Not sure about your main questions , but just wanted to comment on the Trace Elliott combo amp - I hate these things!!
Sorry about that - now to be more objective - I've discussed this before many times and it is definitely the case that TE amps are "coloured" with a bias that suits rock music, but to my ears is horrible for faithfully reproducing what comes into it!
In England - TE gear is very common and every rehearsal space seems to have one of their bass amps - and I notice a huge difference when I play through one of these and when I use my own gear - EAVL208 cab - which is great for DB and EUB , with Eden amp - or through a small GK combo.
Anyway - my feeling is that TE gear may suit some players, especially for rock BG - but it doesn't faithfully reproduce an acoustic tone - so maybe you should look at this first...?