Trace Elliot
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. In 1998, Gibson acquired Trace Elliot LTD.[1]
 | |
| Industry | Audio equipment |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1979 |
| Parent | Peavey Electronics Europe, Ltd |
| Website | www.traceelliot.com |
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 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 output, 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.
It is rumored that the first two people to use Trace Elliot extensively at this early time were John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin and Brian Helicopter of punk band The Shapes. Mark King of Level 42 was also an early adopter of the brand.[2]
Products
- GP12SMX Bass Pre-amp: 12 Band EQ Bass Pre-amp with dual band compression. The bassis for the preamp in all the SMX series.
- AH300SMX: Single channel bass head incorporating the GP12SMX preamp.
- RAH300SMX: Rack-mount version of the AH300SMX.
- V-Type 600 and 300: Slightly rare, single channel bass head with tube preamp. Available in 300 and 600 watt models.
- V-6Type V-6 6 Valve 300 watt head
(V6 custom CV60001) as V6 but a one off custom model built by trace elliot.
- V-8Type V-8 8 Valve head with compression on board
- Velocette: 1990s-era (?) 15W valve-powered guitar combos; variants were 1x10, 1x12, and 1x12 with reverb. Compact and about 25 pounds light. The chassis was mounted in the bottom of the cabinet with Volume and Tone knobs at the back.
References
- ^ "Gibson Labs Amp Academy Session 3". Gibson Labs. Retrieved 2006-06-16.). In 2005, Peavey Electronics acquired distribution rights to sell Trace Elliot products in North America ("Peavey Expands to Distribute Trace Elliot in North America". Peavey Electronics. 2005-05-02. Retrieved 2006-06-16.
- ^ "Product line summary". Mahogany. 2006. Retrieved 2007-06-16.). The brand name itself was conceived by Soundwave owner Fred Friedlein, who selected "trace" to refer to the sine wave found in the Soundwave logo, and the name "Elliot" as suggested by Andy Perry, his technical designer ("Pro Audio Company Names: Mysterious Initials -- What They Mean". Rane Corporation. 2007-02-15. Retrieved 2007-06-16.