Count Bassie

Well this has turned out to be a fun thread! Lots of different answers... So far it appears I'm keeping the Peavey, and going with an original plan of trading an AMP BH-420 for a Trace head (Series-6 AH 350). I'll be off to download WinISD to model some drivers, we'll see how cheap I can get out of this. All remarks taken with credence and grains of salt! Thanks much, all! I'll update when the final resutls are in.

I think it's a good deal heftier than that for output. Also I don't mind too much, as I'm not using a very high-powered head anyway. I'm after a quality of sound more than sheer power. I think one of the things that made the Ampeg 'fridge work was the comparatively low output of those 10s it used. The overall effect was very happening. And the SVT head, although we're talking 'tube-watts', was only 300 "actual watts" (another discussion I guess!)- light-duty by present standards. Okay, I'm derailing my own thread now...

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='859807' date='Jun 7 2010, 08:09 AM']Both: Doom What speakers have you got lined up for the peavey? I think you Ampeg will have a far better resale, but it might not agree with valve amps so well if the speakers are 8 ohm each, you end up with a funny total.[/quote] I'm looking at a pair of Eminence 'Betas' for the Peavey 215D. The head I'm using is a Trace Elliot AH250SMX, with a Trace MK IV as backup, so it's SS for the power sections. If I had tubes I'd just be saving up for a Berg NV 610! Sealed cabs and tubes... that's the ticket right there. Anyway I'm leaning toward the Ampeg, as I'm believing that 10s would tend to greater dispersion and clarity. The 'peg will be a degree more portable though, I figure. The Peavey is a pig to move. Ears are open...

Not at all, thanks!

Just a light survey here. I have a Peavey 215D that I'm going to put new speakers into... but I've run into an Ampeg 610 and wonder what you guys think of 'em. I'll end up keeping just one, and am intrigued with the 610 and what I've "heard" about it. I'm thinking about tighter focus with depth, and abitlity to get some 'growl' from it, on a bigger stage. Opine, anyone?

Hey folks. I bought an AH250 GP11 a while back, it's a MK IV I'm pretty sure. Compared to an AMP BH-420, and a newer TE AH250SMX head, each played through an old Peavey 215D and then a pair of Bag End S15-D cabs, the MK IV sounds a little darker and more 'contained' than the other two heads. Is this just the inherent quality of the pre in the MK IV, or does it sound like the amp needs a servicing? The UV light makes noise when turned on as well, so it needs help anyway- just wondering if this sound issue is a maintenance thing. Thanks for your time.

So. Story's too long, suffice this: I need to give away an amp. I have a Trace Elliot AH250SMX GP12, and a Trace Elliot AH250MK IV GP11. I like the SMX, and I beieve it's a little louder than the Mk IV. But I suspect the earlier model to be a more solid unit. Also I just like older stuff. But I haven't taken the MK IV out on a gig, I will in a couple weeks... meanwhile I'm just looking for some conventional wisdom on the subject. So, which would you keep, and why?

[quote name='LawrenceH' post='845750' date='May 23 2010, 09:08 AM']This is correct. Beyond a certain volume it's far more sensible to rely on decent tri- or quad-amped PA systems, that someone else supplies for you. Mic the cab or make sure your DI sound is good.[/quote] +1 on the volume thing. My best discovery of late is that I don't need a huge rig- a mid-powered head is usually all I ever need- if I have efficient cabs. Having a good DI-out and a ground lift on the amp is a great idea. Anyway, get the Warwick!

You sort of have 2 basic choices, it appears: Portable and impressive, or impressive and intimidating... Which direction, without looking at any of the gear, are you most inclined to go? All this stuff is re-sellabel anyway, if you find you're not happy with it. You've got your hands, you've got the bass. I'd say speakers are the next most important part of your rig, then your amp. I have a Trace Elliot 250SMX head that I've sworn by, but it's off for a repair and I've been using my AMP BH-420 in its place (grudgingly at first). Given the opportunity (necessity) to prove it, I've found it's a great amp! Anyway, as long as I have my Bag End cabs, I'm in good shape no matter which head I use- within reason of course. My point: Don't settle just for what's around if you really don't have to! Get what suits you. And I'd say that even if you have to use a 'second-choice' head, get speakers you like. See paragraph above... How's that for throwing you a curve! Sorry...

[quote name='Mr Rabble' post='842074' date='May 19 2010, 09:07 AM']You're probably right about this X series, which i didn't even hear about before Anyway the original statement "[i]Mar 1999 Introduction of 12-band series (GP12X preamp)[/i]" is surely wrong, because the 12-band series was introduced in the very early nineties, with the SMX series[/quote] Well the SMX was all about the 12-band- among other features- right? So the 12-band existed before the "X" version... Maybe the statement should more accurately read, (original quote edited here) "[i]Mar 1999 Introduction of [b]GP12X 12-band preamp[/b][/i]" Might be beating this up a bit now...

[quote name='dlloyd' post='840492' date='May 18 2010, 03:16 AM']Mar 1999 Introduction of 12-band series (GP12X preamp)[/quote] I mistook this as well. The SMX with 12-band was already out, so I didn't notice the X wasn't SMX. All these 12-band X-thingies...

[quote name='Mr Rabble' post='840888' date='May 18 2010, 09:24 AM']The GP12SMX was introduced much earlier than 1999 I bought mine back in 1993[/quote] More like it. Now I think mine was more like '94, '95...

Thanks for the run-down. Still interested in more detail about the 80's editions. It seems to me that back in 1996 or so I was aware of the GP12 SMX. I had a 210 cab back then, and had been playing in a little post-psyechedelic band called Plan 9... I had the GP-7 preamp for a bit then, and had a brochure on the SM/SMX stuff.

[quote name='Bassman68' post='839942' date='May 17 2010, 12:25 PM']The best cabs IMO were/are the earlier MK V's & before, that were made of ply-wood with proper internal bracing & porting, anyone that's picked up a MK V 1048 would know why they were so heavy! they were also filled with an accoustic foam/lagging type material that was visible through the narrow porting slots, i don't know how much help this had on the sound but, to me, always exuded an air of 'quality'....[/quote] Bassman, do you know around what year the MK III-V amps were built?

That's great- thanks for the primer Bassman68! Some concise, linear info is what I was after. So I'll look for the chrome corners- not that it's actually an issue, but I have a picky aspect, being a carpenter of sorts. Might also look into that Precision Devices driver... thanks everybody.

[quote name='Merton' post='839459' date='May 17 2010, 02:32 AM']Carpet came in end of the Kaman era, along with mdf construction, around 1995 iirc. Gibson took over in 2000 and led to poorer quality electrical components, black vinyl covering and a Trace-saturated market. I think [/quote] So before Kaman's carpet, boxes were plywood? The concept of MDF kind of annoys me for some reason. It's heavy, pulpy stuff, what we've sometimes used for interior trim in building construction (it gets painted). Doesn't seem like what I'd want a rugged gig-cab to be made out of. However I suppose it can take a bump and it won't splinter. But is it as rigid as plywood... Anyway, I've been interested in being able to trace (pardon) the Trace Elliot line in a chronological way, like you can pretty easily do with Acoustic Control Corp. or Ampeg if you look on-line, etc. Is there an 'unofficial site' where this kind of thing can be found? For instance, I have an old AH250GP11 MK-IV head. If I wanted to put together a period-appropriate rig using it, I could go to that source and see what cabs were built the same year... I've seen the Wiki, and there's a thing from using Google about Mark Gooday, all interesting enough. It's kind of an obsessive-type endeavor I guess ( ), but I only ask because I have had little luck in finding any of this info. Thanks for the help Merton!

Okay, one for the fanatics: Is there a difference in sound or quality in the 1048H speaker enclosures, depending on whether the covering is carpet or the old Tolex? Did the carpet come along as a "cheaping down" by Gibson? What else did they do to cheap it down- anything, or is it the same cab and drivers? I must know... thanks.

[quote name='Mog' post='838535' date='May 15 2010, 06:44 PM']I run an Ampeg B410HE with my TE. Plenty loud at 150 watts. Then again I hate too much sound coming from the stage and prefer if FOH sorts out what is heard by the crowd.[/quote] The whole front-of-house thing is something that until now I haven'ty dealt regularly with. I've recently gotten into a Portuguese-traditional/Anglo-pop band, and they always use a complete sound crew. Generally it's a large-stage affair and sound needs to be heavily managed, so I'm looking a little differently at my rig nowadays. I'm not all about trying to push out into the room anymore, I just want to be heard on the stage. Needs to be punchy, vital, but I don't need to rumble the bottles off the bar across the room! That's no longer my part of the business in this context... Last night we played our "Launch Party" at a large hall with full FOH, light show, and fog machine (what a gas- my kids loved it). After sound check I cleaned up my sound a bit, as the monitors all over the stage and 4x double-18 subs in the large room created quite the morasse with what I usually dial into my rig. Had to get the blur out as much as I could. So what I think I'm after is clean and clear, with good dispersion. I've played in seedy rooms that can hold 60 people for the last 20 years (mild exaggeration), so this new format is sort of a low-level 'life change'! It's like getting a bigger, new comfy chair! Thanks for the rec's, yeah and I would like to keep the 'Trace signature' going on, I'm having a good time with it. Seems to me speakers take care of a bulk of that signature, so maybe that's where I should be looking (at Trace, I mean). Alrighty, I'll be checking back in, thanks all.

[quote name='Mog' post='836413' date='May 13 2010, 12:41 PM']I've those moments all the time. Most common is plugging in to the output of my pedalboard and taking 15 minutes to realise![/quote] I can relate- this latest was just an expanded version of the kind of small "where's my sound?" episodes that happen on a regular basis. What did I not plug in, turn on/up, etc... I'm sure there are more of us out there!

Two days' worth of blonde... Good to see it was edifying to somone!

Just a quick addendum here. At rehearsal last night my SMX cut out. Not suddenly, I was asble to listen to it taper off to total silence during a tune. Bum city. We put me into the PA, played a couple tunes. The keyboard player said "Let's try this..." and plugged me into his little Roland KC300 keyboard amp (it's a small room). That was all "okay" (i.e., "lousy") until we found we had blown his speaker. Finally I remembered my second bass. It never occured to me that it could be the bass- my Squier parts-plank with the 25 or so year old Duncan in it. I put the Dillion 5-string MM copy, with its very hot output, into my SMX head and boom! So it was the Squier bass and not the amp after all. And there was great rejoicing. I had been playing just the Squier for several days and it never occured to me that it was the source of the problem. Of course now I have to find the dude a new 12" driver for his amp. So I've been pretty busy, and the shape of our day-to-day life is fairly demanding here. You only get so much room in your personal file cabinet (brain) to remember/process whatever sundry information comes in a day. Besides, I wasn't nicknamed "Space" in high school for nothing... Anyway, the amp is fine. Sorry!

[quote name='TheRinser' post='835687' date='May 12 2010, 04:14 PM']Yep. 2x300 @ 4 ohms each. So you may only be getting half(ish) the power out of each of those power amps anyway. Assuming the bagends are 8 ohm?[/quote] They are 8 each, yes. The 600SMX isn't going to happen though, and I'm opting now for a nice deal on a Peavey Tour 450. This'll also leave me a little scratch for that Boss LS-2 loop/fx blend pedal. Fine... Thanks everybody for the info on the 600SMX though, good for future reference- although maybe that's just not the head I actually need after all. Godd to find these things out!

Hey folks, I know, "Get a trace cab". But they seem to be rare in these parts, and I thought I'd look around for options. I remember having a 200GP7 head years ago and ran into an old Guild/Hartke 410. Currently I'm using a 250SMX into a pair of Bag End 15s and it sounds just fine. I'm looking for a second rig, and wonder about something maybe a little less expensive. I love 15s, but if I had just one cab, and depending on what it was, maybe I'd go back into a 410. Any thoughts or recommendations?

[quote name='Earbrass' post='833137' date='May 10 2010, 10:25 AM']I'm all for using the cheapest gear I can. However, extreme feebleness has forced me to compromise on this principle when it comes to amps - you just can't get cheap, loud [b]and[/b] light. I use a MarkBass CMD 121P because I can carry it without strain yet it has enough power for any situation I might reasonably expect to encounter. The moment Behringer bring out a <30lb giggable combo, though, I'll gladly trade down to that.[/quote] Really? I can dig the ethic of low-end (look at my basses!), but why trade down from something pretty dang nice? But you bet Behringer will come out with a micro. They're always somewhere in line, back a few spaces, watching... Tell you what, I want a Fender Precision, and I'm going to have one. Cheap is not its own purpose for me.

Aha, I've found my thread! Windy post, but hey. It's a forum and no one's over my shoulder! Exhibit A: I have a parts-assembled FrankenSquier P-Bass that took its own time and process to come together. A little bottom-feeding on craigslist and some parlance with cronies on forums came up with an old Duncan P-p'up, a super-fast (and mildly dinged) Squier P-neck and a bargain deal on a set of new Thomastiks. Time and baby-steps have made this bass a real dynamo of sound and playability. A Precision pickguard that got a custom paintjob years ago by a local street artist finishes it up for presentability. I had kept it just for sentimental reasons... It's a cool bass, and although I've toyed with selling it I think that would be a mistake. Exhibit B: I got a Dillion 5-string that had been on a wall in a local hole-in-the-wall shop for about 6 years. It's a MM Stingray copy, Dillion model VMB-500 (now discontinued) that I got for about half-price, and it plays beautifully. The (?) pickup has its own kind of dark growl to it, a real signature that stands out well in a mix when you get the mojo working on it. The strings don't line up real well with the pickup at the outside of the spread, but it seems to make no difference- and conveniently, no one notices! I'm picky about stuff like this, but simply because it works I'm leaving it (lessons learned). The high-G doesn't appear to be diminished, as is a complaint about the real Stingrays (it's designed for slap I think, in the first place) and the low-B is present and resonant. Exhibit C: 2x Bag End cabs, S15-D. CL bottom-feeding run- $100. It's got some overspray from a painting project on it. Fixable, sounds fine. Got the other through a trade for a bigger Avatar 2x12 cab (very nice by the way). These two cabs are small, not heavy, and stacked theyre lound and punchy, very clear-sounding. And are a perfect match for Exhibit D)... Exhibit D: Trace-Elliot AH250SMX. You guys know this one, and you either like it or you don't. I got it for $200 US, and it had a tube rolling around inside. It had been beaten on, but it passed good signal and the front panel wasn't damaged. I had to take it from its sleeve and end up rack-mounting it... Admittedly I've had a minor issue, expressed in another thread, which I'm fixing, but you don't always score a clean A+ if you're going second-hand. I might have offered a bit less for it in light of the standing issue, I'm still alright with it though. Point is if you use ears first, and if you're inclined to be handy, you can come up with a grand-slam. It helps to not be able to afford high end gear in the first place, of course! But my rig is first-rate. I really want to find a "Grail" bass, which neither of mine are- but I've been playing since '79 and feel I deserve it! Been a long road to admitting that kind of thing in fact, but I'm on the page now. I'm going to end up with a nice Precision at some point... until then I'm able to function and dig in without compromising my ears- and that's really where you want to be.