For lifelong bass players at Sweetwater, Trace Elliot is a name that has a special place in bass amp history. These guys were the original, boutique bass amp builders, and their reputation has persisted throughout the decades. For instance, Trace Elliot was one of the first to build amplifiers specifically made for bass guitars — later doing the same thing for acoustic guitars as well. And that was only one of their major contributions.
To understand the full impact Trace Elliot has had on the bass world, we'll have to go back to 1979, when a music shop called Soundwave in Romford, Essex, UK, started making custom PA systems. They rented out these systems to local bands and were surprised to discover that bass players had begun using Soundwave's PA gear to replace the insufficient, souped-up guitar amps they'd been using. Soundwave owner Fred Friedlein and his staff started catering specifically to the bass player market, and the Trace Elliot was born.
Some of the first advancements were absolutely definitive in bass amp design. For instance, the first thing they did was to add a powerful MOSFET output stage to their PA speaker design, beefing up the low-end performance while seriously boosting wattage. They also built bass-specific cabinets, introducing the 4 x 10" configuration and popularizing the 1 x 15" box. On top of that, graphic EQs further allowed bass players to tweak their tones, leading to the widespread popularity of Trace Elliot amps.
While none of these technologies and designs may strike you as particularly exceptional, it's important to recognize that Trace Elliot is largely responsible for the punchy and tight bass tone that set the standard onstage and off for decades to follow. It's little wonder that players such as John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin and Andy Rourke of the Smiths were among their earliest adopters. As their products continued to develop, with input from ace electronics designers and Clive Button, their artist roster followed suit, finding favor with artists including Doug Wimbish, Larry Mitchell, Peter Hook, and Roger Daltrey.
Today, Trace Elliot's focus is on making superior bass tone as portable as possible. This has led to their wildly successful ELF series and Transit preamp pedals. The ELF amplifier is a 1.6-pound head that can fit in your pocket. Despite its simplicity, it sounds amazing, capturing the whole history of focused tone that made Trace Elliot famous. It's a perfect match for the two ELF cabs, including 1 x 10" and 2 x 8" models.
For added control, Sweetwater recommends picking up a Transit preamp pedal (available for bass and acoustic instruments). This pedal includes amazing compression, EQ, overdrive, and tone-shaping processing. When you put a complete set of Trace Elliot gear together, you'll discover the fantastic sound that's inspired Sweetwater bass players for generations.
