la bam Posted 16 hours ago Posted 16 hours ago (edited) Picked this up (literally and factually) today - but only just Trace elliot gp12 smx 410 combo What an absolute beast. I've always wanted one of these. All the bands in pubs when I first started had one. And I longed for one... Ended up with a 100w commando amp instead Its a lost art. Lost to history if we are not careful. THIS is how bass amps used to be. What has happened with today's amps????!! (I'm a tonex IEM user so take with a pinch of salt). Everything has been done with care, the best materials and purely sound based. However it's aesthetically gorgeous too. Its absolutely a work of genius and has been built with real pride. It's built like a tank. Built to last (it's 32 years old and everything still works perfectly). It has everything you need. Mute switch Gain stage and led guide to correct gain. Passive active switch Input blend dial from pure solid state to valve preamp. 12 band eq. Switchable. Switchable 3 stage pre shapes. Graphic level dial. Low compression dial High compression dial. Eq balance dial. This is the same as the supposed new angled tilt dials on amps. Effects level dial. Effects input dial Send return DI Output level Earth lift. And what a sound! In excellent condition with the originally paperwork and warranty too! Gees, this is a proper amp! Long live the old amps! Edited 15 hours ago by la bam 12 Quote
tauzero Posted 15 hours ago Posted 15 hours ago I was so glad when I got rid of mine. Heavy as a small planet and didn't sound that great. 2 Quote
King Tut Posted 7 hours ago Posted 7 hours ago Old School Trace heads with modern lightweight cabs is the way to go I reckon! My rig from Sunday . . . 4 Quote
SimonK Posted 5 hours ago Posted 5 hours ago (edited) Not lost to some of us - see the thread below! I think I saw this amp but it was too far away to get, and I am just in the process of getting another GP12SMX up and running again with some new capcitors which would give me essentially the same combo! I have to agree these amps are second to none if you like sound - I currently have nine TE cabs and 3 heads because I can't help myself when they come up so cheaply!! Edited 5 hours ago by SimonK Quote
la bam Posted 3 hours ago Author Posted 3 hours ago 1 hour ago, SimonK said: Not lost to some of us - see the thread below! I think I saw this amp but it was too far away to get, and I am just in the process of getting another GP12SMX up and running again with some new capcitors which would give me essentially the same combo! I have to agree these amps are second to none if you like sound - I currently have nine TE cabs and 3 heads because I can't help myself when they come up so cheaply!! Yes I remember reading the thread. I'm really into that and trying and restoring old amps. Great work! Just having another look at it this morning. It's so well done. The kick plate protector for the speakers, nobody is damaging that or the speakers, yet some cabs today have a cloth protector or flimsy cover, why? The purpose built caps on top of the amp to secure another cab, instead of just resting on top. Proper detail. The covering that's lasted 32 years. Yet some today don't last 12 months. Proper heatsinks on the back. What a great way to get a nostalgic 8x10 rig as well. I'd be amazed if I could find a trace 4x10 cab to fit for £100 or less. Incidentally does anyone know what 4x10 is for this cab? Quote
Musicman20 Posted 3 hours ago Posted 3 hours ago I had a GP12 400SMX (I think that was the model name). Mid 90s ish 400W amp head. Only issue it had all that time was that it needed a new fuse the first few months (never had an issue ever again!), and I had to replace some of the plastics on the front/back panel occasionally. Absolutely superb. Build like a tank. Extremely heavy though, and awkward. Would I get it again? Absolutely. The closest I have come to it is the Genz Benz Shuttlemax 9.2, which I am never parting with! The old Trace stuff was over engineered and looked superb. Quote
SimonK Posted 1 hour ago Posted 1 hour ago 2 hours ago, la bam said: Yes I remember reading the thread. I'm really into that and trying and restoring old amps. Great work! Just having another look at it this morning. It's so well done. The kick plate protector for the speakers, nobody is damaging that or the speakers, yet some cabs today have a cloth protector or flimsy cover, why? The purpose built caps on top of the amp to secure another cab, instead of just resting on top. Proper detail. The covering that's lasted 32 years. Yet some today don't last 12 months. Proper heatsinks on the back. What a great way to get a nostalgic 8x10 rig as well. I'd be amazed if I could find a trace 4x10 cab to fit for £100 or less. Incidentally does anyone know what 4x10 is for this cab? Was this the amp in Blackburn that was on Gumtree for £120 - if it was you got a good deal as I would have had that if it wasn't for the fuel costing more to get it! RE a matching 4x10, should be able to find one for under £100. There are a bunch of very optimistic people trying to sell them for crazy amounts, but if you look at the other thread you will see I have found plenty similar cabs for under £100 (I think I've picked up two 4x10s in the last year for £90, one with a head as well). Worse case scenario is to buy a couple broken ones and combine the speakers. Quote
thodrik Posted 1 hour ago Posted 1 hour ago Quote The purpose built caps on top of the amp to secure another cab, instead of just resting on top. Proper detail Trace Elliot probably stuck the caps on after realising that Geoff Capes was the only human capable of lifting a Trace Elliot 4x10 combo on top of another cabinet. Quote
SimonK Posted 1 hour ago Posted 1 hour ago 1 minute ago, thodrik said: Trace Elliot probably stuck the caps on after realising that Geoff Capes was the only human capable of lifting a Trace Elliot 4x10 combo on top of another cabinet. Ta-da!! 1 Quote
la bam Posted 1 hour ago Author Posted 1 hour ago 20 minutes ago, SimonK said: Was this the amp in Blackburn that was on Gumtree for £120 - if it was you got a good deal as I would have had that if it wasn't for the fuel costing more to get it! RE a matching 4x10, should be able to find one for under £100. There are a bunch of very optimistic people trying to sell them for crazy amounts, but if you look at the other thread you will see I have found plenty similar cabs for under £100 (I think I've picked up two 4x10s in the last year for £90, one with a head as well). Worse case scenario is to buy a couple broken ones and combine the speakers. Yes, great price. Got an absolute bargain. I'd love to get a bit of stability in life (never happens) where I could collect old bass amps from the past and have them in a room or garage for little money. There'll be a time where a lot of the great amps from days gone by will be rare. Even now there's plenty of stellar bass amp manufacturers that have gone for ever (in their original guise - Eden, swr, Warwick, trace, genzbenz, Marshall etc and plenty who don't make transistor amps anymore. Quote
King Tut Posted 56 minutes ago Posted 56 minutes ago Not mine but just spotted this on Faceache: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17Z5LT9Wuz/? Quote
thodrik Posted 34 minutes ago Posted 34 minutes ago 1 hour ago, SimonK said: Ta-da!! Well done! Quote
walshy Posted 23 minutes ago Posted 23 minutes ago Such cool gear, my fist amp was a Trace Elliot. So bloody heavy I used to push it in a Presto supermarket trolley to rehearsals at the local school, about a mile away uphill!!! Searching for a V8 atm if anyone has one in their garage Quote
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