Tech 21 SansAmp PSA-1 Preamp

I play most styles from Jazz to Death Metal, but mostly progressive rock. This preamp can cover all the bases. I use it in the FX loop of a Boss GX700 processor. I was getting tired of the amp sims in the GX and felt like treating myself to a realy top quality preamp. Well I tried the Triaxis, but it always sounds like a Boogie, and the user interface is not great. This theing is just so versatile. The user interface is great. Teh factory presets are actualy very good! It does verything from bright, punch cleans, through creamy blues to hard, aggressive metal, to singing leads. And its not just a mater of gain. The three pre-distortion EQ controls give huge cvariety in charachter. Also, having controls for preamp gain and power amp drive is cool. It does Marshall Plexi on 10, Fender Twin, Boogie Mark series and rectifier sounds, Vox AC30 and anything else in between. But it's not just a modeler. If yoyu want something with the midrange punch of a JCM800 and the singing top end of a Mark IIc, this can do it.
All sounds are very touch sensitive and responsive in a 'valvey' kind of way. This is what I missed with the GX. The versatility of solid state and the tone of tubes.

I got this new in 2001. It has all the features I require of it, except perhaps that it could do with a mid range EQ control. You can get a pretty good sco just by turning the Lo and High controls up, but a Mid would just finish it off nicely. Also, the ability to switch the FX loop in and out would be cool.
It is extremely versatile - able to produce most amp sounds. It is fine with guitar speakers or straigh to PA. It is fine with or without a separate speaker simulator.

Fine so far, but I haven't had it for long.

Tech 21 Emailed me a manual when I was looking for a preamp. But the manual that came with this Ex-demo unit is just a print out from their website. So poor service from the UK dealer.

I've been playing on and off for 17 years. This with my Boss GX700 is just about the most flexible and best sounding rig I have had, or probably will ever have. I can get any guitar sound I can imagine.
I use it with a Godin LGX-T amongst other guitars, and control it from a Yamaha MFC10 MIDI pedal board.
If lost or stolen, I would definitely buy the same again. I compared it with the Marshall JMP-1 (excellent, but too limited), the Mesa Boogie Triaxis (Too expensive, too much like hard work). Everything else I have discounted due to previous experience. I love the sounds and the versatility. And I love the user interface. Real knobs! The problem is that you cannot see what the parameters are set to in each patch, without zeroing each knob, which is a long process. So the best way to get your own sounds is to start with a preset that is close and tweak from there. The controls are interactive and some are very sensative. You have to read the manual and you have to get used to what each control does. It is very easy to think 'more treble in my clean tone' and reach for the Crunch knob, only to have your head ripped off by extreme treble distortion. You need to adjust the controls in small increments to get those cool inbetween sounds, just on the warm edge of breakup. But it can do them, and better than any other solid state amp I have heard.

The variety is formidible. I use it with all the usual suspects and it delivers. It responds very well to distortion/boost and/or compression in front of it , like a tube amp does. I've had tons of pedals and front ends - nothing has given me the tones and flexibility of this box. I have finally stopped buying amps!

Single channel preamp. I play a lot of styles and the SansAmp PSA-1accomodates them all. I run it in stereo with and it satisfies at all volumes. The effects loop isn't tweakable so make sure your rack effects have vol. in & out.

Never have had a problem.

I bought thePSA-1 after getting their Tri-OD pedal which also has beautiful distortion. I've played sinc '62, gone through tons of rigs, and stopped here. Love this box.

Difficult to use because no great sounds can be had from this unit no matter how long you tweak it :P

This is in response to all the INSANE and DISSHONEST reviews of this product. I get the feeling all these reviews are posted by employees of Tech 21 (the sans amp mfr.) in order to help sell these trashy things and drive the prices up.

LET ME MAKE THIS PERFECTLY CLEAR - THIS UNIT SOUNDS ARTIFICIAL, OVERCOMPRESSED, AND RELATIVELY LIFELESS COMPARED TO TUBES NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO. IN ADDITION, IT ALWAYS - A L W A Y S - HAS THIS FM INTERSTATION NOISE QUALITY MIXED IN WITH THE DISTORTION.

An electrical engineer told me the noise mixed in the distortion is shunt noise from transistors - something tubes are not as prone to. Anyway, this preamp is a TOY! It is the kind of thing a keyboardist would use to spice up his industrial or dance track, but it is absolutely not suited to quality metal or rock - perhaps Goth or Industrail though - as they tend to go for a fake tweaked up sort of wound rather than a 'complex and 3D' sort of sound.

I am still laughing my ass off that anyone could think this thing sounds 'complex and 3D' It sounds like a Boss, with less gain. If you want a useful fake sound like the sansamp products, get yourself a boss preamp (roland - same thing) - they have the same sounds, and more gain :)

WHEN I WANT REAL TONE - I USE TUBES !!! I'VE TRIED EVERYTHING AND WOULD LOVE IF TRANSISTORS OR COMPUTER PROGRAMS COULD DO TUBE TONE - BUT SO FAR NOTHING HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO EMULATE THE QUALITY TUBES CAN GIVE YOU!!! IT IS AS SIMPLE AS THAT.

When anyone finds a real, accurate emulation of good tube tone, like a program or transistor based product, let me know I will buy it!!! :) I tried this thing out - the sansamp - from a colleague, and it is a piece of crapola! It is junk! It is a &(#^&(#&)% TOY!!!!!!!!

Have fun! :-D

Who cares.

You may find this interesting, but tubes are not unreliable. They simply require certain handling and conditions. You don't throw your computer in the pool. You don't jar tubes.

Tubes will last DECADES if used in accordance with their design.

Who cares. If it breaks, use it to pummel the salesperson who confused you into buying this piece o crap LOL :)

This thing is a FRAUD PRODUCT - like Bose - they LIE about what it sounds like and what it can do for you. It is ALL LIES. It does NOT sound like they say! It will NOT, absolutely NOT NOT NOT give you that cool groovy bounce and grind that tubes will! Not gonna happen, no dice, sorry :P

Sound? Why yes, it has sound... Yummy, creamy, sustaining, complex, sounds. This thing is amazing. I bought one because people rave about them. I had not even seen one in real life and just bought one off the internet. No mistake, the raves are true. Let me put it this way, the fact that the PSA-1 has no effects and is strictly a stripped down pre is a testament in itself. Ever tried turning off all the effects on a digitech or other such pre / eff. and listening? Sounds like shit huh. This one is super complex and 3D sounding. If you know what that means than this thing is for you. I have a very goofy set up at the time as I am mostly doing recording right now. I run my Parker thought a BBE, PSA-1, Fender blues junior. Have you ever heard Jimmy Vaughn play through a matchless? That's complexity in tone baby, and I can get that sound in spades at bed room levels with this set up. How about a good thick rectifier sound? I can make this thing sound better than the rectifier I had. Now the Fendery sounds are in there but there is more to the Fender sound than the preamp. It is in the quality of the reverb and speaker. If you have the right set up this pre will make the sounds you need to dial the rest. Simply put this unit can peg the Twin, Plexi, Matchless, Mesa, etc. and do it with feeling and dynamics. As touch and volume sensitive as any amp I have owned (and that's a lot). I love tube amps but they have always been frustrating to me in that they sound so different every time you turn it on or move it or whatever. I would have my tone dialed and then come back two days latter to practice and it sounds different. This thing is rock solid and consistent. It really is a winning package. Flexible, super tonefull, reliable, etc. Oh, did I mention it does an amazing job on bass sounds. I have used it for recording bass and wow, what a great sound that sits perfectly in the mix.

Lots of knobs (Smile). A little confusing on the naming but once you read the manual and figure out the controls the thing is amazingly flexible. You can get most any sound you are dreaming about if you have the super decoder ring and know what knob to twist. The only thing really missing is a mid knob. This is a guitar possessor and should have a mid knob! One of the other reviewers mentioned having trouble with getting scooped mid death metal sounds, that's because there is no mid to scoop!!! Anyway I like the stripped down twist a knob set up. Works excellent. Lots of nice routing options on the back and a -10db switch.

Never had an issue.

Don't know.

Can you tell I like this unit? works great for many types of music and instruments. An amazing tone shaping tool with a soul. Jazz, blues, country, rock, funk, metal (with an EQ), etc. all are here. Works great with any guitar and bass I have plugged into it. Retains the original instruments inherent sound. I am going to get a nice tube power amp and 4-10 cab and be dripping wet with the tone oozing out.

Hey, I have to say it in light of what happened in NY 9-11-01 and because of where we are headed as the human race, lets work on being better people and tolerance for others. We need to live up to our vision of a civilized species and work together so things can be good for everyone. Judge people for who they are not for what there parents happened to be and do you part to make sure there is something good here for our kids to enjoy. Piece.

Oh, and don't forget to crank that amp and loose yourself a couple of times a day. :>)

If you know what kind of sound you are looking for, then this unit is pretty easy to use once you get the hang of how the knobs interact with each other. Otherwise it can take a bit of time, but is well worth the effort. Make sure you read the manual first!!! Very Important. Once you have read the manual, editing pathes is a breeze.

First of all, I play bass, and I use distortion most of the time with my band, and I am strictly a finger player. I use a Warwick Streamer Bolt-on, with a Behringer Compressor, a Peavy power amp, and a Peavy 4x10 box. For what I do, this is the perfect pre-amp for me. It is possible to get a really tight, good distorted sound ala later Napalm Death. Even though I use fingers and not a pick, I have still managed to get a great distorted sound. It is a bit noisy when you crank up the gain (what unit isn't?), but the noise gates on my compressor take care of that problem. Like I already mentioned, I mainly use distortion with my band, but there are times that I use a clean sound, and I have found it to be punchy and super smooth. I don't slap very often, but I have found the slap sound to be okay. I can't comment on how well it works with effects as I don't use any. The only thing I use in the effects loop is one of the compressor channels. I use the other channel in between the PSA-1 and the power amp.

I haven't played a gig with it yet(but I will be soon), and I have only had it for two months, but it seems to be pretty reliable. No problems so far.

I have only had to e-mail Tech 21 once, and I received a reply within a couple of days. They were very helpful.

For what I do, the PSA-1 is perfect for me. I play in a groove oriented death metal band that also utilises ambience and progression at times. I used to use an ADA MP2 which sounded okay, but found that it didn't have quite enough bottom end. It just didn't sound right. I really can't complain about the PSA-1 at all. Keep in mind that this is just my opinion, and I realise that the PSA-1 won't suit everyone. I love the tonal flexibility that this thing has. When trying it out, I also tried out the Ampeg SVP BSP and the SWR Interstellar Overdrive, but I wasn't happy with the distorted sound. It was too much like 70's fuzz (which the PSA-1 is also capable of achieving). That is why I resorted to a guitar pre-amp in the first place. This is like a guitar/bass hybrid pre-amp,but don't be put off by this fact as the bass factory presets are pretty awesome. In my 11 years of playing I have played many styles and I feel the PSA-1 can cater for all of them. Like I already mentioned, I mainly play and listen to metal, but I also play jazz and prog rock on occasion. If this was stolen or just suddenly "disappeared", I would buy it again without hesitation. If you want anymore info about my thoughts on the PSA-1, feel free to contact me. Happy playing.

This unit is very programmable, and comes with a detailed manual. However, unless you are used to building amplifiers, it is moderately difficult to get useable sounds from your own programs. This, then, deserves an 8. The presets, however, are amazing, especially those -impossible-to-emulate Fender sounds, which are nailed (and useful for me). The Mesas and Marshalls are also great. This gets a 10. So...

I record direct with this, and use it to play straight into PA systems. I have a Taylor acoustic, a Schecter A7 seven-string, and an Ibanez S-something ---> through a Visual Sound H20 into this. I also play a Carlo Robelli 5 string through this direct. The sound is unbelievable... almost as good as owning fifty billion vintage amps. All the simulations are excellent, you can make very usable tones with a little time, and even the bass sounds - sort of a courtesy concession - are better than what most heads under $2000 can offer. Perfect score.

It's pretty solid, but I would recommend keeping in a rack - rackmountable tools are often a little bit more flimsy than would ordinarily pass inspection. Knobs, buttons, all perfect though.

Super friendly - told me how to find out what OS I had (I forget now though), explained to me about accessory options, etc. Their web page even has trial sounds, if you're considering buying one but can't make up your mind.

Beautiful box: very useful for a variety of styles I play (metal, progressive, rock, funk, techno, pop, etc.). I wish it had effects, but a lot of the time the amp simulations suffer on similar units because of onboard effects; overall, this is by far the best package in amp modeling/effects. I would recommend this to anyone interested in a cheap alternative to a studio filled with old, rusty, yet tonally rich tube gear. This packs all the punch of the amps it simulates, and more.

A baby could figure this out,that's what's so cool about it.

I run it through a marshall 8008 power amp and a crate cabinet.It can be a bit noisy when you crank it,but really, that's any good amp.In my opinion,it sounds awesome.Every sound I like,I can very easily get.

I would use it without backup.I haven't had any problems so far.

I play very hard rock.I don't like Korn or any of that nu metal crap.I like Faith No More,Janes Addiction,Pearl Jam,Frank Zappa,more of those sort of styles.This pre amp is great for that.

THERE ARE LOTS OF STUFF YOU CAN GET OUT OF THIS. WITH A BUNCH OF KNOBS ON YOUR POWER AMP AND A BUNCH OF KNOBS ON THIS THING, YOU CAN GET A MILLION DIFFERENT COMBOS. I PLAY BASS AND MOST OF THE TONES I GOT WERE OVERDRIVEN TONES. THERE WAS NOT A WHOLE LOT THAT THIS THING CAN OFFER A BASS PLAYER, GET AN OVERDRIVE PEDAL AND A TUBE COMPRESSOR AND BANG YOU GOT THE SAME THING. KEEP IN MIND I AM A BASS PLAYER, I THINK YOU GET A LOT MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK IF YOU ARE A GUITAR PLAYER. THE MANUAL TELLS YOU HOW TO DO EVERYTHING. IF YOU HAVE THE TIME YOU CAN CHANGE IT'S SETUP ALL AROUND. IT IS JUST A MATTER OF DOING IT..I DIDN'T HAVE THE TIME.

NO NOISE, I HAVE A COMPLETE GALLIEN KRUEGER SETUP. 4X10 CABINET 1X15 CABINET AND A 800 RB HEAD. THIS THING WAS QUIET FROM THE GET GO AND PRETTY USER FRIENDLY JUST HATED RUNNING THROUGH ALL THE GUITAR SETTINGS TO GET TO THE BASS ONES..FROM READING THE MANUAL YOU CAN CHANGE AROUND ALL THE PRESETS TO DIFFERENT NUMBERS BUT I JUST DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO TO SIT AND MAKE THIS THING WORK THE WAY I WANT IT TO.

I WOULD NOT USE IT ON A GIG BECAUSE IT'S JUST TOO MUCH TO WORRY ABOUT WHEN PLAYING..I LIKE IT SIMPLE. THIS THING IS RELIABLE AND BUILT SOLIDLY. I WOULD NOT WORRY ABOUT IT BREAKING DURING YOUR SET.

EMAILED THEM AND GOT A RESPONSE 20 MINUTES LATER. THESES GUYS ARE GREAT AND VERY HELPFUL, IF NOTHING ELSE I WOULD BUY THEIR PRODUCT BECAUSE I KNEW I COULD GET AHOLD OF SOMEBODY TO FIX IT.

I PLAY EVERYTHING...FROM SLAP TO HEAVIER STYLES. I COULD NOT USE THIS THING FOR ANY OF MY PLAYING, THAT IS WHY I RETURNED IT FOR AN AMPEG SVT PRO. OTHER BASS PLAYERS MAY FIND SOME USE FOR IT BUT THIS THING WAS MADE FOR GUITARISTS. HOPE YOU GUYS FIND THIS HELPFUL AND NOT ABOUT DISSING THEM..THEY OFFER A GREAT PRODUCT, JUST NOT FOR ME. THEY WERE TOTALLY HELPFUL AND THEY HAVE A LOT OF OTHER STUFF TO OFFER PEOPLE. DEFINITELY CHECK THEM OUT.

I must say it is easy to use. I liked the fact that it wasn't hard to change the parameters. Just a few knobs to turn. I got mine used and it didn't come with a manual. But you can figure it out very well without a manual.

My setup is: Ernie Ball Volume Pedal >> RMC 1 Wah >> PSA-1 >> G-Major mfx >> Sonic Maximizer >> Return Effects Loop of Carvin 4x12 speakers.

I expected to use this preamp as a source for all of my distortions, both rythm and lead, and I was little dissapointed. I read all of the reviews saying that you could get any distortion you wanted. I don't believe that is true. I've spent hours trying to get some artists distortions, and I haven't been able to do it. Another thing, it SO NOISY at high gain settings it's enough to make me not even use it anymore. I'm the lead guitarist in my group, I need something smooth and quiet when I want a high gain crunch and drive. I just can't seem to get it quiet, even with my noise gate working overtime. Now, for rythym stuff, this is a great preamp. It has a nice sound to it. Plenty of crunch and bite for many different styles. Just to noisy when it's cranked.

It seems quite reliable in my opinion. "Built like a Tank" as they say. No problem there. I would use it without a backup, even.

Haven't dealt with them.

I'm going to give it a 8 here because I think it was partly my fault for not trying it out first and thinking it was something it wasn't. I just saw a good deal, (395 IS a good deal) and I saw the good ratings, so I went for it. I'm not saying anybody else's reviews are inaccurate. They simply had a different opinion that I do. In MY opinion, it wasn't all I thought it should be. I hate to think that I have to fork out the money and buy a Triaxis or go for individual stompbox distorions (C*R*I*N*G*E*) I really hate the stompbox idea. Maybe I could layer the PSA-1 with a TubeScreamer, Fuzz Factory, DS-2, or something similiar for my leads. So in conclusion, good for rythym, not so good for lead. I hope this helped! Sorry if I didn't. But remember, this is just my 2 cents worth. I'm sure a lot of people disagree with me. This just my opinion.

ALWAYS TRY IT BEFORE YOU BUY IT!!!!!

The PSA-1 has a variety of settings, which makes it useful for all kinds of musical guitar styles, from blues to metal to anything you can dream up. In my studio, I have used it with many different artists, and each one was able to get the sound he needed from it - myself included. Guitars ranging from standard Strats, Teles and Les Paul style guitars to Ibanez, Kramer and Peavey Wolfgang guitars are no challenge for the PSA-1. Whether the pickups have been hotrodded or toned down, the amp can bring out the best sound in any axe.

The Sans Amp PSA-1 is one of the most versatile and user-friendly pieces of studio equipment I own. The need for other amplifiers and speaker cabinets is all but gone. Once in a great while, I will need to use a vintage cabinet/head combination to get a certain sound, but the PSA-1 has most sounds and styles of music covered, guitarwise.

Haven't had a problem yet (knock on wood) - which is more than I can say for my "road" amplifiers. It is a tuff little unit!

Havent needed repairs yet...

I have been a musician for 20 years and playing guitar for 15 years. I have a very modest home studio (everything I need to record is mounted in a stand up cabinet - monitors and subwoofer included) that would not be complete without my Sans Amp. It has all the amp sounds I need and mounts right in the rack with the other components.

One drawback is that it has no onboard effects - I have to go thru an Alesis Midiverb for those - but that is also part of the beauty of it too. No Bullshit, straight ahead power and crunch for my guitars. The absolute best thing about it in my opinion is that it has KNOBS! I love knobs and faders and anything else that allows you to tweak the tone without having to page thru menus for hours on end. The PSA-1 is as easy to use as a Marshall Stack or a Peavy Bandit, but much less bulky. The price is right, too.