Tech 21 SansAmp GT2

If you have used an amp and still can hear it is easy as pie. Controls are well laid out. Switch rinting si a bit small but once you use it a little they become second nature. Setting up sounds and editing is nice interactive "tactile" process as opposed to presing buttons. Kind of organic feeling. Getting a good sound? Hard not to as far as I can tell.

I am using a Fender 50's reissue with a 1994 transistor Fender Bronco amp; great clean sounds, crappy distortion, can hear lots of nuance in the sounds comming in. Set the amp to sound nice and clean with neutral tone then use the GT2 to get different sounds.

Bottom line: it is KILLER! Natural and organic sounds (no, not tubes but close). Does not have that brittle sound that you hear with the POD. Can get incredibly realistic Marshall, Boogie and Fender tones...both clean and hi-gain. Marshall setting a bit bright; turn down the tome on the strat and it sounds incredible. Truly and amazing little device. NOT a "fuzzbox" or "distortion pedal" like a TubeScreamer etc. It is an "amp in a box". Sounds awsome, really, really fun and responsive. Saves back-ache and loads of $$$.

Built rock solid, easy battery acess (don't loose the cover).

Fast response to emails, helpful and friendly.

As stated, an incredible device that provides huge bang for the buck. Provides lots of different amp sounds and the flick of a switch and the turn of a knob. Each "model" is highly authentic and has it's own highly authentic tone. VERY convincing both at ear bleed volume and late night bedroom playing. Highly recommended!!

Can you read the back of a cereal box?
Good.
You can operate this nugget of power.
lots of options to switch from and tweek.

Using a 79 bullet truss rod strat with seymour duncan rails.Maple neck...with a blakfaced 69 fender super reverb.
I ve tried...maxon,boss,route 66...I was looking for a distortion that could turn my sweet sounding blues machine super into a mesa boogie if i wanted it. No it is not mesa but you know what?...it is better because mesas cannot get fender clean due to there set up and what they are for...its tough...to get both..the closest Ive heard is a fender prosonic...but i didnt think it had the definition or boom of a mesa....Fender sparkles and shimmers and the older reverbs are lush like yo womans voice.(hopefully the girl can sing?)
This thing could compete with most metal crushing sound machines. Remember i am playing through an old super with 4/10s..they are bassy sounding and capture alot of the harmonic spectrum..so i dont know how it sounds on other amps...i never tried.
I was looking for clean and heavy in an easy to manage package...I bought an amp with the clean inherent in it and threw this pedal in the loop. I love the way you can actually
get feedback that becomes part of your sound...you can play blues that screams. I know it is a simulator but id rather think of it as a unique sound tool that does just what Im looking for.I am a person who tries everything a million times before I buy it.
Your reading this because you tried it?...and liked it?
.I have tried most of them.
It is not an overdrive that will provide a little extra boost to an already great sounding amp...it can do that but that is sort of a compromise when you can just a/b this and put a maxon 8088
in front of your amp and get a cleaner break up.
Its more of an alternate channel for amps that dont do crunch or a direct recording machine...or for someone with a bad sounding amp that wants to upgrade to good sound for just 140 or less.
For all out crunch or for direct recording...you cannot go wrong.
It is like an extra two channels on an amp that has one.
I still cant beleive that my strat plugged into this little black box equals a wall of sound like Ive only heard from mesas with a marshall..the modelling must increase the sound of my strat and fatten it..I am using duncan rails w a hot one in the bridge so that may account..
The amp simulator function is what seperates it from the tri o.d. Sorry tech 21 but this pedal is a meaner, better and more of a musicians tool at least sound wises than the tri o.d.
I was playing some blues licks and this old gentleman...looked like a real blues guy..came over to me and said...how do you get that wailing screaming sound?...whoa its that little sansamp thing?...I have a sansamp and it dont sound like that..."
Probably had an overdrive pedal or something.The gt 2 has extra options...like hotwired amp and mic voicing placement...it makes a difference. I like my amp straight and clean..but when I want some meat on the bone dirty dog crunch...this is it.Next best thing would be a mesa itself.
Negatives are that it is not tubes...and to get just minimal type of breakup...is better done with an overdrive unit. It mimicks tubes
and for a low grit..ive heard better..... but on clean sound I dont care...my amp does that.
it isnt versataille as far as on the fly switching...UNLESS!...you simply a/b it...ah ha genius?! no but effective!
I love music and sounds and this is helping me save money and time...it gives me more of a pallette.

well...ive demoed 4 tech 21 products in the past week.
1 I bought. the 2 others(overdrive distortion pedal and another gt-2)...really!...had bad pots...scratchy
sounding..or fed back a bit.
They seem to be heavy little squares of metal so i dont see them breaking down...but I will have to watch out for the scratchy pot thing.

?

I play jazz...blues...rock....soul...
it does it all well....nothing can be everything 100% yet...it is what it is and I think it is good enough to warrant 140!...definitely!
I wish it had switches so it could be changed during a performance. And it does provide me with a great live sound...I dont use it much for direct yet.

i got this used so no manual. this made it hard to figure out at first, but i found some sample settings on the net and with a little messing you can get some cool sounds.

i use a ibanez Deluxe 59'er (les paul law suite)or montana acoustic/electric or hondo fame P-bass or JT w/a big ass humbucker >boss TU-2>boss CS-3>boss GE-7B>DOD bass chours>SansAmp GT2>Big Muff Pi(russian)>Traynor Bass Master head w/Traynor 2x15 cab. this pedal sounds so sweet. not as heavy as my muff but still heavy. also great for every thing from blues to metal. sounds great on my montana which has a crapy pre amp in it. also great on bass.

like a rock

don't need it yet

i play every thing and this pedal covers it all.

This unit takes some tweaking to get good sounds from it, especially since you must also tweak your amp (if running it through a head). I started with the tone knobs off on my clean channel, then tried the suggested settings from the manual. Then I added back Eq as needed. Takes time... but it it is worth the effort.

This is a non-boutique pedal, and in that sense this thing is worth every penny for the sounds it can give you. If you own a Marshall, and are looking for some killer Mesa tones for a few tunes, this pedal will do it and then some. I actually like the tone I got with this unit better than my old triple rec. But it took tweaking, and listening to how much sound was getting cut by the band. You might need to add back some highs and upper mids to cut through the bands noise. But this unit is really great sounding ... high gain, even thick bass, with nice harmonics. Makes lead playing effortless (just like a Boogie), yet can be set up for hair-removing crunch tones as well. For the money, this is a steal!

No idea ... looks high quality, though ...

Hope I never have to deal with them ...

Like most rock guitarists I have to play everything on the damn radio, which engulfs many amps and many tones. I have owned Bogners and VHts and Dr. Zs .. but recently I am on a "less is more" kick. I am running a modded Marshall TSL 100 head (Voodoo AMps rule!!) into a Mesa 4x12 w/V30s. I get all the great plexi tones up through hot-rodded grind, but no Mesa sounds (forget about the LAME tone shift on the TSLs ... it is a Tone SUCKER). I neede a modern pummeling tone, and it was there in this failry inexpensive pedal. If you think buying a tube preamp pedal to run through the front of your tube amp will give you a great tone, you are mistaken. The tube pedals (including Mesa's) mush out your sound. You need an anolog pedal to add tightness and harmonics which keep a strong signal going to your amp. These Sans Amp products really have great tone ... but start at 0 Eq on the amp and work up from there, especially if going through a hot amp like a Marshall. Remember to use the CLEAN channel!!!!!!!!

This is simple to use. No manual needed. I actually only use one setting but adjusting and achieving the tone you're looking for is very easy.

I only use one setting:
Mic: Center
Mod: Hot Wired
Amp: California
Knob settings -
High: Slightly less than 12 O'clock
Low: Same
Drive: 9 O'clock
This sound is my perfect, slightly over crunch distortion. I use the tube screamer patch in my Lexi MPX G2 to push it over the top - although if you advance the drive on the GT2 it is very satisfying as well.
The low end thump the way I have it set is great and you have the ability to set it anywhere you desire - from satisfying to the ridiculous boom,,,But still defined. (No mush)
High is the same way - clear and not harsh and you can achieve an almost harmonic exciter quality if you want that much glass.

If you're one of the fine players who understands dynamics via your guitar's volume knob you will be fairly pleased at how it cleans up -
When you do roll off though it has a bit of that synthetic breakup that is undesirable, ie. it doesn't come clean like when running through a JCM 800 but it's a minor complaint here.

I use a Mexi-60's RI strat with Joe Barden's and a '73 LPC with the original PAF's

The British & Tweed modes seem fine although I've not tweaked with them too much. This unit was to replicate a specific sound and it does it very satisfactorily. I formerly used a Mesa-Vtwin which was great too - the GT2 tone is more defined, tighter and the unit is more compact and free from tube failure worry.

I've had no trouble. I'm confident using it thus far w/o backup but that's just because I've not afforded a back-up unit.
A backup is always a good idea, but for now I'm comfortable with my one unit.

Have had no need to contact. I'm impressed with this company.

I've been playing for 27 years and currently play original and copy material. Anything from Creed, Godsmack to AC, VH, Kiss, Iron Maiden to Kenny Wayne, Incubus, Nickel Back and anything else the people want to hear.

I use this as my main tone generator through a Lexi MPX G2 and a Crown PowerBase 2 amp. I'm very pleased with the results - even the unit plugged straight into the power amp is fantastic.

I run stereo into the PA with 2 H & K Red Boxes.
Just an aside, I can't understand why more people don't use these.
They work! When I walk in front of the PA my guitar sounds the way it does coming through my cab-only louder of course. Plus with the Red Box the tech doesn't have to deal with any bleeding from my system. Anyway, that's topic for another review!

The GT2 unit is my choice. I bet their trademark amps kick booty and I'd really like to try the PSA-1 Just for the variability I'd have in conjunction with my MPX G2, but for now I'm extremely happy. Get this box - it will end your retention (if you have one) with the "tube only" anality.

How easy!!! Level (For the level of the output) Will even drive line level and full cranked a pair of head phones (In one ear coz it's mono or just pull plug half way out to get two ear mono) HIGH Which is the top end ... Funny that BASS... Yeah you've guessed it that's how much bass you get. and DRIVE controlls the amount of distortion you get pound for pound... Oh and a pedal to turn it off and on

Love it my (and many pro guitarist) main distortion. I've got mainly a rack setup and is Ideal for me. over the years i've used loads of different amp and distortions this is by far the most usable. Some time setting up a 100 watt amp just ain't work but this gets the sound at what ever volume the PA guy wants.

24/7 that all I can say never once let me down.. Unlike all of other effects i have

No Idea.... Like this has ever given me a reason to contact them!...err NO

What ever your playing style there is something for you here from miked up clean amp of jazz to Ultra distorted distorted amps of the heavest heavy metal it doe's it.

Too easy to use.

Sounds authentic. Listen closely, it is obviously not real tubes burning, it sounds a little "fake", but it does sound cool. It seems no one knows what I am about to tell you all, I haven't noticed anyone mention this......for screaming gain boost, place the "MOD" switch directly between the "CLEAN" and "HI GAIN" position. Crank up your amp, listen as you slowly position the switch, and you'll hear a huge boost in your tone, bass will go through the roof, triple distortion intensity, and so on. Give it a try. If this does not work on your unit, perhaps circuitry has been altered over the years, I don't know. I bought mine back in the spring of 1995.

90% reliable. Mine fell about six to seven inches onto a table top while in use, and then stopped working. I had a friend of mine look at it, found a broken solder joint, resoldered it, and it sounds okay now. I can't say it sounds exactly like it did before the repair, but it works.

No contact.

I write and record guitar rock similar to AC/DC tone and style.
I chose it because of a magazine review. It sounded like a very special unit. Obviously it is, considering how many people now swear by the thing.

Easy. Plug in and go. No owners manual needed. Knobs are unnecessarily small, though.

Great. This may not satisfy sound purists or those looking for a specialized or odd tone, but it runs the range of tones and should get you 90% of the way there from classic rock to Metallica. Tweed setting has low output and is a little dull, but maybe that is intended, I am not familiar with the tone it is trying to replicate on that setting.

No problem so far.

Not needed yet

Style played - Hard rock and metal. Good tone match, good range in oune affordable pedal.
Other gear - Tube Screamer, Dunlop Wah
If lost or stolen - I would buy another one
Love or Hate - Covers most sounds I want, affordable, easy to use

The GT2 is simple and sounds great due to its analog circuitry. I once stumbled on a website showing how to modify a Marshall tube amp to get the Van Halen sound and I e-mailed the poor guy told him simply get a GT2 and a used solid state amp with a 100 watt or more. The website disappeared. I use the OFF CENTER/CLEAN/CALIFORNIA/DRIVE AT 2 O"CLOCK feeding a 60 watt Mesa Boogie Sattelite 60.Crunchy, loud, and fat.

Great saturated sound like POD,311, and etc. but don't really care about the Marshall and Tweed teritory. I assembled a my own cables using Belden 9862 very similar to George L's at 44 cents a foot compared to $1.50 of George L's. Great if not better sound and gives the GT2 the best data transmission to the amp.

Extremely realiable. Zero failure so far.

Gt2 is great but the Tri-AC is a bit more flexible.

Make sure to turn your amps eq's all the way off and you're GOLDEN.
I have to catch my breath every I get to thinking about how I almost
dropped $800.00 on a Re-Issue...Almost forgot...bought this at Guitar
Center where NOTHING IS EVER IN TUNE......EVER.

I use this as a "one trick pony". There is a huge demand for the sound made popular by John Mayall's Bluesbreakers,they knew their
covers, like Eric's and Peter's 1960's tone which is,was, and always
will be... unforgettable,AMEN!! NOW'S HERE'S THE WAY TO SOUND LIKE A
MILLION BUCKS WITHOUT SPENDING squat....
A. get yourself an old PEAVEY CLASSIC w/normal,parallel,series,bright.
B. turn the treble,midrange,and bass COMPLETELY OFF,OFF,OFF...
C. turn the reverb OFF,OFF,OFF!!!!
d. The GT2 works correctly using IT'S OWN EQ....capice?
e. set "mic" on "classic", "mod" on "clean", "amp" on "BRITISH".
f. set "level" at 11 o'clock, set 'high" at 2 o'clock, Set "low" at
between 4-5 o'clock, set "drive" at 12 o'clock high.
g. if you try to use the tone eq's on your amp all you'll get is a
glorified MXR Distortion Plus tone which is not what we're after.
h. I'm using either a Gibson Firebird V or a Les Paul Standard with
this setup and am CONVINCED IT IS BETTER at producing a TONE
consistant with the 1966 "Beano" album without having to spend
hundreds more for the "proper" amp with even more for the Gold
Lion KT-66 valves...STOP THE INSANITY....BUY OR TRY A GT-2 and
GIG with a lot less worries. As God Is MY Witness I'm achieving
this EXACT TONE perhaps EVEN MORE ROBUST for PEANUTS...peanuts.

I've had it for three years through everything including Van Travel
which is the pits.... AND ya don't need old batteries to make it sound
like THE FONK (CRESCENT CITY SPELLIN' 2nd line y'all) just turn the eq's on that amp your own OFF!!!EQ through the GT-2 exclusively...

These folks are truly into it. They love what they do. I am positively looking in the used gear places for their Trademark Twin.
I just know some fool won't understand how it works 'cause it is so
simple and I'll be there a waitin' "like a big spidah" H.McDaniel

I like HardCore Country (Owens,Haggard,Yoakum,Buchanan); Jazz(Montgomery,Benson,Christian,Ellis) and Blues (Magic Sam, Jr.Wells,
Albert Collins, Albert King and the Bluesbreakers). I began the Journey in The Summer Of Love...1967. I compared this to a bunch of
Marshall Bluesbreakers; 3 old ones and I don't honestly know how many Re-Issues, probably every time I go into a store and see one, 'cause
I gotta re-affirm my euphoria. The stuff I own was purchased at a time when you couldn't give it away....The Rule: WHEN ONE IS POPULAR,
BUY THE UNPOPULAR 'CAUSE WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND AND THANGS
AIN'T WHAT THEY USED TO BE.....CAPICE?