Tech 21 SansAmp Bass DI Original

This is the older, "vintage" Bass DI unit, the one with no knobs on the outside.

It's not a big deal to bust out the screwdriver and tweak the internal trimpot settings, and once you've dialed them in, they're safely tucked away. If I had the newer model with all the controls on the surface, it would be a distraction. I already got plenty of knobs on the bass and amp, without having to worry about the DI!

Two externally acessible (but recessed - hard to bust or switch by accident) switches let you bypass the tone enhancing circuit and/or lift the ground. Both important functions which I use often.

I've done a lot of gigs running straight into the PA (often my Mackie mixer and powered speaker). I was curious to see if this little gizmo could make people wonder if there was an invisible SVT in the room.

The baseline setting sounds very wooly and tube-like, which is nice. It definitely fattens up the bottom end. The "presence" control isn't the smoothest treble boost I've ever heard (not like a good tube pre or the 18 volt Aguilar onboard circuit) but it adds bite and isn't too noisy.

The distortion possibilities are intriguing. I am not a connoiseur of bass distortion so I really can't say how this unit compares to others. I had fun, poking around with it for a few minutes, then set it clean.

My biggest complaint is with the way the tone circuit compresses the signal. For groove playing, this was not a problem - quite the opposite. But taking solos on Jazz gigs, I felt muffled. High notes that usually punch through just kind of thudded - very frustrating. I hit the bypass switch and I had my dynamic range back. But I missed that "bling" for grooving so I switched back for certain songs. I experimented with the blend control to see if I could get the best of both worlds without having to switch. Not really. The best compromise for me is 65 percent dry.

The circuit sounds nice on the upright bass, BTW.

A nice, sturdy metal box with hardly anything sticking out. I wouldn't want to give it the truck tire test (like they did in that ad for the Countryman). Internally, for true cinderblock reliability, I'd give the '10' to a passive, hand-wired unit with jacks and switches that aren't soldered directly on to the main circuit board. But this thing is simpler and sturdier than most others in its design and price range. Should last 30 years in the cable bag, especially if it gets its own pouch :)

For what I paid, it's hard to complain. With the amp simulator switched out, it's a rugged, high-quality active DI. (I can't wait to say "no thanks" the next time a hack soundman tries to hand me a Whirlwind.) The optional, often-desirable, internally tweakable, coloration is a super bonus and a brilliant idea.

(An even more brilliant idea would be to MIKE THE BASS AMP? But until that happy day when soundmen everywhere suddenly start spending that extra 30 seconds to capture a more sumptuous bass signal, this will come in handy...)

John at 07/16/2005 made a wrong review of this pedal, as he's talking about the Bass Driver DI, not the Bass DI, which is the original one.....

All of the adjustmaents are INSIDE the pedal, and it DOESN'T have any Treble, or Bass adjustment.....

I wish it could use a wall wart power supply(battery only)

Better than the Bass Driver DI in my opinion, as it has more mids, and is brighter in sound(less mud)

Yes. Good.

A great DI unit that I wish I had not sold for the Bass Driver DI...

The controls are straight forward, but it really should have a MID control in my opinion. You can get a miriad of sounds with this unit. The controls are all very active, meaning you turn them just a bit and you get a fairly large amount of change.

I am not a fan of the sound of this unit. I used it on a couple of recordings, one to save the bass, two to add some really low information, but live, yeck!!!! I tried to use this in front of a Peavey Firebass 700 and a Mesa 400+on top of a SVT cabinet and it really lamed out my tone. I also prefered the direct outs on both of those amps to the sound of the Sansamp direct off the bass. I did also try it in front of a solid state 60's Silvertone amp and a 70's Earth Superbass, both which are pretty sonically imparred, and it did improve the tone by making it more flexible than either amp alone, but it still sounded very colored to me. I personally do not think that it sounds anything like a live bass stack but I guess that it is a useful tool for "saving" a bass tone.

I had no problems with mine, but I have since sold mine because it did not suit my needs.

N/A

I bought the Sansamp for two reasons: I was going to tour Europe on what I thought would be crap gear and I wanted to be able to closely replicate my sound and I figured the Sansamp would be a useful tool in the studio for me.
As for Europe, I ditched the idea, got a Peavey Firebass 700 to substitute my Mesa 400+, and was WAY happier with my tone. It did save the bass on one recording that I did, not my own tone but a client's, but I'd still prefer to use a quality amp/cabinet/mic and DI setup than the Sansamp.
The sound is VERY colored to me and wasn't an adequate substitue for any of my amps. Be aware, this will not replicate an SVT or any other "big-rig" setup, as Sansamp may claim.
I didn't hate this unit but I did sell it and I really found no use for it in my arseanal of gear, and I usually find a use for anything and almost everything.

Pretty darn easy to use. It's a souped up direct box. Knobs on the outside and a red power light to let you know it's on. Controls work very well. Just a little tweaking and you can hear a difference in the sound. A DI and a Preamp all in one.

Great sound. Very quiet. Comes with a booklet to show you how to dial in certain sounds. I like to add the drive sound to my sound and man it comes across sounding like a hot signal. Beats having to go for the speaker distortion. I can get a good clean SVT sound and a great overdriven SVT or overdriven Fender Dual Showman sound at the twist of three knobs. XLR out goes to the snake and the soundman has no issues.

It sits velcroed to my rack system and then into a small suitcase after the show. So, I do take care of it but it has a metal housing and appears to be able to withstand constant gigging.

I play modern rock , classic rock and prog rock. This unit can handle it all and retain that punch that so many of us like. I haven't used it for studio work but would have no reservations doing so. I'd buy another if I had to without a worry.

How simple can a modeling DI box be? How about plug in a bass (or rack ) into it, tell the sound guy to give some phantom power and pllug in the XLR cable! DONE!!!

I use this box on the low end preamp side of my bass rig (my rig is a dual channel setup- clean on one channel, dirty on the other), and it sounds like a mic'd up SVT 8x10 cabinet though the PA system (or on the playback if I'm in the studio)!!!

Like I said, it sounds pretty damn close to an SVT cab mic'd up and crankin'! There is NO noise whatsoever.

Regarding the four internal cotrols- drive, level, presence, and balance (effect vs. modeled sound), these are pretty much set and forget. Unless you are neurotic and can't decide what YOUR sound is, then set it and plug it in!

This pedal sounds incredible through everything I've tried it with, be it PA or recoring gear. My only problem is with plugging a bass right into it. I MUCH prefer the sound of it after my preamp (Alesis 3630 compressor, Effects, Behringer Parametric EQ) to pluggin the bass straight in. While it still sounds like an amp/speaker/mike combo, it isn't as punchy without compression/EQ to help things along!

Its been dropped, kicked, thrown (at a drummer once) and still functions like a champ. I LOVE this box. Simply because of this reliability, I consider it a CRUCIAL part of my tone!

I haven't had to deal with them regarding this product, but have talked to them regarding other issues, and I get a relaxed, helpful feeling from Tech 21 support. On the issues I've been needing help with, they have been first rate. No egos, just answers!!!

One of the easiest boxes I have ever used. The controls are on the inside but that doesn't matter. I also have the newer model with the external controls, but I actually prefer this one for recording because I have it dialed in perfectly. Once you fiddle with the internal controls a little bit to get YOUR sound, you just close it up and leave it alone. Very simple.

Unbelievable sound! This thing is just great, it gives me a bass tone I could never get before. It just makes my bass sound like its going through a huge rig. With the drive all the way up and a ibanez sonic distortion box in front, I get a cool RATM/AudioSlave tone. It really does act like a tube amp, the more you push it the meaner the overdrive sounds. But my favorite setting is with everything about halfway turned up. Just Phat and meaty and punchy. When I first got the thing I was always opening it up to play around, but after a week I just started leaving it closed up and just plugged in and played. I also love this for my gigging because my tone is set and does not get screwed up by having a knob get bumped.

Not a problem here, it just works. Its built like a tank.

NA

I play everything from Jazz, Fusion, Metal, Classic Rock, Blues, and Church music. The tone I get fits all these styles with no problem. I do treat it more like an amp in some instances. Meaning I put some stomp boxes in front of it to give me Distortion, Flange, Chorus, etc. It works great that way.