Trace Elliot Velocette 1x12 Combo

This amp is very basic which is the whole idea. Three little knobs is about all you get. I love the fact that it can be run in 1/2 power mode. For this reason, plus the fact that it is super cool, I rate it well.

Man, this amp sounds better than almost all my super high-dollar boutique amps. I have a Bad Cat Hot Cat 30, a 65 London, I used to have a Matchless DC-30, Dr.Z Route 66 and MAZ Jr. I think this Trace Elliot sounds better than the Dr. Z MAZ Jr. It has way better reverb and is a bit thicker sounding to me. It is not as high gain as a Bad Cat, but it isn't supposed to be. It also isn't as "big" sounding as my 65 London or Matchless DC-30, but it's half the amp those are. I can never turn those big amps up enough to get much out of them, so for 75% of my gigs, I use the little Veloce which sounds awesome. This amp completely smokes all small Fender and Crate stuff. I kow because I have a new Crate V16 and the Veloce kills it. I play Tom Anderson's mostly but also a 68 Telecaster, a 335 and Gretch White Falcon. The Trace sounds great using any of these guitars. I have learned that more expensive doesn't equal better sound. Check these amps out!

Built like a friggin tank. I have dropped it, used it live for 3 years 3 days a week, recorded with it.... It simply won't quit. It is 110% reliable and despite the tolex coming off, it is 100% stock still. I never worry about it quitting on me and I play 3 nioghts a week.

I think Gibson bought them so I can;t comment. But I hae never needed a thing because this amp is so wonderful.

For the current market cost of these amps, there is no way you can equal or beat them. They are simple, fantastic sounding little amps which are light, portable, loud enough over a 5 piece band and indestructable. The reverb is great! Do yourself a big favor, check these out before they get all "vintage" and go up in value.

As everyone else said - limited.

Sounds pretty good with almost anything. Excellent at higher volumes

A heap of doogie doo when I got it. Got it sorted - the problem with the transformers was that the wires are incorrectly marked and the transformer is only wired to accept a 16 ohm load. (go to www.chambonino.co.uk for a full explanation). It packed up again a few weeks ago but it has been repaired again (bad valve nothing to do with the amp itself)

no idea

On and off for 35 years - really just got back into it after quite a long layoff. I have gigged this (I usually use a Mesa Boogie 45Watt Nomad) and it cuts through remarkably well. I also have a Marshall 50watt combo from 1971, but it's too heavy to cart around.

It's like this: if you want an amp that has lots of blinking lights and footswitchable options then go look elsewhere. (BTW, amps with lots of blinking lights are usually trying to distract your attention away from the lousy tone...). However, if you want pure, wonderful, heart-stopping, magical tone then you've come to the right place. This amp will do everything from country through to rock - though it's probably not suitable for de-tuned grungy metal.

Better than sex. Any sex. No matter what partner (or combination of partners) or place or position or body paint. Keep the wick turned down for lush clean tones with real muscle and presence. Turn it up for some serious rrrraaawwwwkkkk. And all this from around 13 watts of pure class A output. I'm using it with a Fender Strat Deluxe and a Gibson Les Paul Studio and it's superb with both. This is a serious valve amp, so you can turn it all the way up and control the output level and the tone with your guitar's volume pot.

I have had this amp for about 3 years It has not been gigged heavily in that time, but when I have used it live it has been more than equal to the task and I am happy to use it without a back-up. Remember, this is a class A valve amp, so its 13 watts will be more than a match for most 50-watt solid state amps.

I never had to use them, and as the company is now defunct, I guess I'll never find out how good or bad their customer support was!

If it was stolen I would have a real problem because they really don't make them like this anymore. Gibson has resurrected the old Trace Elliot facility, but the amps they produce are far more expensive (because the say "Gibson" on them presumably), so I would not be able to replace it, much as I would want to. It would require a good deal more money to buy something half as good. I bought this amp after I noticed it sitting in a local music shop for quite a while at #499. Eventually they reduced the price to #299 to get rid of it and I jumped in with my magic plastic. I think it didn't sell for two reasons: firstly, people have a problem with shelling out #499 (about $900) for a 13-watt guitar amp. Secondly, the controls (such as they are - see other reviews) are at the bottom of the back of the amp, so they are about as inaccessible as they could possibly be. However, the 13 watts of A-class valve power that this thing kicks out are easily a match for a 50-watt solid state amp; and once you set the volume, tone and reverb level, you don't really need to touch them again. This amp is simply wonderful. I am getting used to other guitarists laughing at it - especially when I tell them that it is a 13-watter - until I plug in and play. Then their jaws drop and their conversation turns to which amp they will buy next. I'm not planning to buy anything else. It has an output for an extension cab, and I'm looking for something suitable to plug in there, then I'm done. Quality or quantity? Your money, your choice. If you can find one of these then buy it.

Hardly any features. Just the way any pure class A should be. There's a volume knob, Tone, Reverb,bright switch, high low instrument inputs and speaker out designed for a 16ohm speaker. I think that's it. Comes loaded with a 16ohm celestion classic 30. Covered in black tolex. BTW: All controls are located at the back of the amp. Old school baby!

Best sounding Class A for under a grand. Infact it sounds as nice as amps 3 times the price, seriously. The tone is sweet and punchy. I can't beleive the beuty of it's sound. It's a 15w class A with a pentode/diode switch allows you to cut the power into half (about 6w). The amp breaks up nicely at around 11:00 and overdrives with a sweet bit at 2:00. I've added an SIB Varidrive infront of the amp to give me some heavier overdrive tones. I use a Fender STD STRAT and Gibson Les pual and they both sound great through this amp. I would describe the tone of this amp being closest to an AC30 or Matchless tone. Sounds amazing! I can't beleive that I could actually find one. These amps are discontinued so unless you want to drop 1000+ on the Gibson version you will have to search far and wide for someone selling a used Vello. Let me tell you they are a rare find. The tone on this amp explains why.

Built well. The previous owner of this amp used it on lots of gigs. It's beaten up a bit but that's normal. I've been playing it for about 6 months now and it hasn't given me any problems.

n/a

I paid a lot for this amp. However, considering that they are so hard to find and they actually did retail for about $899 us when they first came out into the market. I'd say that I got a great dreal! The tone is just SUPER on this amp!

Not much to speak of. It's simply a Class A with the basics. Volume,tone,reverb,pentode and triode switchs, two guitar inputs (low and high), foot swich input, Bright switch and a 16ohm speaker out. All controls and inputs etc.. are located at the lower rear panel of the amp. I've added a foot switch for the reverb to my setup and may eventually add an extention cab. For now it's only being used as a recording amp...may need to ad the cab for LIVE apps. This is a 15watt amp that is capable of cutting it's power to less than half the wattage (6watts) via the Pentode/Triode switch. The controls actually make a big difference in shaping the tone on this amp. If you twist the tone knob enough your bound to get the sound that is needed/prefered. It's a basic amp. Very simple.

I've got two guitars that are used with this amp...A PRS Custom 22 and a Fender AM Strat. Both guitars just sing though this amp, partly due to the sweet sounding 12" Celestion that's loaded in the Velo. Both guitars bring their own unique character to the sound. The Velo allow for this to happen as it is smooth and very transparant. The tone that kicks out of this little guy is unbeleivable. Sounds extra Fat with HB's and full of natural tone in general, which is caused by the tubes (2 EL84's and 2 12AX7's)and ,of course, the amps Class A nature! The amp is very quiet even when cranked. It records with excellant results, really cuts through the mix. I would qualify the tone as bieng simmilar to a VOX or Matchless perhaps...that's the basic sound. Effects can always be added, I don't use them however. Sonically this amp is marvolous! it's dynamically loud without any shrill but rather tones of warmth...Gives me goose bumps just thinking about it:)

Seems to be built well. Made in England. Very clean layout. Transformers seem heavy duty. I've had this thing cranked for months at a time and it's still ticking like a Rolex

I hear that Gibson owns them now...Never had to deal with either company for warranty work or repairs in general. Have heard lots of good things about Gibson service though! The exact same amp is still being made with Gibson badging as the Velo12r has been discontinued. Tell you the truth, I still like the looks of the Velo much better. The Gibson version has a rootsier looking colour scheme but somehow reminds me of a Pig Nose...but that's just my opinion.

If you crave the Class A sound than look no further. If a heavy raunchy sound is your groove than look elswhere. It is what it is! I just love this amp, it fits with my playing styles perfectly (Blues, classic rock and jazz). You may hardly see these amps for sale on the used market as I've heard owners are keeping then. However, if you really want one you could by Gibsons version (Costs more,cause it's Gibson, but it's the same exact thing).

It's a basic amp. That's the idea! round the back (which is where all controls reside) you'll find a volume,tone and reverb knob. a bright switch to lighten things up. 16ohm cab out and high/low input jacks. I think that's it. It's a single channel Class A. Comes equipt with two EL84's and two 12ax7's, standard Class a setup. 15 watts really isn't allot of power when you thing about it. This amp however, is pretty loud. I could easily do small bar gigs with it. It's not very versitile, it wasn't designed that way.

Calss A all the way...this is one classy amp. When cranked the amp sings beutifully. Even at bedroom volumes it sounds rich and pure. The tone is very warm and dynamic. This amp is loaded with a Celestion Classic 30 which totally seems to be the right choice for this amp. It works marvolously! If you need more distortion than this amp can provide than just through a tube screamer or Full Drive2 infront of it and that's it. Great amp!

Built well. You can tell that this amp was built with some pride.

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These amps are becoming really hard to find. I was forced to pay 425 for a used one because they are in dimand and very rare as they have been discontinued. I could have paid the extra for Gibsons rebadged version of this amp but I came accross a used Velo and figured why pay more for something that is identical (except colour) besides the Velo looks much cooler! It's a vintage looking amp with vintage tone and modern day reliability. Grab it if you can

Not allot of features. Read the other reviews.

Plug in and Play! Excellant clarity. Beuitiful tone and warmth. I use a 92 Fender standard strat. Sometimes effects are added such as Fulltone Fulldrive 2, Maxon analog delay, MXR phase 100. I don't use the effect often though, the amp sounds fanominal on it's own. I use the Velocette in the studio mainly. It is being miked with a Shure SM57 with excellant results. Sounds very nice.

I bought this amp used. The previous owner had it for two years without any problems. I'm not worried.

N/A

The Velo is not the most versitile amp you can buy. Infact, it's very basic but effects can be added in front of the amp if necessary. How many reviews have you read about effect laiden amps were complaints are made against them? Too Many. Peramiters are too difficult to get right..., just can't get the sound I want... and so on! The greatest class A amps of all time (Vox AC30, Matchless DC-30, Orange Amps etc...) offer basic features. What does that tell you? The Velo 12R is right there, naked and true! some features are missing that may have come in handy like an effects loop, but who cares, really? This amp allows the beuty of your instrument shine through and it adds warmth to it. The Velo was created based on an Old World design, that's what makes this an awsome amp. You get the vintage looks and tone coupled with modern day reliability ,plain and simple...The Velocette 12R is a Tone Monster and ,ultimately, IMO a modern day classic.

Not a lot of features, yet I wouldn't call it a One trick pony either. The Celestion Vintage 30 speaker that comes with the Velo really does some justice to this amp. Other reviewers have swapped tubes and have experienced favorable results. I haven't yet, I'll probably pop some Tesla's in. Mine came with Sovtek's. One thing that won't be replaced is the Vintage 30 speaker. It sounds beutiful!

I decided to take a look at this amp on a friend's recomendation and All the hype that's made about this amp. A local music shop had one left. It was a floor model but in mint condition. I plugged into the Velo 12R with an Ash Body Deluxe Strat. I can't quite remember, but after the 5th or 6th chord that was played I unplugged the strat from the Velo and told the sales guy to wrap it up! I want to adopt this amp! What beutiful complexity this amp posesses, it sounds warm and very rich. The tone from the Velo is classic. Now, Tone is subjective but I can't immagine anyone plugging into a Velo and complaining that it sounds thin or dull. It's tone is milkshake thick. All that hype was right on the money, the Velo is clearly a winner. No wonder Gibson rebadged it and keeps producing this wonderful gem under the Gibson name (at a Gibson price). Great Amp.

I've had this amp for 2 months nd no problems. I'm the least bit concerned about it's reliability as the amp seems to be built well. Made in England with pure quality craftsmanship. The transistor problems only exsisted with the Velo 1x10 and even then it was only in the early batches. There haven't been any negative reports on the Velo 12r that I've heard of. Besides it comes with a two year warranty. I've heard that Gibson will honor the warranty on stuff like transisters etc.. even after the warranty is up. Either way, it's a class A tube amp. If tubes are chaned when needed and the amp is properly maintained from time to time than there shouldn't be any problems.

No Experience. I've heard Great things about Gibson USA (Current owner of Trace)

I've been playing for roughly 23 years. I own 16 amps and 12 guitars. Some boutique (Bogner, Matchless, Bruno, VHT, Top Hat, Vintage Fender) and some mass produced. This is a modest collection compaired to some. Although I have a pretty good selection of gear and a wide variety at that, the Velo is played quite often and suprisingly stands up the boutique stuff. This little amp has lots of character, it poduces a Vox / Matchless tone. It's a keeper! These amps are difficult to find so if the oportunity presents itself Grab It or I will!

There aren't many features to speak of here. It's a simple design and that's what it was ment to be. Just enough to keep things interesting. The Velo is a single channell All Tube class A with 12ax7 pre's and el84's in the power section. Mine came with Tesla tubes all around. A stereo effects loop would have been nice, granted this amp is all about simplicity and pure tone and not all those fancy bells and whistle. If effects are needed, just add them in front of the amp and your there. I mainly use this amp in the studio and sometimes practice in a live jams.

This is were things get hot. This amp shines with warm tone and fantasic detail. The amp really does what a class A is suposed to do, provide warm tone and purcussive detial. It's easy to push this amp past the 12 o'clock point without hearing loss. That's when things get really hot and the velo explodes with 3D tone, you hear every note and detail. If you suck than the amp won't cover your mistakes. It just tells it like it is. That's not to say that the Velo lacks charachter or is just raw sounding on the contrary, this amp has lots of soul. I use a Fender STD US Strat, it makes this puppy sing, with some help from me:) If you have great guitars than The Velo will sound awsome! If you play average instruments than you'll only sound great through this amp. I've been looking for an amp like this for a long time. It's a wonderful peice.

Seems very well built.

No experience but I have read great things about Trace and it's successor (Gibson)

I've been playing for 18 years now. I have owned several amps in a variety of flavours, The Velo is Fantasic. It's a keeper. If it were lost or stolen I would buy the gibson version to this amp immidiately. The Class A warmth is just wonderful. If you can find one, grab it!

I just picked it up last week. There was only one left at my local music store and it was sold to me as an NOS at a discounted price as this model is now discontinued. It has been re-encarnated as a Gibson GA15 RV (Same exact amp with a pumped up list price of $1199) since Gibson now owns Trace Elliot. I beleive mine is a 1999/2000 model year. The features are very basic. This doesn't necessarily make the amp any less versitile however. All that's needed are some pedals to add what may be missing (Heavy distortion/Overdrive etc...). It's a single channel amp that provides natural tube distortion when cranked. The rear panel where all of the amps controls reside sports the following features: High level input jack, low level input jack>>Bright switch>> Volume Knob>> Tone Knob>> Reverb Knob>>Reverb Switch input jack>> Pentode/triode (15w /6w) selectable switch>> 16 ohm speaker out and AC Power terminal. That's it. The versitility in power switching that this thing has is just perfect. You can go from 15w (Pentode mode) to 6 w (Triode mode) just beutiful. This means that at bedroom volume levels (when in 6w triode mode)you can acheive natural tube warmth without blowing the bedroom windows out of their frame. The triode mode is a tinge darker sounding as one reviewer reported, however, this can be adjusted by using the tone knob on the amp and/or the tone knob on your guitar. This little gem is a Class A amp with 2 el84's in the power section ans 2 12ax7's for preamp. I haven't messed around with swapping tubes yet. Mine came with groove tubes in the power section and I don't know what kind of preamps it has. Either way they sound fantastic. I will try other tubes eventually but like the saying goes: If it ain't broken why fix it. The 12r comes loaded with a Celestion Vintage 30 speaker. Trace also offered an alnico upgrade speaker at the time when these amps where still being made under the Trace Elliot name. The Velo 12R Alnico model was listed at $1099. The List on the Velo 12r with Vitage 30 is $899. An effect loop may have come in handy but it doesn't really matter to me because I've always used analog pedals in front of the amp anyway. This amp has been revamped and badged as a Gibson GA15 RV after Gibson bought out Trace. The Gibson GA15 RV is identical to the Velo, infact they are still made out of the Trace factory in England.

Very Warm and fat sounding. Oh lord What an amp! The picking dynamics are very responsive. If played hard the amp respands accordingly, Much like most tube amps do. This one does the dynamics thing beutifully. There's nothing like Class A warmth. The highs are shimmering and not ear shaving. The mids are punchy and lows are fat and tight. Perfect sound for Jazz, Blues, Classic Rock etc...except metal(Shredders need not apply). I've alreay had a chance to record with this amp and let me say this: It's Tone heaven each time I lay down a track using this Amp. The tonal complexity is second to none. I still can't beleive the Tone that pumps out of this thing, it's magical. I use an SM57 mic along with an Audio Technica 37R condensor to mic the amp. This amp really cuts through and records amazingly. I can get Voxy tones as well as the Matchless warm tube sounds and it's all good:) No studio should be without one. I have several other amps which have cost me well over 5-10 times the price of the Velo (Matchless Cheiftan 2x12, Fender Twin and Mesa Boogie Blue Angel)that sound as good as this one. I haven't giged with it, my initial intention was to used it in the studio only but you could certainly play a pub or smaller venue with this amp. The tone is so good that I'm sure I will take it to a gig sooner or later. This is a Boutique amp that just costs less. I would give it an 11 if I could, it's that good!

Too soon to say but it seems to be built well. The parts are very good to (Input jacks, switches etc...) I'm confident that with the proper maintenence this baby should last a lifetime or two!

NO experience, I've only heard good things about Gibson's costomer service so know that they own Trace I'm sure the same service quality will apply. The amp comes with a 2 year warrenty.

I've been playing guitar for almost 18 years now and have never come accross such a gem like this. The Velo has excellant tone and responsivness, at any price. It's a keeper for sure. Beleive me I've played, owned or have owned many boutique amps and this one is as great as any. If you could even find one them buy it, blind folded even! or the other option is to bite the bullet and pick up a Gibson GA15 RV. Either way the Velo 12r is a winner!