Sparky Mark

On a different tangent but definitely linked; think of one of your favourite classic bass lines that sounds great, iconic even, in the recording mix. Then Google to see if there's a recording of that bass line in isolation. For me, they are rarely a tone that I would use at home whilst practicing, they often have much more essential mid content. 

Looking at the grain on the neck it would appear to be quarter sawn, which helps neck stability, and is often a chargeable upgrade. 

Beautiful amp, congratulations. My only comment is that unless you believe the valves will be unseated from their sockets during rough transit or handling, I'd remove those retainer springs, that could potentially scratch the glass. I replaced the spring retainers on my amp with the Ampeg Birtcher style retainers that just hold the valve base. My amp never moves though, so not really needed.

1 hour ago, JottoSW1 said:

I'd like a trace preamp but I already have a nice Ra300. Currently doing duty as a stereo keyboard amplifier, it doesn't seem to get desperately hot even when im giving it beans...

I've got one of these and it's effectively the TE Series 6 GP12 pre amp with an adjustable mid pre shape control. It cops the TE heft really well.

FS-EQ12-DI – Ashdown Engineering https://share.google/lx57PeJ9I6rntwTU6

1 hour ago, Rosie C said:

 

Yup. I tend to agree. The amp and 2x10" I quite like and I could make an offer. But at the moment my other half is suggesting I get an Elf combo right now, and come back to invest in vintage TE kit next year once we've moved. Which makes sense as I can gig the Elf as well. 

I think it wise not to buy any vintage TE gear unless it's exactly what you really want. Don't compromise, you can almost predict that once you buy anything different, what you really wanted will be advertised for sale somewhere.

New TE equipment is pretty expensive IMO, and although very good, sounds quite different to the vintage gear. I did see a guy playing rock/pop through an elf head with two of the single 10 cabs in a small pub and it sounded really good, but I'm not sure how that rig would perform in larger venues?

How is this powered please? Thanks. 

2 hours ago, SpondonBassed said:

 

Maybe not gigged but I am curious about the amount of crap that is visible on the cooling fan blades.  Is that a hint of rust there too?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be fair that's pretty clean for a 40 year old fan; it must've been cleaned of dust/crud a few times. I'd be more concerned about the amount of fluff inside the amp, which is why I prefer the sealed heat sink cooled heads. They're pretty much pristine when opened up.

1 hour ago, Rosie C said:

 

It's a very small world!  I was searching on the web for information about TE amps and found stubmandrel.co.uk   

 

That story about the castors is just a little bit scary. 

 

Right now this is the top of my list. Looking at other camera angles I think I can get used to the differing widths of head and cab. It's right at the top my budget (over actually), but as the lovely Mrs.C is happy to have my amp in the lounge, this un-gigged example seems a good punt. 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/226888373496

 

 

Another thing to consider is how the amp is cooled. The AH250 pictured is going to be fan cooled, which you may be able to heat spinning when practicing at low level in your living room. There are 200 watt Series 6 and 250 watt SMX series heads that have rear heat sinks so are completely silent.

6 minutes ago, Rosie C said:

 

Ah, I should make clear I've no intention of gigging this amp - it's just for my practice space. We are moving house next year but the removal men can worry about it. Likely in our new home we'll have a combined lounge / practice space because we're downsizing which is why I'm also looking for something that looks tidy.

This is the model of 410 combo I tried and loved. Series 6 GP12.

It was using a Trace Elliot GP12 410 combo in a rehearsal studio that convinced me how great they sounded. The 410 combos, although heavy, aren't as deep (front to back) as the separate 410 cabs, so are bit easier to transport in a car.

I think Trace Elliot gear was initially designed for professional use, and assumed a team of roadies and trucks would normally be on hand. They gradually introduced smaller format amps, cabs and combos as they needed to increase sales. 

58 minutes ago, Rosie C said:

 

Having spent way too much time looking at amps and cabinets today. The "GP11 Mk V" (left) would seem a good option at £250 but it's in Scotland. The AH250 (right) has UV light goodness, and separate amp/cab seems a good idea, and it's closer to home. Maybe I'm being picky, but I don't like that the amp isn't the same size as the cabinet for stacking. Either way, today I'm tending towards a 4x10" rather than a 15". Tomorrow may change! 

The problem with the TE410 cabs for me is their weight (100lb ish) and bulk. So I spent some time finding the compact 15" cab that is same width and depth as both series 6 AH200 and SMX250 heads. Not as powerful as the 410 but loud enough for most of my needs nowadays. If you can find the 210 compact cabs, they're worth a look too.

1 hour ago, la bam said:

 

They even just look cool! 

 

All those controls, the styling, fantastic. 

And the heads with UV black lights at the front looked even more spectacular on dark stages. Genius and practical.

46 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

I see what you mean, but it has a valve front end, and to get the 'orange tone' one has to drive the preamp quite hard. I have plenty of other options for a quiet clean sound, itcwould be nice to experiment with my tone and different basses at home. When I wanted to experiment with my stage sound (also my pedalboard) I hired a rehearsal space for two hours (which was quite cheap as you get 1 peron daytime rate) and was able to do so at realistic settings. 

Agreed you can only discover the true settings for your gigging tone at a decent volume. The below settings give serious overdrive fuzz with my TB v2 at very low volumes, but I know it wouldn't sound the same at gig volume.

14 hours ago, ian61 said:

Yep really great amps but not with the EQ set the way it is that photo. Loose the bass and push the low mids then let the magic begin.

They're only set that way for low volume home practice, like an old fashioned "Loudness" control. I only use the mid pre shape shape 1 button live with my Bergantino HD210 cabs; sounds brilliant. 

Jeff bought a bass from me in a hassle free transaction. I'd recommend anyone to deal with Jeff; a trustworthy and lovely Basschatter indeed.

Thank you Jeff.

1 hour ago, Bassybert said:

I can still recollect that lovely Trace smell thinking about the 3 amps I've had over the years. Top quality gear indeed.

£125 or £225?

My collection of "big iron" amplifiers. All still working perfectly. The Hartke was my gigging amp throughout the 90's and if my circumstances changed, I'd happily use it again, until death do us part.

5 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

Sensitivity of speakers can trump wattage applied when It's only 3dB worth of power difference.

 

One time we were playing about with my Trace 1518 and a BF BigBaby. As a 4 ohm load plugged into the one amp the BF was inaudible, like it wasn't plugged in and had to check. It needs a heap of power to get loud.

Interesting that you found the BF cab to be significantly less efficient than the Trace. 

1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

This is true. It's impossible to get low volumes with my Terror 500W and 103db sensitivity GRBASS cab. You can't set the master below 'too loud for home noodling'.

I think I understand what you are saying, but with the amp gain, master output and volume control on your bass (plus any other pedals if used) any volume can be obtained from any rig IME. 

11 minutes ago, Hypo199 said:

I bagged it....had to take a punt on this as I've coveted TE gear since I was a kid in a band who longed after the decent stuff, but had to make do and mend with whatever we could find in house clearance sales. 

Congratulations on an interesting TE amplifier system. One thing confused me from the photos; why aren't the left and right line out patches connected to the left and right line in sockets of the RA300? I really hope they aren't connected to speaker outputs!

2 hours ago, JottoSW1 said:

The ra300 isn't all that heavy. Anyone see what the power of the Gp12smx, cant see a fan. ? 199 is a bargain really, bit far to travel for me sadly

I think it's just a pre amp, hence why it's paired with the RA300.

5 hours ago, Homatron said:

A clean-looking Trace AH300-7 has come up locally but I have no clue if it is a good buy (currently asking £150). What are the Trace gurus' thoughts on this model?

Some of the finds in this thread make me think I should hold out for a real bargain!

I'd hold out for a 12 band graphic head.

Pink!!!

On 16/10/2025 at 23:55, Sparky Mark said:

My Bugera SVT CL clone is still going strong (at home) and keeps me convinced tube power has a certain something special. Unfortunately, unless I play a gig in my own back garden, I doubt it'll be used in anger (in my lifetime!).