The T-Bass bass guitar series was launched by Trace Elliot as a limited edition to celebrate 15 years of bass amp building. A year later the T-bass, built in the UK by Status, was in full production. The initial concept behind the T-Bass (according to Trace Elliot's Mark Gooday) was to produce a Jazz-type bass for the year 2000. The finished instrument should retain a classic look but with a more ergonmic approach to the overall design.

With this in mind the T-Bass was a 2-octave instrument with 24 frets (2.6mm wide and 1.1mm high) instead of the 20 frets on the original Fender Jazz bass. Rob Green of Status added the idea of a zero fret - a feature of Status basses. The headstock is another obvious departure from the original Fender design. To improve ergonomics the T-Bass has a chamfered headstock so the tuners are both tilted backwards and towards the player to make tuning easier.

The overall neck construction on the T-Bass (both 4 and 5 string versions) uses the standard Status 3-piece laminate bolt on neck style (reinforced with 2 carbon fiber inserts either side of the truss rod). Typically the rosewood finger board has no position markers on the front, just brass side dots.

The neck shaping differs between 4 and 5 string versions - with the 4 string version having a traditional profile but the wider 5-string has a flat section in the middle. They are finished in satin. The body is alder.

The bridge is a Status design with indidividual mini-bridges for each string. Both the 4&5 string versions have the same pickups & electronics: 2 Jazz-type single-coil Hyperactive pickups and a third hum-cancelling coil hidden in its own recess under the scratchplate behind the neck pickup. The pickups have individual volume controls and centre notched active bass and treble controls. An EQ bypass toggle switch gives you a flat (no EQ boost or cut) sound.

Source: Trace Elliot T-Bass 4- and 5-string. Nigel Pierce. Bass Magazine