Tech 21 Acoustic DI

It seems a bit intimidating at first, but once you plug it in and start experimenting it becomes fairly simple to dial in some great tones. All the knobs can make good things happen to your tone. Just try it all out before you make your mind up.

Brilliant. If you want clean acoustic, rock,jazz, bass sounds this pedal will do it perfectly. Best of all, your sound doesn't have that nasty solid-state tone that many other brands give you. I don't know how they do it but this pedal gives such great, warm, ambient sounds.

Seven years of use and not one problem ever.

They email back very quickly and give you all the information you want and then some. They are very honest about what their products can and can't do, and give you many insider tips on how to get that little bit extra out of your rig.

This pedal has been one of my best purchases. Not only does it give exceptional sound, it is very easy to use, very easy to carry along and set up, and very reliable. For the price, this is a great investment.

Very easy to use, but it helps to play a lot with it so you can experience the full range of possibilites. The semi-parametric mid-range is wonderful. The "effects loop" available via an XLR using phantom power is nice, but at first I didn't quite see how to set it up.

I bought this on a whim. I'm just learning how to use a PC for recording and mixing. I thought this might be useful sometimes in the general case, and very nice for interfacing my one acoustic to my cheap mixer. Overall I was just plain amazed at the range, utility, and quality of the sounds I could get using this with a SansAmp GT2 plugged into its "effects loop". I'm still exploring all the options. My wife, who is not that musical or a guitar fan, was equally impressed. I used the software effects for real-time playing and was just so happy with all I could do. And of course, I can record with it. Overall I'm so glad I bought it. The DI with the GT2 give me what amounts to a versatile amp that fits in two coat pockets. One of the best toys I ever bought.

Too soon to tell, but my GT2 is still in good shape after 3 years of use.

The one time I had to talk to them on the phone about a different product was a very good experience. The are knowledgable and responsive. I've not tried email.

Wonderfull. Next I'm going to try it with my POD and then with my Yamaha DG-Stomp.

After reading umpteen reviews here attesting to the reliability and endurance of the Acoustic DI I purchased one. It died after a few months, 30 hours total time on stage. The next morning I asked the bassist if he had a spare DI. He was going to ask me the same thing as his DI... a Sans Amp Acoustic DI for his guitar... had gone defunct two days earlier.

The folks at Tech21 could not made setting up any easier. The manual is straight forward and there are some good samples included in the back if you want to skip right to the meat. The box is laid out as everyone else has said in prior reviews. One thing I would suggest is take some time to tweak your tones for each guitar you use. I would suggest going right to the samples and plugging acoustics in with the suggested acoustic settings. You can try the electric guitar settings and back off slightly on the mids to give you a good clean sound. For jazzier tones, just back the treble off. As the manual says, the controls are a bit interactive, so you need to try backing off treble for example, before boosting the bass. You also need to understand the midrange control because it is the strongest way to instantly effect your tone. Try the midrange settings with the acoustic and electric suggestions first and then try tweaking your tone controls. It also helps if you want to dial back in some of the natural string sound, by using a bit less "blend".

I have been spoiled by this DI for both my electric and acoustics guitars. I run direct into a Mackie 808 stereo head and Mackie C300 speaker cabs. I use a setting pretty close to what the "dirty electric" suggested settings are for PRS Archtop/Hollowbody and Ce22/Ce24's. I back off the midrange to take out the distortion. I use the included effects loop to add chorus/flange or some distortion. For electrics I think it is best to start with an articulated clean tone. For acoustics, a Taylor 814ce with the Fishman PRefix Pro Blend, I use the acousitc "country setting", but reduce the blend to about one half to dial back in some natural string sound. The Acoustic DI really does a good job of simulated tube compression to reduce the harshness of the piezo sound on stage. I also play a Taylor 74ce nylon string and use the "mic simulator" setting as well as the same setting for the 814ce, depending on the acoustics of the venue. Most of my venues are small club settings, with some outdoor festivals in better weather. I can use the Acoustic DI and always know that I will get a dependable stage tone that will project at any volume. The pickup in the Taylor 74ce is an LR Baggs Active Element system that gives a solid reproduction of the acoustic nylon sound.
I have tried just about every DI on the market, including the Fishman Platinum Pro EQ, LR BAggs Para acoustic DI, some preamps such as the Digitech Genesis series, the Pod version 2.0, etc. and the SansAmp Acoustic DI is, by far the best product I have used.

I have gigged with this on a regular basis, anywhere from 4-8 times per month for over four years and have never had a problem. I never take a back-up an have found it to be solid and reliable.

I have emailed the company and they responded within one day. I have never had to seek repair or return information.

I play everything from classic rock, jazz, flamenco, contemporary worship music. I have been playing for over thirty years. I use mostly Mesa Boogie for the electric side when not going direct with a SansAmp. My electrics are PRS's and a custom Brian Moore. My acoustics are Taylors as above and an Ovation 86 collectors.
I would buy another one as quickly as I could find one if it were stolen or lost. Then I would buy one more just to be sure.

I use this DI everytime I play and in every venue from our new large church to the local clubs and coffee bars. It is a major help in letting me forget about the gear and concentrate on my playing. Every once in a while I will stray and try something new. So far, I have always wandered back home to the SansAmp Acoustic DI. You can throw it in your case or gig bag and tell the house guy to set everything flat on your guitar channel. It really get the job done so you can do what you came there to do, just play guitar.

Many people give the SansAmp Acoustic DI a pretty high score for ease-of-use. However this unit has a LOT of features and for some of them it just isn't obvious how they work and the manual isn't really clear on these points. For example you can't tell from looking at the controls where the nominally flat response should be or if the EQ controls boost and cut. Also the spec. says 4.7 M input inpedance but doesn't say if this applies to BOTH inputs.
For more details look at my review on www.acousticmasters.com and listen to a jazz track, Harbour Nights, recorded exclusively with the SansAmp Acoustic DI.

As others have said this unit can be used very successfully with other instruments than an acoustic guitar. You can get a fantastic jazz guitar sound from a magnetic pickup on an archtop. It's also one of the quietest DIs I have used.

Have had a problem with the phantom power switch on a brand new unit, but this seemed to go away. We have three of these units and apart from the switch prob they have been very reliable.

The guys at Tech21 are very helpful and friendly. This is also true of their UK rep.

For any style of music that doesn't involve obvious distortion this is a fantastic little box with many applications. It's not limited just to acoustic guitar. In the UK it isn't particularly cheap at the current price.

Just a few tweaks and you are able to get a great acoustic sound out of this unit. The manual is is easy to use and even supplies sample settings for specific types of desired sounds.

I am playing a Martin JC-16RGTE through the Acoustic DI to a Carvin AG100D Acoustic Amp. Before getting this unit, the brittle piezio quack was driving me crazy! The rich deep Martin tone can now be amplified! I use the Acoustic DI through the effects loop on my Carvin amp which still allows easy use of the on board effects. I am one happy camper.

I bought this used and have only had it for a few days. So far so good!

I bought this used and it didn't have the owners manual. One email and one day later a .pdf file was sent from their customer service. These folks know how to keep their customers happy.

I play acoustic fingerstyle jazz and have been playing guitar for over 42 years. I tried several other effects units attempting to achieve the same tone and have been keeping eBay busy re-selling them. If I lose this unit or it gets stolen I will immediately buy a new one or replace it with the higher end Tech21 rackmount system

This is great for techno-dums like me. Everything is recognizable

I use it with an Epiphone Chet Atkins SST. I can say it is very quiet, it boosts the sound a LOT, and can sound very natural. I never use the "blend" to a maximum, because it sounds too heavy for my taste. In fact, I like to keep some of the piezo sound, so I put the "blend" half-way. I leave the EQ as flat as possible, because the Atkins sounds just to my tastes that way. Right now I use it straight to the console; it's fine with me

ALWAYS RELIABLE. Mine is 4 years old, and I've NEVER had any problem with it.

Never needed them

An excellent product in any way,shape or form.

Very good manual with settings examples. This is quick and simple to get good sound consistently.

The SansAmp has phantom power and balanced output, and you can drop the balanced output by -20 dB if needed. The Blend control provides a great acoustic sound for the Martin guitar and the Alvarez banjo. I usually have the Blend control at full which removes the harshness of the strings. The sound is very natural and it is very quick and easy to get a good sound. This also has an effects loop which works well when using the balanced output which provides power). The unit is very quiet. The anti-feedback notch filter works very well.

Worked first time and consistently works every time.

I have several acoustic instruments that I need to amplify when I play in a band. A microphone would not give me the volume I need, and I was very unhappy with the un-natural sound when I plugged in using the piezo or magnetic pickups.

I have a Martin D-12 (12 string) with a factory installed Fishman Prefix (with onboard EQ), Taylor 310ce (6 string) with a factory installed Fishman Prefix Pro (with onboard EQ), an Alvarez Silverbelle 5 string banjo with an aftermarket Fishman Rare Earth Banjo pickup, and a recently acquired Colombian Zambrano tiple with an aftermarket Fishman Rare Earth magnetic sound-hole pickup (I got the tiple from rumillajta.com ? check it out if you are interested in South American instruments). I am not the biggest Fishman fan but that is what was available and the stuff is pretty reliable.

I reviewed a lot of information and ended up buying on 3 boxes - LRBaggs Para Acoustic DI, Tec21 Sansamp Acoustic DI, and a Boss AD-5. I compared the sound using each of my instruments with a Boss LS-2 to switch to the 3 different boxes while I was playing. I have used all these with acoustic amplifiers and directly into PA systems.

Although I liked what the Yamaha AG Stomp had to offer, it required removing the 9v battery in the on-board pickup and replacing with a 9V battery dummy. That was too much bother with multiple instruments.

See reviews of the other products under their section.

This unit works so good that I may buy another one just so I would not have to go without if mine breaks, or for ease of use with the multiple instruments.

I also have a Tec21 Tri-AC that I use to separate my guitar sound from other instruments (like when the keyboard switches to strings) or if I need to cut through the mix more. The Tri-AC works great.

As easy to use as your basic stomp box. It has a few more dials tan usual with the notch filter, phantom power and treble, bass, mid, blend and level. The notch ( parametric eq I believe ) works in conjuncttion with the mid to sculp your tone and get rid of unwanted acoustic feedback.

I really should wait a while to review this as I just picked it up a week ago and have only used it with a few electric ( tele and strat )guitars! I have not yet tried it with my acoustic's...what I bought it for in the first place! That said, upon perusing the manual, I came upon a sample setting for electric guitar entitled "semi-dirty". Per the instructuions, I plugged the output of the the sansamp into the effects return on my amp in order to by-pass the pre-amp tone controls and run off the sansamps controls. I dialed it in as close to the recommended setting as I could. Let me say, I was very pleased and excited with the tones that came out of my amp! I've always admired the cleanish/dirty tones Jimi, SRV, Robin Ford and other masters get. You know, that tone that's clean enough for beautiful rhythm work and then morphs into a bit edgier/dirtier tone when they strike the strings with some force? Kind of Riviera Paradise, Wind Cries Mary, Little Wing, Lenny, and Robins Blue Line tone. Well, with the acoustic DI, I came closer to that tone than I have ever have before. I have not yet had the time to explore the other tones
( electric or acoustic ) waiting inside this incredible little tone machine, but if it did nothing more than provide me with this wonderful tone, I would be very happy! I'm giving this a rating of 8 as I have not fully checked the tones it was designed for. However, I'm sure it will be up there in every catagory.

I've heard very good things about Tech 21's support. I bought this unit used, so I'm sure there is no warranty. I would not hesitate getting in touch with them if something did go wrong. No rating for this catagory as I have nothing but info from others to go on.

I think I'm going to have a long and happy relationship with this wonderful little box of tone! If it works half as good on my acoustic's ( for which it was designed )as it does on my electrics, I will be singing it's praises. Looking at the other reviews, I think excellent tones and ease of use will be the order of the day! I've been interested in Tech 21 products since they first came out. For some reason, I never had the opportunity to procure one. I usually try to find my effects and other equipment used, and there are not a lot of used Tech 21 producets out there. It seems ( to me at least ) that those who have them, hang on to them. After a few minutes with this, I can see why! I'm anxious to try their other products.

I actually use this on my upright bass. I play bluegrass and we play about 120 days a year. The Sansamp sounds great by itself but because the frequencies aren't quite low enough, I use a Behringer Tube-Ultra in the effects loop.I use the Acoustic D.I. for the simple reason that it is made for acoustics. All bass D.I.'s I have used are made for bass guitars and sound very twangy on an upright bass. This is the best I have found.

For bluegrass, I have to be on and off pretty quick. The Sansamp makes that a lot easier. I have been using mine for almost 2 years. I don't even use an amp. Just straight to the board and back through the ear monitors. As a matter of fact, since I started using the Sansamp, a couple of the sound crews on the circuit have replaced their original bass direct boxes with the Sansamp Acoustic DI. My only real problem with the whole thing is that it gets stepped on and that changes my settings. If this was rack mountable, I would get one ASAP.

Very easy to use. Manual is very helpful.

The magick of this box is most noticeable with passive piezo pickups. Bought it for my passive fishman power bridge equipped ASAT. Now I can make it sound like a real acoustic, not as nice as my brazillian 810ce however, and this box could not improve my factory on board blender sound. The best surprise of all was being able to un-plug my electric rig (budda wah>foxrox-CC2>mesa bottlerocket>DL4 from my 73 bandmaster and get a direct sound that rivals my best MICed sound.
The bass worked very well too.

Just got it

Very flexable DI. Blend in as much "SANSAMPNESS" as you need or not.
Use it for all your MIC modeling needs. If you already have electric guitar "tone gear" like ODs/DISTs, and have acoustic DI needs, you can't go wrong with this. Small, easy to get great sound, uses 3 different power sources (9v battery, DC, or phantom)

The Tech21 Acoustic DI is basically a DI with some EQ controls and a tube "blend" control. Very easy to use. The manual is very good and gives some good starting points for dialing in a sound. Powered by phantom power is an awesome feature! I also love the i/o options. I don't use the loop as an effects loop, but I do have it going to a tuner and sometimes an amp.

The sound quality of this unit is top notch, depending on what you're doing. For live, the box is mana from heaven. I hate piezo's, but mic'ing isn't always the best option. I'm able to get a good live sound and kill feedback with the mid/notch control. For my steel string, it takes a bit of tweeking depending on the mood my axe is in. For my nylon string, it doesn't matter what I do live, I can get a good sound... even with the box in passive mode. For recording, you'd be hard pressed to find the sound believable as a tube mic'd guitar. My nylon sound is very usable recorded with it. I've used it with my electric and a Sansamp Original and got some very good recorded tones. I even tried it as an insert on some vocal tracks and got some good results! Live I'll give an 8, recorded I'll give a 7

Typical Tech21/Sansamp. Built like a tank. I've had mine for 3 years and no probs whatsoever. Both of my acoustics have xlr outs, so technically I don't even need a DI, so yeah... I'd gig without a backup.

Awesome!!! I've only dealt with them regarding my Sansamp Original pedal and they were very supportive, polite, and prompt.

I play primarily fingerstyle... open/alternate tunings, blah blah blah... I do gig and do record. My Sansamp Acoustic DI definitely gets used and has been a very useful tool in my box. It is pricey, but I know I've gotten my money's worth out of it. If stolen or lost, I'd replace it.

Everything is very obvious on this little guy. One brief glance at the manual and you're off to tweaking away.

I had to write a review of this unit after somebody actually made a comparison to a guitar miked with a Neuman! Has this guy actually HEARD an acoustic guitar miked up properly? Doubt it.
Anyway, I use this between my Taylor 514ce and the FOH mixer and it has done a pretty good job of smoothing out some of the brittle piezo "quack" as everyone seems to be calling it. This guitar also has a built in mic which I can sneak just a little into the blend, too much and the whole guitar becomes a giant mic - the audience hears every squeaky move on the fingerboard and even the buttons on my shirt sound like someone rapping their fingernails on the cedar top.
I've also used it with my Taylor 510 which has a Dean Markley pick-up of some kind in it, not sure what. The guitar sounds pretty harsh and shallow right into the board. With the Acoustic DI things definitely become more pleasant, but NOT to the point of being a revelation. I play in an act with another acoustic guitarist who uses a Shure SM98 attached to the pickgaurd of his Santa Cruz dreadnaught, and after all my tweaking with my Fishman blender on the Taylor, through the tweakings on the Tech21, my guitar still doesn't sound NEARLY as natuaral. I won't go his route mostly because my style would knock the mic right off the guitar on the first song every night, and I don't think I can change. Along with the fact that he has a definite low ceiling of feedback problems that I don't have...
Still, I just want to warn anyone out there who reads some of these reviews stating how this amazing box made their Ovation sound like a miked up Martin D28 - please... be wary.
This unit is still a valuable box and I intend to keep mine and use it every week. It WILL smooth out those nasty sounding acoustic guitars with pick-ups, that's what it's for.

No problems in 3 years!

Never had to call!

6 knobs: Level, blend, bass, treble, mid boost/cut and mid frequency. 3 switches: phantom power/ground connect, 20db pad, and active. Two 1/4" inputs (one to preamp, one direct to XLR out); one 1/4" output, one XLR output. Neat trick: you can use the 1/4" output and the direct-to-XLR input as an effects loop.

Controls are largely self explanatory. Blend mixes direct signal with the Sansamp tube-emulation circuit: turn the knob all the way left, and the thing is a direct box w/EQ; all the way right, and it's nothing but Sansamp. The active switch is a bypass; turn it off, and the thing becomes a transparent direct box.

Difficult to use only to the extent that it gives you a lot of options. But you wouldn't buy an acoustic preamp if it didn't, right?

I'm using this device with three quite different instruments through an Ampeg B50R combo. The Ampeg has a passive four-band EQ, which I almost always leave flat.

Eminence acoustic/electric upright bass: This instrument comes with a passive piezo "Realist" pickup and no preamp. While its inventors tout the Realist as not needing a buffering preamp, it has a lot of microphonic harshness when used this way. Also, the Eminence, with its traditional violin-like construction, feeds back at high volumes. Through the Sansamp, both problems are cured instantly. No feedback at high volumes, no harshness and arco playing (often a problem with amplified violins) sounds particularly lovely. No tweaking of the Sansamp controls is is required to get a good sound, though cutting some bass can help eliminate speaker-rattling "boominess" on the E string.

Carvin AC175: this is a chambered, piezo-only solidbody guitar, along the lines of the Godin A4 or the Gibson Chet Atkins thinlines. Unlike a lot of instruments of its type, the AC175 has a balanced tone with little-to-no piezo quack, and the onboard two-band preamp is well-voiced and not extreme. That said, the Sansamp has its uses with the AC175. The tube-em circuit adds some musical, natural-sounding compression, which evens out the volume differences that can occur when switching between fingerstyle, flatpicking and hard strumming. Boosting the mids around 250 Hz adds some acoustic whump, making the thin-bodied AC175 sound more like a full-depth acoustic. Cutting the mids around 750 Hz cures some residual piezo harshness.

Fender Roscoe Beck V: This is a passive 5-string bass that has more pickup switching options than you can shake a stick at, but no preamp. The Sansamp makes this "old school" instrument sound like (everybody now) a Jazz bass on steroids, as well as a lot of other things. Again, the mid control is the standout feature. Boosting mids at 600HZ gives you a nice Jaco growl; at 780, Geddy Lee; cutting them in this territory (interestingly) can cure a jazz bass of most of its 60Hz hum. Cutting the mids between 700-100Hz gets you a scooped Marcus slap tone; kind of blah, in my opinion, but it's in fashion. The treble knob adds bite without becoming annoying.

Overall, it's musical, versatile, and plenty quiet. As good a preamp as any expensive rackmount.

All metal case. Sturdy knobs with sufficient resistance in their travel to avoid screwing up settings if you knock it. Jacks look solid. My only gripe: the 9V battery connector is the wired-clip kind that can pull loose. I'd prefer those sprung metal contacts.

Tone-wise, the Eminence necessitated this purchase; it's icing for the other two instruments. But it's a clever little box; as the name implies, you can ditch your bulky preamp/amp and use this in the studio or live (though you'd still probably want some kind of on-stage monitor). It does exactly what I wanted it to, which is to tame unruly piezos and eliminate feedback.

I was also considering the Sansamp Bass Driver, but the input impedance of that device (980Kohms) isn't as well-suited to piezos as the Acoustic DI (4.7 Megaohms). They both have the same tube-em circuitry, and the Acoustic DI can put out a mild overdrive when cranked. After sampling the versatility of the Acoustic DI's parametric mid, which the Bass Driver lacks, I think I made the right choice.

This one is easy to use. The switches are obvious and the knobs really make things happen. It will operate on phantom power (a PLUS!!)

OK here's the story: My acoustic band was going on a cross country tour and we needed a bunch of preamps for passive acoustic pickups in various instruments. I bought a wide range of small portable boxes: the ART Tube MP, LR Baggs Para Acoustic, Boss AD-3, SansAmp Acoustic DI and Fishman Platinum. This unit, the Tech21 SansAmp Acoustic, was second-best overall for acoustic instruments. We ended up using it for the main acoustic guitar. See my reviews of the other boxes for more about the winners (and losers) of the lowbelly acoustic preamp shootout.

Very reliable.

don't know.

I like this box. If I lost it I'd probably buy another one, although the LR Baggs Para Acoustic DI sounds better and costs less. This one is "sexier" than the LR Baggs, if that matters..

Pickup features: Accoustic DI box
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Yamaha L15A
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: na
Other pickups on guitar: Fishman Natural II
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Finger Picking
Reason for pickup change: Purchased the DI box because it claimed to eliminate the Piezo churp and provide a more balanced sound

Perceived output level: Added more volume and presence to the pick-up
Tone: totally balanced
Sonic evaluation: Running this through a Yorkville MP6 Pa using Yamaha SV10 speakers. This accoustic DI box did everything it claimed to do. It eliminated the piezo churp and brought the natural bass back up in the guitar. Even to a non musician ear the difference can be noticed right away. The pickup now sounds like a mic'd guitar and exceeded my expectations. The unit has a bass and treble control with a notch filter. There is also a gain control to adjust the unit's electronic effect on the sound. In the store I compared this to an LL bags parametric DI and it did not approach the sound transformation of the Sansamp

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Mainly fingerpicking. Perfect match in the bass notes retake their natural place in the presence of each chord.

Comments: I would replace it although the price hurt a little. I have played guitar for 30yrs. Provided exactly the natural full sound I was looking for.

Pretty easy to use. Good manual. Straightforward layout and controls.

Has a very nice 20 db boost function for passive guitars. Also love the phantom power you can get with the XLR output...very handy to not have to worry about another AC adapter. Also works as a direct box.

I play modern contemporary worship/praise music in a band setup. Have used this with a LR Baggs X-Bridge-equipped Strat, and now using with X-Bridge equipped Godin LGXT. From the Acoustic DI the sound goes straight to a Mackie soundboard.

This unit absolutely brings these fauz-acoustic bridge units to life. You can still tell, side by side with a nice electric-acoustic (Takamine, etc.) that this is not the real thing. But in a mix it fills the space perfectly. The controls are EXTREMELY sensitive (slight turns yield obvious changes in tone very quickly), and at times this has almost been frustrating, especially trying to make my fake acoustic sound like the real thing...it seems I am always doing slight tweaks. But this is not a complaint...it's rather easy to dial in something great right away. I just drive myself crazy thinking I can make it better. With this thing it's like you have infinite sound/tone options.

The dual mid controls are a little hard to combine...takes some time. The blend control (which purportedly removes the brittle "piezo quack") was interesting...it does what it says it does, but I found that I liked to leave a little of that "piezo" sound in there...if I took it all out it sounded too much like an electric guitar again. It seems to sparkle and breath a little more with the blend control at like noon.

FYI: I also run my midi output from the LGXT (synth out) through this as well, which beefs up that sound, too.

Built like a tank. The dials are stiff, which is good cuz then they don't move when I throw it in my gear bag.

I called these guys once for something, can't remember what it was, but the man with da Bronx accent on the other side was very helpful and friendly.

As I said, I play mostly modern worship/praise music, from hard rock/alternative stuff to delicate acoustic, to country. Before this unit, I used a Fender acoustic/electric into a Zoom 500 series acoustic processor, which was fine for that guitar (but that guitar had a great piezo tone anyway). With these LR Baggs X-Bridge units, they need some help to sound great, and the Zoom wasn't cutting it. I also tried an LR Baggs acoustic DI, which wasn't bad, but then when I tried the Tech 21, I was blow away.

I don't like a lot of bells, whistles, hoo-hahs and doodads to fiddle with when I'm playing. I prefer a very organic sound and prefer to go straight into amplification. So this is a real basic, low-thought tool to be sure.

I'm sending a Godin Acousticaster through a PA, as well as into a spring reverb unit and into my sound card for recording. The Godin is an extremely thin, tinny-sounding axe without a little help, and this is just the ticket. Evens out the piezo quack, and while retaining the essential sound of the guitar, gives it a more natural, acoustic voicing than going straight in. Extremely low noise -- silent operation. One thing I've noticed is that when you use the XLR output, the effect of the midrange shift does not seem to be as pronounced. Am getting some great Latin sounds.

Haven't had this long, but I've dropped it several times from up to 5 feet. No effectt whatsoever, even on the finish. Left off a point on the rating because I have not owned this long, but based on how simply and solidly it is constructed, I have no worries.

Great information on the TECH21 Web site -- they have the whole user's manual on there, which was key in getting me tp purchase.

I play Latin jazz and blues, and needed a more natural-sounding acoustic signal. I was looking at the BOSS AD5, but they are hard to find and had a lot of features I didn't want or need. The deal price on the Sansamp was chump change, and now I can get the mellow, round acoustic sound I want without hours of tweaking and smoothing in SoundForge. EVEN MY WIFE CAN HEAR THE DIFFERENCE IN MY TONE THROUGH THE FLOOR.

This DI is fairly easy to get the hang of. The tone controls are powerful without being touchy. The trickiest aspects are the blend control and the sweepable mid eq. The manual is pretty straightforward though, and I found it helpful getting started. As long as you're not going for a radically tweaked acoustic tone, you should find getting a decent sound out of this thing a snap.

I've been using this with a '97 Lawrence Nyberg Commodore with a McIntire pickup, and a crappy viola with an even crappier Barcus-Berry stick-on pickup into a '79 Vibro Champ. I usually run it straight into the board with the guitar, but when playing the viola I run the 1/4 out into the Vibro Champ to use it as a monitor, to give me a slightly more cutting sound than what's coming through the mains.

This DI packs a considerable amount of boost, and I've had great success with both the guitar and viola. The bass and treble eqs are very intelligently voiced, and the blend control is quite useful for lessening the dreaded piezo "quack".

With the guitar, this DI brings out the richness of the tone while smoothing it out and giving the level a little kick. The difference in tone with the viola is a minor miracle, and has basically made buying a better pickup for it unnecessary.

This box is very quiet on its own, and does not add too much noise to a longer signal chain. I once ran the viola through the DI into a ProCo Rat and a DOD analog delay without too much extra noise. With guitar I prefer a darker, jazzier tone, but this DI is definitely capable of doing bright (not brittle). It really makes harmonics on the viola jump out too.

As far as sound quality goes, let's just say that if this box were to go out before a gig, I'd prefer a mic on my guitar over plugging into some mystery box at the club.

Some of the points I've taken off in this category are for the direct recorded sound. Granted, the best recorded acoustic guitar sound is always going to come from a microphone, but I figured just for the heck of it, I'd plug this sucker into my 4-track. It was not pretty. Even the recommended bass and electric guitar settings in the manual were pretty poor. Luckily, this was not why I purchased this DI, and I was not too heartbroken. But, this box's usefulness as a direct recording device is questionable at best.

This is a very reliable little box, and appears to be solidly built. There is very little play in the pots, and the 1/4 and XLR connections are very impressive. The cheap battery cover is really the only weak link here. Frankly I don't understand why so many companies skimp on this design feature.

I use this without a backup all the time (not that I could really afford one).

I've never dealt with them, so I really can't comment.

I like things pretty straightforward when it comes to gear, so to my ears, this is a pretty magical little box. This definitely blows the Fishman stuff out of the water. It does a good job producing the characteristics of a well mic'ed instrument, and puts the tone control in my hands instead of the sound engineer's. I usually just ask for no eq on the guitar and adjust the DI until I'm happy with the sound coming through my monitors. What a concept!

For those seeking honest acoustic tones with little fuss, this is a great little box. "Acoustic" musicians who just aren't happy with their sound until it's washed in cheesy chorus and tinny digital reverb should probably buy one of those silly little floor processors instead.

I was a confirmed piezo pickup hater before I bought this box. A friend bought one of these and I had a chance to try it before buying the Nyberg. I was planning on skipping the pickup and just micing it, but playing his guitar through this changed my mind.

My biggest complaint about this box would have to be the lack of a low cut filter. The Nyberg is a very large bodied guitar, and the McIntire pickup is an under the bridge job (as opposed to an under the saddle pickup), so the threat of low end feedback is ever-present. Sure, it's my own damn fault for courting feedback with this stuff, but for almost $200, it would be nice to be able to roll of some low end howl I get sometimes. Beyond the feedback aspect, this would be helpful for getting an acoustic rhythm guitar to sit in a live mix with a minimum of hassle.

This little quibble aside, this is a great DI. Every decent club should own one of these. It can make even the crappiest instrument with a piezo pickup sound decent, and a good instrument and pickup sound amazing.

GOOD SOUNDS RIGHT FROM THE START. ADJUST THE MID FREQUENCY KNOB TO THE FREQUENCY YOU WANT TO CUT OR BOOST AND FORGET ABOUT IT..GOOD MANUAL TOO

I USE ALVAREZ ARTIST AD65E ARCHTOP(MY FAVORITE GUITAR),WASHBURN RR200,SIGMA TB1,GIBSON BLUESHAWK...THIS IS THE QUIETEST UNIT I'VE EVER SEEN.(BELIEVE ME,I'VE OWNED EVERYTHING)..BOSS EFFECTS..FENDER BLUES JUNIOR AND PASSPORT 250 PA..TRACE ELLIOT TA 30R..THE SANSAMP ACOUSTIC DI IS IRREPLACEABLE FOR GETTING A TRUE ACOUSTIC FULL-BODIED TUBE SOUND NO MATTER WHAT YOU RUN IT THRU..

ONLY HAD IT FOR A MONTH........SEEMS TO BE BUILT VERY WELL

BEFORE BUYING I CALLED TECH21. EXPLAINED TO THEM WHAT I HAD,WHAT I NEEDED. THEY WERE VERY HELPFUL,FRIENDLY AND TOOK THEIR TIME HELPING ME. THAT MEANS ALOT. I WILL NOT HESITATE TO BUY THEIR PRODUCTS IN THE FUTURE..CUSTOMER SUPPORT IS A TOP PRIORITY WITH THEM UNLIKE FENDER,WASHBURN,MARSHALL,MARTIN WHO NEED TO FIRE SOME PEOPLE AND REVAMP THEIR SERVICE DEPT.

I PLAY BLUES/CLASSIC ROCK IN A SOLO ACOUSTIC ACT. BEEN PLAYING 13 YEARS PROFESSIONALLY IN BANDS GOT TIRED OF THE BULL#$%*!! AND SET OUT ON MY OWN. GEAR LISTED ABOVE IS ALL EXCELLENT STUFF AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT ALL, ESPECIALLY THE ALVAREZ AD65E!! IF THE SANSAMP WERE STOLEN I WOULD BUY 2 MORE. THERE IS NOTHING BAD ABOUT IT.GREAT STRAIGHT AHEAD ACOUSTIC TONE, NO BELLS NO WHISTLES JUST GREAT TONE.

Well you can get a decent sound right off the bat, but I wouldn't say the controls are obvious. Also it's not a programmable unit, so you basically have to gig with whatever setting you dial in.

Pretty good. Especially for a unit under $200. Lots of tone shaping, good tube emulation, and some nice "cranked" sounds.

Excellent.

Never had to contact them.

FYI - I've been playing about 10 years. My primary music interest is blues and classic rock, and I play mostly an Ovation acoustic/electric.

Well I bought this unit so that I wouldn't have to haul an amp around, and because it claimed to eliminate the harsh pick noise associated with piezo pickups. For the most part, it does get rid of this piezo stacatto. For that reason alone, it's worth the money. Also, the tube emulation is not bad.

My only complaint is that it's not a rack mount, or programmable. Maybe I should buy the PSA-1.

Found it fairly straight forward, even before reading the instructions. Has a 3-band EQ section with adjustable mid frequency, a level knob, that special 'blend' knob (this is supposed to mix the dry piezo tone with a simulated tube-mic tone), and two switches - one to bypass the tone-shaping capabilities of the unit, and another for a -20dB pad. When using the XLR out, it is possible to use the 1/4" 'out' and 'thru-input' connections as an effects loop. Overall, it has a very useful list of features.

The guitars with which I use this unit are 1) Tacoma chief with a fishman prefix piezo/preamp, 2) Godin LGXT (preamped piezo output), and 3) Godin Multiac nylon-string (preamped piezo output). Output from the Tech21 unit goes to either a Peavey 60W keyboard amp, OR a Trace Acoustic Cube, OR direct to a PA system.
I HATE PIEZO QUACK, AND THE 'BLEND' CONTROL on this DI unit helps almost fully eliminate this ! The EQ is also great and helps me selectively cut my mids when playing with my steel-stringers, or boost mids with my multiac nylon. However, my guitars' onboard preamps can also help me attain this - the main reason I got the Acoustic DI is for the 'BLEND' function. I play amplified with my Tacoma or Godin LGXT when accompanying prayer groups - mostly strumming or fingerpicking, with a little acoustic lead. The EQ and blend functions on the Acoustic DI help me get a 'miked dreadnought' type of sound. However, if I strum too hard, I feel a little bit of the piezo-brittleness still manages to color the sound even though the blend knob is at its max. Given that I always set the blend knob to max, and I wish I could sometimes turn it up a little further. With my godin multiac (when playing jazz and classical styles) also, the Acoustic DI is able to remove most of the piezo's harshness. More recently, I tried Boss' AD-3 with a multiac nylon at a store and really liked it (the two knobs for tone shaping on the Boss AD-3 helped me go from a flamenco-type sharpness to a classical-type mellowness - this is something I cannot do with the Tech21 Acoustic DI. However, there are other feature & price differences between the boss AD3 and the Tech21 Acoustic DI.) I am giving it only an 8 because I would like more control on that 'blend' function. Otherwise, I love the tone from this unit.

Have had it for ~3 years. No problems so far. The unit has been knocked around to the point of the paint peeling-off at several places. However, the unit appears to be very sturdy and I don't expect any problems. The knobs still retain that stiff feel. Also, based on other Tech21 products that I have - Trademark 60 Combo amp and a GT2 pedal, I think their products are built to high reliability standards.

I've heard they are pretty responsive, but I haven't yet had a need to interact with them.

As mentioned above, my music styles (when playing amplified acoustic) is to accompany prayer groups with strumming, finger-picking and some acoustic lead. I love the way this unit minimizes the harsh quack of piezo pickups. It also offers EQ and DI functions as an extra. It makes a big difference to my tone, and is a very important part of my acoustic setup. At the time that I bought this unit, the Boss AD-3 and AD-5 were not yet released. If lost or stolen, I would compare the Acoustic DI with these Boss units before buying. IMO, piezo pickups are convenient but their tone sucks (regardless of brand), and microphones are hard to deal with. The availability of the Acoustic DI and other similar units with 'mic simulation' helps me get a great tone out of my modest acoustic setup. I have been playing guitar for about 14 years now, and I'm grateful that technology has made such tone-shaping units available and affordable.

First of all, I use it only with a an acoustic-electric guitar. The manual claimed that the DI could eliminate the piezo harmonics, so I bought this box. The Eq knobs are very sensible, the phantom power is useful onstage, balanced output is only mono. Not suitable for a stereo guitar.

My Guild F4 has Fishman preamp and eq, and I have been trying to eliminate the bad piezo harmonics while playing connected to the mixer. If you play with the "bending" knob, the sound becomes "darker", and you tend to balance the effect by highering the high frequencies. The resul is that you need to fix also the middle knobs eq. Believe me, I have spent many hours, several times, trying to find a setting for my Guild. I came to the conclusion that if you play fingerstyle with a Fishman equipped acoustic guitar, the SansAmp can only make your sound worst. Sad to say. Instead, with my Ovation 1612, with an old preamp and without onboard eq, the SansAmp works fine. The "blending" patended hyper cool sophisticated circuitry is a joke. I also used the DI with a Mic for guitar and also for voice, it is useful. Overall, an Eq box would do the same, at a lower price.

I play fingerstyle country, irish etc. I have been playing for 20 years now. I wanted to get a Miked guitar sound, and obviously it is not possible without a mic. Disappointed by the useless blending circuitry.

it's easy, but powerful so you can make your tone worse or heaps better

it's fantastic, but the sound quality depends on what you dial in. as i have said you make some terrible sounds, but thats the point. it's a tone shaper. the tube emulation is good, but i never dial it all the way. only half way. otherwise it just squashes things too much (it has some compression effect). one of the quietest boxes i've ever used.

absolutely rock solid. reliable for gigs

seems ok. i've emailed tech 21 with questions. and they're very helpful.

this is an expensive d.i box, but it's much more than that. it has that tube emulation, 3 parametric eq controls (cut or boost). with a sweepable mid range which yields heaps of sounds. don't think just acoustic guitar application. think everything! it has fabulous results for putting body into my electric guitar. in fact i always use it with my electric going both direct to the mixer and to an amp. i've found it for acoustics a little bit lacking in crispness, but I put a BBE sonic maximiser before it in the chain, and they complement each other perfectly. the bbe sharpens the sound, then the sansamp rounds it off and makes it all a bit smoother. i haven't found anything that matches this truly versatile little box. i gladly traded in a boss GE7 (graphic EQ) which was great but outdone by the SANSAMP. definitely an essential part of my guitar rig for both electric and acoustic. all my guitars sound better with this box. i'm pretty fussy tonewise, and i'm always after the natural tone of the guitar. if you tweak it right (don't give it too much EQ and tube emulation) you retain all the natural tone of your guitar yet it improve it quite dramatically. definitely a desert island item.

I would have to give the ease of use a 7. There are only six knobs on it, but it really makes a difference what knobs you twist to get a certain sound. There are familiar knobs such as level, treble, and bass to use, but adjusting to the options "blend" and "midshift" take some trial to find out their strong points and capabilities. The manual is really as helpful as I have seen one lately, and I found its sample settings fun and pleasant sounding.

I currently run this between a Parker Nitefly and a Peavey classic combo amp. I run it into the effects return to bypass the Peavey preamp for a pure signal path. The DI is very quiet and it is very easy to kill any feedback at the box. The box's controls are very sensitive, with headroom to spare. (plenty of bass and highs)One really can get a good "miked acoustic" sound with this DI.

I have used Tech 21 products before and they have always been solid metal and well built. However, the stickers say "Made in USA", but the inside of the boxes say "Made in Canada". hmmm. I would and currently do gig without a backup.

I spoke with a Tech 21 salesperson online a few times prior to my purchase, Lloyd Schartz. He was quite helpful and refreshingly honest about his gear opinions and product design. The Tech 21 people really seem to know their products.

I depend on this box and my Parker for my main clean and acoustic sound. I use it in my church services quite often and it really sounds like a miked acoustic, without the feedback. I have been playing for 13 years, and I rotate regularly between the Parker, a strat, a Les Paul, and a tele. I have come to rely on this box on a regular basis, and I would probably buy it again if the need arose. I love the unit's versatility of use among the PA and amps, and it really sounds surprisingly good with a tube amp. I was shopping for an outboard effect that would allow me to go without an acoustic amp, and I feel like it is a reasonable facsimile. It's tough to compare this other products, as I feel there is nothing else quite like it yet. I really wish it had a typical footswitch instead of its tiny switch, and it is rather expensive for such a product.(I think) It is a very useful tool in my playing life and all I need to do know is just switch it on and go "unplugged". It does what it is designed to do very well.