Trace Elliot G-RP3 Pre Amp

I have the early 80's model without the built in effects. Even without that, this amp is killer. I play both in a christian praise band and a southern metal band, and I use it for both with no tweaking. With the essentially 5 channels, you can coax pretty much any sound you could possibly want. I don't use the effects loop, and found that by cutting the "FX" slider, it quiets down the channels using the loop, making it that much more versatile. Still wish I had the internal effects though...

Haven't taken it out of our practice room yet, so I can't say about different acoustic environments, but from my Epi Les Paul to the amp, to the speaker cab, the thing sound pretty good. My only problem is that I'm not a "crunch" kind of guy (I prefer a smoother distortion) so the crunch channel doesn't get much use from me. Clean stays clean as loud as I've been able to get it. Almost no noise, even on lead channel. The built in noise gate takes care of that.

It was broken when I bought it, and I use that term lightly because it was free. The tech that worked on it said the only reason it broke was because someone tried to "mod" it. After roughly $200 in repairs, the thing is like a tank both in weight and durability. I would still take a backup to a gig, but that's just because I'm completely Obsessive Compulsive.

Haven't dealt directly with the company, but there is an authorized service center nearby, thank god, so it wasn't too much of a hassle to get it fixed.

I haven't been playing long, but I think I know what I like as far as tone, and this amp is it. If stolen, I would track down the thief and... well let's just say I'd get it back, cause I probably won't find another one of these any time soon. Great amp. Love the british green. Get it if you can find one.

Made in 1992
The amp is a lot vintage and it fits in my classic rock 80's and 90's completely. It has 3 channels (clean, crunch, lead) that can be combined. This gives a total of 5 channels. 1, 2, 3, 1+2. 2+3. It brings a footswitch with this combinations, but you have a button that can combine 1+2+3. It has effects loop and integrated effects (8 delays and 8 reverbs). Headphone Jack. Stereo DI (the amp is stereo). Two celestion classic lead 80W speakers. It's very complete. Each channel has lot's of eq. and presets cause it has push pull buttons. I use it for live gigs and i play in a two guitars band. My friend plays with an ENGL screamer 50 and i can say that this amp beats it up. Till 4/5 in the gain and master you can bear it, but after that... in an open space I only got it to 8/9... it was extremely (REALLY) loud to get to 10. (it was just a test, cause you'll never pass 5/6 when playing live). First Power-transistor amps in the market, this amp has very good transistors. I pushed the clean all the way and it stood clean as ever. Valve Pre-amp gives the rest.

Well, a bright clean, with lots of headroom. Keeps clean at high volumes.
Crunch that can be a distortion channel or something like a clean with OD.
Lead is very good for solos, it's very precise and powerful. Vintage drive sound like the 80's and 90's I play. Then you've got even more combinations that i mentioned before. Sincerely, I couldn't even yet experience all the potiencial of this amp. I managed the sound I wanted, and then I stopped :P
I play with a Gibson Les Paul Studio with 490R and a Seymour Sh-1 '59 in bridge.
We gotta have caution by the fact it's 2x12 and stereo. It has lots of headroom, and in a guitar like gibson you can get a very, VERY full sound. When this happens and if you don't like the bright, you take it out in the respective pot.

It's very reliable. Very strong amp and very well constructed. I use it without backup and it's been reliable. It has a earth/ground switch to prevent discharges, so even if you don't know the conditions it will protect the thing.

I just contacted to know about the tuner. Mine broke down also. They couldn't help. But they answered quickly and kindly. Then I managed to see that the tuner's transistor had a burnt down. We are still trying to fix the thing since trace couldn't get me a replace transistor.

I've been playing with it since august 2006, and it's been fantastic.
I left all my effects pedals at home and all i use is just the amp.
I own a gibson les paul studio.
If it were stolen, as above said, i would try to find the burglar and kill him!!! I would do everything to get it back! I don't even thing about replacing or buying another amp.
I just love it all beacuse it looks it's been done for me!
It's perfect and almost a vintage amp! There are a few of these amps around there.

This is an incredibly versatile pre amp (gtr or otherwise). Here are the features and (for the less obvious ones) a brief explanation:

- 3 channels (switchable by the foot-controller)
- Built-in tuner (yippee)
- Pedal control for crunch on channel 2: Connect a standard (TRS expression pedal at the back of the unit. (More on this later.)
- Stereo effects loop (switchable by the foot-controller)
- Stereo XLRs for DI out (with switchable cabinet modelling)
- Built in FX (Reverb/Delay) (switchable by the foot-controller)
- Pedal control for overall volume: connect a trs expression pedal to the rear of the unit.
- Lots of EQ/distortion options with push-pull toggle channel knobs
- Channel blend function (via unit or foot-controller)
- MIDI switching option (never used this)
- illuminated panel (famous British green!)

Channel 1: Very nice clean tones, quite vintage sounding, and punchy
Channel 2: From almost clean to a very smooth sounding crunch. The nice thing about the crunch control here is that it doesn't increase the volume hardly, only the amount of distortion. This manifests itself best in live situations, using an expression pedal crunch control - your distortion increases as you toe it down, but volume level stays much the same - exquisite.
Channel 3: Fabulous! Grit free, smooth and chunky. The tonal balance is as good as I've ever heard - punchy, tight, yet expressive and 'springy,' like a good valve amp. I've found a 'mid setting' between the two push-pull toggle settings that is wonderful for soloing. Looking at adding a switch on the front panel to access this setting without the fiddling - it rocks.

Here's where the ratings drop somewhat. The tuner on mine is blown and I've heard the same thing happen to others. Internal construction is a bit flimsy, with silicone glue plastered around here and there very untidily, in one case to hold a connector in place, and in another to hold some filter caps in place. Having problems with internal effects no loner enabling (but I don't use them anyway), there is a poor relay contact formed making switching Ext FX in/out a problem sometimes (needs to be fixed). The internals are pretty flimsy, yes, but the steel case is adequate, albeit overly complicated in its structure, making disassembly a bit of a process. The footswitch connector had a broken wire, which I've since repaired and all is well again. Overall, not that great in this category.

TE no longer exists. You can find spares and repairs at britishaudioservices.com

Wish you could still buy these new.

It rates quite highly on features for a straight up pre amp.The in built reverbs and delays are finely tuned and need no adjustment.The three channels can be mixed as you please.eg:1 & 2 or 2 & 3 or 1 & 3 or 1+2+3 which is great for getting dirty blues sound and phat metal distortions. The combinations of the sounds and delay's etc can varied greatly to encompass every sort of guitar sound/style under the sun, using a series of pull push switches and a mini mixer for the channels and effects loops. It is a rack system {2u} and everything is very compact but still easily accessable and the valve is placed in a secure position.It also lights up very brightly which is useful on a dark stage.The inbuilt tuner also runs constantly.

I have several different guitars each with different tunings that i use but each uses humbucker pickups. On my straight tuning Tanglewood Tomkat, it gets a very rich and jazzy sound especially on the neck pickup. Moving onto the bridge pickup and channel three it gets a very nice Pantera type shreddy sound which works especially nicely for soloing[with the help of a delay].My main guitar is a Washburn tuned down to drop B,using mainly the bridge pickup it sound emensly phat whilst still keeping clarity of each note. Mainly I use it at low volumes, but when I turn it up {its run through a Peavy 4 by 12 and a Trac 3 by 12] it just gets phatter.Suprisingly, the clean sound stays clean and un distorted at high volumes as well as low.

I have only had the amp a little while, but so far nothing has gone wrong. I have it in an SKB 6u rackcase and it is well protected. I wouldn't bother taking a backup amp to a gig with me.

The company is friendly but I haven't had to deal with them much.

If it were stolen I would buy another one. I would also hunt down and kill the person that stole it from me.
I love the heavy sound I get from it as metal is what I play most, but could be used as a pop jazz or blues amp as well.
I have compared to a friends Sansamp and I would say that it kicked the SansAmps arse.The only other preamps I have used that would come close to it would have to be a Rocktron Piranha or the boogie Tri Axis.