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Downgrading my Trace Elliot


isteen

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I can no longer handle my old Trace Elliot 4x10” combo.

A guy offered me a Fender Rumble 100 in a trade, but I did not think it would cut it in the rehearsal room with my rock band.

What/How much do I need? Just a guess would be a combo with 250 watt and a 15” speaker.

Info on this great sounding combo?

Experiences?

81D12E4C-8D11-4D42-9B96-E9A938DEB0AF.jpeg

Edited by isteen
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On 10/04/2021 at 17:58, rubis said:

Why not take the head off/out and get a lightweight cab (or two)?

Not a bad shout. I did exactly that with my Mesa M6 combo (stock pic) and I now pair the M6 head with a Fearless F112 cab. I even managed to move on the PH212 cab with space for an amp in the combo housing separately, which helped fund the new cab.

Edited by Al Krow
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Swapping that for a Rumble 100 won't be a good deal for you. The Rumble will be feeble by comparison. It may solve the weight issue, but not much else. Do you have to carry the TE up stairs? If not, would a good trolley enable you to hang on to it?

If you do decide to get rid of it, I'd sell it as is. Do you need a combo? Going modular - getting a separate amp and cabs - will reduce the weight you have to carry in one go. You can  make several trips from the car carrying smaller, lighter boxes.

 

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11 minutes ago, Dan Dare said:

Swapping that for a Rumble 100 won't be a good deal for you. The Rumble will be feeble by comparison. It may solve the weight issue, 

 

The Fender Rumble 500 combo is the minimum to replace the SMX 4x10. I still think you should take the head out and get a light weight cab.

Edited by JohnDaBass
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This was my solution to being able to keep Trace Elliot tone in a compact package. I think the AH200 is very conservatively rated. It was using the same 410 TE combo in a rehearsal room that convinced me I needed TE in my life again after 30 years apart.

20180508_235510_resized_1.jpg.ffdd6cc125d0eac1c3d03a880705c19d.jpg

Edited by Sparky Mark
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On 10/04/2021 at 18:25, isteen said:

I haven’t a clue how to do that

I did it! Without a clue! 🤣

In all seriousness,  it should be straightforward.

There's four plastic plugs in the top. Prise them out to expose the bolts that hold the chassis of the amp in the box. Undo & remove these. Check around the back for the cable that connects the amplifier to the speakers. It should be a mono (TR) ¼inch jack. Unplug this,  and the amplifier ought to slide free (out the front is best)

All you have to do then is fabricate a new sleeve for the amp section and drill the top of this to match the location of the 4 bolt holes in the original top panel. Slot it in and bolt it up.

Took me an afternoon. 

 

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If I owned one of those from new I couldn't bring myself to sell it for pennies on the pound either.

I would take the amp out per ^ but run my circular saw around the combo sleeve to give me a cab and 3/4 of a sleeve with the holes already in the right place.

Then I would take the speakers out and run the saw around the circumference, finish off with regular saw = two x 5/6 of 210 cabs.

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Almost per Downunderwonder, my H122SMX became a head and a 2x10- a slimmer version of a 2103H with a different horn tweeter and no attenuator. I even managed to save the carpet covering and fold the excess over the new form factor. I also fitted a recessed connector plate for the speaker cable. Used the end result for years, one way or another until divorce/ house downsizing forced me to sell it along with my 1153 and 1048h.

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Agreed. If this combo could be converted into a seperate head and two 210 cabs that would be an extremely flexible and easy to load in/out rig. The carpentry appears straightforward but the tolex refinishing and corners would need to be done to a professional standard to do it justice.

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The difference is that the 4x10 Combo (mk10?) has 4 drivers and a slotted port. I'm unsure how the drivers will function in half the volume. They'll need re-wiring, too. Assuming the overall impedance of the cab to be 8ohm (they usually are) I'd guess that the drivers are 8ohm, wired in series pairs and then in parallel with each other to get back to the 8ohm load. If they are 8ohm drivers,  getting 2 x standalone 8ohm cabs from that 4x10 is going to be hard. 

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I had the same amp for about 20 years - loved the sound, but hated ever moving it.

My revelation was a kitshare with someone who had a GenzBenz 2x12 cab plus light head, and which sounded fantastic.

Within a week, I'd been out shopping and bought similar.  Much louder/better than the Trace combo, and easily transportable.  Never looked back.

So pleased to move the old Trace combo on...

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Look, I know those things sound fantastic - I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time in the 90s gigging through an AH500 and a pair of TE 4x10s. The whole lot was flight cased up so it took quite a lot of space in the transit... Cutting edge for the time, but I CAN'T believe how tech's moved on. I had a GK CX210 that sounded fantastic, and loud, and light and cost under £300. I'd really suggest a 2x10 cab to recreate something of the sound you're used to, and yes - you could take the amp out of your combo and put it in a new case but it will still weigh a lot, once you've felt how light a class D amp is you'll never want to go back to carrying an old-school amp around. I used MarkBass now and it's.... okay. Not that charismatic but it's very light and sounds fine.

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