Tech 21 Tri-A.C.

5 knobs. A grown-up overdrive without 50 nested digital menus. Heavenly. Editing, 2 clicks. Manual, a handful of pages. Don't even need it.

I love this pedal. I've had a ton. Boss Heavy Metal, the yellow overdrive, the orange overdrive, ibanez tube screamer, even a pearl pedal back in the day Zoom G2, Zoom 505, MXR Distortion+. I've played a zillion amps from Boogie to Crate. I have a degree in music, played on the road, done quite a bit of recording... Using this direct to the digital recorder. A little compression, a little verb. It sounds AMAZING. You can totally cop a funky rhythm sound.... a nice tubey blues... all the way up to some serious boogie overdrive. People who say it doesn't have enough fuzz.... wow. Not sure what they are looking for. This does it all for me. I give it an 8 because it's not a boogie but it's the closest thing on my budget.

I've had it 1 day. Seems solid. I watched the tour of the factory on Youtube. He talks about all their stuff being made in america and that they are serious about making stuff for serious musicians... like the new switch design that doesn't fail.... ever. Andrew Barta is a genius, hands down.

I had 2 questions. Not sure who answered them. This guy was AWESOME!!! He knew everything about every nuance of these pedals. Asked me all kinds of questions to try to get me to what pedal would suit me the best. Friendly, straight ahead.... as opposed to a few competitors. "uhhhm.... yeah.. hang on.... we'll it looks like it does that...." Thanks. I could get that far with the pdf from your site. Tech 21 should give lessons on how to treat customers. Bulletproof.

Rock, funk, blues.... Playing 25 years. All kinds of other high end gear. It comes and goes. This pedal is staying. I would buy another the same day if it were stolen. I love the simplicity and the sound. So sick of digital menus and scrolling thru stuff and forgetting what the settings are that you can't see in the display. This has none of that. It's perfect.

Seems simple enough to use, but it's a bit of a learning curve to get a decent sound out of it. It's just five knobs: drive, bass, mid, treble, and level, but they are incredibly sensitive and interact with one another in ways they wouldn't on an amp. On top of that, the knobs all act slightly different depending on which voicing you choose (Tweed, British, or California). For example, the drive knob on the British channel adds a bright boost when you turn it below noon. Prepare to be frustrated at first -- you may want to tweak the knobs the same as you'd do on an amp, but you probably won't get a good sound doing it that way. Trust your ears and take a little time to hear how each knob affects the tone on each setting. What you come up with will look odd, but it'll sound right.

The manual is short and sweet but very helpful. Tells about some hidden features of the pedal and offers some sample settings to give you an idea of how to tweak it, though these settings don't really sound at all like what they're labeled as (Metallica, Pantera, Mesa Boogie, etc.), but like all presets they're a good spot to start tweaking. When you find the tone you want, just double tap one of the three channel switches to save it. Be careful to tap quickly enough, though: if you take too long, you'll put the unit in bypass mode and lose the tweaks you just made.

It's not rocket science to use the TRI-A.C., but I can't give it a 10 because it takes so long to get a good tone out of it.

I'm using the TRI-A.C. with an EBMM JP6 and a Line 6 M13 through a Tech 21 Power Engine 60. I put the TRI-A.C. in the M13's loop so I can run distortions before it and delays and reverbs after. This is my grab-and-go rig, and for what it is, it works perfectly well. I find the British channel to be the most convincing, especially when warmed up with a compressor. With the drive nearly maxed I can get a good, thick crunch tone, and the TRI-A.C. takes pedals well, so I can boost it with one of the M13's distortion stomps. On just the British channel, I can get everything from jangly cleans to heavy chunk, but the pedal itself doesn't really have enough gain for, say, modern metal distortion.

The Tweed channel is nice too, and I have it as my clean setting on the first switch. But I don't play clean that often, and I'm not terribly picky about my clean sounds. I tweaked it for a few minutes and was able to get something adequate fairly quickly. A compressor here also helps greatly. The Mesa channel is a big disappointment, though. I haven't been able to find a usable setting on that one. It's all either mud or horrible, grating fizz. I know it's not meant to emulate something like a Dual Recto, but even as a Mark I sim it's pretty bad. Can't even find a decent crunch setting on that one. But that's fine -- the British channel was easy to dial in tones for light crunch, mid- to high-gain rock distortion, and a nice thick lead tone. You'll probably want to throw a pedal or two in front of or behind it, but it'll get the job done in a pinch all on its own. Using it with something like the M13 is just like having a full-on rig, but it all fits on a small pedal board and can go straight to the mixer.

Match this up with something like the Power Engine (highly recommended over a standard guitar amp, but use the amp's effects return if you must) and you've got all the bases covered: three channels for three different tones, whatever other effects or stomps you want to throw in, stage volume, and XLR direct out to the board from the Power Engine. Can't give it a 10 because of the Mesa channel, but it gets a solid 8.5 (rounded up to 9).

It's a metal box, metal switches, satisfying heft to it. It's just sitting on my pedal board now, and I don't plan on moving it. For that kind of use, even stomping on it all night, I can't imagine it's likely to crap out. I haven't had it long, but I trust Tech 21's reputation for making really solid gear.

Have e-mailed Tech 21 on a few different occasions to ask questions, always got a quick response that was more than helpful.

I've been playing guitar for 17 years (more than half my life). I play in a cover band, mostly heavy rock, and this pedal is a pretty good fit for me. I still prefer tube amps, but this thing is convenient as hell, so if it's a small gig or if I just don't feel like lugging a big amp around, I'll grab this instead. It's great for those times when there isn't enough room on stage for your amp. Just go ampless -- straight to the board! I like the straightforward approach Tech 21 took with this pedal. Not only does it sound better -- more natural and dynamic -- than digital modelers, but it's totally no-frills. Just three amp tones, and that's it. Get your effects somewhere else. It's really too bad about the Mesa channel, but the other two are great (the British channel is fantastic), and I like having three presets to choose from.

This can get me through just about any gig. I'd probably buy another one if I lost this one somehow, though I'd want to add one of their California character pedals or a GT-2 for more modern distortion sounds. But nothing else they make (that I'm aware of) has three programmable channels, and I need that, so I might end up waiting for the character series TRI-A.C. if this one got lost.

Bottom line: simple concept, does what it's supposed to do, sounds better than digital stuff and costs less too. You can't buy a cheap combo amp that sounds as good as this pedal, even if the Mesa channel bites.

This is one of the most simple to use units out there. DRIVE, BASS, MID, TREBLE, and LEVEL. The only thing complex (if I can call it that) is a three way switch for CALIF (California amp model, based on a Mesa/Boogie), BRIT (British amp model, based on a Marshall), and TWEED (amp model based on a Fender). There are three footswitches across the bottom, and any model set with any setting can be saved to any of the three switches. To save a setting, tweak your knobs to the sweet spot, and double tap the switch. Saved! The manual gives you some presets to start from and good instructions for how to use. Oh, and a nice LED function guides you back to your settings if you tweak away from your fave tone. It's got too many OPTIONS to be a "10" for ease of use, but I'll be damned if I can think of any better, simpler layout. How about 9.5?

It sounds completely different with different guitars. Fenders sound like Fenders and Gibsons sound like Gibsons. If you wish to use it live with an amp and want the unit to sound like it is supposed to (as well as function optimally) you MUST plug into the power amp/effects return and use the unit as your preamp section. This is how I use the unit primarily, and it sounds great, plugged into a vintage tube power amp or a solid state power section. It has an all analog signal path and the preamp reacts like tubes to when clipping. Also, it can be "pushed" with an overdrive pedal before it just like an amplifier, and each model responds accordingly. The Tweed, used clean, sounds like a pristine, glassy Fender. The Brit, used in any amount of gain, is sonically charismatic. Low gain settings incur a treble boost just like a vintage Marshall, mid gain settings are as clean or raunchy as your pickups and picking so choose, and high gain settings are chunky but articulate, creating a heavy yet beautiful wall-of-sound. I use the Tweed for cleans, the Brit at noon for a crunch overdrive sound, and the Brit maxed for my high gain sound. And I am more than satisfied with my purchase and use. BUT!
I bought this unit for the California model. I wanted a tight bottomed mid-gain Mesa/Boogie tone, and picked this unit up to achieve an analog modeled version. UNUSABLE. It's almost a fuzz. Low gain settings are a muddy joke (yes even with gentler and more articulate pickups), and the higher gain settings are only usable as a gimmicky fuzz tone. The mid EQ range is set way too low to boost for clarity. I sure hope someone can find a use for that awful Calif model, but it is not me. For this I give the sound a 9. More specifically, the Tweed I give a 9, the Brit I give an easy 10, and the Calif I would give a 4.

I bring the thing back and forth all over the area gigging weekly, and have never had a problem. Battery and standard 9V, that's nice. However, I have gotta admit, I am nervous about it getting damaged someday. It seems pretty solid, but it's no ProCo Rat. I bet it will survive the first drop and the first trample... but I wouldn't suggest using it for self-defense like some pedals. It's not a brick, it's a preamp.

I have heard wonderful wonderful tales, but have never had to ask them for help yet.

I want to give it a 10, but the Mesa model is a serious disappointment. I want to give it a 9 but there are more durable boxes out there. I'll give it an 8.5 and sleep tonight knowing I gave an accurate and fair review. This box has a plethora of VERY USABLE very organic sounds in it. All analog signal path. Very subtle, very dynamic tone. Beautiful Fender model. Astonishing Brit model. Three banks to save to, making it the GO-TO live preamp pedal. Jazz? YES. Classic rock? YES. Metal? YES. Maybe not enough gain for Nu-Metallers, but certainly enough for true metalheads. And it retains and enhances the sound of your guitar- your PICKUPS, the WOOD, and your FINGERS!

Doesn't take a scientist to figure this unit out but the controls are extremely fine; a couple of millimetres could make the difference in finding your tone. Very easy to save your settings; just double-tap a footswitch, the light blinks and you???re done. The manual is brief but helpful and clues you in to features you didn't know the Tri-Ac had.

The sound quality of the Tri-Ac is quite impressive, especially when put into the board and out through the PA (although it's not bad going through the effects return of an amp either).

With the range of tones this pedal is capable of it's difficult to give a blanket description, it's fair to say all three channels provide a responsive, organic sound that's easily tweaked to suit your taste or need. Channel switching is largely smooth and 'pop' free unless there's a huge volume disparity between the channels' volume (which there shouldn't be if set up correctly). There can be the usual line noise when using high gain/vol but nothing extreme.

Here???s a breakdown of the channels and my review of how they sound running through the PA.

Tweed (Clean) ??? using the iconic Fender tone as its starting point, this channel provides a lush, shimmery clean that can be tweaked to something dryer or more robust as needed. Very Fendery for sure...

Brit (Overdrive) ??? based on the classic Marshall, but the cut/boost feature of the tone knobs really lets you tcusomise the sound. Plenty of colour and bite, taut response, more roar than you???ll probably need. Perfectly good for leads but even better at getting me the toppy, dry, scrappy rhythm sound I like without the ???plastic??? tone I've experienced from other units. Incorporates a Bright Boost keyed to the Drive dial to emulate the Marshall tone. Any rock player will find his sound here and it'll sound mighty fine???

California (Distortion) ??? a heavier, thicker sound than the Brit, Cali uses the Mega Boogie as its model and retains the near infinite tweakability of the previous channels. I use it both for rhythm work in the heavier tunes and for most leads as it gets me the sweet, hot and fluid tone I like (somewhere around the Fast Eddie/Dave Murray/Leslie West voice). Plenty of distortion, maybe not as super-saturated as some of the people might think they need but more than enough killer gain for us sensible folk??? ;-)

Bought the Tri-Ac in the last days of 08; since then it's been used at home, casual jams and band rehersals. So far so good...it's taken a few bumps when I've forgotten its in the pack I just casually tossed on the floor but it hasn't taken a scratch and still works flawlessly. No hesitation depending on it

Limited one year warranty. Haven't used their CS yet but have read/heard good things. I did expect to get some confirmation after sending my warranty card but didn???t; not a huge deal.

Been playing 15+ years, the last nine seriously,

A few years back I was looking for a pedal I could use when playing an open stage setting that would supply preset clean, overdriven or distorted sounds as required. I ended up using a 2nd generation Jekyll & Hyde but was never satisfied with the results (but that's a different review). I just wish someone had told me about the Sans Amp Tri-Ac back then???

A cool thing about this pedal is that it contains some very useful features that are mentioned in the manual but not on the Tech 21 website. They might sell more Tri-Acs if they did but as it is, it feels good to find out the musical tool you???ve just bought contains even more that you thought it did. The 'secret' features are:

Lazy Pot : Thanks Tech 21 for this little bit of genius: like most multi-channel units, (the Digitech EX-7 being a glaring exception) the Tri-Ac remembers the settings for each channel. This is great for maintaining a consistent sound but if you???re jamming in someone???s apartment after playing a gig or rehearsal the night before, you could be in for an unpleasant surprise when you kick in a channel and get your ???Live??? volume blasting out of the speakers. Not a problem with the Lazy Pot feature which inserts a delay on the Gain and Level settings. This prevents your previously set volume from immediately jumping out and killing everyone in the room; e.g. even if you turn on with your Gain and Level at previously set maximum, there???s no sound for a moment. Then, gradually, it bleeds in and slowly climbs to its previously set level giving you plenty of time to adjust the Gain/Volume to suit your location. Simple but brilliant, nice one guys, that???s thinking like a musician.

Bright Boost ??? the Tri-Ac has a capacitor built in to the Brit setting that enhances the high end frequencies; the booster is engaged when the Drive knob is below 12 o???clock.

Comparison Mode ??? as with most multi-channel units, the Tri-Ac remembers the settings for each channel but obviously with three channels to one set of dials, the settings on the dials may not match the channel you???re currently playing. To find where the your pre-saved settings are you just select a channel and move any other dials : the channel light will blink until the dial matches the preset when it stops blinking and stays on, you???ve reached the preset.

LED auto-shut down ??? to conserve battery power, the Tri-Ac???s LEDs automatically shut themselves off after 10 seconds from the last time a dial was moved or foot switch used.

Universal Z output ??? the unbalanced output is designed to be compatible with full and limited range applications.

Speaker Simulation ??? each channel shapes the sound towards the cabinet normally associated with the amp and provides a smooth even response like that of a multi-miked cabinet

Low Battery Warning ??? when you need a new battery the red LED will become noticeably dimmer
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I don't lug amps around anymore; I get can get the same tones or better from the Tri-Ac.
During my pre-buy research I used YouTube to check out the contenders and caught a fairly long posting of a band???s live show where the guitarist was running a Tri-Ac straight into the PA without effects. The band was covering different flavours of classic rock and I was impressed by the Tri-Ac???s versatility but when the guy went into the EVH solo I was sold. Couldn???t believe what a great sound he was getting???
The second thing that pushed me towards Tech 21 was another YouTube sequence featuring a tour of the company???s factory and in-depth interview with main dude Andrew Barta. I thought any company that lets cameras into its manufacturing area must be pretty confident about their products and procedures and the man himself made a lot of sense; sounded like a musician, not someone trying to get you to buy his gear...Kudos Tech 21!

So easy, a caveman could do it.

Fairly quiet unit.
The distortion is nice, but not quite as good a tube amp.

So far...so good.
Seems sturdy.

I hear the company is quite cool.
But I've never spoken with them.

I play classic rock. This unit covers it all.

Easy to use. Period.

Basically there 3 amp simulator modes. Calif, Brit, Tweed. They are accurate simulations of mesa boogie, marshal, fender.

The control for 3 simulators are Bass, Mid, Tremble, Level and Drive. So there is no confusion on that. I like using this piece to have guitar tones in headphone mixes while not having to have an amp polluting my drum mic's. A record the amp simulator as well as the a dry signal. I've had a few a list guitar players opt for the guitar simulator because once if you record, its all digital in the box anyways. SO this box is good enough to get your tones, and textures correct.

no problems, but i take care of my stuff.

never delt with the company.

I like that it does not have a screen. that way you do NOT focus on letters, just the sound.

Update and a tip.
GET A POWER AMP NOW.

I picked up a used Alesis RA-100 Reference Amplifier for $75.
2 ch. and 2 vols. 100 watts mono into 4ohms.

WOW, so rich, thick and chocolaty. There's a 4x12 cab in my
1x12 combo wif dem heavier sample settings. Not my cup of tea, just saying ka-thunk chunk chunk is there.

The sample settings have relevance now.

I'm running SC and HB pups.

My desire was to have a very good 'bedroom amp'. Got it and no
burning up tubes. I'm looking forward to seeing how the set-up
works at band levels.

Couldn't be simpler - dial up the sound you want, assign it to one of the three channels by hitting the relevant footswitch twice quickly and then its stored. You can then tweak each setting by moving the relevant control - the quicker the LED flashes the nearer you are to the original setting, when it stops flashing you are on the original setting, then tweak... but be warned - the settings on the buttons are not relevant to the sound stored - touch the volume control at the wrong time and its possible to blow your head off - not so great for changing settings on the fly while playing live.

Sounds on the unit are endless, from beautiful and sparkling clean sounds to bee-in-a-bottle horrible fuzz. But I think some people get the wrong idea about this pedal. I originally used it with a Fender twin as a means to get three pre-set sounds (clean, overdrive and lead) but it just didn't work - I have sinced changed to a Crate PowerBlock and a Vox 2x12 cab and its the best tone I have had in over 20 years of playing through all types of lovely old valve amps. The Crate doesn't colour the pedal's settings (and sounds crap on its own, it is just a power-amp) and I just use the tone settings on the amp to adjust to different venues - this means I don't have to change any of the settings within the Tri-AC. The tones I get from this unit are just lovely, really warm and responsive, you can break-up just like a valve amp and the feedback works just like using tubes, I really don't feel like I'm using a transistor amp at all.

I have been using the Tri-AC for over a year now and was very happy until last night when during a rehearsal channel 1 stopped working, I discovered it was the small micro-switch inside that no longer works. Thats the trouble - built like a tank on the outside, big heavy-duty footswitch that presses this diddy little micro-switch inside. Hmmm...

Don't know yet - I have to contact them about this.

This is good for everything, providing you use the right set-up and are not trying to alter an amp that does perfectly well for itself. Funk, blues, jazz, doom metal, its all there - you can get a wonderful clean sound and a completely messed-up Big Muff tone out of it. Best thing about it is I no longer have to carry 3 different distortions about and engage in complicated ballet moves while switching sounds. Worse thing about it is that its just gone wrong.

Extremely easy. Editing is a piece of cake - just be careful with the knobs due to their sensitivity. Manual is pretty useful and offers several basic patches.

My setup is simple - heaviliy modified Tele through SansAmp directly to Yamaha mixing console and then to the soundcard on my PC. This unit makes even less noise than my digital guitar processor. Sure, when you raise Drive knob it may be somewhat noisy, especially on single coils pups, though by bridge Dimarzio Twang King hums moderately even on high Drive settings. Well, and I got Keith Richards sound out of it!

This stomp box looks solid, though I've been using it for onle several days.

Never dealt with them

I am a songwriter making hits for domestic pop stars. This is an absolute match for me, though, even writing pop singles I try to make good bluesy/funky demo versions. I sold my Marshall JCM amp 'cause it was too loud for my stuido apartment. If this was stolen or lost (Lord forbid!) I would definetly buy another one. I think this one is the best decision for direct recording.

Pretty easy to use very straight forward peddle. I have hear some complain that it is to complicated. That's is because they really don't understand it. In terms of controls the peddle has a three band EQ, drive, level, and modeling switch... The settings of which all be saved to three patches. People who say it is to complicated are people who don't want much in the way of options... These are people who are just as happy to simply use the factory presets on their Digitech RP... Which is fine... To each his own. But the reality is this peddle is just not for them. This peddle provides endless tonal possibilities. I have tinkered with this thing for hours and could continue to tinker for the rest of my life to come up with new tones. What frustrates people is the time that it takes to dial in a good sound.

Modeling is a myth! The reality is neither a $100 create or a $20,000 PA system are going to produce the tones that are unique to specific amps. It does not matter who the manufacturer is or what the model is.

That aside the tonal controls on this unit are interesting. A three way switch provides three tonal structures for the controls.

The best part is while the patches can be saved digitally they are a %100 analog. Not really sure how that works but cool nonetheless.

At its heart you can think of the Tri-A.C. as a three channel pre-amp out of a guitar amp. Which is great for use with single channel amps like some of these retro deals on the market because it is essential like adding two channels.

I have noticed a lot of people noting that it is not for use in front of an amp. An opinion I don't share. I think the reason that people say such things is because they use it in conflict with their amp. For example if you have a two channel fender with fairly intuitive pre-amps the reality is this unit will be in conflict with the amp for no other reason then you have three pre-amps with up to three EQs all in one line. Who needs three EQ's? Of course it is going to sound like crap... You have three things all trying to do the same job.
On the other hand if you set all of your amp EQ's to flat it sounds just fine.

This peddle excels at being a pre-amp. So consider your needs. If you have a fender twin or a vox ac 30 both of which have very good pre-amps then you probably would not want to bother. But if you are using something like an Orange Tiny Terror which is a signal channel amp with no EQ then it is great. All depends on what you need. If your primary purpose is to use it as a pre-amp then you have the right peddle.

Now if your primary purpose is to use this as an OD peddle then you might want to find a different peddle. This thing is simply not a distortion peddle... it is an over drive peddle! I know it is marketed as the end all destoraion/OD peddle but not so. If you are looking for that really rich crunchy metallica type distortion this ain't your peddle. I don't care what they say in the manuel. If you are looking for a decent OD then it is good... not the best but good.



7 for OD
10 for pre-amp

It works no problems. Sturdy construction.

No experience but I hear its good.

Good peddle... Nothings perfect this ain't heaven... Shop on ebay... buy it used and save anywhere from 50-100 bucks.