So, what's up with Trace Elliot?

[Mr Light]

Hi Gang,

I just picked up my advanced copy of Bass Player Magazine (Feb '06) that features George Porter, Jr. of The Meters, and for the second month in a row, I've seen neat-looking ads for Trace Elliot gear in them. What's up with them? I thought they went out of business or something. I know Mark King (Level 42) used them before he started endorsing Ashdown.

Does anyone use their stuff? If so, what's it like?

 

[Randracula]

I'm not completely sure but I think they were bought by Peavey?

 

[Randracula]

Trace Elliot amps distributed by Peavey for North America
The Trace Elliot brand has been bought by Peavey Europe (based in Corby, United Kingdom, a subsidiary of Peavey Electronics of Meridian, MS, USA). A new product range is currently in development and prototypes were shown at the Frankfurt Musikmesse and London Guitar Show 2005 as a taste of what is to come.
Several key people from the previous Trace Elliot company are involved, therefore the brand retains considerable continuity from the past.
Peavey will distribute the Trace Elliot brand of bass and acoustic guitar amplifiers in North America. Trace Elliot managing director Clive Roberts expressed great enthusiasm for the relationship with Peavey and its extensive distribution in North America. "Trace Elliot has enjoyed exceptional recognition and sales in nearly every corner of the world," said Roberts, "but it has never truly achieved the market penetration in the U.S. that it has achieved elsewhere. As one of the most dominant brands in the industry, Peavey will certainly bring the Trace Elliot brand greater recognition in the U.S."
Hartley Peavey, founder and CEO of Mississippi-based Peavey, expressed his excitement and enthusiasm. "This association with Trace Elliot is yet another step in providing a wide range of innovative and profitable music and sound products to our extensive North American retailer network."
Peavey's distribution center in Mississippi will stock and ship Trace Elliot bass amplifiers to North American retailers, while shipments to other continents will be handled directly by Trace Elliot in the U.K., where its products are designed and built.

 

[Mr Light]

Thanks Randracula,

That definitely sounds like something I'll have to check out, as soon as I find out who deals them.

 

[strummer]

Thanks Randracula,

That definitely sounds like something I'll have to check out, as soon as I find out who deals them.

If they are anything like the old (pre-gi***n) Trace, they will have a very distinctive "sound". Lot's and lots of eq, a pre-shape that gives tou a smilie face for slap and a quite good compressor. Oh, and a very handy 3-led gain indicator.

 

[Dr Stankface]

I sincerely hope Peavey doesn't screw up that Trace Elliot sound.

Sorry, i've had bad experiences with Peavey.


Andrew

 

[Rayan]

Really ???

... Trace Elliot gear ... Does anyone use their stuff? If so, what's it like?

~
Serious $#!T Man !!! "Kreme de la Kreme" !!!

Too bad the 'brits' always gotta get themselves into so much trouble in the international marketplace; shall we blame it on the Euro ???

Since I got 'vintage' stuff
- I'll be suspicious of Pv's involvement 'a la S(wr) & F*nder'
- I'll be want'n DNA tests on any of the new stuff before I plugin

~
That's just me / old-fashioned and "Quality" Conscious;
- besides, I promised my SR5's 'top gear only'
~
/R

 

[Dr Stankface]

~
- besides, I promised my SR5's 'top gear only'
~
/R

Aren't you just so considerate?

I made the same promise to my SR5.

Andrew

 

[Rayan]

Oh NO !!! She Found Me ~

Aren't you just so considerate?
... Andrew

~
You b'n talkin' to my ex-wife ???
- haven't you !!!
/R

 

[Dr Stankface]

~
You b'n talkin' to my ex-wife ???
- haven't you !!!
/R

See what had happened was...

Andrew

 

[Colin]

Not sure what the deal is with Trace these days. Also not sure about the Peavey connection either. But one thing I do know is it's bass amps only at this time. Which is a shame because their guitar amps are wonderful. Hopefully someone can shed more light?

Colin

 

[Mr Light]

Not sure what the deal is with Trace these days. Also not sure about the Peavey connection either. But one thing I do know is it's bass amps only at this time. Which is a shame because their guitar amps are wonderful. Hopefully someone can shed more light?

Colin

...Oh yeah,

I remember seeing Bela Fleck with the Flecktones using a trace elliot amp for his banjos.

 

[Mr Light]

...The last time I heard about TE was over ten years ago (around '94) when Doug Wimbush was one of their main endorsees.

Peavey. That's an interesting connection, indeed. Peavey amps haven't been popular since the seventies, no? Their basses aren't that bad (but I wouldn't buy one).

 

[MingusBASS]

It's been a long time since I've played a Trace bass head although from what I understand, Ashdowns are very similar. I love my Ashdown ABM so I'll be anxious to try out the new Trace gear.

Andrew

 

[BigBallz]

Never played a Trace Elliot...I have enough problem concentrating onstage without my amp glowing like E.T.'s spaceship........

 

[Rayan]

WoodEyeLye ???

...The last time I heard about TE was over ten years ago (around '94) when Doug Wimbush was one of their main endorsees ...

~
If mammary serves me, I seem to remember Tony Levin playing SR5s (and a 'Stick') in front of the TE 'UVGlow' when he did a few gigs with 'Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman & Howe' before Mr.Squire (Esquire) rejoined 'YES" ... (early 90z)

No ??? Maybe ???
~
/R

 

[Colin]

It's been a long time since I've played a Trace bass head although from what I understand, Ashdowns are very similar. I love my Ashdown ABM so I'll be anxious to try out the new Trace gear.

Andrew

I think many of the Ashdown people are ex-Trace people

Colin

 

[Mr Light]

I think many of the Ashdown people are ex-Trace people

Colin

...I think you're correct. I remember reading in a recent Funk issue of Bass Guitar Magazine (the UK magazine) that "since the demise of Trace Elliot," according to Mark King, he wanted something similar to a Trace Elliot amp head for sound and simplicity. Hence, the Mark King signature Amp Head with the princess logo and his signature on it. Some former staff worked on the development of the amp.

Does anyone know who's selling them here in North America?

 

[radiotrib]

You can pick up a really as-new example of a pre-G*b**n 7215SM 1x15" Combo for around $400 so why go for a new one ... ?

The 7215SM is not a glow in the dark model (altho you can rig it with a uv tube if you want to). Out of the wapper it delivered 130-150 Watts through a gorgeous, Trace Elliot branded 15inch Celestion speaker. The cab was also ported. It has a 7 band switchable eq, switchable straight sound, Trace Sound and Enhanced Trace sound FX send/return and hi/low (active/passive) inputs.

If you want the full monte, (260-300 watt into 4 ohm) Trace Elliot "British Sound", you just get a matching T-E 4x10 cab from e-bay for around $150, and stand the combo on top.

Here's a 715 from someone elses web site

After the classic 7 band 715, came an equally good next generation with a 12 band eq, and the addition of a dual channel compressor. Personally I don't use compression, and I haven't touched my eq since I originally set it. I just switch it in and out, and flip between "original Trace" and "Enhanced Trace" sound, so the G12SM -based amps would be a waste of the extra $$ for me.

The 1x15 is enough for rehearsal and small venues (and for flattening most drummers), add the 4x10 to really belt it out and handle most local gigs. If you're doing big venues, then you can DI from the preamp-out XLR and still use the stack as backline. If you need even bigger, you can set up a biamp rig from their active xover feeding one 15 inch combo on top of a 1x18 and a 4x10 combo on top of another 4x10. Theres also a ((very hard to find) combo-top 4x6inch speaker rated at 300W if you must do Sttanley Clarke solos !! (last time I saw one on e-bay it went for around $80)

They also make big exotic stuff too like
They also used to do much bigger heads, valve preamp gear, all valve gear, active crossovers, G7SM/G12SM preamps and full biamp systems, but for me the classic Trace-Elliot is theG715 and a 4x10 (there again, I'm biassed ... I got one).


I won't get rid of my steup until I give up playing bass. It's loud, punchy, bright and deep at the same time, and with the SR4 fretless it "sings" well. It also has a small footprint and fits in the back seat of a BMW 5 series. Downside?? .. Heavy little buggers for their size, but manageable. Specialist repairers are hard to find.

All that, and wrapped in almost indestructible green carpet. Last point .. make sure to ask if it's green carpet! .... Not only is it the real thing ... but also it can be real embarassing to take an e-bay delivery only to find your genuine, look wot I got, green carpet combo sitting on top of a (yeuck) black plastic 4x10 !!!

Go looking .. they're out there, real top class, affordable used gear. Take your MM with you when you test drive it and you'll leave with a T-E/MM setup I betcha.

 

[arrowheadguitar]

I went to the launch of the Trace range at a shop (Bass Centre) in London and sat about 8 feet from Doug Wimbish as he demoed them (assisted on a few numbers by Sugarhill Gang bandmate Skip McDonald).

The people behing the relaunch are many of those that were part of the original team that created TE and I got the impression that the plan was to go back essentially to what made their name in the first place, combined with modern advances in amp design.

What I heard certainly sounded great and I like the new look myself, I must give the parts of the range I can afford a try next time I'm down in London again.

Paul.