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Pre-Gibson Trace Elliot stack - 600SMX + 1518


Bobzilla
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Here we have for sale my Pre-Gibson Trace Elliot amp stack - the real deal. I have owned this for 13 years now, and it hasn't had the use it deserves. Its finally time to give it a new home. I bought it second hand in 1999 from a guy in Margate who went off to do cruises and couldn't take his beloved with him. I used the stack for a semi-pro run of three nights of Godspell for a local church, and then not a huge amount. Small church settings where I couldn't get the volume above 4 even with just the 1048H. The 1518 hasn't seen much use at all from me. The tone is lovely - if it wasn't so big, heavy and way over-powered for what I need/want (and tying up a decent amount of capital in the process) I wouldn't be selling it.

[b]RAH600SMX[/b]

The rackmount version of the legendary 600 watt SMX bi-amp - two 300W amps in one. Two effects loops (one stereo), normal left and right outputs, and bi-amp switching as well, so you can split high frequencies and low frequencies, set you cabs up in high pass/low pass mono or stereo. 12 band Trace equaliser, built in dual compressor, pre and post DI outputs. All you would ever want to know is contained in the manual linked below.

[url="http://mail.foretold.nl/foretold/equipment/GP12SMX.pdf"]http://mail.foretold...ent/GP12SMX.pdf[/url]

This comes in Gator 8U roller rack case. It currently has the amp, a 2U drawer for my extras (lead, strap etc) an fx unit and a rack mount tuner.

Pictures of the amp are posted below (I exceeded my queue limits). I have also described how I have set the amp up, and what it can do.

EDIT - Bi-amping problem identified, am hopefully getting this sorted in the next month or so. All other outputs work as intended.

[b]1518[/b]

Standard 15" Trace cabinet. Later pre-gibson model (carpet, not vinyl, but still with the two red stripes at the bottom). Accoustically sound, but my cat took a liking to the carpet and decided to use it as a scratching post. The result is that the back right corner (sides decided from a front view, so back left as you look from the back) is absolutely fine because that was against the wall and the cat couldn't get at it. The front right corner has become a little bare as some of the carpet covering has come off (thanks, kitty). The front left is very fluffy, and the back left is very fluffy with some of the carpet coming away from the cab. This can be glued back, but you will end up with a little bit of a bare patch. However, this does nothing to the sound quality. (£125)

[attachment=103796:1518 back left.jpg][attachment=103797:1518 Back right.jpg][attachment=103798:1518 front left.jpg][attachment=103799:1518 Front Right.jpg][attachment=103800:Back plate.jpg]

Please, make me an offer. Whilst I'm looking for around£1,000 all in, including the rack, fx, tuner and drawer, I appreciate that the condition of the cabs might go against me. That said, this is accoustically and electronically top quality pre-gibson Trace gear. A lot of purists would say that it really doesn't get much better than this. Okay, there's now a lot on the market that is very very good, but can you really beat the Trace sound? I'm not sure that you can, which is why I'll be seriously considering another smaller Trace combo when this has gone. Sadly, I think I'll be looking at SMC, but I have a spare Trace compressor in my back pocket.

I am willing to split.

I would consider a trade for something smaller - I am looking for something 2-300 watts. Not sure about the speakers. I usually use my 1024 Cab, so could consider 2x10". If it had the capacity to drive an addition 15" speaker (I guess the amp and the 1024 will go quicker, so I might end up keeping the 1518) that would be good. A Trace 1210SMX would be a real goer, and I would also consider some sort of trade involving a Trace 2x10" cab.

All is located in Alton, Hampshire. I would consider couriering the cabs, but that could be very expensive for you. If you took the amp, I would probably only courier that if you took a case with it. As well as the 8U rack case above, I also have an SBK(?) 4U rack case as well, but this is a plain rack - quite heavy with the amp in.

Edited by Bobzilla
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[b]RAH600SMX[/b] and rest of the case.

As noted above, this was the top of the range Trace amp before Gibson took over, and many consider it to be unbeatable. For the last 13 years it has been treated very nicely. It was checked out when I bought it by the Bass Centre in Wapping, and has never let me down since.

[attachment=104369:Gator front.jpg][attachment=104370:gator left.jpg][attachment=104371:Gator Rear.jpg][attachment=104372:gator right.jpg][attachment=104368:Front left scuff.jpg][attachment=104374:Rack contente top.jpg][attachment=104375:rack contents front.jpg][attachment=104373:rack back main.jpg][attachment=104365:amp rear left.jpg][attachment=104366:amp rear right.jpg]

I have included prices in brackets if I were to split the system

First off, the case. Its a Gator 8U roller case, £135 new. Good condition, scuff on the bottom left front. Lockable, but I am down one lock. (£100)

Contents are:
1U blanking plate (free with Gator)
Korg DTR-2 tuner (£50)
Behringer Virtualiser effects unit (also have a pro, which I would be prepared to swap out) (£50)
2U lockable drawer (£35)
The amp (£500)

I have set the amp up with the effects unit and tuner plumbed in at the back, with the cables held in place in the rack. I have used the mono effects send (but stereo return) as the mono is a full send whereas the stereo is a high pass send. The effects volume mix for Mono is on the front, but on the rear for Stereo. The rear switch for mono is simply +10 or -4db.

The bi-amping can be seen on the rear of the amp. You can opt for:
- normal amping (all frequencies go through both amps)
- mono bi-amping (high frequencies and low frequencies are split with different volumes for each output and variable crossover point)
- Stereo bi-amping (both amps take the low frequencies only, with two separate outputs for the high frequencies to be sent to other amps.

You also get pre and (stereo) post eq DI outputs with ground lift.

If I could justify it, I would be keeping it.

I also have an SKB 4U red badge rack case, without the wheels. Its in pretty good nick. (£50)

Edited by Bobzilla
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