Which also means that for years, you wasted perfectly fine power into heat. We all did mind you.
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Trace Elliot is stepping up...By going small.....
- Thread starter Badmuthaplucka
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My trace cabs had 1/4 and xlr. The xlr was so you could split them up over longer runs without losing signal.
On another thread the Trace / Peavey rep mentioned that this head has the Trace "pre-shape" as an always on feature. I realize that a lot of Trace users love that sound, but I've never been a fan of scooped mids. I have a Trace 350SMX, love the head but keep the pre-shape turned off at all times.Okay, folks. I was able to play the new Trace Elliot rig (in for review) at band practice tonight, and let me say, I was honestly impressed!
This rig was able to keep up with two guitarists (not terribly loud, but certainly not quiet), a medium-hitting drummer (only the kick was mic'd) and vocals through a full PA. I wasn't running it wide open, but I was certainly pushing it to probably 2/3 to 3/4 of its max volume. Those cabs really help. Not only do the cabs sound great, but the tall stack had great dispersion and got the drivers closer to my ears.
I have not had a chance to A/B the ELF to any of my older Trace Elliot heads, but I plan on doing so. Initial impressions are that it's not especially "Trace Elliot" sounding, but that it's also not way off base, either. The EQ seems predictable and competent. The overdrive was a bit touchy to use, as it is designed to only kick in when the Gain is pretty much maxed. As it turns out, the compressor also gets much more aggressive when you crank up the Gain, so it was hard to find a spot that had a good amount overdrive, but wasn't getting too squishy from the compressor. It also likes to feedback a bit when cranked all the way up. Just as I was about to shrug my shoulders and move on, though, I found a setting that worked really well. So, while it's not super adjustable (though you can change the nature of the overdrive quite a bit via the EQ), there are some usable overdriven tones lurking in there!
Once again, this overall stack was pretty impressive, but seeing as how I was dealing with 800w of power handling on the cab side of the equation (each 2x8 will handle 400w) and only pushing them with 200w from the head, I thought I'd try it with an 800w head. As it turns out, the Quilter Bass Block 800 fits just perfect, and sounds amazing!
The ELF head is quite impressive. While crazy small, it feels solid and substantial, and it performed beyond my expectations at practice. More to come, though...
The cabs, however, just may be "instant classics." I am not sure, but I am guessing that they have ceramic drivers, as they are not crazy light. However, given their small size, they are an easy carry. They feel very substantial, and employ 18mm ply, and 200w Faital drivers. At 8 ohms, each, they make a great 4-ohm load. The tone is definitely in the Trace Elliot wheel house. Plenty full, but not boomy, and plenty clear, but not harsh or brittle. This is my first time firing them up, but I am pretty darned excited about these cabs (and I get to play around with a lot of really nice gear).
Full reviews to come!
So I was wondering, when you auditioned the amp did it sound heavily mid-scooped?
D
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It's not so neglictible, because of the nature of the loss.
The more power, the more loss. Bursts of power in a bass signal mostly happen on attacks and that's what you lose with small wire jauge or in cases of huge power, jacks instead of speakon. You signal becomes inconsistant, dull sounding an disappears in the mix.
It usually isn't a big issue but can become one.
D
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I'm not convinced. To lose power through heat takes time as things have to heat up. There isn't time for this to happen in transients. There may be valid reasons to avoid jack connectors for speaker cables, but this isn't one for me. I have used jacks for decades and my signal is neither inconsistent nor dull... if only the same could be said for my actual playing...
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Current is current, the numbers and practice does not support anything larger than 14 gauge for most bass guitar applications. The exceptions are maybe 1600 watts into 4 ohms and 800 watts into 2 ohms.
madbass6
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holy shrimp I thought you were me for a sec...Tape it to the end of your 1/4" cable.
- Apr 3, 2003
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No, it definitely does sound sound excessively mid-scooped. I'd say slightly, if any.
thanks Tom. I've found the Trace pre-shape to be a pretty severe mid cut, from your description it seems that the baked-in tone of the ELF is something different.
@Fred from Peavey, would be interested in your feedback. Is the baked-in pre-shape of the ELF designed as a gentler / different version of the traditional Trace pre-shape?
My preference fwiw would be to have the amp be completely flat, and get the Transit pedal for extreme EQ...
Fred suggested getting the Transit pedal for getting the tones, especially the overdrive function. The pedal seems to have all the Trace tones, presets, compression etc that you'd find on the old Trace gear we all loved, plus that "drive" function.
- Apr 3, 2003
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Absolutely. The Transit-B pedal does a great job of presenting the classic features we've all come to love about Trace Elliot gear. I still need to really put it to the test against my vintage Trace gear, but considering its price and compact size, I'm pretty impressed, so far. The ELF is its own thing, and while not entirely out of the realm of what we have come to expect, tonally, from Trace gear, it doesn't seem to be trying to specifically emulate particular Trace tones of yore.
And I just came back from practice where I am still playing through the two 2x8's. Man, I love those cabs!
Absolutely. The Transit-B pedal does a great job of presenting the classic features we've all come to love about Trace Elliot gear. I still need to really put it to the test against my vintage Trace gear, but considering its price and compact size, I'm pretty impressed, so far. The ELF is its own thing, and while not entirely out of the realm of what we have come to expect, tonally, from Trace gear, it doesn't seem to be trying to specifically emulate particular Trace tones of yore.
And I just came back from practice where I am still playing through the two 2x8's. Man, I love those cabs!
Giving me small cab GAS ...any chance you can return those via China??
@tombowlus
How are the highs on the cabs with no tweeter? Can the achieve a high fi tone?
I'd like a tiny full body rig for my tiny apt.
How are the highs on the cabs with no tweeter? Can the achieve a high fi tone?
I'd like a tiny full body rig for my tiny apt.
- Apr 3, 2003
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I would say "yes," while noting that one must have reasonable expectations. It does not have the highest sheen or sparkle that you can get with a quality tweeter, but it has a good range of "natural" high end extension.
