Trace Elliot Transit B Bass Pre-amp & Effects

Many moons ago this reviewer’s first proper bass amp was a trusty Trace Elliot 715 200w combo. It was a much-loved, if no-frills, workhorse unit, but was distinctly lacking the compact finesse of much modern bass gear. Fast forward to the present day and Trace Elliot are back in the game with a new line of smaller, sleeker products that ooze contemporaneous bright colours, multiple tone options and funky designs.

Which brings us to the Transit B Bass Pre-amp & Effects unit that’s intended to provide the working bassist a pouch- (rather than pocket) sized pre-amp boasting all the usual Trace Elliot tone-shaping EQ options, plus a nifty compressor and a ‘drive’ for adding some grit to your bass sound. In use the unit is compact and a great substitute when circumstances dictate going direct into the PA, providing the player hands-on control away from the monitor engineer!

There are a couple of niggles though: the permanently back-lit green lights around the control pots actually makes it tricky to set levels with any accuracy on a darkened stage as you can’t see the white marker dots very well, and the mini gig bag which was provided, certainly with our review model, struggled to accommodate the Transit B – so much, in fact, that we gave up trying! That said, the Transit B is stylish, if a tad over-engineered, and offers a huge range of tonal options in a highly portable package.

This review originally appeared in the September 2019 issue of Jazzwise. Never miss an issue – subscribe today!