Trace Elliot V-6 Bass Head

I purchased my Trace Elliot V6, manufactured in 1996, in early 2008. It is all tube, consisting of 4 x 12AX7s (ECC83s) in the preamp and 6 x KT88s (6550s) in the power section. 400 watts RMS at 2 or 4 ohms. Basically a lighter, more powerful, better sounding (IMO) SVT. Has both passive and active inputs, gain knob, 3 band passive EQ, deep and bright switches, front panel DI and master volume knob. Super simple, although the passive EQ takes a little while to get used to. I gave it a 9 only because I wish it could switch between 2, 4, and 8 ohms so I could use it with just one 1x12 cab.

I play an all original 1969 Fender P-bass, a 1970 fretless Fender P-bass w/ Fralin pickups, a 1973 Lori Jazz bass w/ EMGs and Alleva Coppolo preamp. All with various flatwounds. I play through 2 Aguilar GS112NTs (no tweeter). I mostly play hip-hop, but I also play gospel, dub/reggae, funk, trance, R&B/soul, and pretty much anything that will pay me money. This has been my dream amp since i started playing bass about 10 years ago, and I an honestly say now that I own one, that the V6 is the ultimate bass amp (though I have yet to play a V8!). SUPER fat lows, and perfectly smooth mids and highs with more headroom than you've ever experienced....what more can you ask for? Sound-wise, I'd put it somewhere between the Aguilar DB359 and a vintage Ampeg SVT.

I bought the amp used obviously, and after cracking it open, I realized that the preamp tubes were the original TE 12AX7s (12 years old) and the original KT88s had been replaced with various 6550s. The amp, however, still sounded amazing! I have since replaced the 4 TE 12AX7s with NOS Ei gold pin elite AX7s and the sound just got fatter. I hope to soon retube the power section and have the amp biased but other than that I have experienced no problems at all.

Given that the Trace Elliot that created the V6 and the current Trace Elliot company are two different entities, it's hard to answer this one but I hope to never even need to find out!

I've been playing double and electric bass for about 10 years. I am also a tremendous gear head, tube amp fanatic, and used to work in a huge, popular music store. My point being, I know gear. The V6 is by far, the loudest, greatest, most organic sounding bass amplifier I have EVER had the pleasure of playing through and if it were lost or stolen I would jump off a bridge and end my life because it would never be the same....I'm debating right now between an Accugroove El Whappo and a Bergantino NV610 to really see what the V6 is capable of!

Simple and basic all-tube amp features

I use it with a Rickenbacker 4003, a 57-reissue Precision, a pair of fretted and fretless Jazz, a Warwick thumb, and a Moog prodigy!

This amp has a marvellous sound and the power is incredible...

very very very very heavy....
but also very reliable

don't have dealt with them

I've own several amplifiers, but this one seems to be what I was looking for.
I think it will last for life and I will never replace it.
POWER and SIMPLICITY !

I bought this amp (man. 1996) in 2002 and have had for about a year and a half. In that time I have found it to be quite useful in a variety of settings from alt/folk rock to gut crushing metal.
Although it doesn't have a ton of features it has the important stuff (passive and active inputs, deep and bright switches, bass mid and treble rotary controls with shiftable mids, front panel DI and back panel line out, effects loop, 1/4" and xlr spkr. outs. I have been unable to find a dedicated xlr cable for this purpose so I have a hybrid cable to connect the 1/4" to the neutrik input on my hughes and kettner cab. The power section is a sextet of KT88s. Preamp is 4 12ax7s. I wish it had a tuner out. Volume wise it has never been lacking and can easily overpower a couple of Marshalls when hooked up to an 8x10.

I have used this with a Rickenbacker 4001 v63, a Precision, and a Dingwall Afterburner 5 string. All of these basses are passive and each sounds much better out of this amp than my former Sunn 1200s. The difference in clarity, depth, and character are almost embarrasing considering I bought both for the same price. I have yet to come across another amp with as much warmth and while retaining a very hi-fi quality at high volume. The amp is very quiet and clean but you can get it to snarl a bit if you crank up the gain or run a boosted signal into the passive input. From what experience I have had with other amps this is hands down the best sounding and I have owned Mesa 400+, Eden WT800, SWR sm400 and working mans 300, Hartke 2000, Crest CA6 + Ampeg SVP, 1970's Ampeg V4 (very close with 7027 tubes but not as loud), and Sunn 1200s.

When I bought this amp it had the original KT88s in it. Chinese made and survived the trip from Canada to California. 3 blew after a half a year but they were already 5 years old. I replaced them with Svetlanas and it has worked without a hitch since. I have never used a backup with this amp but would if I went on the road with it. It's a tube amp.

Trace dissolved about 2 years ago so there is no help from them. Gibson (who bought Trace a ways back) refers trace owners to authorized service centers and British Audio Service in Il. Since it is a tube amp however there is less to go bad and a good tech should be able to sort most problems out.

This head was at the NAMM show in Winter 1998 as part of the Trace Elliot booth. I purchased it from First Bass in Denver early in 1999. The design is basically a Fender Showman preamp section (also used by Alembic for the F1X) combined with a power section much like the one in an Ampeg SVT. It sounds great for rock, funk, latin, reggae, and jazz. It is quite loud! It also sounds great when turned up, because the six output tubes (KT-88's or 6550's) start adding a bit of compression and texture! There is no way to get this tone from a hybrid amp. It is a bit heavy to lug around for quieter gigs, although it does sound very good at low volumes. The EQ section of this amp is unusual and made no sense to me at all until I used a noise generator and spectrum analyser to find out how the Bass, Middle, and Treble knobs were interacting. The Bass knob boosts everything below about 800hz. The Treble knob boosts everything above 1.6khz. The Middle knob cuts everything between 200hz and about 2khz. The overlap of these frequency ranges is very perplexing if you are used to using the EQ to dial specific frequencies in or out. The Deep and Bright switches are weird too! They are off when in the up position (go figure) which baffled me until I used the spectum analyzer on it. The pull-out feature on the Middle knob doesn't seem to do much. The best EQ setting, in my opinion, is: Bass at 10 o'clock, Middle at 5 o'clock (ie. cranked), and Treble at 2 o'clock, with the Deep and Bright switches up (ie. off). I've never used the effects loop, so I can't comment on it.

I use this head with SWR Henry the 8x8 and/or Goliath II Jr. and custom-made 6-string basses with Bartolini electronics. The V-6 is switchable for 2 or 4 Ohm operation to work with a variety of cabinet configurations. This amp is great! If you see one, buy it! They are rare in the U.S.!

Reliability has been very good. I have replaced the output tubes once since I bought it. I switched to 6550s due to their availability in matched sextets at a reasonable price.

Trace Elliot went through a shift in U.S. distributers when I bought the amp, however, the service representative has been very responsive to my inquiries. Hopefully, the shops in my area will get over their problems with the shift in distribution.

I've been playing bass since 1978. I own an Ampeg SVT-IIP, Crown PSA2, SWR SM-400, Fender BXR-100, SWR Golith II Jr. (2 of them), SWR Henry the 8x8, three custom 6-string basses (two by Dale Bluebond, one by Chris Murphy), a Fender Performer 4-string, and assorted effects. This head is my favorite! If it was lost or stolen, I'd be screwed because I can't afford the Trace Elliot V-8 (list $3249)