mingsta Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I've got one of the original series Trace Elliot 1215 SMX combo's (circa 1994). Haven't really made good use of it over the years, 6 years in the bedroom on about 0.05 volume setting, then I stopped playing for 11 years. Its only this year that I picked up the bass again and am now jamming/gigging on a reasonably regular basis. I'm now finding that the old boy still sounds great, but at +30kg's it weigh's a frickin' ton!!!! I'm a bit loathe to sell it on for the peanuts that these things fetch nowadays, so was wondering about the following options: 1) Replace the 15" Celestion with a lightweight neo cone - is this going to mess up the sound? Are there any amp tech's close to london who might be able to advise on the best pairing and do the work? 2) Remove the head and get a lightweight cab. Any ideas as to what might be a good match? 3) Alternatively I've just ordered a PJB Bass Cub, so if I really do want to move the Trace on then I could buy the PB300 powered cab for the Bass Cub for a potentially modular and gig worthy set up. Just wondering if anyone's had any experience of how loud/deep the PB300 can get as I've heard that the PJB stuff isn't particularly loud for the wattage. Any suggestions or shared experience would be appreciated. PS not necessarily looking to preserve the "Trace Elliot Sound" with the solution, I tend to bypass the pre-sets and EQ and just play it flat with a bit of compression. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 Separating the head section is fairly practical. Cab is a budget thing, but a Barefaced Compact will do a lot for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin E Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 I had an early Trace Elliot combo and went through the same thought process. The weight is due mainly to the thick MDF used for the cabinet. The Celestion C15H -200 speaker used in these things is surprisingly lightweight already -a simple pressed steel affair with a not particularly heavy magnet. I concluded that a neo speaker (if you find one of the right spec) would only reduce the overall weight by a few ounces. I ended up removing the amp section and making a sleeve case for it. I then built a speaker cab identical in size to the original. using the speaker and port tubes but in thinner plywood. Much lighter and the sound/performance was identical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mingsta Posted December 20, 2012 Author Share Posted December 20, 2012 Cheers guys...I'm starting to think that the remove head, find a lightweight cab approach might be the best thing here as I lack your woodworking skills!!! I'd be gutted to flog the whole thing off as it was the first thing I ever bought with my own earnings...worked a summer job packing food in a frozen food warehouse to get that bad boy! Must check out these barefaced cabs.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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