Trace Elliot 715 Series 6 115 Combo

I brought my amp second hand from the original owner and it had had very little use and was still in almost shop condition.I think it dates from around the early nineties.I intended to use it as a practice amp instead of dragging my Peavey rig around with me. It's not overley heavy but is solid and very well made it can be carried by ones person but not too far due to only having a top strap.
It features solid state 100 watt amp 1 x 15 speaker active/passive inputs, 7 band graphic with on and off button, pre set mids option button, input gain knob with warning light, output knob (volume) plus the usual send return inputs and lines out and in. No XLR output but it's not really a problem for me. One nice little feature on the back is the ability to cover the bass port for optimal cab tuning possiblities.

Over the years I have tried to avoid Trace Elliot because I always considered them to be over priced for a low wattage amp that was mainly for the slap and pop type bassist. As I said above I brought this as a practice amp, over the past 20 years I have always played garage, indie or 60t's soul type music so although the price and condition was good for this amp I wasn't expecting it to give me the sound I was looking for......HOW WRONG CAN YOU BE!!!!
I'm using a 2004 Fender USA standard Precision with Seymour duncan Quaterpounders and flat wound strings and this amp with graphic off keeps that sound. Add the Mid pre set and things get a little more growly. Then add in the graphic and play for hours tweeking each little slider a couple of millimeters in either direction makes a massive difference. Clarity, punch, deep bass, twangy slap it's all there. Then do it all again with bass port un-covered. If you can not find your sound in this amp then you really need to consider whether bass guitar is for you. Need a loud enough amp for live work....well this is only 100 watts and I can't get it above 2 or 3 with out my ears bleeding. Remember I am using Quarterpounders. I am now a Trace Elliot convert, would I swap my Peavey rig for a bigger Trace rig........????

I have not owned this that long but the fact that it is already over 15 years old and still going strong says something for Traces build quality.

Never had dealings with them

I wish I put aside my predices to Trace Elliot years ago because this is a cracking little amp. If your a beginner try and find one of these they are a great place to start and good value second hand. If it was stolen I would probably have a look at a bigger trace combo maybe 200 watts as I would then use it for live work in small to mid size venues, not that the 100 is not loud enough it's just I like a bit of head room. Apart from my Precision bass I use a Tech 21 VT bass pedal with this amp I believe with the combination of the two I can get nearly every bass sound there is out there.

This amp sat all alone in a corner of my local music store.
I was trying out an Ashdown combo, which didn't satisfy me. It just had not enough low end.
The guy in the store pointed at a big black box in the corner and switched it on.
I plugged in, turned up the gain halfway up and I didn't even touch the EQ.
The sound that came out of this thing was just amazing, exactly as a bass should sound.
I drove home with a brand new second-hand Trace Elliot. Now the fun could really begin.

Some people don't like the graphic EQ like the one on my Trace, but it isn't that hard to use.
My favorite setting is the "frowny face", with the highs and lows a little boosted and mids slightly cut.
I think the mids should come from the guitarist, just let me handle the low end :)

For an amp of this age, my guess would be late '80s or early '90s, this thing is in pretty good shape, everything still works.
Honestly, I don't really use the other options on this amp.
I just plug my bass in the passive input and crank it up.
So far, the only this I don't like it the fact that it has just one "15 speaker.
When playing at high volumes, the sound has a tendency to become a blur of low end.
Maybe i'll plug in a 4x10 cab someday.
This amp isn't really made for large gigs anyway. It is just perfect for home practice.

My setup now looks like this:

Trace Elliot GP7 --> Hartke Bass Attack > Digitech Bass Driver > Ibanez Bass Chorus > Behringer TU100 Tuner > Boss Bass Synth > EHX Big Muff Pi --> Fender Jazz Mex/OLP MM2

There is not one particular music style I play, I'd hate that.
Anything that sounds good and feels good should be played.
From Tom Waits to Tool and from Primus to Pixies, I try to play it all.
That requires a versatile sound, as you can imagine.
And the backbone of a good sound is your amp.
If the amp has a good sound to begin with, you can build your sound around that.
So I'm really glad I found this good old Trace. All the effects are just to colour my sound, I should be able to play without them.

Describing sound it not easy, but i'll give it a try.
With the Jazz Bass, which is a really versatile instrument anyway, i can go from punkrock to jazz without touching the amp itself.
I tried different settings on the EQ, but the "frowny face" is my favorite by far.
My friend and guitarist said that it sounded at least five times better than the other setting, with the EQ reversed to a so-called "smiley-face".
When playing in a band, the guitarist should be responsable for the mids.
Just let me handle the low tones :).

Since this is a solid-state bass amp, you'd have to turn it up at deafening volumes to let it go distorted.
I've tried it, and it was just a terrible noise.
My distortion comes from a Russian Big Muff.

Never had any problems with this amp.
You can kick it, throw it around, but it just won't break.

I don't even know if there is a customer support for this type.
Hope i'll never have to contact them.

I've been playing for a few years now, don't know how much exactly.
And who would give a damn how long i've been playing?
The important thing is that I love to play music, and hopefully I'll still love it in the future.
If someone would steal my amp from me, he'd better give it back before I go crazy.
So remember, if you would consider stealing my amp, there is a fair chance i'll kick you in the nuts.
And my shoe size is 14, so think before you act :)

One of the best things i've ever bought is this amp, it is just fantastic.

One monster lump with active & passive inputs, with an input gain dial to ensure the correct level of signal coming from your bass. It then has an output level dial, a mid pre-shape switch and the GP7 7-band graphic equaliser, and FX loop, pre-amp link lines in and out (1/4 jack) and a headphone socket.

One 15" cone and 130 watts output (I think).

I have used this amp for practice and small gigs. It has plenty enough power for both, and for larger gigs all i'd have to do is use it as a monitor and run more sound through front-of-house.

An XLR line out would have been nice... but this is an older model, and Trace now put them on the series 7 model 715s.

I use an 'orrible Ibanez soundgear 300DX. It has one single coil jazz-style pickup, and one single-coil split precision-style pickup. I play styles varying from pop to rock, with a lot of funk, and slap. The bass has a fantastically versatile range of sounds with clean highs and powerful bass ranges... literally if you crank up the lowest band frequency on the EQ, you don't hear it, you just feel it. You can get a thick sound that is either clean or a little distorted according to what you set the input gain, and the level on your guitar at, and is good for rock / pop. Equally, if you use an inverse U-shape on the EQ you can get a clean sound that is cutting enough to use for funk slap, or bass-led music.

The amp itself is very quiet unless you sit on it with your guitar, in which case it hums a little. I had had it cranked up VERY high, and heard minimal noise from the amp... and to be honest, if you need it at that level, you're never going to hear the hum anyway. Get drowned out by the buzz from the guitarist first.

Built like a tank, and about as difficult to damage. Yes, I would depend on it, and gig without a backup (to be fair that's enforced at the moment as I can't afford one).

I got this amp second hand, and I think it was stored badly as the foam had lifted away from the edge of the speaker ring, and was causing funny vibrations at certain frequencies. Half an hour with a screwdriver to take the cage off, and a tube of glue solved that.

Not had to speak to them. Not anticipating having to.

I've been playing bass for about 3 years now, and guitar for about 8. I have never owned any other gear, although I have played around a lot with my friend's stuff... he has a Peavey TKO 115, and a G&L ASAT bass. Whilst i'd quite happily trade my bass guitar for his and run off laughing (it's never going to happen), he can hang onto the Peavey as it sounds naff when put beside the Trace.

I really like the fact that the amp is very versatile, very tough, and very very powerful. Like most bass amps, the controls are helpfully laid out... unlike guitar amps which have 1,000,000 dials. This thing has two big dials on opposite sides which makes it difficult to mix up. Both the two dials go up in 'notches' rather than a smooth swivel. I was initially suspicious, but then when I realised that it means the dial is less likely to move when you jog it accidentally, and if you're playing in low light you can count up your output in notches, it makes things very handy. The EQ rack is a series of sliders which means i'm not going to get it mixed up with the other dials, and then there are only 2 other buttons, both of which I always have switched on.

If it was stolen, the guy who nicked it wouldn't have got very far as it weighs a ton. Whilst I haven't tried out the Ampegs & Carvins of this world, I would definitely buy a Trace Elliot amp again as price-wise, they are cheaper than some of the other good brands, but the sound they give is also fantastic.

I was lucky enough to find this amp for #85. Overall they are fantastic value at most normal prices when put up against the others.