A Very Sad Day

In Memoriam, Fred Friedlein

Here is a personal message from Mark Gooday…

It is with great sadness to report that the Founder of Trace Elliot and my Mentor Fred Friedlein has passed away in his sleep after a fall which resulted in complications .

My thoughts are with his wife, children and family.

Fred was a pioneer, a gentleman and friend, without whom I would not be making bass amps still today and would not have been a proud owner of Part of Trace Elliot and its place in Bass History, cheers Fred.

His attention to detail was incredible, from playing guitar and his effects for the set list to the team plan in a game of cricket. The sale of Trace Elliot to Kaman in 1992 was fantastic on one level, but as with many company owners who retire, it also caused him incredible loss of direction and focus, resulting in Fred starting other companies in Sound engineering, which were also successful as you expect with such an innovator.

He will be missed.