Tech 21 SansAmp GT2

I have had this stompbox for about 6 years now. When i first got it, i thought it was the most marvellous gain unit ever made but over the years, i've found it to be a temperamental bitch which fluctuates depending on the amp you use, even when you dial in different settings. It's a relatively good pedal but not very user-friendly if you want a consistent sound. The pedal came with a booklet suggesting various settings. Some are spot-on, some arent. Like i said, it really depends on the amp you use. The Gt-2 is generally quite good with solid state amps though, not so much tube.

I use it with a Fender 65 reissue twin reverb and it sounds okay. Not great, but just okay. Ive tried it with Marshall JCM 2000s, 900s and 800s and it sounds like a piece of crap. Try it with a class A amp like a voc ac-30 or 60 and it's even worse. The knobs are also very sensitive. A slight shift in the High or Low knobs and your sound dramatically changes. Not very easy to mould a good sound either.

Its reliable although I started having problems with the footswitch shortly after I bought it. I would step on it and it would come on and then i'd step on it again to switch it off and it wouldn't go off. Imagine the nightmare!
The reverse also happens quite often and can be very embarassing if you're playing a live gig although i suspect this is due to my particular unit.

never dealt with anyone before.

It's a good pedal for a newbie in search of a range of sounds. but for the gigging or touring musician who has to constantly play on a variety of amps, i wouldnt recommend it. I'd recommend the Crowther Audio Hot Cake instead. It's easy to use, consistent sounding with different amps, and kicks serious tone butt.

Pretty darn near perfect and straight forward pedal with excellent sounds. Only hiss noise is if level is up too high. Tweaking it is easy.

I would use this anywhere as vital piece of studio or stage set-up.

I play hard and psychedelic fusion trance rock like Ozric Tentacles meets Tommy Bolin at a Mahavishnu Orchestra reincarnation gig. I have been abusing axes since 1967. The gear I own . . . I haven't got the time right now. If it were stolen then most likely everything else in my studio got ripped off too so I would be too crazy bummed to worry about this pedal. I wish it had a "Suicide" or "Rainbow" setting where you could dial in %'s of Fender, Marshall and Mesa-Boogie mixed together for the chimeric beast of all amps. Maybe next model??? This puppy definitely helps. I may have to sel some other pedals of mine now . . .

It's pretty straightforward and intuitive. I haven't really used the manual other than a casual glance when I first opened it.

There are basically three amp styles, three tube/gain options, and three mic placement options with gain, high, and low knobs for fine tuning. The first time I used it I fiddled with it a lot, but every subsequent time, it's a quick setup.

My main guitar is an Epiphone Les Paul Deluxe. I use the GT2 in three settings: Practicing through my Peavy Transtube Studiopro 112 (a solid-state amp), playing live direct into the PA system, and recording direct into a Tascam 2488. All three of these applications sound amazing.

Typically, I use it with a more clean- or retro-sounding setup. The Tweed amp is great for that. The first time I used it at church (coupled with a Boss TR-2 Tremelo pedal), the sound guys and the other bandmembers kept asking me what I had done to make my guitar sound so good.

I've also used the British and California settings for a harder sound when recording. It's probably the best distortion I've ever had.

When I first plugged it in, I was a bit wary of the hum it generated when engaged in my amp (at any setting this was present). I noticed this to also be the case (though to a much lesser extent) in the monitors of the church's PA system. However, the sound guys said they didn't notice it, and when I recorded into my Tascam, I didn't notice it either.

Straight up and down, this pedal has given me the BEST sound I've ever had.

I've only owned it for a couple of months, but it seems very rugged. It's solid, metal, and reassuringly heavy. This pedal has replaced my amp completely for gigging. The only reason I'd have a backup would be if I wanted two different tones (e.g. one distorted and one clean). I guess the second one wouldn't really be a backup in that case, would it?

I've never dealt with the company, so I don't know.

I love this pedal! The only thing I would like to see improved would be a way to have two presets to switch between on the fly. Two chanels, so to speak.

My guitar sound is heavily influenced by retro (think Chris Isaac's stuff) and classic rock. I haven't really tried it for other sounds yet. I've never done anything that wasn't improved upon by adding the GT2.

I've been playing guitar for 12 years now. Other than the GT2, I typically use the Boss CE-5 Chorus, TR-2 Tremelo, and DS-1 Distortion pedals with the occational Crybaby mixed in. So far, the GT2 has just made all these sound better. Last week I ditched the chorus, wah, and distortion for a simple setup of Tremelo and GT2. It was great!

I'd been looking for a good way to ditch my amp in live settings for a while. Amps are simply a pain to deal with in my opinion. I tried out the POD, but it was too expensive for the overly digital sound. I used the Zoom 505 for a while, but it's sound is definitely sub par (and my sound men HATED it's noisiness). I wish I had listened when I was told to get a Sansamp years ago (couldn't afford it at the time).

When I picked the GT2 up at my local music store, no less than five employees of the store stopped what they were doing to tell me what a good choice I had made. I couldn't agree more. Don't procrastinate like I did. At a price under $200, you'll never miss the money compared to the sound improvement.

the GT2 is dead simple to use - if you use it for its intended purpose!

like the other sansamp products, the GT2 is *not* an overdrive/distortion pedal. it is designed to recreate the entire signal path that generates the overdriven tone. this means that sending signal from the GT2 to the front end of an amp is *not* ideal. it doesn't mean it *won't* work this way, and that you *won't* find a good sound that way, it's just not the intended purpose. you can use a screwdriver to put nails in a wall, but you'd rather use a hammer, right?

i cannot stress this enough! it bugs me to see this and other sansamps getting poor reviews because someone didn't actually think about what they were doing.

for best results, you should always send the signal directly to the PA, to a power amp w/speakers, or to a very clean and preferably solid state amp, like the roland JC120. i use the GT2 along with a Tri-AC in a direct system that 99% of the time gets sent directly to the house sound without an amp on stage.

my one beef with this product is the lack of a dedicated "mid" control.

i really enjoy the sound of this pedal. for me, it picks up where the Tri-ac leaves off. where the tri-ac sounds more "vintage" the GT2 sounds more "modern." depending on the rig it will sound buzzy long before the tri-ac, but not in a way that can't be dialed out without trashing your tone. there is a ridiculous amount of gain on tap in this pedal, but not in a metal zone way - it always sounds big.

i've also dialed back the gain and used the "tweed" setting for clean sounds when recording. it's too bad that they don't make a 3-preset of this pedal, like the Tri-ac and the new double-drive 3x.

again, the only thing missing here is a dedicated mid control.

i can absolutely depend on this pedal, and this is why i continue to use tech 21. consistent, reliable sound - all the time!

see my review of the tri-ac. no one has better customer support than tech 21.

if this were stolen or lost, i would absolutely buy another. this is an integral part of my rig, both live and in the studio.

you can be sure that if/when Tech 21 releases a version of the GT2 with 3 available presets and a dedicated midrange control i will be the first person at the store!

The stomp is easy to use. The various combinations of switches make themselves clear after a bit of playing. I did find that the "Tweed" amp coupled with the "Clean" Mod settings produced a weakened, subdued model that actually was fun to toy with, by boosting the on-board Drive and using my external EQ'ing and compression. I must admit, though, that the various types of OD/distortion effects through this thing were sub-par, to me. My current amp's are a Marshall Valvestate, and an old Gibson Lab Series solid state. Needless to say, it's a bit of a "challenge" to get really good "tube" sounds with this back-end configuration. Other than a Boss and Digitech stomp, the only single device in my current "arsenal" that consistently impresses me is my Vox ToneLab. People are amazed that so many diverse, quality tones can come out of a SS amp using this thing. (I also use external comperession and graphic EQ boxes in the chain and FX loop, which i find fundamental to good live sound.) So, i know that it's a bit "unfair" to hold up the ToneLab against the Sanamp GT2 .... BUT .... then again, the ToneLab cost me less than 2x the Sansamp, but delivers 20x the net results .... so, sorry to say, the GT2 losses. It went back to the dealer for a refund.

I pretty much summed-up my results, above. I bought the GT2 and took it for a "spin". It didn't measure up. Other than having some fun with the lower-powered "Tweed" and related setting's by boosting them up to get a nice smooth drive, i was un-impressed with the OD/distortion results. The sounds were, for the most part were the characteristic brittle, not "warm". In a SS rig, it's difficult to get "quality" (?!) sounds, as compared to the "tube" experience. I CAN do it, but it takes fiddling and experimentation. The bottom line is this: if i can use a $60 Boss or Digitech stomp and get equal or better results than something that costs $160, who's going to end up under my foot?

I wasn't impressed with the construction of the GT2. It's built of light, thin metal, not heavy and sturdy like your "typical" stomp. One of the 1/4" jacks, even after just a few insertions, was working its way loose. If one is to use this box in a gig, you'd better bring a backup of some sort. In short, the "value" here is questionable. Hell, you can go out and buy a modelling practice amp for less than this box. I think this device is totally over-priced and doesn't deliver the value that active players require.

No Opinion.

I said it all above. If you're in the market for a new OD stomp, there's a variety of better choices. (Take a serious look at the Carl Martin line....i think you'll be impressed.)

The pedal's pretty easy to operate. Has a level and gain control and acive bass and high knobs.

You have three amp models, three preamp settings (clean, high gain and hot-wired) and thre mic settings (classic, center and off-axis)

And that's that

This pedal sounds good. It sounds excellent actually, better than my Vox Valvetronix. A little trebly, but good nonetheless you just have to cut the active highs)

Really good marshall and mesa sounds. You too can get that nice smooth lead tone if you want. Or if you want to play metal, this pedal has it. Just flick the switches (it's all in the manual so I won't explain exact settings) and voila!
The Fender isn't so good to my ears. It sounds really processed and unnatural.

Now here comes the bad part: This pedal is noisy!
On the clean settings, you can manage, everything is fine. But when you put it into the high-gain mode the hiss really becomes noticeable. And this is when I have the gain turned to about 35%! And don't even think of turning the active controls to 12 o'clock.
Useless for recording. Would work in live applications, but for recording...no.

If the pedal was 80 Euros cheaper, I wouldn't mind it so much. But for 170 Euros, I'd expect it not to produce so much hum.

It looks sturdy, built from steel and stuff :)

Haven't contacted them

I'd give it an eight, if it was cheaper, but for that kind of money, I don't want to as much as think about noise, let alone hear it.

Too much easy!

I run this through the fx return, playing with a Les Paul and a SG, both Gibson. SOmetimes I play with a stratocaster I have made, and it's good also. I use a Meteoro (brazillian amp) 200 w.
Man! I've been searching for this sound for all my life! Heavy, sustained, amazing! I play something near to hard rock, sometimes with the 6th string tuned in D.
Sometimes people tell me that GT-2 doesn't work well with other normal effects, like wah and something. BULLS#*T!!!!It's a great sound, doesn't matter within what.
I used to play with british position, and off-axis microfone position. The other button, I used to play with hi-gain or hot-wired.

Now, I'm using a Mesa/Boogie V-1 Bottle Rocket Tube Overdrive Pedal. Great pedal. But CRAP, if compared to GT-2.

No problem at all to me. But a friend of mine had problems with the switch.

Never tried.

In my opinion: the perfection!!! The sound I always wanted! Thanx, Tech 21!!!

This is like the classical Sansamp simulator, but with eq and more.
These sopunds are in a lot of recordings.
Dynamic (POD is not dynamic), clean, nice.
Very easy to use.
Remember:
This is an emulator,(sounds dry) and it has not the real ambience in your room or your amp. If you add ambient reverb, you will have great sounds.

If you like the Fender sound, this is your amp for recording and performances.
The Marshall sounds are great, and the California (boogie) is very good.
This is a real stuff. This is not a tale-new generation-modeling stuff.
Sounds.
I use the Marshall sounds. A very little the boogie. But i have to say, this pedal has the best Fender sound that you can get.
The Marshall sound is great for tracking, and if you want ultra boogie gain, it has it.

Several yeras.
Never problems.

This is for all styles.

Very simple and easy to use. The manual is pretty straight forward and actually has good sample settings. I wish there was "no mic model" option, that can be sort of confusing. Hence the 9.

I use it with various guitars with humbuckers. For single coil sounds I use the humbuckers in split coil.

This little box is great. I play mostly metal and it definitely shines at getting a Mesa Recto sort of sound. It is also great to brighten up the cleans and get smooth distortion for other styles. The voicing is the same for all styles, but that voice can be very versatile.

I use it with many amps, mostly for practicing. It sounds very nice with solid state amps. Tube amps, it gets too muddy.

For direct recording, I didn't like the sound right out of the box that much. However, using with Behringer GDI (4x12 simulator, DI) direct into a mixing board, it sounds really nice. Sounds just like an amp, it is amazing. Through a PA or recording, it is very nice.

Initially I got it to do scratch tracks and run DI to record with drummers and such. But I have been keeping the tracks since they sound so good. Or re-record with the same setup. Then mix it with amp sound.

I have had it for a year now. I take it with me to gigs as a backup. It also goes with me when I record with bands. I have had no problems with it. It is all metal construction, it can probably take a good beating.

I haven't had to contact them.

I have been playing for 10 years and have lots of gear. This thing is a great little box. It makes for a great backup and simple recording rig (with the Behringer GDI). If it were stolen or lost I would pick up a new one right away.

I play mostly Metal of various types, but I also do jazz, funk, blues, country, pop, etc. It really does well for all of them. Often DI boxes do other styles well, but don't do Metal well. This one nails Metal as well as other styles.

But definitely get a Behringer GDI with it. It really opens this box up for some real high quality use.

Very easy to get a good sound out of it. Many good sounds to get out of it.

Great sound. I use a Hamer stratocaster copy with a solid state crate amp. I was looking for a Fender Tweed tube amp sound like the 59 Bassmaster for Rockabilly,It nails that sound well. I love this pedal, it makes a solid state amp sound warm and bright or overdriven like a tube amp. I can't wait to try it with my gibson sg. Iv'e heard that this pedal makes a tube amp sound better. I love the tones that I get from this pedal. I use this with a Boss DD-3 digital delay pedal to get twangy rockabilly chime sound.

It looks like it's built to last.

I play Rockabilly, AC/DC style RockandRoll and thrash metal. I love the mild distortion and the clean sound I can get from this pedal. This is the only pedal that I have been compelled to write a review on. I love it. Ive played for about 8 years. I can't wait to use this thing with my half stack with the Boss metal distortion pedal.