Trace Elliot ELF Basshead

Compre este mini cabezal con la idea de llevar un cabezal ligero para conciertos muy específicos y no llevar toda la nevera Ampeg mas cabezal. Al final me ha gustado la combinación de llevarlo con un morley y llevo ambas señales, el bajo en limpio aquí al mas puro estilo solid state en un 115? y luego Ampeg SVT III lleno de distorsiones, efectos en un 610 HLF la verdad consigo un sonido muy contundente sin perder nada del low end.

Pro: Ligero, pequeño, cabe en el pedal train, suena realmente bien, bastante versátil con cualquiera de las pantallas. Viene con bolsita de transporte y bastante sofware. Un precio muy asequible. Es de 4 ohm lo cual esta muy bien pues puedo enchufarlo a las 6x10, aunque donde me ha gustado más el sonido es el 1x15. Suena realmente bien en limpio y con un poco de saturación en la ganancia.

Contras: Diría que la parte de atrás, en especial el botón de encendido y la D.I. son un poco de plástico y no se ve de muy buena calidad, pero por el momento funciona bien y no se ha roto y llevo unos meses de uso. No me ha gustado mucho como responde a los efectos, tiene facilidad para saturarse al ser un tipo D, sobre todo con modulantes y octavadores. Si usas bajos activos y muchos pedales tienes que medir muy bien la ganancia si no satura con facilidad. En casa he usado la D.I. y no me ha gustado mucho. Creo que es mas valido para tener una escucha directa en escenario y basar tu sonido en previos.

La verdad por este precio no puedes pedir más, lo volvería a comprar.

To be honest, I was a bit sceptical about the Trace Elliot (now owned by Peavey) ELF but while it's the only super compact bass top on the market, I gave it a try and I'm keeping it! I was looking for a portable back-up for my Ampeg PF-500 in case of problems. I play upright bass and use two Hartke HD112 1x12" cabinets. I really love the sound of those cabs and even a single one gives great sound. I now use the ELF as a backup for the PF-500 and use it for small gigs and rehearsals with a single 1x12" cab, GREAT!

The sound is great. Even at 8 Ohms, it's an Extremely Loud Fxxxxx (Fellow..) as Trace Elliot is stating in one of the marketing videos. It puts out serious volumes and seems to have plenty of headroom which is remarkable since it only has a mini sized switching power supply. This little ELF has plenty of power for rehaersals or even gigs with a loud drummer (providing you use efficient cabinets like the Hartke HD series or Gallien Krueger CX series). I like the way the compression kicks in (actually it's a limiter I think) at higher gain settings. Even at max gain, there's hardly any distortion which is actually good for me (but I know some bass players are looking for some growl). With all DQ controls at 12 'o' clock, the ELF tends to be a bit midrangy but nothing the EQ won't fix. The EQ is very effective and can easily facilitate a wide range of sounds from woody and wooly to punchy bright 'n' funky. The middle control operates at 400 Hz, that's where the usable mids. It probably has a high Q so it will work on frequencies below and above 400 Hz. Personally I would have liked a 4 band EQ with e.g. bass operating at 80 Hz, low mids at 300 Hz, high mids around 600 - 900 Hz and treble at 3 kHz but then again, this is a no thrill basis amp and to be honest, it sounds fine with the 3 band EQ as well.

To be short, a very light and compact amp that comes with a nice and sturdy carrying bag. Sound and performance is excellent for rehearsals and even small gigs with a single (small) cabinet. Combined with a bigger (or two) cabinet(s), this amp could do loud gigs as well. Plenty of power, plenty of headroom. Really impressive. If it was stolen, I would defenitely buy a new one.