BassmanPaul Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 I have to admit that I like it here. It seems more relaxed. The references to older gear brings back memories of when I started playing in 1962. That said, I do miss my friends on my side of the Atlantic such as your good self. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted September 16, 2022 Author Share Posted September 16, 2022 5 minutes ago, BassmanPaul said: I have to admit that I like it here. It seems more relaxed. The references to older gear brings back memories of when I started playing in 1962. That said, I do miss my friends on my side of the Atlantic such as your good self. Sorry mate, you’re now banned from here for liking it. We can’t have that now can we 😂 (glad you like it here, we like having you around!) 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie Posted September 17, 2022 Share Posted September 17, 2022 They've done a nice job on the styling. It really does look like Trace brought into the present decade. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chienmortbb Posted September 19, 2022 Share Posted September 19, 2022 I agree the styling is a nice blend of functional and classy. Must take some anti-GAS pills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassmanPaul Posted September 19, 2022 Share Posted September 19, 2022 3 hours ago, Chienmortbb said: I agree the styling is a nice blend of functional and classy. Must take some anti-GAS pills. That's what Beano is for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted September 21, 2022 Author Share Posted September 21, 2022 (edited) I’ve had the amp a week now, and whilst I’ve not yet managed to play it outside of my house, I have a few observations: 1. The USB recording output is very quiet. So quiet that I have to max the input gain and master volume to get a suitable signal level. Speaking to a guy at Peavey about this, it may be down to a compromise in the chipset they had to use (supply chain issues) but it’s no real biggie as I have my Ashdown B-Social still. 2. Not sure I’m a fan of the compressor as an always on feature. Even with the controls fully off the sound noticeably thins and loses a bit of fatness. It’s great as an effect though, and I can see it being useful for a couple of songs in my function band. 3. The flat (i.e. EQ centred at noon) tone is lovely. Funnily enough it sounds like an Elf but with much more headroom and power in the low end. I actually found that the Trace nearly flat sounded very similar indeed to the way I have EQ’d my Glockenklang. The Glock is more hifi/transparent with its EQ so I have felt I have to work it to get a bit of character in the basic tone; the Trace has it there already. This of course is a personal preference thing (see the recent thread about amp flat settings!) but it works for me. 4. The fan is probably the second quietest fan I’ve ever had in a bass amp. The quietest being in the Glock - even after a long loud gig you can’t hear it at all. With the Trace there is a whisper of one but that’s nothing compared to the Elf, any Ashdown I’ve ever owned or countless other amps. 5. The preshape really is the old Trace preshape. 6. The foot switch is excellent. Sturdy, solid switches and silent switching within the amplifier. Jury’s out still whether it can replace the Glock in my affections as the big gig amp of choice (I need a few gigs under my belt before that, and the Glock has more versatility vs the Trace with the drive control and voice feature for example) but I’m liking what I’m getting so far. Edited September 21, 2022 by Merton 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted September 21, 2022 Author Share Posted September 21, 2022 Er, is that picture upside down for everyone? 🤣 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deedee Posted September 21, 2022 Share Posted September 21, 2022 31 minutes ago, Merton said: Er, is that picture upside down for everyone? 🤣 Yep, it is for me 🙃 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted September 21, 2022 Share Posted September 21, 2022 Not for me 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downunderwonder Posted September 21, 2022 Share Posted September 21, 2022 I had to climb down from my usual reading position. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted September 22, 2022 Author Share Posted September 22, 2022 Thinking more about the compressor, I have the gain set very high following the USB experiments… I am sure that I need more time to experiment with the way the input gain and compressor interact. I also need more time playing with setting the comp pre- and post-EQ. So hold judgement on point 2 for now 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Posted September 22, 2022 Share Posted September 22, 2022 7 hours ago, Merton said: Thinking more about the compressor, I have the gain set very high following the USB experiments… I am sure that I need more time to experiment with the way the input gain and compressor interact. I also need more time playing with setting the comp pre- and post-EQ. So hold judgement on point 2 for now There's definitely a balance to be struck with the compressor between the input stage and compressor. Then again, I quite like heavy compression and I tend towards that Tony Levin tone, so I have the compressor at about 1 o'clock for both bands. One of the few things I don't like about it is there's no overload light on the input stage. It'd be nice if they could make the ring around the input knob flash red when it's overloading in the next revision. You kinda have to do it by ear. That's something the old Traces got right. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted September 22, 2022 Share Posted September 22, 2022 18 hours ago, Merton said: Er, is that picture upside down for everyone? 🤣 There y'go. 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted September 22, 2022 Author Share Posted September 22, 2022 (edited) 29 minutes ago, Rich said: There y'go. Now it's just mirror-imaged Edited September 22, 2022 by Merton spelling... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted September 22, 2022 Author Share Posted September 22, 2022 17 minutes ago, Russ said: One of the few things I don't like about it is there's no overload light on the input stage. It'd be nice if they could make the ring around the input knob flash red when it's overloading in the next revision. You kinda have to do it by ear. That's something the old Traces got right. Agree. They missed a trick there, and I wonder if they'll do an evo version where this is the case... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chyc Posted September 22, 2022 Share Posted September 22, 2022 14 minutes ago, Merton said: Now it's just mirro-imaged Here you go 1 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted September 22, 2022 Author Share Posted September 22, 2022 1 minute ago, chyc said: Here you go Ooh I like that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted September 22, 2022 Author Share Posted September 22, 2022 6 hours ago, Russ said: There's definitely a balance to be struck with the compressor between the input stage and compressor. Then again, I quite like heavy compression and I tend towards that Tony Levin tone, so I have the compressor at about 1 o'clock for both bands. Ok got a much better grasp of the interaction between the gain and comp settings now and can see that sort of setting being very useful in places, plus found a more sensible “set it and forget it” scenario too. Also used the headphone output today - superb quality. Not a peep of hiss or background noise at all, much like the Glock but absolutely nothing at all like my old Ashdown RM head where I was told “it’s a class D head so there will be noise, use less good headphones”. Does kinda make me wonder … 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted September 22, 2022 Share Posted September 22, 2022 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted October 16, 2022 Author Share Posted October 16, 2022 Finally got the chance to use the TE-1200 on a loud pub gig last night; no bass in the PA so onstage rig was doing it all. Cabs were a pair of Barefaced Two10s. To say the rig delivered would be an understatement. Whatever I fed it from my HX Effects - clean, slightly driven, all out fuzz, octaves, choruses - the rig was always there, full blooded and present. I was very happy with the way it handled everything, it absolutely nailed the tone I have in my head without any additional EQ after whatever the HX was doing (which was sometimes absolutely nothing!). Wonderful 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 Arrgh. Stop it. *sticks finger in ears* I don't need a new amp I don't need a new amp I don't need a lovely new amp I don't need a lovely new Trace Elliot amp Arrrrrrgh 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassmanPaul Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 Careful @Rich- you don't want to mangle your Wurzels! Over here they're known as Rutabagas. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted October 19, 2022 Author Share Posted October 19, 2022 (edited) I did an A/B with my Glockenklang Blue Rock at last night’s band practice. They’re obviously amps with different design goals but they have very similar formats and power outputs so I thought it would be fun. The Glock is clearly much more transparent and “flat” with everything at noon, the Trace has a baked in EQ curve which is very musical and pleasing to my ears. Once I’d tweaked EQs (mainly on the Glock) there wasn’t a huge amount of difference at all. The Glock had a crisper top end but that was about it. In a rock band setting I think the Trace wins out. It was a fun experiment Edited October 19, 2022 by Merton 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 Look, I've already asked you to stop for the sake of my credit card. Don't make me ban you. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted June 6, 2023 Author Share Posted June 6, 2023 Public service announcement - Stompbox London has one in stock, at a remarkable £799. That’s a lot less than the US price tag and certainly less than I paid to import from the US last year! https://www.fxpedal.co.uk/amps-c74/bass-amps-c75/trace-elliot-te-1200-bass-guitar-amplifier-head-p6320 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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