Sparky Mark

I'm not sure mate? Hopefully a Moderator can help. Maybe if you Report the unwanted ads, the Mods can delete them for you?

19 hours ago, Clarky said:

I have rarely seen a relic'd CS bass look so authentically "vintage". The Avantguard scratchplate is superb and the finishing touch. Beauty! Have a bump on me

Thanks Clarky. This, and my Fender Custom Shop 1960 Jazz, also for sale here, are the best relics I've seen and played. They were both used as back ups to my genuine pre  CBS basses.

Erm.... how many of these cabs have you got? 

Bargain bump! 

2 hours ago, Hodge said:

Worth every penny.

One of the things I love about these Mark I versions is the fact that you can flip the impedance switch on the side and get the full 500W into either 8 or 4 ohms.

It's a nice feature that the Mark II doesn't have.

 

Good luck.

My Mark II version has the impedance selection switch too.

Lovely refUrb. GLWYS. 

1 hour ago, SimonK said:

Here's the picture and description so that we have this very unique amp on the thread for posterity!

 

"This is a very unique amplifier. It started life as the head section of a 1 x 15 Trace Elliot combo amp, which i bought at the Bass Centre in Wapping Wall, London.
Eventually I removed the amplifier and took it to Trace Elliot's in Witham, Essex. They replaced the power caps and fitted it in a sleeve. They also added a 'Zorbal Network' circuit so that a second speaker output could be added. Finally they fitted a GP12X preamp (solid state) to the amplifier. I spent a very pleasant day at their manufacturing factory while they did the work on it. (I still have a copy of an invoice for the work). When they tested the output with an oscilliscope it gave a reading of 272 watts. It has a typically clear powerfull Trace Elliot sound. Sadly I am selling the amp as I am moving abroad."

 

I had a look at the Trace Elliot brochures thread on here to see if I could find the combo this came from. No luck, but I think it's a bit of a shame the original 12ax7 valve preamp was removed in favour of a solid state version. 

27 minutes ago, andytoad said:

It of a bargain with unique history by the looks of it. Fixer upper? He was also selling another amp too

Agreed it's a good price. Not sure what fixing up is either necessary or possible though? Other than a missing EQ slider tip it all looks fine. Depending upon the fixing centers, it could be a candidate to ditch the heavy wooden sleeve and mount in a lightweight ABS 19" case?

5 minutes ago, andytoad said:

I'm loving this unique looking amp! Cheap too...

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/236174527854?itmmeta=01JZ0J4B7Q7NHJTC8QJZ0ZT3QY&hash=item36fd194d6e:g:zwgAAeSwfw9oYm00

Interesting conversion of a combo head. I particularly like the apparently redundant addition of the UV lamp grill underneath the stainless steel front panel. I wonder what the cable ties are securing on the rear panel?

Previously, I think RM wasn't allowed to leave items on doorsteps and had to leave a card so you could arrange another delivery attempt or collection from a local RM depot. It now seems that due to cost cutting initiatives and the employment of casual staff, RM really don't offer any better service than the other couriers and just leave packages wherever it fancies. I've recently received a RM proof of delivery photograph showing my package wedged in an unknown letter box. It's a real shame that RM seems to have joined the courier race to the bottom. 

2 hours ago, ash said:

It’s not been repaired although regularly PAT tested and serviced. It’s always been very reliable. Not sure about the source of your info however I’m not questioning it. The ‘Combo Head II’ as it’s labelled on the control panel I had assumed was the same as the Little Mark II but to my ears it sounds the best of all the CMD mini combos. It certainly is heavier than the later version I had (and sold on) that was around 12kgs. That version had a later preamp and just didn’t have the tone this one has. Thanks for the info! 

This photo shows the control layouts of the LM2 vs LM3. The original Combo Head was based on the LM2, the replacement Combo Head 2 was based on the LM3. Pre 2012ish LM3 were all class AB. When Markbass moved production to Indonesia in 2012 it started to use its class D power amp and Yellow Line stamped steel frame drivers. I share your experience that the class AB power amp with B&C driver is the best sounding version of this combo.

Hi Ash, looking at the manufacturing date of 2009, this will be a Class AB power amp version of the Combo Head 2 (unless it has already been repaired at some stage?), which is actually identical to the first Little Mark 3 heads (not a LM2). This combo will also almost certainly contain an Italian made cast frame B&C driver. The AB power amp with B&C driver makes this my favourite version of this combo. GLWYS.

When my back was 30 years younger, I don't think I gave schlepping my 99lb 410 cab a second thought. I'm kind of assuming the majority of us are in the same boat.

Great info here:-

https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/445206-vintage-trace-elliot-brochures/

37 minutes ago, SamPlaysBass said:

At this point I'll take any technical knowledge I have (not hard), throw it out of the window and use purely anecdotal evidence, which is of course, always valid...

 

I had a GP12 SMX 4x10 combo for a few years and adored it. It was the loudest thing in the universe as far as I was concerned. I'm not sure what component of it made it so loud; the conservatively rated power section, or the fact that it was the fact it was on wheels and wielding now old-fashioned 10" drivers way off the floor made a difference, but it carried its sound like nothing else I've ever played. It didn't have super subby lows, but it was perfect for the bands I was playing in at the time where our PA was so crap that all of the bass sound had to come from the amp. And WHAT a sound - lovely, focused bass sound filling the air in big old Workingmans Halls and Clubs around the Valleys. They had lovely mids and a very good 12-band graphic EQ.

 

It's a shame that Trace lost its reputation for 'underpromise, overdeliver' when it came to sound, loudness and quality. The closest thing I've owned that puts me somewhat in mind of the Trace is the Markbass AG1000 through a Ninja 2x12 cab, but I'm sure if Trace designed it, they'd market it as having measly 150 watts or so. If I had the space, I'd buy that GP12 SMX combo back in a heartbeat. 

A rehearsal studio in Hertford used to have Series 6 410 and Series 6 112 combos that sounded amazing. I think they were both rated as 150 watts without an extension cab. They were what brought me back to TE amps. I'm not one for mid cut pre shapes, but there's something about that original Trace Elliot pre shape button that just works so well.

6 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

"Less than 0.02% THD at full power"

 

It may not be acceptable for hifi, but even 10% THD is not unpleasant for a solid state instrument amplifier.

 

0.02% gives a conservative power rating for a stage amp.

And this could be the reason Trace Elliot amps have a reputation for delivering more power than other amps with the same advertised output. 

The maximum output of many modern amplifiers is stated at 1% (sometimes 10%) THD (total harmonic distortion). Trace Elliot used a 0.02% level at maximum output. I wonder if this means the TE amps were capable of higher outputs but with increased THD?

1 hour ago, SimonK said:

This looks a bit Trace like. Cool cab finish!

 

 

Agreed. Looking at the handle position, this looks like a cut down combo to cab conversion.

8 hours ago, SimonK said:

...so after a bit of detective work I think the Tolex covered GP12 would have been from about 1995, and the carpet covered from 1998 onwards. I don't think I previously realised there was this much variation in the SMX series, but it looks to me that while the preamp stayed the same the power section started off fairly similar to the older Series 6 amps and then they seem to have moved to a newer power amp design. The faceplates are identical.

 

RE the cabs, I suspect the non-ported one is an older series 6 as both the SMX catalogues I have (tolexed and carpeted) show ports on all the cabs.

The cab is a Series 6 1153 (Classic) compact cab. It does have a single front port behind the grill.

11 minutes ago, SimonK said:

 

You are absolutly correct, the similar one I saw is still on reverb for about £100 or more than I think it worth:

 

Yep, a totally different animal, 300 watts, fan cooled with Celestion driver and carpet covering. Mine is 250 watts, rear heatsink cooled with Fane Axiom driver and vinyl covering. 

2 minutes ago, SimonK said:

 

I saw this but passed - generally (in the UK) you can find a GP12SMX for less than £300, and a smaller cab like that for under £100, but looking at various forums it can be double these prices in the US or mainland Europe.

Unless you saw it 3 years ago on eBay, I think it's a different amp.

3 hours ago, SpondonBassed said:

 

That looks like a very nice find indeed.  From here it looks like it hasn't been gigged much if at all.  That or a very careful owner had it. May I ask how much you paid for the amp and the new valve?  I am assuming you had the cab already.

 

I hope you have a LOT of fun with it (preferably well away from your neighbours).

Thank you. I can't remember precisely what I paid, probably somewhere around £150 three years ago. I used a NOS JJ valve from my spares box bought many years ago, so nothing like today's silly prices. I kept the original Trace valve for...... no idea really?

I found this SMX250 for a good price because it was making all sorts of horrible sounds, even before I started to play through it! Replacing the original hyper microphonic 12ax7 valve fixed it and now it's as good as new.

With that head and cab you should be able to achieve the type of tone you desire. I wouldn't max the Vintage filter; just set at 25% and reduce the hi frequency control. Reduce hi mids a little and perhaps boost low slightly. Use both or just the neck pickup to get a softer tone. Finally I'd go back to roundwounds because TI flats are very mid present. I loved TI flats on my passive Precisions but couldn't get a nice tone with my active Musicman basses.

I think you've got all the elements available to get your tone but need to experiment more without going to any extreme settings, either on your amp or bass guitar onboard preamp controls.