VTypeV4 Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 I collected this compact but weighty beast from Bristol today - a last bastion of the 'oldskool' Trace Elliot dating from Feb '99. I'll not fly into a drawn out essay here but history suggests this particular era of TE wasn't known for the same level of quality as their heyday but this example has stood the test of time. Everything works and it makes all the noises it's supposed to. Initial findings suggest the tonality is a little different than the SMX models and the additional features are very interesting so I'll do a review at some point. Did I need yet another black and green box with Trace Elliot written on it? Of course not, but I convinced myself 'something more compact' would no doubt 'come in useful' which if I'm being honest is at least half true. Anyways, I'm very pleased with my new toy as it sounds truly fantastic. ❤️ 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JottoSW1 Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 No glass back yet then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTypeV4 Posted July 11 Author Share Posted July 11 6 hours ago, JottoSW1 said: No glass back yet then. Not yet - I'm 41 so hoping I've got a few years left yet. 😬🤣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JottoSW1 Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 Stripling, I was born in 1962 down the road from where I'm still living in Westminster SW1P 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2pods Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 I had one exactly the same. It made a great noise, and the Harmonic Emphasis control saved me a fortune in strings. It literally seemed to make oldish strings sound new and zingy. Enjoy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTypeV4 Posted July 11 Author Share Posted July 11 10 hours ago, 2pods said: I had one exactly the same. It made a great noise, and the Harmonic Emphasis control saved me a fortune in strings. It literally seemed to make oldish strings sound new and zingy. Enjoy I'm very familiar with the SMX but the extra bells and whistles of this later preamp with the Harmonic Emphasis and Variable Valve stage are particularly useful - it sounds killer with the anniversary Jazz. ❤️ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JottoSW1 Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 I'm only at all familiar with pre smx stuff. In my relative youth Tracey gear was the unattainable stuff used by Mark King or the living colour dude. Now an Ah500x (purchased a footswitch, hotcover, xlr spkr cables & spare blacklight bulbs, from on here) , 1818t, 1528, Ra300. Possibly a v type combo in a bit. A selection of preamps to go with ra300 when I'm not stonybroke. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JottoSW1 Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 BTW vtype v4. Your not anywhere near Audley / Betley North Staffordshire are you?. Used to have friends who lived in Bell Farmhouse Balterley on the former main crewe Rd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTypeV4 Posted July 12 Author Share Posted July 12 3 hours ago, JottoSW1 said: I'm only at all familiar with pre smx stuff. In my relative youth Tracey gear was the unattainable stuff used by Mark King or the living colour dude. Now an Ah500x (purchased a footswitch, hotcover, xlr spkr cables & spare blacklight bulbs, from on here) , 1818t, 1528, Ra300. Possibly a v type combo in a bit. A selection of preamps to go with ra300 when I'm not stonybroke. At 15 years old back in 1998, I purchased a little Trace Elliot Boxer 30 as it blew everything else I'd tried that day out of the water. It played louder, cleaner and offered a reasonably 'big boy' sound out of a manageable size box. I've had more than a few different brands over the years and they have all been great but I always come back to a Trace of some description - they just work for me. I had a V-Type combo for many years - it was the 4808 which was a slightly later variant with the green furr and four 8 inch Celestion drivers. It was loud, capable and stupid heavy. I loved the sound of it and did many gigs although I eventually sold it to buy an Ashton BV300 plus speakers. I still go backwards and forwards on whether the 4808 or the TwinValve Combo sounded better - both were pretty knockout. On the V-Type subject, the V4 MK2 and and V6 are amongst the finest pieces of bass amplification I've owned and as such, are definitely keepers. 3 hours ago, JottoSW1 said: BTW vtype v4. Your not anywhere near Audley / Betley North Staffordshire are you?. Used to have friends who lived in Bell Farmhouse Balterley on the former main crewe Rd. I'm in Hanley so not a million miles from Audley - I've probably passed it many times. 👍 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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