, but it functions:

Picked up what appears to be a Gibson-era 1048 yesterday for $100. The red stripe across the front was coming up (little strips of tape) so I pulled it off, I re-set the loose port tubes with "PL" construction adhesive, and it's missing one of the port-plug flanges and the screws for holding on the grille. Also it needs a jack secured to the jack-plate... but she works, and I'm darned glad to have it. It won't sit on top of the 15 because it's got casters instead of 'feet' where they ought to go, so I put the 15 on top. Whatever! Should be fine for bringing in the New Year. We'll be about 20-30 miles from Boston, and I hope I don't rumble loose any of that work they had done a couple years ago down in the basement...

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1068674' date='Dec 24 2010, 07:38 AM']NAh, if I swap out the Carlsbro for it my amp pile just touches the ceiling, rather than having an inch gap.[/quote] Well then you need to do it man!

Wow- that was a great idea, modding the BLX 150 like that! I'm keeping my eyes peeled for one now...

I had one of these, when they were still logo'd "Sunn 300T". Great head, loud and very flexible for tones. I sold it to make Christmas happen one year when work had been very slow... I'm not wrecked over it, but man it was a good amp. Worth having for a decent price. I sold mine for $900 US, about 2 years ago.

[quote name='sambassman' post='1010990' date='Nov 3 2010, 11:25 AM']i think you'd get a very rich, beefy tone out of it. but im not sure if the high end would cut through the mix that well though. thats why i got the 2 x 10 cab[/quote] I'm starting to believe you're right, after a couple gigs with just the 1153. Dark, rich. Mmmmaybe there's not enough mid presence though... anyhow I'm picking up a 1048 this week to go with the 1153. I'll post about it after the New Year's gig.

[quote name='borisbrain' post='1065308' date='Dec 20 2010, 07:05 PM']Groove on, Bassie. Have fun with the new cab. You'll probably shake the foundations in Boston now! BB[/quote] I'll be pipin' in to keep yers all aprised! Thanks matey!

[quote name='borisbrain' post='1065038' date='Dec 20 2010, 03:09 PM']As a fellow Trace player, I'd recommend another cab, not a new head. The 1153 is fine for belting out thick bottom end, but maybe you need another cab that will tease out the tones that your SMX can easily achieve. My amp is an AH200 Series 6 GP12 - a couple of models behind yours. I also run it with a 1153, but also with a 2103x, which is a 2x10 with 2x5. That's a heck of a lot of tone, especially with a 12 band graphic. Unfortunately at 31Kg (65-odd lbs) the 2103 isn't a lightweight, but it gets a tone and punch you might like. Just a thought anyway. Have fun. BB[/quote] Hey Boris, I just scored a 1048 for ultra-dirt-cheap, and I'm planning on putting it atop the 1153. That 2103x there sounds like an interesting cab- one of those good things "they" don't make anymore! If I can find one I'll certainly check it out- thanks for the encouragement!

I'm now adding a 410 cab to the 1153. I'll run the AH250SMX along with a Crest power amp if I need to bring the power up for larger gigs. I'll write in again after some trial...

So I appear to have solved my problem! I do feel a little sheepish now, but thanks all for the offerings. Rock n' roll man!

[quote name='jensenmann' post='1061976' date='Dec 17 2010, 03:09 PM']I went the other route from an SM400S (which I liked more than my previous SM400 non-S because of the additional treble control) to a Trace SMX600. If you are used to how a Trace cuts through in your band then you will be disappointed from the SWR. OTOS I´d alway prefer the SM400S for recording. It´s go the perfect tone to exactly fit in a mix, but on stage it doesn´t cut through well. The Trace in my book doesn´t sound nice but gives you accurate control, even when two distorted guitars try to destroy your ears.[/quote] What hooked me was the way the Trace SMX tends to sit in a live mix. Totally right- and I agree, it tends to be a bit ugly solo'd... but it's my gig-rig as it always does the band right. Brings the bread.

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='1056904' date='Dec 13 2010, 01:56 AM']It was actually a pair of 10's and a pair of 5's. TE ran big ads with Mark King promoting them.[/quote] Wow... TE has made some pretty nutty stuff, when you look into it! A 21" driver for Tony Levin...

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='1056114' date='Dec 12 2010, 10:42 AM']I had the 800rb + 1153 and 2103 (the early vinyl covered models with the 10's and the 5's), nice little rig which I'd not turn my nose up at even now. [/quote] I had a 2x10 cab years ago, the Trace, without the horn- never saw one with a 5" installed. But it was a nice cab, and I suppose I'd snag another if I ran into one. I'm really hoping to find another 1153 though. 15s are my favorite cabs.

[quote name='SignsOfDelirium_bassist' post='1056864' date='Dec 12 2010, 08:10 PM']Ooh, I like the look of that! If I were you I'd get a paisley pickguard! Shame you can't just get a clear one really...[/quote] Sure you can! They're all over the place...

[quote name='Delberthot' post='1055779' date='Dec 12 2010, 05:48 AM']I used an 800RB with a 1153 for years - that was when I was happy with my gear before the days of Talkbs and Basschat poisoned my mind[/quote] I'm hearing that- I had some awesome gear and then sold it... won't even say what it was. It wasn't talkbass, etc- it was before that. But I still feel it. Luckily, I'm feeling pretty good about what I've got now. It's taken some time and a repentant heart! Be strong, man!

[quote name='Gust0o' post='1044402' date='Dec 1 2010, 05:07 PM']...Perhaps a lesson for the less daring, myself included, about being will to look at some fundamental rather than cosmetic changes.[/quote] Hey, I often post at the end of a day, when I'm tired and good and stretched-out mentally. but I just re-read this and understood that you meant the same thing I actually responded with- that the horn is a fundamental change. Yes, a little dumb of me. Just don't call me late for supper. Anyway, before: ...and after: Here's the final, more refined shape, undressed. Note slightly deeper curve in the upper bout, and the slightly shorter lower bout: I'll put it back together temporarily, while I get the materials together for the actual finishing. This last photo shows the bass with 3 sanded coats of nitrocellulose primer/grain filler. This will keep the wood from getting too "beat-up" while I give it a trial run at a few gigs. Looking at a deep, vibrant red of some shade, re-cut black pick guard.

Had an hour or so with the SMX/1153 cab this evening, and after some extensive tweaking /returning to "square one" several times, I got it dialed in pretty good. It's just really been the ability to generate time for it that's gotten into my path- but now it sounds much better. It seems that using the pre-shape-1 button, doing [i]subtler boost/cut[/i] on the graphic eq, and having the graphic turned up only around half-way (instead of full-up) really brings out a less colored tone. Just getting to know the amp a little better is all I've really needed I guess. There will still be limitations, and it's possible that my ears are just a little fatigued after an hour or so of pushing sliders around. But every time I went through an eq path, I'd return all settings to "flat" and start over in a slightly different direction. Finally got it pretty nailed I think, the sound is full and clear, and has plenty of depth, without the muffling 'blanket' that I had over it previously. Just took some patience and a little tenacity. Here's the settings, just for whatever edification it may provide: I'm still getting my old GK 400RB back from a friend I sold it to a few moths ago. Well, work was sucky and I needed bread! At least I sold it to someone who'd sell it back to me!

I just got my SMX back today, it had an intermittent short. All well now, but the tech remarked that although the Trace stuff is well engineered, it's not generally very well executed. I'll be taking my time- as money is not really good now- but I will be shopping for a replacement when I can I guess. Thanks for the responses!

[quote name='JTUK' post='1053726' date='Dec 10 2010, 04:17 AM']Can't really say how the SWR will work with TE cabs... but the U.S made SM400 is a classic amp, IMV. The S version did away with the 'sub' issue which did nothing but bleed power, but I have the 400 and it is very well hi spec made amp. But...as I am not a fan of TE in general..and you like the cab..I would match the cab up with a TE amp. I think Eden and SWR would be too subtle for a TE cab, tbh.. and although I am not a fan of GK, I think they might be a better match for what you may like to hear. I would suggest that early U.S made SWR and Eden amps are by far the best quality out of your list..but not sonically what you are after..possibly[/quote] I had the 400, great amp! But right, I couldn't get past the 31 Hz eq point. Not quite a crippler, as you could work around it, sort of.

[quote name='casapete' post='1052839' date='Dec 9 2010, 09:56 AM']Ok, I'll be first in to say GK - the 800RB are great amps and fairly priced/plentiful on your side of the pond. The 700's are good too! Depends what you play&where really.[/quote] I do have my eyes glued open for an 800RB...