Trace Elliot Elf head

[Happy Jack]

Strangely enough, it does. And that's without putting my Fishman Plat Pro in line.

Obviously it helps if you like the 'untweaked' sound of your DB, and the Elf offers nothing in terms of feedback control etc.

[silvers]

Tried one just out of interest.. sounds nothing like a trace.. i'll not be deserting my back breaking ah1200 12 and pair of 1015's anytime soon.

[Count Bassie]

On 21/10/2017 at 04:11, Kev said:

Still at a complete loss as to who needs a head this small, sacrificing so much flexibility and power and relatively speaking not so much cost. Majority of Class D heads will fit in your gigbag and weigh very little, so why go this small?

Pardon my re-animating this old thread, but...

My Hartke Kickback 12's amplifier started needing service and I had this head sitting on my desk. I had recently swapped out the original speaker of the combo since it had started rattling, and the new speaker (Hartke neo/Hydrive) is 4 ohms, so it draws the full 200w from the Elf. 

This little Velcro-cobble-together parlor rig has really been working out great for small gigs, acoustic/electric mini-band gigs, rehearsals and small room rock band gigs. I really like the sound, and though it's no Series 6 it does deliver a warm-like, gentle punch and throws really well. I've gotten very positive remarks about it, so it is delivering. This is the best small gig-rig yet, for me.

[Kev]

14 minutes ago, Count Bassie said:

Pardon my re-animating this old thread, but...

My Hartke Kickback 12's amplifier started needing service and I had this head sitting on my desk. I had recently swapped out the original speaker of the combo since it had started rattling, and the new speaker (Hartke neo/Hydrive) is 4 ohms, so it draws the full 200w from the Elf. 

This little Velcro-cobble-together parlor rig has really been working out great for small gigs, acoustic/electric mini-band gigs, rehearsals and small room rock band gigs. I really like the sound, and though it's no Series 6 it does deliver a warm-like, gentle punch and throws really well. I've gotten very positive remarks about it, so it is delivering. This is the best small gig-rig yet, for me.

 

I'm sure it works well, but it doesn't really counter my 8 year old thought, there are plenty of more powerful Class D options that would fit in that gap and do an equal or better job.  Makes total sense if you had the head already, but if you were actively seeking one for that job, I still don't get why anyone would choose the Elf, unless budget was a real issue (though I'm sure you can get other Class D heads now with more power for the price, so not sure it's even budget anymore!)

[Merton]

13 minutes ago, Kev said:

 

I'm sure it works well, but it doesn't really counter my 8 year old thought, there are plenty of more powerful Class D options that would fit in that gap and do an equal or better job.  Makes total sense if you had the head already, but if you were actively seeking one for that job, I still don't get why anyone would choose the Elf, unless budget was a real issue (though I'm sure you can get other Class D heads now with more power for the price, so not sure it's even budget anymore!)

It’s not about size necessarily, it’s about the sound it makes. For me, it makes the right sound

[Count Bassie]

57 minutes ago, Kev said:

 

I'm sure it works well, but it doesn't really counter my 8 year old thought, there are plenty of more powerful Class D options that would fit in that gap and do an equal or better job.  Makes total sense if you had the head already, but if you were actively seeking one for that job, I still don't get why anyone would choose the Elf, unless budget was a real issue (though I'm sure you can get other Class D heads now with more power for the price, so not sure it's even budget anymore!)

It's handy. It's also powerful enough to play gigs, it sounds good, it's got a very quiet, useable DI.  Records well. And I'll say it's solid money that the only person who cares about a better sounding amp is you, not any audience you'll ever play for. It's just a solid little, unremarkable piece.

As it happens, this came along down my trail cheap, and I like the simplicity of it. And I can take it out of the little cab it's in and drop it in the gig bag for a jam or recording session, and it's easy to travel with (put it in my shaving kit).

Nothing about it is really compelling, but it's about the size of a SanSamp BDDI, which is pretty cool.