Mr.T

Old Trace gear.... naaaa mate.... no call for 'em! Tell ya wot, I'll do yer a fava. Take it of yer 'ands for wot it cost ya. .... an I'm robbin meeself.

^^^^^^ What a great couple of posts! ^^^^^^ I played for 20+ years with very little 'knowledge' of 'how' I got my sound.... and it was none the worse for it. Over the past 12 months it has almost become an obsession.

I bought an ABM115 cab from Geoff90guitar. It arrived immaculately packaged and was delivered 'next day'! Thanks Geoff.

I am going to stick my neck out and say that I don't think there is a 'Trace sound'..... as such. Unless we are talking about the 'pre-shape' button, which in my experience with my bass, would sound great solo but get me lost in the band mix. The strength of old Trace gear (for me) was it's ability to get any sound that I needed. From warm to clanky.... It's all there by the bucketload. The 11 and 12 band EQ sections are extremely powerful, and if set-up well can offer a huge range of sounds. However, if set-up badly can be made to sound crap. I struggled for nearly a year to get 'my sound' back after selling my SMX.

[quote name='Conan' post='703317' date='Jan 6 2010, 07:28 PM']My Status in particular has a very clean sound, so maybe needs a bit of "colouring up" from an amp/cab combination...[/quote] That was certainly my experience! I didn't like the sounds that I could get with my MarkBass amp. This has been cured by playing through a Sansamp VT to 'dirty' up the signal..... just a touch. The Status through the Ashdown amp sounds very similar to the MarkBass/Sansamp.... (Due the valve?).

[quote name='Le Chat Noir' post='698203' date='Jan 1 2010, 06:14 PM']..... the EVO-III only has speakon outs, I'm sure the EVO-II had jacks too![/quote] My Evo3 has speakon outs that also take jacks. (Not sure of the correct name for these combination type sockets).

One thing that I noticed when I first played a headless Status.... If I didn't pay attention, I would naturally put my fretting hand two frets further up the neck, although the neck is in exactly the same position as my headed Status. It took a few plays to get used to not having the headstock...

[quote name='mildmanofrock' post='690539' date='Dec 21 2009, 12:11 PM']Talk about stating the totally bloody obvious! I haven't read one Barefaced review on here that I've perceived as hype. Just people giving their honest accounts of what they think. Maybe it's more down to the way you're interpreting them. But that's your perception - not the intention of the writer. Reading a review and taking it as just one opinion = Useful Reading a review and taking it as hype = Not useful[/quote] Sometimes 'The totally bloody obvious' needs to be stated, lest it be missed! Also, I think I am intelligent enough to interpret a review of a product... If written with a degree of clarity. The 'Hype' people are mentioning in this discussion (I think) is more along the lines of: "I am looking for a cab..... " "Get a Barefaced" Similar to: "I am looking for an amp....." "Get a MarkBass" Often, these replies are not backed up in any shape or form... possibly leaving the enquirer believing there is only one 'good' choice. As has been stated many times already, we have different needs and requirements from our equipment. I am not knocking Barefaced or MarkBass equipment. (Unless both companies are paying people to post the "Get a .... " posts, which I doubt). I have personally learned a lot about sound, and how I am achieving my own particular sound, from Alex. It was not something that I ever really considered before joining this forum, and deciding to go lightweight. Maybe if the unsubstantiated responses were challenged more often, this whole 'pro BF' and 'anti BF' could have been avoided!

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='690493' date='Dec 21 2009, 11:26 AM']however, it should be pointed out that the gear that works for you should be found by you... not by some forum hype.[/quote] That hit the nail on the head! Advice and opinions = Useful. Hype = Not useful. (IMO).

[quote name='Conan' post='688714' date='Dec 18 2009, 08:45 PM']Nowt at all wrong with old Trace gear! In fact, when I eventually get round to trying anything new, it will be my old Trace gear that will provide the acoustic yardstick with which I will compare them! Sadly though, they just got too damn heavy - well over 100kg for the whole stack, and being tall I didn't like playing gigs with just one cab as the speaker throw was too far beneath my ear level... [/quote] That all sounds very familiar... Good luck with your quest.

[quote name='Conan' post='688492' date='Dec 18 2009, 04:07 PM'].... I return to the bass fold to find that the whole "should I go for Ampeg or Trace Elliot" amplification question has been massively complicated by new (to me) manufacturers like MarkBass, Barefaced, Epifani, Genz Benz, Schroeder, Aguilar and so on. Great news as far as competition goes, but by Christ it makes the choice confusing![/quote] Having tried some of the newer amplification..... I don't think that things have moved on sonically, although they have in the weight department. Nowt wrong with old Trace gear!

Great post (IMO obviously!!!!).

On the subject of "It's a shame I didn't like it"..... It WAS a shame (for me) that I didn't get on with The Compact! I have a bad back and loved the idea of just using a 33lb cab. I didn't actually say "I didn't like it".... It was more a case of it didn't work for me, as a one cab solution. It might work for others, but not for me. My band tends to play in confined areas and I realised (after gigging with The Compact) that: I like to have a cab nearer to ear level. The tone of the cab wasn't for me. I liked the sound I got when I paired The Compact with my Ashdown 2x10, but that defeated the object of the exercise.

[quote name='Mr.T' date='Dec 16 2009, 08:38 PM' post='686761'] ......(I mean absolutely no offence by this) nothing that couldn't be built in an afternoon in the shed. /quote] This was a figure of speech, and not to be taken literally.

Having briefly owned a BF Compact and a BF BigOne, I'd like to make a few points based on my experience.... 1). Assuming I understand the concept of 'colour': BF cabs DO colour your sound.... as do all cabs. The Compact sounds very different to the BigOne. 2). It is therefore important to choose a cab that is 'right for you' I am sure Alex would agree with this. 3). It felt to me that BF cabs were being touted as the 'Be all and end all' when I joined this forum one year ago. I tried two of them and.... well they weren't for me! I honestly believed they would be a miracle, and they weren't. Loud and light, yes.... but nothing out of the ordinary, and quite honestly (I mean absolutely no offence by this) nothing that couldn't be built in an afternoon in the shed. 4). I found Alex's customer service to be excellent. Where alse could I have tried two cabs and had a full refund? From what I gather, Alex is a decent guy trying to make an honest living. Maybe if some people stopped 'bigging up' his products so much.......?

+1 for the Ashdown neo cabs. I use an ABM 210 that was upgraded by Ashdown with neo drivers. It may not have enough 'bottom' for some people (including myself), but when paired with another cab (I use an Aggie GS112).... superb. It can handle pretty much any style of music and never rattles, breaks up or farts. I can hear myself clearly and it cuts through the mix like a knife! p.s. I am looking for a matching ABM115 compact.... (See my ad in the wanted section).

[quote name='bh2' post='674800' date='Dec 5 2009, 10:48 AM']Back to Wals...[/quote] Ok. The point I am making is that I think it is a 'poor show' for a maker of expensive basses to release a 'dodgy' one. I would expect quality control to pick up a problem and not release the bass! Back to Wal... I owned one briefly in the mid 80's (£900 new, if my memory serves me). It was beautifully made, and very playable, but had too many dead spots on the neck. It had to go, and was replaced with the Status Empathy, which I still use as my main bass. I am not knocking Wal's, this was just my experience.

[quote name='Sibob' post='674540' date='Dec 4 2009, 10:08 PM']Every builder and manufacturer puts out something dodgy every now and then.[/quote] Although I appreciate the fact that Status basses are not to everyones taste... I have never come across one that could honestly be described as 'dodgy'.