Mer ended up getting the Zeta AP12 we'd tried at Rayburn's, and found that its 12-inch driver cut through much better than the Trace's four 5-inch drivers. When I got my Trace we tried them both in the same room - we agreed that the Trace sounded better, but were surprised it was not THAT much better than the Zeta. And considering the Zeta is $150 less than the Trace, I ended up deciding to return the Trace...
... but not to necessarily get the Zeta. Since I don't yet have an ongoing band affiliation (though I'm working on that - more in a few weeks, hopefully) I can't know that I'll need to compete with a band like Shelley, who are on the loud end of their type. I'm still enamored of the small size/weight of the Trace (the Zeta weighs nearly twice that and is a much bigger box), and figured if I end up in a situation where it seems appropriate, I could buy the TA50R again and try it again.
Or then there's EBay! I've got a band rehearsal situation coming up early next month, and Meredith offered to let me use her old Crate until I can make an informed amp decision. I still kind of regretted returning the Trace, even though logically it made sense - $850 for what would probably be a "second" amp was ridiculous. So I was poking around EBay late last week, and noticed there were two small "Trace Acoustic Amps" listed, for starting prices in the $200 range. That was more like what I could justify buying one for, so I checked them out closely. Neither were quite what I had originally bought: one had reverb but no DI out, and the other was older with no reverb or DI in.
Surprisingly, there was little competition for either one. I decided to bid on the unit with reverb, and after a couple of bids from someone who didn't go high enough to make the reserve, I landed on it @ $250 late Friday and it's been sitting there ever since. The older unit's auction closed on Sunday without any bids, starting @ $200. So in about a minute, unless I get sniped....
And I was - $306 took it in the last 30 secs. But I saved the email address of the guy whose Trace didn't sell, so will see whether it's still available and at what price. It's the Equinox, and financial transactions haven't been going well for several days now - the gas company double-debited my bank account, someone got J's AmEx #, etc. And the weekend was a washout between work requiring 16 hrs of attention Sat. and my father needing an ER visit all of Sunday. I haven't even had time to do my laundry...
Ah, well - there's another email for a new band inquiry to check out, too, and some sessions to meet about... I'll be happy if I actually get to rehearse this weekend without interruptions!