Trace Elliot ELF 200W Micro Bass Guitar Amp Head
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Trace Elliot ELF Ultra Compact Bass Amplifier

Description
Designed in the U.K. and the U.S., the ELF produces a solid, fan-cooled 200 continuous watts RMS at 4 ohms. The switch mode power supply has thermal as well as over-current protection, and the gain knob features a bicolor LED that turns red when the preamp compressor engages. The unique input gain has three regions of operation - uncompressed, variable multiband compression, and overdrive. In terms of sonic quality, the ELF has a clean signal path with simple controls, making it easy to achieve a professional bass tone. The 3-band rotary EQ has three proprietary Trace Elliot filters: low center (80 Hz), mid center (500 Hz) and high center (4.2 KHz). Studio-quality XLR outputs, with a ground lift switch, ensure the tone the player has on stage is the same tone in the PA. There’s also a headphone output to enable quiet practice. The ELF provides all of this versatility in a unit that measures a trailblazing 1.35-in. x 6.75-in. x 4.10-in.—today the smallest bass amp in the industry.
The ELF comes with an embroidered nylon carrying case, an owner’s manual CD-ROM that includes the REAPER DAW and Peavey ReValver amp modeling software, and a Union Jack sticker that reminds of Trace Elliot’s U.K. roots.



Features
- Power: 200W
- Single channel
- Single input
- Impedance: 4 ohms
- Controls: 3-band EQ, gain, volume
- XLR outputs with ground lift
- Headphone output
- Dimensions: 6.75 in. x 1.35 in. x 4.1 in.
- Weight: 1.6 lbs.
Warranty
Featured Articles
Reviews
4.6
20 Reviews
94%
of respondents would recommend this to a friend
Most Liked Positive Review
great head with some quirks
i bought this because im quarantined in my girlfriends apartment and i didn't have an amp head with a headphone jack. i had been curious to hear one for a while so this was my excuse to finally buy one. the build quality is very good and i was actually blown away by the tone, both through the headphones, and through a speaker cabinet. i wasnt sure if the "trace elliot sound" was for me but i actually found it very pleasant. big fat bass and a crunchy upper mid. honestly its not far from the "ampeg sound" so its not too hard to like. obviously the portability is great and hilarious. it really does fit in your jacket pocket. in terms of power, i think that its plenty loud enough to tackle most peoples idea of a low to medium loud gig. obviously its not going to cut it with your thrash metal band, but with an nice efficient cab i would feel confident taking it to a cafe jam or acoustic backup or even pub gig no problem. my complaints are that both the volume and gain have some pretty severe shelving at the bottom of their range, so its not really possible to, for example, dime the gain and feather in the master volume for more crunch. even if you're just trying to play super duper quiet, the level controls are very finicky down there. the amp seems to be happiest with all knobs at noon. the other complaint is that the fan motor is extremely sensitive, to the point that every note you play causes the fan to wind up, and if you rest for a second, it winds down again, the overall effect being that the fan is constantly changing speeds, going up and down. this happens even with just the headphones plugged in, so that the other person in the room just hears this robotic wheezing sound. it wouldn't be a problem live but it might not work for recording quieter things with a microphone. it would be better if the fan stayed at a constant rate. it would also be very handy for this kind of head to have a aux in. all in all im very happy to own this amp despite its quirks
Most Liked Negative Review
Its got great power for its size .
I tried the Elf out with a 5 string off the rack at Manchester NH store this weekend. The volume per weight and size was certainly impressive. I found the gain knob directly affected the compressor , which was quite excessive at 1/4 to have volume. I run compression in my current rig and have the option of turning it down/ shutting it down which the Elf does not have . The squash is very audible and not musical for even finger style. Slapping with gain up is almost 1 step forward 2 steps backwards volume wise. On a side note the 2x8 cab and that little sucker is loud and deep!! So as long as you dont use the gain knob with an active bass past 3 your tone shouldnt be squashed.
- Performances17
- Home Studio13
- Outdoor Events / Games12
- Professional Recording6
- Amateur Recording5
- Limited Functions2
- Not durable1
- Experienced10
- Professional Musician8
- Excellent Sound16
- Portable16
- Easy To Use15
- Good Power Output15
- Warm / Comfy15
Reviewed by 20 customers
Lots of power in a little package.
Verified Buyer
submitted3 years ago
byscott
fromnorth kingstown,ri
Submitted as part of a sweepstakes
Our bass player and lead guitar player retired at the same time, so I switched to bass to audition new guitar players and needed a bass amp. Lots of power in an incredibly small package, at a very reasonable price point.
Punchy sound loud fan
Verified Buyer
submitted3 years ago
byG
fromFremont, CA
Fan is too loud unless you have it cranked. Good sounds at any volume
A great killer amp
submitted4 years ago
byFelix
fromHouston, Tx
I use this rig with two elf 10" cabinets. It sounds great.
great head with some quirks
submitted5 years ago
byNeslon
fromBay Area, Ca
i bought this because im quarantined in my girlfriends apartment and i didn't have an amp head with a headphone jack. i had been curious to hear one for a while so this was my excuse to finally buy one. the build quality is very good and i was actually blown away by the tone, both through the headphones, and through a speaker cabinet. i wasnt sure if the "trace elliot sound" was for me but i actually found it very pleasant. big fat bass and a crunchy upper mid. honestly its not far from the "ampeg sound" so its not too hard to like. obviously the portability is great and hilarious. it really does fit in your jacket pocket. in terms of power, i think that its plenty loud enough to tackle most peoples idea of a low to medium loud gig. obviously its not going to cut it with your thrash metal band, but with an nice efficient cab i would feel confident taking it to a cafe jam or acoustic backup or even pub gig no problem. my complaints are that both the volume and gain have some pretty severe shelving at the bottom of their range, so its not really possible to, for example, dime the gain and feather in the master volume for more crunch. even if you're just trying to play super duper quiet, the level controls are very finicky down there. the amp seems to be happiest with all knobs at noon. the other complaint is that the fan motor is extremely sensitive, to the point that every note you play causes the fan to wind up, and if you rest for a second, it winds down again, the overall effect being that the fan is constantly changing speeds, going up and down. this happens even with just the headphones plugged in, so that the other person in the room just hears this robotic wheezing sound. it wouldn't be a problem live but it might not work for recording quieter things with a microphone. it would be better if the fan stayed at a constant rate. it would also be very handy for this kind of head to have a aux in. all in all im very happy to own this amp despite its quirks
Much More Than a Backup Amp
submitted6 years ago
byIamBuzzy
fromNC
This amp does everything I want and more. I have paired it with two Trace Elliot 1x10 cabinets. It's astonishing what this amp delivers with 200 watts and I love the classic TE tone it produces. Some consider the Elf a backup amp but truthfully it will handle 98% of my gigs. I could not be happier. Did I mention how light this amp is ha ha? 1.6lbs! Hats off to Peavey and the TE team for bringing us this little marvel of amplification.
Yes
submitted6 years ago
byMc
fromoakland
It is what it says it is, I tried in on BBC 12/12 and it drives this and end of service i put it in bass guitar gig bag . Good option when I leave Mark Bass 800 home and don't need power
Q&A
Have a question about this product? Our expert Gear Advisers have the answers.
submitted4 years ago
asked byJdaub
fromundisclosed
Can this run DI only or does it need a cabinet/load?
It requires a load.submitted6 years ago
asked byTony
fromHouma, LA
Can this be used with an Ampeg combo amp?
No. You would need a separate cabinet.submitted7 years ago
asked byRick
fromSeattle, WA
Do you have to have a speaker cabinet plugged in or can you just plug in headphones or use it as a DI like on the old SWR heads?
This has a headphone output on the front and an XLR D.I on the back.This has a headphone output on the front and an XLR D.I on the back.