Favorite TRACE Amp of all time -

[Fred from Peavey]

Time do to a little product development ...

Besides the current models (elf etc) What is your favorite Trace Elliot amp or preamp of all time, and why? Same goes for cabs...

Also what you dislike about them is helpful as well ....

 

[Rumbledore]

BLX-80 hands down for it's out of this world slot! sweet size too. make me a new one of those with a neo and other improvements to reduce weight

 

[boamedt]

Really like the smx series but weighed as much as a tube amp. Never played a tube v series but they are well loved around here, as are really any of the other all tube amps trace made.

 

[wvbass]

I sure wouldn't mind seeing a real GP7 or GP12 preamp combined with some class D power, hopefully in a little smaller form factor. I have an old Series 6 GP7 preamp. It really sounds great, but I've never been a separate preamp/power amp kind of guy.

Now that I say that, I'm going to have to see what I think of it with the powered monitor I just picked up.

 

[wvbass]

...and for what I dislike. It my be psychological, but I don't like all the detente positions on the gain and volume knobs. It isn't my only amp that is like that, but it always makes me feel like it limits the "tweakability" of the amp.

 

[bholder]

I'd love to see the likes of the V-Series or Hexavalve again...

 

[Sparky Mark]

12 band EQ was (is) perfect for sculpting just about any tone.

 

[Downunderwonder]

The SMX dual compression + EQ balance thing is magic. Isolate the DI please!

I haven't played a Fender tone stack that I liked so V type, no thanks.

 

[rtav]

AH500X series V.

Oh yeah.

 

[Dbaaase]

Have a serie 6 gp12 which I just love into a class d amp ! Would not dare think changing that !

I had a ah-500-7 but it was just unreliable even though the sound was nice.

 

[Clark Dark]

@Fred from Peavey
How about an MP-11 but with tube stages in the preamp section? Why?, because of the full range tone, the highs are sparkly without being grating, the midrange is full and the low end is always there.

Just like Mark's:

 

[Chrome Dome]

View attachment 3088742

How about this one!

 

[devnulljp]

Whatever was in the Hexavalve ... man that thing was amazing. I only sold it because I got tired of hauling the weight around.

 

[slamzilla]

V8!

 

[nixdad]

My favorites were the original MkIV series with the GP11 preamp which were imported into the US in the mid-80's, although the MkV's added some nice new features as well.

Besides sounding fantastic, the power sections on ALL Trace Elliot amps were unbelievable. The AH500's through 4 cabs (typically 2 x 1048's & 2 x 1518's) sounded amazing and moved a tremendous amount of air, and even the AH130's (rated at 130 watts) were far louder than most 250-300 watt amps at the time.

They were incredibly innovative, and responsible for many advances in bass amplification. The entire bass market was blowing up at the time (in a good way.) It was a fun time to be in the music biz.

 

[WalWarrior]

This is my TRACE Elliot rig, BAD to the bone. Sitting atop a vintage Berg sealed 6. Best tone of all my amps.

 

[Wood and Wire]

...and for what I dislike. It my be psychological, but I don't like all the detente positions on the gain and volume knobs. It isn't my only amp that is like that, but it always makes me feel like it limits the "tweakability" of the amp.

Funny, I always loved the detents - great for recall

 

[Wood and Wire]

One thing that I don't think was ever available on a Trace amp / pre - even the late Gibson era, which had a multitude of XLR DI outputs :

It would be great to have the switching facility on the DI (possibly 2 separate DI sockets), so that the stage (loudspeaker) output didn't use the pre-shape, but the DI did.

It's always been possible to have the DI pre / post EQ, but if you want the pre-shape engaged, it will effect the stage sound too, which isn't always desirable.

 

[TheReceder]

I can only reference my one and only Trace... a BLX 80 that I got after trading an amp that was the size of a fridge, 30 years before people cared about weight. I'd heard there were some reliability issues, but this one has been with me since the 80s and I've never even had to clean a pot. Purely bulletproof.

 

[Wood and Wire]

@Fred from Peavey

Out of curiosity, what was "wrong" with the recently discontinued, heavy duty Trace Elliot gear, made by Peavey?

It seemed to get great reviews, and seemed to be very well regarded by old school Trace users.

Personally, I thought the feel of the sliders etc was too plasticy, and whilst the illumination was a smart idea, the old style blacklight is way cooler, also, from a purely aesthetic point of view, 3 unit heads look more natural than 2U heads.


Whilst I don't think it was ever anyone's favourite (largely because no one knew about them / could afford them), now may be the time for an iOS / Android controlled MP11 pre-amp.