Trace Elliot T-Bass 4

This 4-string (also exists in 5 versino) T-Bass was made in 1997 in England by Status for TE, has a 34" maple bolt-on neck with graphite reinforcements, a 2-way truss rod, 24 frets + 0 fret on a rosewood fingerboard natural, the maple part of the neck having a satin finish. The electronics are typical jazz bass, two J-bass "Hyperactive" pickups + dummy pickup under the pickguard as hum-cancellor and active 9v (quick-change battery compartment) pre-amp similar to the Retro models of Status with volume control for each, treble cut/boost, bass cut/boost, flat EQ switch. Don't know the body material as it is painted beautifully high gloss solid black, with a black pickguard and chrome hardware allround. This bass has a classic Jazz Bass look as well, with some refinements: The bridge conists of 4 individual bridges adjustable in all directions, the head piece being sculpted (in a Z shape if looking from the top) with the tuners (smaller than standard, non-locking)coming out at about 45? (Ergonomic Tune System). The bass comes with with a Shaller strap-lock system and a gig-bag.

Oh yeah, this guitar is not light, lighter than my Alembic, but then what is heavier? I would sy 2-3 pounds more than the Sterling.

A midrange control would have been a small plus, and a master volume is missing too. The Boss floor pedal does that for me now, but with the bass straight in the amp, you have to fiddle with the amp volume or loose your tone balance. (thus 9 out of 10)

I exchanged a mint Musicman Sterling (didn't know that TE made basses, nor the model, but once I played it I was immediately sold) for this bass, I also own an Alembic Series II, a Leduc Ubic2B and an old Aria Pro2. My main instruments have always been the drums, but I always had a bass guitar lying around for the last 20 years or so, and finally developed a real passion for bass guitar 2 years ago.

When alone I tend to amuse myself with funky and groovy stuff, lots of slapping as well, but with my band, we play mainly top30 stuff, old and new and just for fun. My bass rig is an SWR stack comprised of Bass350, Goliath Jr 3 (2*10"+horn), Son of Bertha (1*15+horn) and I play on Trace Elliot or Ampeg combos in the rehearsal studio. I just acquired a Boss GT6-B and have a Focusrite Platinum Sound Factory for compression and EQ in the SWR rack which I light make redundant as the GT6-B handles those functions surprisingly well.

This bass absolutely sounds awesome, never had I experienced so much punch. Even though the sound variety is not as great as that of the Alembic which does a to z, the T-Bass comes across as the best of 2 worlds: I never really liked the pure carbon/graphite sound out of Status Stealth, Schack or Steinberger guitars, but love the preciseness. With the mix of wood and graphite in the neck, this bass seems to be the perfect mix. Nice wood character, but very precise. You can get very, very bright sounds with the EQ, with a tiny hiss in the extreme, but the bass is also capable of producing warmer and misterious sounds quite well.

Again, the punch of this bass is amazing, and it translates the finger work really well. In short, this thing sounds like a jazz bass but can show lots more guts if you want to. You can get the e-string to sound like a piano, thanks to the 0-fret.

I traded this bass used, so I don't know abut the factory setup. The bass is finished to perfection and the action is very low with a very flat neck, and the neck is very fast. The previous and first owner of this bass took good care of it, it actually looked almost un-used as if kept in a cupboard for 5 years.

This bass better withstand live playing because it is going to get its share. It seems to be rock solid overall, and the neck will probably never move thanks to the graphite reiforcements. I never carry a backup anywhere for anything.

NA - but since Trace Elliot were bought by Gibson and had to discontinue their relationship with Status-Graphite, there could be problems.

However, if you look on the Status website, you'll find a very similar bass, except for the full graphite neck, nothing ever gets lost ;-), and I guess service would be available if required.

I've been a musician for over 20 years, a pro studio engineer with a decent discography and have seen lots of gear, including in the bass territory. I tend to go for top-range products even if it means waiting and saving, which luckily is easier now that I don't work in the music industry anymore but in a stableand well-paying environment. Music has become an intense hobby.

I am really inspired by this bass and would try to find another one if it was lost or stolen, along with bare-handedly kiling the thief !!

I love the sound, the looks and the playability, wish it was a bit lighter though, and I could use side LEDs like on the Alembic. As mentioned before, I traded it against a Sterling which bored me to death after 6 months, and previously I traded a Warwick Streamer Jazzman 5 string to get the Sterling.

So far I believe I've traded well, and no, this one is not for sale!