Update On the Trace Eliott ELF That I Blew Up.

[Wood and Wire]

Sorry, your 200-watt amp isn't going to keep up with your guitarist's 50-watt Marshall stack.

Funny, because it's had no problems competing with my guitarists 100 Watt Marshall stack.

Or my other bassists Ampeg, and GK stacks.

Or two guitarists 100 Watt stacks.

Or all of the above, plus keyboards, and samples, and some pretty heavy hitting drummers.

If you're playing too loudly, the vocals, and drum overheads, are going to be a disaster.

 

[bassstrangler]

I wonder what the OP did? Did his buddy look at the ELF yet? Did TE completely ignore him? This thread refuses to die but, yet no update.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

I wonder what the OP did? Did his buddy look at the ELF yet? Did TE completely ignore him? This thread refuses to die but, yet no update.

I thought TE told him tough luck early on? But that was so long agooooooooo.

 

[bassstrangler]

I thought TE told him tough luck early on? But that was so long agooooooooo.

They did, but he was emailing them again. Maybe he should contact the guy who managed to get Sire to build him the last M3 ever, due to receiving a damaged one from Pitbull on eBay. He could give the OP some pointers on how to get a large corporation to cave in to _______ customer demands.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

Funny, because it's had no problems competing with my guitarists 100 Watt Marshall stack.

Or my other bassists Ampeg, and GK stacks.

Or two guitarists 100 Watt stacks.

Or all of the above, plus keyboards, and samples, and some pretty heavy hitting drummers.

If you're playing too loudly, the vocals, and drum overheads, are going to be a disaster.

Watts only tells you how hard the amp has to work electrically, it says little about loudness.

We buy into power ratings because the marketing people think we're stoopid and that's all we know.
Next time they say "watts" for an amp, let's tell them "screw your power buddy, tell me about the SPL of the speakers I'm gonna hook up to that flea powered pos you're trying to push off on me."
SPL... SPL... SPL...

 

[Wood and Wire]

Watts only tells you hard the amp has to work electrically, it says little about loudness.

We buy into power ratings because the marketing people think we're stoopid and that's all we know.
Next time they say "watts" for an amp, let's tell them "screw your power buddy, tell me about the SPL of the speakers I'm gonna hook up to that flea powered pos you're trying to push off on me."
SPL... SPL... SPL...

You know some doofus is going to market a cab as "Super Powerful Live".

 

[StatesideRambler]

Too many of us expect to get all the information we need from one number (watts). There are so-o-o-o-o many other things that determine how loud a rig is. There should probably be a sticky that tallies them for reference. I'm sure it'd be ignored. Never mind!

 

[Downunderwonder]

I actually thought about getting an Elf last week just to experiment and see just what it could do for me, but my current old amp still does it all, so I just don’t need one.

Yep. Nobody with an amp needs an Elf unless they broke both legs and their picking arm is in plaster. But still, gas, laziness, convenience, curiosity makes them sell like hotcakes.

 

[Downunderwonder]

That Elf was a true hero. He stood up to twice his voltage as long as he could. He kept up the fight until he breathed his last smokey breath and his innards oozed out of him.

there's some poetry!

 

[bobyoung53]

I didn't read the whole thread but did plug my 110V Ampeg B-15T SS head into 220V twice (yes twice) out here in Lima, Peru years ago, both times all it did was blow the main fuse, after that I put a big piece of duct tape with 220! written right on top of the amp and didn't do it again. I have an SVT out here now I have to take apart and convert for 220, not only do I have to lug the head I have to lug the big honking 220-110 transformer with me everytime i play.

 

[BadExample]

I didn't read the whole thread but did plug my 110V Ampeg B-15T SS head into 220V twice (yes twice) out here in Lima, Peru years ago, both times all it did was blow the main fuse, after that I put a big piece of duct tape with 220! written right on top of the amp and didn't do it again. I have an SVT out here now I have to take apart and convert for 220, not only do I have to lug the head I have to lug the big honking 220-110 transformer with me everytime i play.

A. It's hard to feel sorry for you living the dream in a nice climate!

B. There is no B. Unless you have a 5 string maybe.

C. Do they have US type plug end/outlets there?

 

[ScrewDevil]

I wonder what the OP did? Did his buddy look at the ELF yet? Did TE completely ignore him? This thread refuses to die but, yet no update.

The answers to all these questions on the next episode of "Soap". Lol

 

[dindinbre]

This thread turned into "lets chat". OP didnt write anything in last 15 pages

 

[BadExample]

Let's wish him well.

 

[bobyoung53]

A. It's hard to feel sorry for you living the dream in a nice climate!

B. There is no B. Unless you have a 5 string maybe.

C. Do they have US type plug end/outlets there?

A. Haha! Yeah you can't beat the weather here. I just retired last June and my wife is from here so I made the move permanent (for now). I found a band so I'm happy about that.

B. Not sure what you meant

C. Yeah the outlets are made for both US type plugs and round tip plugs which is what they have here so you can't spacebrain and forget to use a transformer with any US appliances. I lucked out with the Ampeg, the fuse blew immediately so nothing happened to the head, scared the hell out of me though. (uh oh!)

 

[BadExample]

A and B were just joking around with you Bob.

On C, can you permanently wire the transformer to the amp?

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

You know some doofus is going to market a cab as "Super Powerful Live".

And as long as we buy em we get what's coming to us.

 

[seamonkey]

Too many of us expect to get all the information we need from one number (watts). There are so-o-o-o-o many other things that determine how loud a rig is. There should probably be a sticky that tallies them for reference. I'm sure it'd be ignored. Never mind!

It's not printed as 200w on the Elf itself. That came from Marketeers on the advertisement. Instead it says clearly on the speaker output: 4Ω 28.3V RMS

It is louder than most people would believe.
Two are 3 to 6 db louder than one.

 

[Red Planet]

It's not printed as 200w on the Elf itself. That came from Marketeers on the advertisement. Instead it says clearly on the speaker output: 4Ω 28.3V RMS

View attachment 2961048


It is louder than most people would believe.
Two are 3 to 6 db louder than one.

Yes it is quite loud. I had noticed that voltage rating as well. Oddly enough part of the mojo in the Elf is how the built-in limiter functions with amps level and the db of your bass. You have to sort of find the sweet spot in level and output. If you send it too much level or crank the input level too high it compresses more so you want to pull it back till it's not compressing too much and then dime the master and it's loud as all get-out.


I haven't quite figured this out just yet it may be more due to the frequencies that are emphasized but my passive Bass is louder with the Elf than my active bass and my active bass has much hotter a signal. So you have to turn the input gain down with my active Bass but the passive bass is louder at that threshold I was describing. If that makes any sense?

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

I didn't read the whole thread but did plug my 110V Ampeg B-15T SS head into 220V twice (yes twice) out here in Lima, Peru years ago, both times all it did was blow the main fuse, after that I put a big piece of duct tape with 220! written right on top of the amp and didn't do it again. I have an SVT out here now I have to take apart and convert for 220, not only do I have to lug the head I have to lug the big honking 220-110 transformer with me everytime i play.

New questions for the OP, based on this. ^

Did the fuse blow the first time he plugged to amp in to 220?
If yes, did he replace it with the same fuse or a larger one?

Just occurred to me... the amp should be fused differently for operation at 220 Volts than at 110.
Usually the fuse for 110 would have a higher rating, maybe double, right?
Then if he had an amp intended for operation at 110 and plugged it into 220, the fuse might not have blown because it was one that could handle twice the current. Does that make any sense?