Trace Elliot: Difference between revisions

Trace Elliot
Industry	Audio equipment
Founded	1979
Parent	Peavey Electronics Europe, Ltd
Website	http://www.traceelliot.com

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Trace Elliot is a United Kingdom-based bass amplification manufacturer, and has a sub-brand, Trace Acoustic, for acoustic instruments.

History

In 1979, a music shop in Romford, Essex, UK, called Soundwave was building and hiring out PA systems to local musicians. It soon became apparent that some of this equipment was not being used simply as PA. Instead, it was being used by bass players, who for so long had to put up with under-powered amplification that was often merely a guitar amplifier with a modified tone circuit.

The owner of Soundwave, Fred Friedlein, and staff which included Alan Morgan (sales) and Stuart Watson (design engineer) realised the potential market and developed a range of products that incorporated MOSFET output stages driving large cabinets, including 15” drivers, and also the world's first bass-dedicated 4 x 10” cabinet, now an industry standard for all bass amp lines.

There were several features which made this product unique: the GP11 pre-amp featured 11 graphic EQ bands which were very broad bands, overlapping each other, thereby enabling massive amounts of frequency cut or boost when adjacent bands were boosted or cut. Secondly, the frequency bands were spaced closer together towards the bass end allowing even more variation for bass guitarists to alter their sound like no other amp had previously allowed. Added to this were MOSFET poweramps of 250 or 500 watts and the option of bi-amplified systems where bass and upper frequencies are filtered before being separately amplified and fed to dedicated high frequency and low frequency speaker cabinets. Trace Elliot, as the brand came to be called, gained a reputation for themselves; rumour has it that early users were John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, Andy Rourke of The Smiths and Brian Helicopter of punk band The Shapes. Mark King of Level 42 was also an early adopter of the brand.^[1] The company, now dedicated to manufacturing, moved to new premises in Witham, Essex, in 1985 to satisfy the growing demand.

In late 1986, Stuart Watson, technical director and designer of the Trace Elliot range up to the Mark 5 series, left the company. That same year Fred Friedlein (then sole owner of Trace Elliot) employed the services of freelance electronics designer Clive Button. In 1986, Mark Gooday was appointed managing director and given 24% of the company by Friedlein in thanks for the growth and production changes made by Gooday.

In 1989, Trace Elliot introduced the Trace Acoustic range of acoustic amplifiers, whose features were developed by Friedlein, Gooday, Clive Roberts and Clive Button. The company moved again from its base on Witham, this time to Maldon, Essex.

In 1992, the company was bought by Kaman, which had previously handled the brand's US distribution. The reason for the sale was the need for growth and the importance of the US market. Kaman staff would service a brand but would not grow brands unless they owned them. This arrangement was suggested to Friedlein by Gooday (to whom Friedlein had offered the full company at a very low price). The sale to Kaman meant Friedlein could retire and Gooday could see the brand grow with Kaman.

Kaman downsized their music division in 1997 and sold the company to a trio of Trace Elliot directors, who took ownership of a brand with nearly 200 staff on a 110,000-square-foot (10,000 m²) site; they focused on exploiting the North American market, and in 1998 sold the company as Trace Elliot USA to Gibson.^[2]

In January 2002, the factory was closed and all the staff were laid off. Gibson moved the production of a few particular products they wanted to continue with to various locations in the United States.

In April 2005 it was announced that Peavey Electronics had acquired the North American distribution rights to the Trace Elliot brand.^[3]

Notable products, past and present

GP11 pre-amplifier, very collectable unit combined with various power amp models produced in the 1980s.
1110 Combo, a combination amplifier/speaker unit comprising a GP11 pre-amplifier, V5 mosfet amplifier and 4 x 10” bass cabinet.
1048H Successor to the world's first dedicated 4 x 10” bass cabinet.
BLX-80 a compact 80 watt bass combo with an innovative back-of-cabinet mounted 10" speaker and a full-featured GP7 pre-amp section. The name was derived from the phrase "the dog's bollocks" which was used to describe the combo during development.
AH1000-12 Fully featured bass head with 12 Band EQ, Valve Drive, dual band compression and many other features.
Trace Acoustic range. Numerous models for amplifying acoustic instruments.
GP12SMX Bass Preamp: 12 Band EQ Bass Pre-amp. The basis for the preamp in all the SMX series.
V-Type V6 300 W all valve head. Used by many Britpop bands in the '90s.
V-Type V8 400 W all valve head, with overdrive and compression on board.
Velocette: 1990s-era 15 W valve-powered guitar combos; several variants, basis for the Gibson Goldtone range.

References

^ "Product line summary". Mahogany. 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-02-07. Retrieved 2007-06-16.). ("Pro Audio Company Names: Mysterious Initials -- What They Mean". Rane Corporation. 2007-02-15. Retrieved 2007-06-16.
^ "Gibson Labs Amp Academy Session 3". Gibson Labs. Retrieved 2006-06-16.
^ Peavey Expands to Distribute Trace Elliot® in North America Archived 2013-03-24 at the Wayback Machine

External links

Company website

[1] "Product line summary". Mahogany. 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-02-07. Retrieved 2007-06-16.). ("Pro Audio Company Names: Mysterious Initials -- What They Mean". Rane Corporation. 2007-02-15. Retrieved 2007-06-16.

[2] "Gibson Labs Amp Academy Session 3". Gibson Labs. Retrieved 2006-06-16.

[3] Peavey Expands to Distribute Trace Elliot® in North America Archived 2013-03-24 at the Wayback Machine

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|British audio equipment manufacturer}}
-'''Trace Elliot''' is a [[United Kingdom]]-based company that was the first dedicated bass amplification manufacturer. It then spread its expertise and innovative thinking into the sub-brand Trace Acoustic for acoustic musicians. The products have been used on stages and in studios by some of the biggest acts of the last 30 years.
+{{multiple issues|
+{{More citations needed|date=June 2023}}
+{{advert|date=June 2023}}
+}}
-{{Infobox Company
+{{Infobox company
-| company_name = Trace Elliot
+| name = Trace Elliot
+| logo = Trace Elliot logo.jpg
-| company_logo = [[File:Trace_Elliot_logo.jpg]]
 | foundation = 1979
 | industry = Audio equipment
 | parent = Peavey Electronics Europe, Ltd
-| homepage = [http://www.traceelliot.com/ www.traceelliot.com]
+| homepage = http://www.traceelliot.com
 }}
+'''Trace Elliot''' is a United Kingdom-based [[bass guitar|bass]] amplification manufacturer, and has a sub-brand, Trace Acoustic, for [[acoustic instrument]]s.
+== History ==
+{{more citations needed|section|date=June 2023}}
+In 1979, a music shop in [[Romford]], [[Essex]], [[United Kingdom|UK]], called Soundwave was building and hiring out [[Public address system|PA]] systems to local musicians. It soon became apparent that some of this equipment was not being used simply as PA. Instead, it was being used by bass players, who for so long had to put up with under-powered amplification that was often merely a guitar amplifier with a modified tone circuit.
+The owner of Soundwave, Fred Friedlein, and staff which included Alan Morgan (sales) and Stuart Watson (design engineer) realised the potential market and developed a range of products that incorporated [[MOSFET]] output stages driving large cabinets, including 15” drivers, and also the world's first bass-dedicated 4&nbsp;x&nbsp;10” cabinet, now an industry standard for all bass amp lines.
-===History===
+There were several features which made this product unique: the GP11 pre-amp featured 11 graphic EQ bands which were very broad bands, overlapping each other, thereby enabling massive amounts of frequency cut or boost when adjacent bands were boosted or cut. Secondly, the frequency bands were spaced closer together towards the bass end allowing even more variation for bass guitarists to alter their sound like no other amp had previously allowed. Added to this were MOSFET poweramps of 250 or 500 watts and the option of bi-amplified systems where bass and upper frequencies are filtered before being separately amplified and fed to dedicated high frequency and low frequency speaker cabinets. Trace Elliot, as the brand came to be called, gained a reputation for themselves; rumour has it that early users were [[John Paul Jones (musician)|John Paul Jones]] of [[Led Zeppelin]], [[Andy Rourke]] of [[The Smiths]] and [[Brian Helicopter]] of [[Punk rock|punk]] band [[The Shapes (UK band)|The Shapes]]. [[Mark King (musician)|Mark King]] of [[Level 42]] was also an early adopter of the brand.<ref>{{cite web
-In 1979, a music shop in [[Romford]], [[Essex]], [[UK]], called Soundwave was building and hiring out PA systems to local musicians.  It soon became apparent that some of this equipment was not being used simply as PA but instead was being used by bass players, who for so long had to put up with under-powered amplification that was often merely a guitar amplifier with a modified tone circuit.
-The Soundwave owner and staff soon realised the potential of developing products specifically for bass players that were more substantial in power and offered greater tone shaping facilities.  Consequently, a range of products were developed that incorporated MOSFET output stages driving large cabinets, including 15” drivers, and also the worlds first bass dedicated 4x 10” cabinet, now an industry standard for all bass amp lines.  Also the 11 Band Graphic Preamp (GP11) became the centre piece of the whole range.  Other features that were included in this early range were XLR sockets, LED level indication, DI outputs, and the now classic mid Pre-Shape circuit that gives the instantly recognisable Trace Elliot tone.  The units also featured a glowing UV lamp to light up the front panel in the now iconic green and, in keeping with the PA/studio origins, the amplifiers were made in a 19” rack mountable type housing. This influence from sound reinforcement and studio equipment has remained the primary factor in the Trace Elliot design philosophy to this day.
-The management decided that they needed a separate brand name for this range rather than just using Soundwave.  At the time double-barrelled names were quite trendy in the music industry and the owner wanted something like this that sounded classy.  After a discussion in the Victoria pub in Romford, ‘Trace’, a reference to the [[sine wave]] display on an oscilloscope which was also featured in the Soundwave logo; and ‘Elliot’, merely suggested by the then technical designer as being the ‘classy’ element; were chosen to be the new brand name. ({{cite web
-  | title = Pro Audio Company Names: Mysterious Initials -- What They Mean
-  | publisher = [[Rane Corporation]]
-  | date = 2007-02-15
-  | url = http://www.rane.com/pronames.html
-  | accessdate = 2007-06-16 }}</ref>
-Due to the high quality and robust manufacture of these new products they quickly became known as the serious amplification line that professional bass players needed and it wasn’t long before many high profile players were using them.
-It is rumored that the first two people to use Trace Elliot extensively at this early time were [[John Paul Jones (musician)|John Paul Jones]] of [[Led Zeppelin]] and [[Brian Helicopter]] of [[Punk rock|punk]] band [[The Shapes]]. [[Mark King (musician)|Mark King]] of [[Level 42]] was also an early adopter of the brand.<ref>{{cite web
   | title = Product line summary
   | publisher = Mahogany
-  | date = 2006
+  | year = 2006
   | url = http://www.mahogany.com.my/digital.htm
-  | accessdate = 2007-06-16 }}).  ({{cite web
+  | accessdate = 2007-06-16 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070207141710/http://www.mahogany.com.my/digital.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-02-07}}).  ({{cite web
   | title = Pro Audio Company Names: Mysterious Initials -- What They Mean
   | publisher = [[Rane Corporation]]
   | date = 2007-02-15
   | url = http://www.rane.com/pronames.html
-  | accessdate = 2007-06-16 }}</ref>
+  | accessdate = 2007-06-16 }}</ref> The company, now dedicated to manufacturing, moved to new premises in [[Witham]], [[Essex]], in 1985 to satisfy the growing demand.
+In late 1986, Stuart Watson, technical director and designer of the Trace Elliot range up to the Mark 5 series, left the company. That same year Fred Friedlein (then sole owner of Trace Elliot) employed the services of freelance electronics designer Clive Button. In 1986, Mark Gooday was appointed [[managing director]] and given 24% of the company by Friedlein in thanks for the growth and production changes made by Gooday.
-Consequently, as these products were becoming more and more visible in concerts and on TV, the demand grew throughout the ‘80’s.  The company, now dedicated to manufacturing, moved to new premises in [[Witham]], [[Essex]] in 1985 to attempt to satisfy the demand.
+In 1989, Trace Elliot introduced the Trace Acoustic range of acoustic amplifiers, whose features were developed by Friedlein, Gooday, Clive Roberts and Clive Button. The company moved again from its base on Witham, this time to [[Maldon, Essex]].
-The bass amplification range had been growing and consistently developed throughout the ’80’s, however, 1989 saw the introduction of the Trace Acoustic range of acoustic amplifiers.  These were the first truly successful products of their type which addressed many of the problems of amplifying acoustic instruments and this kind of product is now standard in the range for most amplification companies.
+In 1992, the company was bought by [[Kaman Music Corporation|Kaman]], which had previously handled the brand's US distribution. The reason for the sale was the need for growth and the importance of the US market. Kaman staff would service a brand but would not grow brands unless they owned them. This arrangement was suggested to Friedlein by Gooday (to whom Friedlein had offered the full company at a very low price). The sale to Kaman meant Friedlein could retire and Gooday could see the brand grow with Kaman.
-Again the demand for the products increased and another move was required, this time to [[Maldon]], [[Essex]].
-In 1992 the company was bought by [[Kaman]] (who had previously just handled US distribution of Trace Elliot) and expansion of both premises and the range continued throughout the ‘90’s.
-Due to internal restructuring, Kaman decided to downsize their music division in 1997 and sold the company to a trio of Trace Elliot directors who realised that the long term success of the company, especially now it involved nearly 200 staff on a 110,000 square foot site, was dependant on fully exploiting the North American market.  This was the reason for selling the company to the [[Gibson Guitar Corporation]] in 1998, who would own the brand name for the next six years.<ref>Gibson acquires Trace Elliot. {{cite web
+Kaman downsized their music division in 1997 and sold the company to a trio of Trace Elliot directors, who took ownership of a brand with nearly 200 staff on a {{convert|110000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} site; they focused on exploiting the North American market, and in 1998 sold the company as Trace Elliot USA to Gibson.<ref>
+{{cite web
-  | title = Gibson Labs Amp Academy Session 3
+  | title = Gibson Labs Amp Academy Session 3
   | publisher = Gibson Labs
   | date =
   | url = http://www.gibson.com/Products/Amplifiers/Amp%20Sub%20Pages/Amp%20Academy/Amp%20Academy%20Session%203/
-  | accessdate = 2006-06-16 }}).
+  | accessdate = 2006-06-16
+}}
 </ref>
-However, in January 2002, the factory was closed and all staff were made redundant. Gibson then moved the production of a few particular products they wanted to continue with to various locations in the United States.
+In January 2002, the factory was closed and all the staff were laid off. Gibson moved the production of a few particular products they wanted to continue with to various locations in the United States.
+In April 2005 it was announced that [[Peavey Electronics]] had acquired the North American distribution rights to the Trace Elliot brand.<ref>[http://peavey.com/news/article.cfm/action/view/id/115/20050205.cfm Peavey Expands to Distribute Trace Elliot® in North America] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130324095437/http://www.peavey.com/news/article.cfm/action/view/id/115/20050205.cfm |date=2013-03-24 }}</ref>
-In April 2005 it was announced that [[Peavey]] Electronics Ltd. (Peavey Europe) had acquired the brand name and were involving several key staff who had worked for Trace Elliot throughout the previous twenty years, to develop a new range of products to continue the brand into the 21st century. The brand kept it's [[Essex]] roots however with the setting up of a design office/workshop in [[Chelmsford]], a town with a long history of innovation in electronics and engineering.
-<ref>Peavey to distribute Trace Elliot in North America. {{cite web
-  | title = Peavey Expands to Distribute Trace Elliot in North America
-  | publisher = Peavey Electronics
-  | date = 2005-05-02
-  | url = http://www.peavey.com/news/article.cfm/action/view/id/115/20050205.cfm
-  | accessdate = 2006-06-16 }}</ref>
+==Notable products, past and present==
-===Recent years===
+{{multiple issues|
+{{advert|section|date=June 2023}}
-Prototypes of new products were shown at the 2005 Frankfurt Musik Messe and production commenced later on in 2005. Glowing reviews of the new models were published in various music magazines throughout 2006 confirming a return to the brands former reputation for quality, innovation and tone.<ref>Review of 1210 {{cite web
+{{unsourced section|date=June 2023}}}}
-  | title = Trace Elliot 1210 review
+*GP11 pre-amplifier, very collectable unit combined with various power amp models produced in the 1980s.
-  | publisher = Performing Musician
+*1110 Combo, a combination amplifier/speaker unit comprising a GP11 pre-amplifier, V5 mosfet amplifier and 4&nbsp;x&nbsp;10” bass cabinet.
-  | date =
+*1048H Successor to the world's first dedicated 4&nbsp;x&nbsp;10” bass cabinet.
-  | url = http://www.performing-musician.com/pm/feb09/articles/traceelliotampcombo.htm
+*BLX-80 a compact 80 watt bass combo with an innovative back-of-cabinet mounted 10" speaker and a full-featured GP7 pre-amp section. The name was derived from the phrase "the dog's bollocks" which was used to describe the combo during development.
-  | accessdate = 2006-06-16 }}</ref>
-<ref>A return to glory {{cite web
-  | title = Trace Elliot 1210 review
-  | publisher = Musician's Friend
-  | date =
-  | url = http://www.musiciansfriend.com/document/trace_elliot/715_1215_combos?doc_id=100064
-  | accessdate = 2009-03-26 }}</ref>
-Since the re-introduction of the brand into the market place, Trace Elliot has added more products [http://www.trace-elliot.co.uk/product.php?flag=GB&lan=UK&lvl=3&key=08 Bass Amplification], including a completely revamped range of the renowned Trace Acoustic amplifiers. [http://www.trace-elliot.co.uk/product.php?flag=GB&lan=UK&lvl=5&key=299 Trace Acoustic]
-At the 2007 Frankfurt Musik Messe, awards were received for; ‘Bass-Amp Des Jahres’ (Bass Amp of the Year) from Soundcheck magazine for the 715 combo and ‘Testsieger Vergleich 2 x 10 Basscombos’ (Test winner of comparison of 2 x 10 bass combos) from Tools magazine for the 1210. 2008 ‘Bass-Amp Des Jahres’ was awarded to the AH500-12.
-===30th Anniversary===
-sees the 30th year since the launch of Trace Elliot as a brand. To commemorate this a special promotional video has been commissioned.
-The five and a half minute video, officially released on the first day of the 2009 Frankfurt Musikmesse, Wednesday April 1st, will be freely available in several formats as well as on YouTube.com and mobile phones via Bluetooth.
-An entertaining and insightful video, it refers to the continuity of the origin of the brand’s design ([[Essex]], [[UK]]) and also reveals some of the reasons that make the brand different, including the exclusive use of the semi-mythical substance Groovillium.
-===Notable Products Past and Present===
-*1048H Successor to the worlds first dedicated 4x 10” bass cabinet.
 *AH1000-12 Fully featured bass head with 12 Band EQ, Valve Drive, dual band compression and many other features.
 *Trace Acoustic range. Numerous models for amplifying acoustic instruments.
 *GP12SMX Bass Preamp: 12 Band EQ Bass Pre-amp. The basis for the preamp in all the SMX series.
-*V-Type V6 300 watt all valve head. Used by many Brit Pop bands in the '90's.
+*V-Type V6 300 W all valve head. Used by many [[Britpop]] bands in the '90s.
-*V-Type V8 400 watt all valve head, with overdrive and compression on board.
+*V-Type V8 400 W all valve head, with overdrive and compression on board.
-*Velocette: 1990s-era 15W valve-powered guitar combos; several variants, basis for the Gibson Goldtone range.
+*Velocette: 1990s-era 15 W valve-powered guitar combos; several variants, basis for the Gibson Goldtone range.
+==References==
-===Notable Users Past and Present===
+{{Reflist}}
-* Mark King of [[Level 42]]
-* [[The Eagles]]
-* [[Al Di Meola]]
-* [[Bon Jovi]]
-* [[Doug Wimbish]]
-* [[Eric Johnson]]
-* Guy Pratt with [[Pink Floyd]]
-* [[John Entwistle]] of [[The Who]]
-* [[Monte Montgomery]]
-* Paul McGuigan of [[Oasis]]
-* Stuart Zender [[Jamiroquai]]
-* Steve Pearce [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]], [[Tom Jones]], [[Stevie Wonder]]
-* David Hungate [[Toto]]
-* Norman Watt Roy [[The Blockheads]]
-* Dominic Aitchison [[Mogwai]]
-* Ed Cosens [[Reverend & The Makers]]
-* Evil J [[Otep]]
-* [[Pino Palladino]]
-== References ==
-<references/>
 ==External links==
-*[http://www.trace-elliot.co.uk Trace Elliot Official Website]
+*[http://www.traceelliot.com Company website]
 [[Category:Guitar amplifier manufacturers]]
+[[Category:Audio equipment manufacturers of the United Kingdom]]
-[[de:Trace Elliot]]