TC Electronic BAM200 vs. Trace Elliot ELF?

[JohnMalay]

Other than the ELF is about twice the money, how do they compare? They look very, very similar.

I have the ELF and am looking for another like it.

 

[Redbrangus]

Unless you just really have to have the 'micro' form factor, I'd suggest that a TC BQ-500 is also a lot cheaper than that green thang and has about twice the power. I guess it's also about twice the size of an ELF...it would only fit in the hip pocket of a really big chick.

 

[JohnMalay]

Unless you just really have to have the 'micro' form factor, I'd suggest that a TC BQ-500 is also a lot cheaper than that green thang and has about twice the power. I guess it's also about twice the size of an ELF...it would only fit in the hip pocket of a really big chick.

Plus, it has "thrust"...

Thx

 

[Redbrangus]

 

[Bassiclees]

I have a TC BQ250 which is powerful and transparent and then spent some time with a MarkBass Blackline 250 which while not as powerful or clean had an incredible tone... so I checked out a Little Mark III and I would strongly suggest you consider checking one out as well. TC goes bye bye tomorrow once my MarkBass Little Mark III arrives. Worlds of difference... $180 more but so so worth it (GC and others have it on sale right now). The TC is great, for sure, but the tone the MarkBass delivers is amazing.

 

[JohnMalay]

I have a TC BQ250 which is powerful and transparent and then spent some time with a MarkBass Blackline 250 which while not as powerful or clean had an incredible tone... so I checked out a Little Mark III and I would strongly suggest you consider checking one out as well. TC goes bye bye tomorrow once my MarkBass Little Mark III arrives. Worlds of difference... $180 more but so so worth it (GC and others have it on sale right now). The TC is great, for sure, but the tone the MarkBass delivers is amazing.

Mission creep alert! Hunt for low price backup escalates into more expensive, more features!!! I'm sure the Little Mark III is great but more than I need for emergencies, plus I used to have a sound guy who would have pried the knob off that line out volume pot with a screwdriver. LOV was his to control from the board!

 

[Bassiclees]

Fair enough. MBIII is more of a primary.

 

[musicman556]

At one time I had a MarkBass Little Mark 250 Blackline, the ELF and a BQ500. I still have the BQ500 and LittleMark. This may sound silly, but I COULD NOT STAND that silly loud fan in the ELF!

Sound wasn't bad, and I think you get more useable grittiness/overdrive sounds out of it than the other two, but I have an Ampeg Scrambler pedal that does it better anyway. I couldn't get enough clean volume out of the ELF without running out of headroom, and I don't have a problem carrying the other heads around even though they are more than twice as big.

I would definitely recommend the BQ500 if you wanted a little more juice. I also really like the 4 band EQ over the 3 bands in the ELF and BAM200. Gotta help shape those mids! I think the MB LM250 is superior with the VPF/VLE controls on top of the 4 band eq. I think they're $250 at ye olde Musician's Buddy right now.

Good luck and let us know what you choose!

 

[Bassiclees]

Like what @musicman556 said, the TC BQ's deliver lots of powerful clean beef, but for sure if possible get the 500 over the 250, for the ~$80 it gives a lot of headroom. While others might bitch about the Thrust compressor I think it's useful and the EQ points on the BQ's are good and finally I like having both Master and Gain which not all TC's have.
I like spending other people's money.

 

[lermgalieu]

Elf sounds way better than TC in my humble opinion. I sold a BAM200 after a week and got an Elf (a year ago) and I still have the Elf.

 

[non]

i have the bq250. for $170 you are not going to beat it. price and sound. it is bigger than the bam200 but...

 

[sleepingEB0]

I liked the elf but I found it very aggressive where the BAM I found to be more versatile.

I recommend the TC any day

 

[nonohmic]

I find the TC to sound pretty crappy past 12 oclock on the master/gain. Haven't tried the ELF.

I'll be upgrading soon from BAM, if that gives you any indication. I'll be keeping it as a backup tho.

 

[Karrlander]

I have a BAM and I’m happy with it. Using it for home practice and whenever I can get by without the big stuff. I have my tone dialed in when the signal leaves the pedalboard so for me the clean transparent tone is perfect.

 

[Nighttrain1127]

The BQ500 is only about 50-60 actual watts of useable Power more than the ELF as TC Electronic power rating is max and that figures to somewhere near 250-260 Continuous watts. I agree the EQ on the TC is more versatile but the ELF works fine too. I have both and I like them both for different reasons. I never really noticed the fan running in the ELF.

 

[moon-bass]

I had the BAM and the Elf. I still have the Elf. More aggressive, sounded louder to my ears, more bass response. It seemed like the mouser the TC got the less bass I got, while the Elf was solid across the board.

 

[joe vegas]

big fan o' the BAM. punchy, loud, can power a 2x15 cab no problem. very versatile for many genres & volumes.
also, the gain control is more like actual gain, unlike the Elf's "turns into built-in distortion effect halfway through the knob turn", although some players prefer that.
just good clean loud signal from an extremely quiet little head.

 

[JohnMalay]

OK, so we are split pretty much 50-50! With no clear winner I have the ELF already and gotten good sound from it so I'll either pop for another or add the extension cab to get the full 200w. For backup I'll stick with Ye Olde Line 6 Lowdown.

Thanks all!

 

[musicman556]

Silly question: It sounds like you're wanting more power... why not just get one powerful amp, instead of trying to daisy-chain some Elves? Then you have two different flavors on hand to fit whatever situation comes your way... rather than trying to band-aid a tiny rig for bigger gigs.

 

[sleepingEB0]

Yeah maybe the TC with more power and the built in tone print feauture.

again, people have said. TC is more clean and the elf is aggressive. I liked them both but you’ll need to pick based on your music choice.