Tech 21 SansAmp PSA-1 Preamp

I got an Epiphone "Ace Frehley" Custom last week, so that is what I plugged into the PSA-1. To be honest, I have not put good pickups in the guitar yet, so I really didn't expect to get mindblowing sound out of the PSA-1.....I was wrong. This amp is the answer to my prayers. I have tried so many amps, effects units, etc. Pedals had good crunch but bad tone. Amps had good tone, but not enough gain. The list goes on and on. Everytime I tried out something, it didn't have enough gain. I actually had to turn the gain DOWN on this thing!

The crunch on this thing is unreal. The absolute best preset on this unit to me is #24 Rectifier. Once I turn to that, I tweak the drive button a bit and can capture Metallica's Black Album or ...And Justice for All tone. It really does sound like this thing has tubes. This thing is not an "emulator" like a POD or J-Station. It is a SOLID STATE preamp. Probably the best comparison is an ADA or Rocktron rackmount of some kind. If there are any POD users reading this, the PSA-1 can capture the Dual Rectifier setting that the POD does so well. The sound of the PSA-1 is more "in your face".

I had a Tech 21 Trademark 120 amp, and I can tell you that the combo amps from Tech 21 and this thing are like night and day. Those amps are not a "PSA-1 with speakers". You can fine tune your sound so well with this thing. The knobs PREAMP, BUZZ, PUNCH, CRUNCH, and DRIVE all help you tailor your sound. They affect your picking attack and other things in ways other amps can't change on the fly. The amp only gets noisy with everything cranked to "10". Trust me, you don't need everything up that high. You can cover any musical style with this thing. Distortion is the most brutal. I love this thing!

Brand new amp! I play a little bit of everything, and this amp covers it all. From pristine B.B. King to raging Death Metal tones, this amp absolutely covers every base. There are 50 preset channels and I think you can make 50 of your own. There is a recessed "save" button which is cool so you don't wipe out your presets, etc. Eight knobs controls on the front cover your gain, tone, etc. and there are two "up" and "down" knobs to go through presets. There is an effects loop, regular "outs", XLR "outs" and even a decibal control button. I have not dug too deep into the features yet, but there are a good amount. There is no headphone jack, but I think plugging into the "out" covers that. The unit is very small. In fact, when I opened the outer box from Musician's Friend, I thought they sent the wrong thing. The box was so small that I thought they sent me a footswitch or something. Very light. Surprising, since it sounds like it has a pack of tubes in there. As far as missing features go, I would really like to see them include footswitches with the unit. Even if it is the cheap one. Also, I wish there was reverb built-in....but, that would probably ruin the unit and jack up the price. Probably better to just buy a separate one. Manual is small and simple but you really don't need much more than that.

TECH 21 stuff seems to be real solid. I was a bit paranoid when I opened the box because the "up" button was recessed at bit. But when I pressed on it, it popped right back into place. I think it moved a bit during shipping. It is a nice solid little box, and I can't imagine it every breaking down, etc. I guess you can only "wait and see" with stuff like this.

I have been in contact with someone at TECH 21, and he always has responded to my emails when I had questions about my TRADEMARK 120. When I decided I wanted a PSA-1, the company was real helpful in telling me what power amps would be good with it, etc. By the way, people say this things smokes through a P.A. system.

I pretty much know right away if I am going to keep something for the long haul. This amp has the reliability of solid state amps I have owned with the tone of a good overdriven tube amp. I know that you can't capture the sound of a tube amp completely, but I was really surprised at this thing. I researched this thing to death before I bought it, and downloaded soundclips, reviews, etc. Almost everyone who buys this thing loves it and thinks it is worth the money. While researching, I found out that a lot of famous people use this unit. Geddy Lee from Rush has been using one for his bass sounds for years. If you want a great sounding unit right out of the box without a lot of tweaking, etc. then this thing is for you.

Update to an earlier posting. This unit never stops amazing me. Here is my current signal path... Parker guitar - PSA-1 - effects processor (Behringer DSP1000P Virtualizer Pro) in the loop - BBE - Carvin VT50 tube amp (in the power amp in, only using the power amp (EL84) not the pre) - Marshall mini stack (looks like a small full stack with two Celestion G10L-35 speakers). This set up is absolutely amazing. I have A/B this with many different setups including the Carvin VT50 by it self and the PSA blows everything else out of the water. This rig is simply the best I have ever heard. Spanky Fender clean, rich clean with a little hair, JC120 clean for funk or jazz, blues in every color, SRV, EJ, Hendrix, Old school rock, New Rock, Metal... everything!!! I would gladly put this system up against anything in a blind test. A friend with a Bogner tried it and dialed up a tone he thought was very Bogner like but better !!! This is the most versatile and tuneful system I have ever heard. Not only is there a million great tones in the PSA-1 but it responds so well to volume control and picking dynamics that there is infinite variations within each patch from your guitar. I can go from a nice almost clean rhythm sound to a searing SRV lead tone using only the guitar volume knob and picking dynamics. I no longer have a need for tube amps!!! This sounds better. Well I am using a tube power amp because I like the sound. Did I mention this this sounds great for bass and recording. I have been searching for my tone (SRV, EJ, Via, VH, Ford, Knoffler, me, more...) for 15 years and here it is. I think the G.A.S is finally over :>) Try one out and give it some time. I was not that impressed when I first got the unit but after some tweaking... WOW. Note: there are a lot of variations in this unit, you only need to more the knobs a little to have a whole new and great sound. This unit is the shit my friends, try it. Thanks.

kfa888@hotmail.com

Never had an issue... can't say that about the Line 6 stuff i have had!!!

Don't know :>)

Awasome.

It does take an effort to use this unit; it is not set up like your typical amp/preamp. It's not a problem though, I find that if you start with the presets and tweak away, you'll find your sounds.

I'm using this with a Mesa/Boogie 2:90 power amp, a BBE sonic Maximizer and an old Alesis Quadraverb. My cabinet is an old Marshall 4x12 with EV speakers. I got this preamp to replace my Mesa triple rectifier that was loaned to a friend and then accidentally destroyed by a rowdy crowd and an overzealous bouncer. Anyway, my wife (god bless her) went to Sam Ash Music and consulted with one of the sales people and he reccomended the PSA-1. For the first few weeks, I didn't have a power amp, so I ran it through my P.A and it sounded insane! Finally, I got a mesa 2:90 power amp and could not believe how tremendous this thing sounded! I prefer this preamp/power amp combination over my old triple recto(R.I.P). I play in a Hardcore band and this thing gives me all the distortion I need and then some. I usually just use a tweaked version of preset 28 (a mesa setting called too much gain), but I also like the Marshall plexi setting. My guitars are Les paul standards and customs with emg's in them. All I know is that my setup sounds great.

It seems pretty reliable, it is solid state.+-

never had to deal with them.

I love this thing. I've been playing for over 15 years and this is by far the best tone I've ever gotten. This is only my opinion, so check it out for yourself.

This is a response to the rant below concerning solid state vs. tubes in pre-amps. I repair, mod, and build clones of vintage amps as a hobby and occasionally make a little cash in the process. I do not work for Tech21, but I couldn't let this blatantly ignorant bash slide. Let me tell you guys, the only place tubes make a large differance in sound for guitar is in the power amp. It is the interaction between the output tubes, transformer, speaker, and power supply that makes a tube amp rock - not the pre-amp. When is the last time you listened to a pre-amp (tube or not) direct . . . without a speaker or power amp. What do you hear? A thin irritating buzz. It is the power amp that gives an amp the thick, punchy, heavy sound. A __properly designed__ solid state preamp through a __properly designed__ tube power amp is nearly indistiguishable from an all-tube unit.
I do not own a PSA-1, but I record in a studio that uses one. I agree, the Fender cleans sounds just aren't as "bouncy" and "full" as a real Twin. I believe this is due to the compromises that had to be made in the circuitry for it to also have a great distorted sound. But once you add just a touch of dirt (all the way up to Metallica grind) it sounds FANTASTIC . . . as long as it is being pumped through a good power amp and speaker combo. I know that Tech21's instructions tell you to use a solid state power amp, but this is wrong (in my opinion). We use a either a modded Marshall SL-X FX return into a variety of 4X12's for distorted tones, or a Boogie Classic 50 into a 2x12 open back cab loaded with Jensens for cleaner stuff. It sounds like GOD . . . much better that the Marshall pre in the SL-X. As soon as I convert my stuff to .WAV's it post a couple.
I think most people that have problems with the PSA-1 either don't take the time to learn to operate it or are trying to plug it into the preamp input of an amp. It will sound like crap in front of another preamp.
I challenge anyone on this board to do an A/B test. I will bet that as long as you keep the tones a little dirty (what the PSA is designed for) your fingers and ears will be unable to distiguish between a __properly set up__ PSA-1 and a tube preamp.
Unlike the other persons post, I will give my real email for comments. If you agree (or disagree), send me your comments at ballsybottom@yahoo.com .

If you are familiar with Combo amps, then you'll find this really easy to use. Get to know the different characteristics - given the names of buzz, crunch, punch etc. - and you'll find it very easy to get the sounds you like. The manual is very easy to understand and will help you get to grips with the programmable and MIDI aspects of the unit. I would have given this a 10 if there was a Mono output option.

I use an Epiphone Les Paul Standard, and a Digitech 2120 for the effects only (the digitech has its own preamp which just didn't do it for me. so I bypass it).

No-one believes me when I say it doesn't have any valves!! I find it very easy to create sounds ranging from bluesy Hendrix/SRV tones to driving rock tones to saturated metal tones. On the cleaner side, I can have glitzy bright sounds as well as smooth, warm tones. I play many different styles - it seems that whatever you play, you can get it out of the PSA-1.

Hasn't done a single thing wrong yet.

Wouldn't know.....which is a good thing!

I love the versatility of the PSA-1, it's the only preamp I need to play a plethora of different styles. I've owned it for nearly 2 years and it hasn't let me down. I would definitely use my insurance money to buy the same unit, if it were stolen or lost. Like I said, I would give it a 10 if I could have a Mono output.

The PSA-1 is basically set up like a guitar amplifier, although I noticed it does require a bit more effort to dial in a new sound from scratch than my Fender. Then again, it can produce a much larger variety of tones. That said, operation is very straight forward. You have eight knobs and you twist them until you like what you hear. Saving patches is easy, although my unit was inexplicably shipped with some weird settings (pots were disabled, write protect was turned on). I just reset it to factory settings and everything was fine from then on.

I use this with a Gibson Nighthawk, a Fender P-bass, and a Danelectro 12-string electric. One of the reasons I like it so much is because it has settings that work very well with bass guitar. I have it plugged straight into my Mackie 1402 VLZ. From there, it's into my PC via an M-audio Delta 44 sound card. An Alesis MidiVerb IV is patched into the Mackie's send. It sounds pretty sweet on all settings I've tried. Some of the distortions are noisy, but then again so are guitar amps so no points off for that. One inexplicable thing is the factory patches 48 and 49. When you scroll past those, make sure your levels are down or else you're liable to blow your speakers. Why they programmed these particular presets I'll never know. Overall, I'm in amp heaven. I sold my Peavey Stereo Chorus 440 last week, and I'm selling my Fender Hotrod because I don't need it any more. The PSA-1 doesn't sound exactly like the Fender, but it comes darn close.

I have had it for about a week, so I can't speak to the reliability yet. Seems like a pretty solid unit, I'm pretty confident that it will be in my rack for a good long time.

I did e-mail Tech 21 support about the first and only problem I had with being unable to save patches. They responded in a timely manner and their solution worked beautifully. So far, so good.

I play all kinds of music, from indie pop, to punk, to 60s garage rock, to reggae or whatever I feel like that day. This unit seems to cover the spectrum quite nicely. It really is like having a collection of expensive amps right in your rack. I was hesitant about replacing my "real" amp with a "preamp", but now I see that this is not just a preamp. Not only that, if I ever get into another band, I can just slap my PSA-1 into a hardshell case, pop it on top of a Tech 21 PowerCube 60, and bam! I can go live, and I'm already dialled into my favorite tones. Plus, it will be cheaper than buying a new amp. Overall, this is one of the best pieces of gear I have ever bought. I would definitely replace it if lost or stolen because I've never heard anything else that can do what it does. I can jam the full on Black Sabbath riffs while my 20-month-old son sleeps upstairs. That, and there's no tubes to replace! I've been playing guitar for 24 years, and I can tell you, the PSA-1 is a keeper.

I know quite a bit about audio electronics, so I just thought I'd take this time to explain why the PSA-1 doesn't have a mid EQ. It uses a different type of tone circuit than most amps. The traditional tone circuits found on Fenders, Marshalls, and the like are limiting in that they cannot actually provide any midrange boost. That's right, even if you turn up the mids all the way, turn the bass and treble all the way down, and boost the volume to compensate, you will NOT actually boost the middle. That's because of the way this tone circuits operates. The bass and treble knobs also affect the midrange, and since you can only cut, not boost, there is no way to boost the midrange. Also, this also makes fine tuning your sound more difficult, because any adjustment to one tonal range will also affect the one next to it, and you are limited with what you can do with the EQ. The main reason this type of circuit is used is because it makes simple adjustments, like rolling off the treble for a jazz tone or cutting the mids out for a metal tone, easier. The tone circuit on the PSA-1 is a bit more complicated to use, but it is far more versitile. The bass and treble controls can both cut and boost, and they only affect the bass and treble, respectively, not the middle. The way to change the mids is by boosting or cutting the highs and lows and turning the volume knob to compensate for the change in overall leval. The advantages of this circuit are that you can boost the midrange and it allows for far more flexiblilty in terms of perfecting your sound through the use of EQ. The disadvantage is that it takes a while to get used to and isn't as good for quick changes, although with practice it is just as simpleand fast to use as a normal EQ. Hope this clears up any confusion about the EQ.

Easy, read the manual to see what's up.

I hate writing reviews but this unit is so good I thought I better :>) I have a totally wacky setup right now because I am really set up for recording and not live so I an using a combination of stuff to get a live sound and have really stumbled across something. I have had my PSA-1 for about a year now. Here is my setup... Parker guitar (awesome), Tech21 PSA-1 (a cool purple one), Berhinger effect processor in the loop of the PSA-1, BBE (love those also) into a Fender Blues Junior. The Fender does not have a poweramp in so I have to run in right in the pre. I can't believe my ears!!! What the *%$#! I can get some amazing, thick, 3D, sustaining, blues, rock, hard rock, metal... pretty much anything I want. I am a certified gear nut and swap gear all the time to try different stuff so I have tried almost everything, this unit (as everyone else will tell you) is amazing. The only place I could knock the PSA-1 is in it's truly clean sounds. Not as rich and articulate as some tube combos including the Blues Junior. This may be the setup I am running. I am going to look for a 100 watt tube combo 2-12 with poweramp in or a 4-10 cab and power amp and see just how good this can get! I have used it for recording and it does a great job there also. Much more real and dynamic than my POD and other Pre's. Speaking of dynamics this is one of the most dynamic units I have ever used. You can use a fairly distorted sound and switch your guitar to a milder pickup config and roll off the volume and in most cases get a great clean sound. Not the muddy rolled off treble sound you usually get. The unit itself has a huge range of tones and then coupled with the control from your guitar you can go from spanky clean to raging distortion and never touch anything but your guitar. I love that! Want more? This thing is awesome at bass sounds. I can get better recorded bass sounds from this than miking some top brand bass amps (and I know how to mike!!!). Great distorted bass sounds also. Bottom line, buy one and never sell it. This unit has so many different things it can do and do them all well your crazy not to get one. At the $350 you can get them for used nothing else in any price range will do so much for your tone on so many levels. Great for blues, country, jazz, metal (crushing distortion and sustain), pretty much everything except maybe super nice Fender twin like tones. I have never found anything that quite duplicates a good old twin for that good old twin sound. You can however toss all your Mesa's, marshals, Orange's, Hi Watt's, Blue's, everything but the Twin and maybe a Dumble :>). Seriously one great unit. I don't write reviews and have had so much equipment it takes a lot for me to be inspired to do so. I was not all that thrilled with the unit when I first got it and thought is was like a nice distortion box until I spent some time with it. This is an indispensable tool for many things. Great unit, great sounds, and bullet proof to boot. Nuff said.

Yep

Not needed

$350 for all this thing will do... get outa town man.

I love this thing. In my opinion, it has the most articulate and BRUTAL distortion of any preamp out there. The only thing that can match or beat it would be the mesa triaxis, but I refuse to dish out that much money for just a preamp. I play in a metal/hardore band and I needed an amp with crazy, heavier than heavy distortion. I walked into guitar center after a few bong hits(I don't reccommend making any major purchases while high, but in this case, I'm very glad I did) and asked the guy,"what's the heaviest distortion based preamp you've got?" He took me to see the PSA-1. I still can't believe there are no tubes in this thing!! I power it with a mesa simul 2:90 power amp and also use a bbe sonic maximizer to add even more sizzle. I run this all through a mesa recto 4x12. I am 100% happy with my setup. I read some guy trashing this thing, saying that the ones leaving the good reviews were all tech21 employees. What an asshole. He's probobly running it with some crappy amp or something. Anyway, I don't work for them and will tell you that this thing rules! Oh, I forgot to mention the clean sounds! Yep, they're pretty cool too, although I must admit to being more of a distortion guy, so I can't be an accurate judge as far as clean sounds go, but I know what I like, and this I like.

If you're looking for a preamp that goes from clean to metal, this is the puppy for you. You won't believe the variety of sounds you can get from this thing!

no problems yet.

These guys are so polite and helpful, and they really know their products, inside and out. If you don't believe me, just give them a call and you'll see. The kings of customer support!

I've been playing for about 18 years and I've owned a lot of guitars, amps, effects, cabs, etc. As far as amps/preamps go, this is the wisest investment I've ever made. The only other amp I've been this happy with was my mesa tremoverb, that was stolen from a club. I was going to get another one, but decided to check out the PSA-1 which was suggested to me by Kenny Hickey (Type O Negative). He said he loved his PSA-1, so I checked one out and the rest is history.

Very easy to get so many sounds. The presets are so nice I won't have to make too many patches. I got no manual and will never need one.

I have a Ibananez RG going right into the PSA-1 with my Digitech RP-20 in the effects loop at 50/50. The RP-20 also changes patches on the PSA-1 through a MIDI cable (Very Cool!) The PSA-1 then goes into my BBE Sonic Maximizer and then into my Electrix Repeater, and then right into my bands Carvin PA with 15" Avatar Cabs. The distortion is so awesome, I can tweak lots of eqs on my Digitech processor if desired for even more control on the sound. The clean is just amazing. With my effect processor I actually use tubes to give it some extra warmth and to make the volume as high as the distortion patches. I have a nice Ampeg Reverberocket tube amp with a killer clean that I no longer use. (One less thing to drag to shows) I've never had such great guitar tone and I'm not even using a guitar amp for now.

Bought it used and it still looks perfect. Solid state so I feel very comfortable using it.

never dealt with. They had sound samples of the unit on their website and even short songs. That is a major plus! All manufacturers should do that. Not everyone has a huge music store to play with everything nearby.

This is one of the gems I will have for a long time. So many sounds, I picked five presets that I programmed to my RP-20 (Mesa Clean, Rectifier, Too Much Gain, Pantera, and Metallica) if this product was limited to just one the distortion patches it would be worth $350 to me. I bought a ToneBone Hot Brittish and a Soldano SP-77 before this and this can match them both and get hundreds of other sounds, and its midi controllable. I like this so much I actually got my lazy ass to write a review for it. Im sure the actual amplifiers sound better, but for the price I paid, the sound is amazing. And I can keep a whole studio of amplifiers in a convenient 1-space rack. Fantastic Value.