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BGRA: Trace Elliot BLX-80
| Manufacturer |
Trace Elliot |
Model |
BLX-80 |
| Reviewer |
Shawn Charniga |
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| Experience |
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Item owned |
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| Review Date |
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Price paid |
$350 (used) |
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Dimensions | 18"X18"X18"X or so |
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Wattage | 80 watts |
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Speaker(s) | one 10" Celestion |
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Effects | zilch |
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Controls | input gain, volume |
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Other | preamp clip light, lines in and out, effects loop |
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Well, I've been gigging with this lovely chunk of lead (60 lbs.)for a
few months now, so I finally feel qualified to review it. This is the
oddest amp I've ever come across. When I was trying it out in the
store, it sounded like my bass had fallen down a well and was crying
to get out. There is no grille cloth, but rather a 1" wide slit going
down the front of the cabinet. People ask me if I did that myself. The
speaker is mounted in the middle of the cabinet, depth-wise. This
allows a lot of air to be pushed when the speaker barks. The cabinet
is double-ported.
First rule of using this amp: easy on the midrange. I dunno if it's a
Trace thing or just the design of the cabinet, but too much midrange
gets really ugly. The high highs are muted too, but not as much as the
mid frequencies. This amp is good at one thing: pumping bass. Second:
Always put it on the floor jammed up against a wall. At a gig last
night, I could hardly hear myself with the amp maxed out sitting on a
chair. When I moved it to the floor, the bottom came back. Cool.
I've owned and fried most of the common amps on the market...even
Ampeg. I can't kill the Trace though. I accidentally rolled it down a
hill on the way to rehearsal. I powered up without even wiping the mud
off and it worked great. I always keep it cranked up to the point of
distortion to nail my eight-piece ska band to the floor, and it keeps
on tickin'. Even without aid from the PA, you can hear me all the way
in the back.
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| construction |
 | (100%) |
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| clarity |
| (66%) |
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| value |
| (100%) |
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| overall |
| (90%) |
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