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Update On the Trace Eliott ELF That I Blew Up.

Thanks to this thread, I got curious about the ELF. At 130W into 8 ohms it seems a bit um "lightweight" to get the attention it gets on THIS forum (ie the 200W minimum for bedroom practice amp, 400w if you have a real drummer forum.) After looking at a bunch of $200-400 heads, I think a used PF-500 is more interesting to me - there's a couple at $250. (And it DOES have a 120/240 switch BTW). But an interesting amp anyway. I am a little surprised that they didn't try to squeeze 200w at 8 ohms out of it. I've got a little sealed 115 that's a private label Eminence Delta Pro 15 with a rolloff around 67 hz. My Carvin PB200 never did it much justice but with enough power I think it'd be an awesome garage band cabinet.
 
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Just for clarification, my Peavey era AH 500-7 is UK made according to the back panel. So either Gibson didn't "shut down the UK plant" or Peavey found some other space over there to make that first run of amps (that seems unlikely, but who knows). My AH 600-12 is US made (probably a couple years later than the 500).
 
Thanks to this thread, I got curious about the ELF. At 130W into 8 ohms it seems a bit um "lightweight" to get the attention it gets on THIS forum (ie the 200W minimum for bedroom practice amp, 400w if you have a real drummer forum.) After looking at a bunch of $200-400 heads, I think a used PF-500 is more interesting to me - there's a couple at $250. (And it DOES have a 120/240 switch BTW). But an interesting amp anyway. I am a little surprised that they didn't try to squeeze 200w at 8 ohms out of it. I've got a little sealed 115 that's a private label Eminence Delta Pro 15 with a rolloff around 67 hz. My Carvin PB200 never did it much justice but with enough power I think it'd be an awesome garage band cabinet.
400 watts is a little light for gigging with a drummer.
 
400 watts is a little light for gigging with a drummer.
So I must have imagined my Hartke 3500 being capable of easily drowning out our steroidal and too loud drummer as well as competing with our guitar players vintage marshall plexi stack. 350 watts is plenty if you couple the right head with the right cabs and 400 ought to be more than enough.
My early 70’s V4-B was only 100 watts and stupidly loud through a pair of 2x15s. I don’t understand why anybody thinks they need 800 watts or 1000 watts. It’s insane. I think the secret sauce is in the speakers.
 
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My early 70’s V4-B was only 100 watts and stupidly loud through a pair of 2x15s. I don’t understand why anybody thinks they need 800 watts or 1000 watts. It’s insane. I think the secret sauce is in the speakers.
Yep, I used to use 100w into 2 x 412 cabs and that was loud enough for what I needed. Lots of speaker surface area is the key.

The only problem is that was 50 years ago and I now doubt that I could lift tube heads and 412 cabs (even if I wanted to) and we no longer have roadies or a large van to carry it all in.

Instead I have have gone for a class D head (500w into 8 ohm), a single 12 lightweight super cab plus a sack truck. I still have all the volume I need but this time it is easy lifting with a one trip load in and it can all fit in my small car.

Getting old sucks but modern gear makes it suck a whole lot less.
 
400 watts is a little light for gigging with a drummer.


I have to admit, I'm kind of baffled, and feel really out of touch (and wonder if I'm missing a joke) when I frequently read things on TB, like "200 Watts is the minimum for a bedroom practice amp.", or "400 Watts is the minimum for playing with a drummer."????


25 Watts is crazy loud for a bedroom practice amp.

100 Watts valve / 200 Watts solid state is plenty powerful with a full band - especially if there is PA support.

I've done so many gigs with 100 Watt, and 350 Watt Ampegs, with 8X10's. 100 Watt Marshall's, and 250 Watt / 300 Watt Trace Elliot's, with 4X10's + 15's - and never an issue.

What's going on these days?

:):help:
 
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I have to admit, I'm kind of baffled, and feel really out of touch (and wonder if I'm missing a joke) when I frequently read things on TB, like "200 Watts is the minimum for a bedroom practice amp.", or "400 Watts is the minimum for playing with a drummer."????


25 Watts is crazy loud for a bedroom practice amp.

100 Watts valve / 200 Watts solid state is plenty powerful with a full band - especially if there is PA support.

I've done so many gigs with 100 Watt, and 350 Watt Ampegs, with 8X10's. 100 Watt Marshall's, and 250 Watt / 300 Watt Trace Elliot's, with 4X10's + 15's - and never an issue.

What's going on these days?

:):help:

I don’t know. I remember using GK 400b amp. What was it? 125 Watts? And gigging with two Marshall stacks and a loud drummer.

Now I have 2 class D 800 watt heads and 2 410 cabs. The heads are light and the cabs got wheels. So not so bad.
 
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Law of diminishing returns. Every time you are happy with an amp, the next person has to one up you. Eventually it will be 1,000 watts for bedroom and 2,000 watts bridged at 2ohm for a coffee house jazz gig.

That's probably it right there - the 200 Watt bedroom practice amp, is causing serious hearing loss.

Folks are exponentially headed for the nuclear option, just so they can hear themselves - oblivious to the G-Force giving the front row a facelift.