Trace Elliot BLX-80

edski · Post by **edski** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 1:38 pm

Just got one on eBay...had one about 10 years ago. I've really been looking for a practice/in-a-bind amp, mainly for my son. There have been a couple of times we've had a conflict with the main rig.

Anyway, in case some don't know, it's 80 W RMS into a single 10", with a slotted grill and port underneath. From what I read before I pulled the trigger, and what I remembered, it can't keep up in a band situation very well, and is a little bass happy.

Aside from the dude taking a week before he shipped it, it gets here and it doesn't have the original speaker. It's got a Jensen (not sure what model, haven't taken it apart). When I play the low end BOOMS BOOM BOOM, and my uppper register disappears.

Just checked it with my 2x10 cab...sounds friggin' great. My question, for those who want to answer...

Can the trace head handle the 4 ohm load of the 2x10 cab?

2nd question: Anyone use Jensen for bass speakers? Do they just plain suck or might this be a mismatched speaker for the cabinet?

3rd question: Nothing was mentioned about the non-stock speaker. Should I just mention it in the feedback or go negative?

Thanks guys...

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 2:12 pm

hey ed, i also have a trace elliot combo - a bright blue 715 (bet you aint seen one!) it, like most traces i have seen, has a jack socket on the back with the internal speakers lead plugged in, you can remove it and use an external cab instead. Im guessing your connecting the 2x10 in the same way? most of these amps use a 4 ohm speaker internally so you should be ok.

Yeah all trace speakers are celestions as far as i know

edski · Post by **edski** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 3:05 pm

Yeah, I used that jack...somewhere I think I have an adapter so I possibly could use both...but then I'd be at 2 or 2.7 ohms. Not sure about wtf this speaker is. I opened up the back and there is NO id info on the back of the speaker...just has this plastic piece on the front saying "Jensen" with a cursive/funky "XS" (I think) behind it. I checked out an on line store for speakers and didn't see anything like it.

The amp output clearly says "80 wtts RMS at 8 ohms"...but who knows what this thing is. Based on the volume difference between my Carvin 2x10 (which is 4 ohms) and the internal speaker it very well may be an 8 ohm speaker. I suppose if the original was 4 ohm that might be the issue...going through the 2x10.

With the back off the combo still boomed way too much from about the low E to Bb. Once I got past there it was manageable. Without the back it sounded a little better but not much. Certainly a nicer sounding head than that Behringer POS I have...

Guess I'll use the Trace...if it blows up I have the Behringer as a back up.

From what I remember there was something special about the stock TE speakers. Impregnted with silicone or something?????

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 12:10 am

If it says "80watts RMS at 8 ohms" on the back then you cant really use a 4 ohm cab

i mean,,,you can,,,,,itll basically sound good and deliver the full wattage but itll probably overheat at some point.

Its possile that the non original internal speaker is the wrong impedance...

Im not suprised it sounds boomy, and i dont think the speaker is to blame. Its the one with the weird slotted front right? i mean thats pretty weird, having wood INFRONT of the speaker. Plus if my trace combo is anything to go by, the wood is very dense heavy stuff - over here we call it MDF (medium density fibreboard) and it can sound very boomy and dead.

The trace speaker i have has TRACE ELLIOT labled on the centre of the cone, but its of celestion origin. I have homebuilt cabs with off the shelve celestions and they do sound better.

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 12:13 am

also, how are you setting the EQ? mine goes real muddy if i boost the lowest (50hz) slider, and my combo is 150w @4ohms into a ported 15"!

edski · Post by **edski** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 12:28 am

I've tried to eq it any way you can think of. The "best" sound was cutting th elow, leaving the mids alone, and boosting the highs...

I'll try later today with one of my 8 ohm 15" cabs...

david_schwab · Post by **david_schwab** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 4:41 am

I have a BLX-SMC combo. It's the same 10" speaker in the slot loading cab, and it has a tweeter. It's a 150 watt amp.

Mine has a Celestion speaker, that says it's custom made for Trace Elliot. I would guess they all use Celestions, since they made the rest of Elliot's speakers.

It is a VERY boomy amp. I had read that it was originally made for upright basses. They made a extension cab with a front loaded 10" that gave it more midrange. I've also cut the lows and booted the mids, but it doesn't help much.

The cabinet design is to get more low end from the 10" speaker. It's similar to a sub-woofer. It's not just because it has wood in the front... the speaker is all the way in the back of the cab. The slot tunes the speaker, since it doesn't have much of any air volume behind the speaker. It's just like a folded horn cab, like the old Acoustic amps, but in a different form.

I was thinking of adding a 5 or 6" mid-bass speaker to mine for more mids.

admin · Post by **admin** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 4:49 am

Welcome to the Rickenbacker Forum David and thanks for these details.

edski · Post by **edski** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 5:03 am

I don't remember the original I had so long ago being so boomy...but I do remember it being pretty low. This one obviously has an issue with the non-stock speaker.

So I'll check it with one of my PA cabs, maybe that will be an acceptable use, since running it with a 4 ohm cab is not such a good idea. I was also thinking of looking for an electronics guy and maybe seeing if I can make a mongrel using the pre-amp part of this trace (which I like a lot) with the power amp part of my old Carvin (which can handle the 4 ohm load). Not sure how feasible that idea is.

Oh well, live and learn. Might not be so hot to look for amps via eBay, but at least the thing works.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 5:18 am

Folded horn speakers never have any top end, all they are good for is subwoofers, highs only travel in a straight line and are trapped inside the horn, whereas bass will go around the corners of the horn inside. The big Acoustic 18" folded horn cabs also had no top end which is why they are no longer with us, you could get a nice tuba tone out of them though, haha!

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 5:49 am

If you plug your bass into the trace's input,,,,then run a cord from the EFFECTS SEND or line out.......to the EFFECTS RETURN on your carvin (if it has one) your are effectivly using the trace preamp and the carvins power amp.

In this arrangement you use the gain and EQ on the trace/master volume on the carvin

david_schwab · Post by **david_schwab** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 6:20 am

Thanks Peter! Happy to have found this forum! I hate to say I haven't played my Ricks in years, and in fact they are disassembled at the moment... but I'm getting ready to restore my old 4001... I seem to remember dating it using the serial numbers and it was a mid 60's.

Unfortunately I had repainted it (a pro job however... I'm a lutheir) and changed the pickups and bridge...etc. Seemed like a good idea at the time!

I gave my toaster pickups to a friend of mine who installed them in a Rick guitar copy he built... oh well... have to buy new ones! Think I'll repaint it Jetglo... always wanted a Black 4001. It was originally Mapleglo.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 10:47 am

A is 1961 and so on for first letter.
A is Jan and so on for second letter. EF would be June of 1965 for ex.

wints · Post by **wints** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 12:11 pm

David, please keep us informed of that restoration project. Beg your friend to get those toasters back into their real home!

david_schwab · Post by **david_schwab** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 9:17 am

I doubt he'd give them back. His guitar is very cool also. I gave him two of them, one from each of my basses. I really didn't think I would use them again. At one time I had the two toasters in the 60's bass. Sounded pretty cool.