The Trace begins showing its age?

[four/five]

Trace Elliot 250/300w SMX head fitted with the updated Clive Button mosfet output module.(1999).

Now I must admit I haven’t gigged this amp for a couple of years but at a couple of rehearsals all was well, but.

Theres always the “but” , at a gig on the weekend, during the second half I suddenly found all the bottom end had gone from the Markbass 210 and the bass just about still there with a popping crackling along with it.

 

Then without a chance to “waddle” (tech term) any plugs etc back it came unfortunately this continued to the end of the night. Luckily it happened only a few songs from the end.

 

Having now had it on soak with a cd running through it all day, of course it won’t go wrong, no noise even when bass shoved through it. Now checking for dry joints on the main output board. Anyone had this intermittent problem with a Trace?

I can’t see it being a speaker problem as once they go they tend not to bounce back but stay popping and *arting.

A repair man’s nightmare,intermittent fault.

 

Is it time for its retirement if so what to replace it with I do like the Trace sound, it works well with my GB and Yamaha basses?

[Bigwan]

Try putting a patch cable in the effects send/return loop. If I recall correctly they suffer from corrosion on the contacts of the jack sockets which could cause something like this.

[four/five]

5 hours ago, Bigwan said:

Try putting a patch cable in the effects send/return loop. If I recall correctly they suffer from corrosion on the contacts of the jack sockets which could cause something like this.

Thank you for the reply. It would appear on this head the send and return jacks don’t break a circuit when jack is inserted . Though the foot switch jack does break circuits so I’ve cleaned them.

Still the blasted original won’t appear.

 

[Bunion]

It’s not the bass is it? 

[four/five]

14 minutes ago, Bunion said:

It’s not the bass is it? 

I’ve not had the opportunity to try the bass at serious volume through it as yet. I was using my GB Spitfire 5 string. The bass certainly sounds OK through mixing desk into headphones.

Looks like I’ll have to take it to a rehearsal and thrash the living daylights out of it but with backup amp and bass.

Certainly wouldn’t trust it at a gig.

[police squad]

On 05/04/2022 at 14:58, Bigwan said:

Try putting a patch cable in the effects send/return loop. If I recall correctly they suffer from corrosion on the contacts of the jack sockets which could cause something like this.

My Marshall Jubilee did this, patch lead sorted it

[Downunderwonder]

The SMX fx loop is not a loop in the usual way, it is a send parallel blend.

[weepaul]

Hope this may help.

 

 

SM7 but could be worth a try.

Edited April 7, 2022 by weepaul

[four/five]

26 minutes ago, Downunderwonder said:

The SMX fx loop is not a loop in the usual way, it is a send parallel blend.

I thought it must be , as the sockets don’t do a make and break on the circuit board.

Thanks for confirming this.

[four/five]

10 minutes ago, weepaul said:

Hope this may help.

 

 

SM7 but could be worth a try.

Thank you for the reply but the SMX send and return sockets don’t act like SM7’s unfortunately.

Theres a component ,looks like a triac on the main output board which even though it has a large heat sink you could fry eggs on it after the amps been on for a few hours. Been looking for dry joints on this board.