Trace Elliot
Encyclopedia
Trace Elliot is a United Kingdom-based bass
amplification manufacturer, and has a sub-brand, Trace Acoustic, for acoustic instruments.
, Essex
, UK, called Soundwave was building and hiring out PA systems to local musicians. It soon became apparent that some of this equipment was not being used simply as PA but instead was being used by bass players, who for so long had to put up with under-powered amplification that was often merely a guitar amplifier with a modified tone circuit.
The Soundwave owner and staff realised the potential market and developed a range of products that incorporated MOSFET
output stages driving large cabinets, including 15” drivers, and also the worlds first bass-dedicated 4x 10” cabinet, now an industry standard for all bass amp lines.
Trace Elliot, as the brand came to be called, gained a reputation for themselves; rumor has it that early users were John Paul Jones
of Led Zeppelin
and Brian Helicopter
of punk
band The Shapes
. Mark King
of Level 42
was also an early adopter of the brand. The company, now dedicated to manufacturing, moved to new premises in Witham
, Essex
, in 1985 to satisfy the growing demand.
In 1989, Trace Elliot introduced the Trace Acoustic range of acoustic amplifiers, and the company moved again, this time to Maldon, Essex
. In 1992 the company was bought by Kaman
, which had previously handled the brand's US distribution.
Kaman downsized their music division in 1997 and sold the company to a trio of Trace Elliot directors, who took ownership of a brand with nearly 200 staff on a 110000 square feet (10,219.3 m²) site; they focused on exploiting the North American market, and in 1998 sold the company to the Gibson Guitar Corporation
.
However, in January 2002, the factory was closed and all staff were made redundant. Gibson then moved the production of a few particular products they wanted to continue with to various locations in the United States.
In April 2005 it was announced that Peavey Electronics
had acquired the brand name and were involving several key staff who had worked for Trace Elliot throughout the previous twenty years. The brand kept its Essex roots but set up a design office/workshop in Chelmsford
.
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
amplification manufacturer, and has a sub-brand, Trace Acoustic, for acoustic instruments.
History
In 1979, a music shop in RomfordRomford
Romford is a large suburban town in north east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, UK, called Soundwave was building and hiring out PA systems to local musicians. It soon became apparent that some of this equipment was not being used simply as PA but instead was being used by bass players, who for so long had to put up with under-powered amplification that was often merely a guitar amplifier with a modified tone circuit.
The Soundwave owner and staff realised the potential market and developed a range of products that incorporated MOSFET
MOSFET
The metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor is a transistor used for amplifying or switching electronic signals. The basic principle of this kind of transistor was first patented by Julius Edgar Lilienfeld in 1925...
output stages driving large cabinets, including 15” drivers, and also the worlds first bass-dedicated 4x 10” cabinet, now an industry standard for all bass amp lines.
Trace Elliot, as the brand came to be called, gained a reputation for themselves; rumor has it that early users were John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (musician)
John Paul Jones is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, mandolinist, and keyboardist for English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a solo career and has gained even more respect as both a musician and a...
of Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
and Brian Helicopter
Brian Helicopter
Brian Helicopter is the stage name of Gareth Holder , an English musician, based in the United States. He is best known for playing bass guitar for the UK punk rock band The Shapes. He also played for many other bands, the most notable being the NWOBHM bands Rogue Male and HellsBelles...
of punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band The Shapes
The Shapes (UK band)
The Shapes were an English punk rock group that formed in the town of Leamington Spa in 1976. Different in many ways from their peers in the nascent punk subculture, they were known for eschewing the more political stances that were fashionable at the time, instead producing works of a cartoonish...
. Mark King
Mark King (musician)
Mark King is an English musician. He is most famous for being the lead singer and bassist of the band, Level 42. In the early 1980s King popularized the 1970s-era slap and pop style for playing the bass guitar by incorporating it into pop music.-Early life:King was brought up on the Isle of Wight,...
of Level 42
Level 42
Level 42 are an English pop rock and jazz-funk band who had a number of worldwide and UK hits during the 1980s and 1990s.The band gained fame for their high-calibre musicianship—in particular that of Mark King, whose percussive slap-bass guitar technique provided the driving groove of many of the...
was also an early adopter of the brand. The company, now dedicated to manufacturing, moved to new premises in Witham
Witham
Witham is a town in the county of Essex, in the south east of England with a population of 22,500. It is part of the District of Braintree and is twinned with the town of Waldbröl, Germany. Witham stands between the larger towns of Chelmsford and Colchester...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, in 1985 to satisfy the growing demand.
In 1989, Trace Elliot introduced the Trace Acoustic range of acoustic amplifiers, and the company moved again, this time to Maldon, Essex
Maldon, Essex
Maldon is a town on the Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon district and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation.Maldon is twinned with the Dutch town of Cuijk...
. In 1992 the company was bought by Kaman
Kaman
Kaman is a town and block headquarters and municipality in the Bharatpur district in Rajasthan state, India.-Geography:Kaman is located at . It has an average elevation of 189 metres . It is bordered by two states on the West and North respectively. At the village of Nonera the borders of...
, which had previously handled the brand's US distribution.
Kaman downsized their music division in 1997 and sold the company to a trio of Trace Elliot directors, who took ownership of a brand with nearly 200 staff on a 110000 square feet (10,219.3 m²) site; they focused on exploiting the North American market, and in 1998 sold the company to the Gibson Guitar Corporation
Gibson Guitar Corporation
The Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
.
However, in January 2002, the factory was closed and all staff were made redundant. Gibson then moved the production of a few particular products they wanted to continue with to various locations in the United States.
In April 2005 it was announced that Peavey Electronics
Peavey Electronics
Peavey Electronics Corporation is one of the largest audio equipment manufacturers in the world, headquartered in Meridian, Mississippi in the United States.- History :...
had acquired the brand name and were involving several key staff who had worked for Trace Elliot throughout the previous twenty years. The brand kept its Essex roots but set up a design office/workshop in Chelmsford
Chelmsford
Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
.
Notable products, past and present
- 1048H Successor to the world's first dedicated 4x 10” bass cabinet.
- AH1000-12 Fully featured bass head with 12 Band EQ, Valve Drive, dual band compression and many other features.
- Trace Acoustic range. Numerous models for amplifying acoustic instruments.
- GP12SMX Bass Preamp: 12 Band EQ Bass Pre-amp. The basis for the preamp in all the SMX series.
- V-Type V6 300 watt all valve head. Used by many BritpopBritpopBritpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
bands in the '90s. - V-Type V8 400 watt all valve head, with overdrive and compression on board.
- Velocette: 1990s-era 15W valve-powered guitar combos; several variants, basis for the Gibson Goldtone range.