SOLD: Trace Elliot V6 all valve 400w holy grail of a bass amp! £1500

[la bam]

Trace Elliot V6 ALL VALVE 400W bass amp.

The holy grail of bass amps!!

Extremely rare!! Very, very few of these made.

This dates from around 2000.

Packed with all valve goodness and 6 valve output tubes / valves.

It has a great gain control which helps keep the tone Valvey but clean right up to high levels. A 4 tone eq stack. Flat is 2-10-2. Post and pre DI and hi and low switches for endless tone shaping!

The beauty of this amp is it is around 25kg, so it's a lot lot lighter than an Ampeg or similar valve amp.

If owned SVT, ashdown ctm300, laney nexus tube - all the big valve amps, and this is hands down the best.

In good condition seeing its 20 years old and sounds amazing!!

Also, a current, and certainly future collectors item!!

Comes with custom made hard flight case.

Reluctant sale. I've had this a few weeks. I've not been able to work since the start of the pandemic, still cant sure to restrictions and now of all things I need ceiling repairs..... so I'm having a big clear out: x2 valve amps, 2 basses. What doesnt sell first, stays.

Pick up Leyland, Lancashire.

Edited October 24, 2021 by la bam

[ZenBasses]

I am really happy with my EBS Fafner but I totally regret selling one of these to purchase it and a Proline cab. These are seriously awesome....and should have a dedicated Beast Mode setting.....

 

GLWTS

[thodrik]

14 hours ago, ZenBasses said:

I am really happy with my EBS Fafner but I totally regret selling one of these to purchase it and a Proline cab. These are seriously awesome....and should have a dedicated Beast Mode setting.....

 

GLWTS

I have a V6 and a Fafner and frankly could never come to terms with selling either of them!

GLWTS

 

[la bam]

Reduced to £1395.

Collectors item.

Best valve sound out there.

10kg lighter than an SVT.

Comes with custom hard case.

Recently revalved.

[Sparky Mark]

I thought the V6 was a 220 watt head?

https://usermanual.wiki/Collections/magnet/files/9365 Audio Schematics and Service Manuals/Trace-Elliot V6 Bass Amp Service Manual.pdf.html

Edited July 25, 2021 by Sparky Mark

[thodrik]

24 minutes ago, Sparky Mark said:

I thought the V6 was a 220 watt head?

https://usermanual.wiki/Collections/magnet/files/9365 Audio Schematics and Service Manuals/Trace-Elliot V6 Bass Amp Service Manual.pdf.html

The original V type all valve head was the precursor to the V4 and was a 200/220 watt valve head. There was never a proper manual for the V6 as there was a general VType manual for the original range that was never updated specifically for the V6.

 

The V6 has 6 power amp tubes. It was marketed at 400 watts. Whether it actually did deliver 400 watts is open to question given most amps with six power amp tubes (Ampeg SVT) are marketed as 300 watt. Irrespective of that the V6 is loud as all hell with all the headroom you will ever need.

[Sparky Mark]

1 hour ago, thodrik said:

The original V type all valve head was the precursor to the V4 and was a 200/220 watt valve head. There was never a proper manual for the V6 as there was a general VType manual for the original range that was never updated specifically for the V6.

 

The V6 has 6 power amp tubes. It was marketed at 400 watts. Whether it actually did deliver 400 watts is open to question given most amps with six power amp tubes (Ampeg SVT) are marketed as 300 watt. Irrespective of that the V6 is loud as all hell with all the headroom you will ever need.

I'm working on the basis that this particular V6 has KT88 output valves which would sensibly be biased for 35 to 42 watts each. I'm not sure advertising as a 400 watt head is the best policy. Anyhow it's up to any potential buyer to perform due diligence.

Edited July 25, 2021 by Sparky Mark

[la bam]

Hi, Trace Elliot themselves marketed it as a 400w head. I'm just going off what they marketed it as. Theres lots of discussion online as to how they got the 400w out of it so to speak. As thodrik says though regardless it as big and as loud and powerful as you'll ever need. Oh, and it sounds glorious.

[Sparky Mark]

14 minutes ago, la bam said:

Hi, Trace Elliot themselves marketed it as a 400w head. I'm just going off what they marketed it as. Theres lots of discussion online as to how they got the 400w out of it so to speak. As thodrik says though regardless it as big and as loud and powerful as you'll ever need. Oh, and it sounds glorious.

True, but I'd trust a Service Manual put together by the design team long before anything created by a marketing department. 

[thodrik]

7 hours ago, Sparky Mark said:

True, but I'd trust a Service Manual put together by the design team long before anything created by a marketing department. 

With 6xKT88 valves I would realistically expect the V6 to be a 300 watt valve amp, with the 4xKT88 V4 being a 200 watt amp. This would match with other KT88 amps like the 4xKT88 Matamp GT200 being rated at 200 ‘clean’ watts (and probably much more once you drive it beyond that) and the 6xKT88 Ashdown CTM 300 being rated at 300 watts.
 

Could TE have squeezed 400 watts out of the V6? I’m not sure, but it was marketed as a 400 watt amp and on that basis can be marketed as such on the second hand market. Even if it was only achieved 300 valve watts of clean power it is still a hell of a lot of power and more than a player will ever need in a rehearsal or gigging situation.

 

Either way, the reference to the 220 watt VType head in the service manual is a reference to the original 4xKT88 VType valve head that preceded the V4 and V6 (one of which is currently on sale in the classifieds here). So the reference to 220 watts in the service manual is not accurate unless one works under the assumption that both the V4 and V6 are 220 watt amps, which doesn’t really make any sense given the difference in the number of output valves. 
 

 

[Jonse]

Trace Elliot watts are louder. End of discussion!

[HazBeen]

These are great amps, never a commercial success story but man the combination of a passive Fender/Alembic type pre, with Tube power section is ridiculously sweet sounding. TE got it very right with the V series.

[Sparky Mark]

2 hours ago, thodrik said:

Could TE have squeezed 400 watts out of the V6? I’m not sure, but it was marketed as a 400 watt amp and on that basis can be marketed as such on the second hand market. 

 

 

That's the spirit. 😄

[la bam]

I found the original marketing.

 

 

[Sparky Mark]

28 minutes ago, la bam said:

I found the original marketing.

 

 

Yes, the old marketing blurb isn't in doubt; the point is whether it reflects reality? Regardless, it's a great amplifier that doesn't need potentially exaggerated marketing claims to back it up and the next owner should be delighted. Good luck with your sale.

[DiMarco]

Fact is the V6 is LOUD AS FCK!

So is my Hexa Valve, reportedly a 380w all valve amp with six 6550's in there.

 

[RCMUSIC]

I’m extremely interested! Is it still for sale?

[la bam]

Whereabouts are you based?

[Rich]

"Is it 400w or 300?" In the case of this amp, it's more like "is it utterly deafening or completely and utterly deafening?"

 

[Bassman72]

Does the V6 have the 4 ohm and 2 ohm selector switch? The V4 that I have has 8 ohms and 4 ohms switch. So surely as for loudness, it would also depend on what cab you are driving the amp into? One thing is for sure, the V4 into an 8 ohm load is loud enough for what I need!!

[la bam]

Hi, yes it has the 4ohm and 2ohm switch for flexibility. Thanks.

 

22 minutes ago, Bassman72 said:

Does the V6 have the 4 ohm and 2 ohm selector switch? The V4 that I have has 8 ohms and 4 ohms switch. So surely as for loudness, it would also depend on what cab you are driving the amp into? One thing is for sure, the V4 into an 8 ohm load is loud enough for what I need!!

 

[la bam]

Reduced to £1200.

[la bam]

Reduced for one week to £995.

 

Thunderous rare V6.

[la bam]

OPEN TO OFFERS.

 

ONCE ITS GONE, ITS GONE. YOULL NOT GET HOLD OF ANOTHER.

[Bobo_08]

 

On 25/07/2021 at 12:06, Sparky Mark said:

I'm working on the basis that this particular V6 has KT88 output valves which would sensibly be biased for 35 to 42 watts each. I'm not sure advertising as a 400 watt head is the best policy. Anyhow it's up to any potential buyer to perform due diligence.

Interesting points of view on the power rating of this amp, why should/would anyone diverge from the manufacturers ratings of what the amp can output?

 

What this logic suggests is, that anyone selling a second hand amp should dig out the schematics to determine the power output before advertising...? 🤷‍♂️