Tech 21 SansAmp PSA-1 Preamp

100's+ of sounds in here....Tweak and ye shall find

Go to the Tech 21 website.

I've had it a year w/ no problems

See "RELIABILITY"

I waited one year before reviewing this PRE-AMP in order to stay objective.....I am lucky enough to own a Blackface Twin and a Blackface Pro Reverb, both of which have been tweaked to original specs....Recorded, the PSA-1 gives me these sounds and much more....

very easy to get a great sound out of it. It has nobs. turn 'em. If you cant turn them, get a life! Manual is simple but you really only need the presets supplied with it.

I use a washburn-->to 535q---> to Boss Chorus ensemble into my crate 30 amp. It gets a tad noisy on high gain but nuthing to bad. The distortions sound great. Even the vintage stomp boxes they throw in are great.

yes i would depend on it. But i don't know about gigs, since i am looking for a band. Been playing for 4 years so i need to get the ball rollin.....

Never dealt

everything is great! Buy this thing!

I use a yamaha pacifica 112. Oddly enough many of the samples on there website use this guitar. Two singles/one humbucker.Stock.
If it sounds like God with this guitar,imagine what your Les Paul or PRS would sound like. Tweak it to work with your guitar.Read the manual,because if you know how to tweak it, It will never bore you
with how many things it can do . It's like dating five really nice girls. I can always find the right sound quickly, without thinking about what amp I want it to sound like. Just use your ears on it's one programmable channel.

This is the most versatile preamp I 've ever used .I've been playing 23 years and have good ears.I'm more interested in geeting the perfect sound for a particular song than emulating hard to find amps.
this is the only unit that can do both. I wish there was a floor version with realtime control and a tuner. If it had realtime control ,you could crossfade between programmed clean and dirty for several sick in between sounds,which this unit has in spades. It's all over my new album.I play everything exept country,thought I find some country playing inspirational. I use every feature on this preamp
and it rocks-live.

I haven't had a problem with it yet . It's very consistent .
Backup is a good idea in general . I use the Sansamp Tri-OD 3channel pedal thru the power amp as backup.

I called them about realtime control. They explained why they can't do it very well. But If they could, they would kill everthing on the market. Nice people .easy to reach and matter of fact.

I compared this to the Line 6 ,and for me,the anolog circuitry of the Sansamp feels more natural. I also feel I have more control over the sound than Line six. I could see using a small Flextone for small gigs. I 've tried every preamp and this one is the only one whose tones are flexible enough and easy enough to get that it won't become obsolete. If you need your presets handed to you, and you only want Rectifier sounds, get a Line 6. If you understand how to create the sounds on the Psa-1, you will be one deadly mother.

I'm using it with a Gibson LP standard with coil tapped neck humbucker. I have the PSA-1 mated to a samson 1u power amp into a crate 2-12 cab.The clean sounds are lively. They have excellent definition and clarity and react to every subtlety you can deliver.
Overdrive and distortion settings are perfect. Blues and vintage creamy distortions are easily obtainable. Modern high gain chunky rhythm distortions and sustain for days toneful leads also achievable.
The clarity and definition are also there in the distortion settings.
If you want accurate tube amp tone this is it. I've played tube amps that don't have this much tone.For those looking for examples:SRV, Metallica, Santana, ....like it advertises Mesa,Fender, and Marshall even a few vintage pedals to boot. It can easily be tweaked for any style. Jazz, Blues, Rock ,Punk, Metal......... I can't say enough about the sound. It's not nasal, honky, midrangey...just great tone.

One of the best most versatile preamps on the market. Midi capable,Unlimited tweaking for favorite overdrive/distortion/clean settings, effects loop, balanced outs(line or instrument level).
Extremely usable preset sounds right out of the box.

Based on my experience with Tech21 products I have never needed to call them.

Never needed

Bought for 489 new. Probably can get it cheaper. Been playing for 20 years. I chose the PSA-1 about 5 years ago when I tried it in a local music store. Been dreaming about it ever since. I finally got the cash for it. For someone who likes to adjust their core overdrive/distortion sound this is it. IT is not a tube amp simulator/emulator, it is a Sansamp. It is not a Marshall,Fender, Mesa, Hiwatt, Ac30,...It is all of them and more. I am in no way affilliated with the company although I wish I were. I'm just giving much deserved praise to an excellent product and an excellent value.

All you do is find a preset that you like and twist some knobs to tweek your sound. It cant get any easier than that. Everything is on the front and self explanitory..If you cant get a good sound you should give up the guitar.You are an idiot!!!

I have been playing guitar for more than 20 years. I have tried every new thing that has come out over the years. Nothing even comes close to what this thing can do.. I play very heavy metal so Im what you would call a tonefreak. Although it gets a bit noisey when you crank the gain, I throw in a hush unit.Problem solved. I also use an outboard eq and a Rocktron poweramp thru 4 4x12 cabs. The punch and clairity is unbeliveable.When recording in my studio, I go from the PSA to eq to hush into a ADA cab emulator to the board, with a lttle compression in the loop. The result is incredible. WAY BETTER than micing a cab. My recordng equip. is digital ,so going direct is the best choice for guitar. I get store bought sound quality every time. And doing live shows I run the xlr out to the board and put a mic on my cab.All I can say is...BALLS and PUNCH.

I have had this unit for about a year and have had no problemswith it..Im a very happy camper!!! I wuold and have used it on about 85 gigs without a backup and no problems.I have been thinking about getting another one just in case..You never know..

I did e-mail sansamp before I got it to ask some questions and they responded very quick. Very helpful and n the mark.cool dudes..Thanks....

What else can I say..This is the best unit I ever owned..I would buy another. I compared It to aot of other units,such as marshall jmp-1 roctron prophecy,digtech,,ect . And this was the best choice for the style I play.I dont use any effects so I dodnt need the other crap..Even if I did I would use a seperate effects unit instead of an all in one..Those tend to lack on the quality of everything in the unit. I forgot to add,,I use Gibson Les Paul's and custom made Neal Moser guitars. Thats about it in a nut shell..If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me...Later,,,Rob

Well, it has knobs. The only time you have to refer to the manual is for the more esoteric functions like MIDI. However.... A sensible amswer in this catagory should deal with how easy it is to get the sound you want at a gig, in a hurry, under pressure, and for this I have to give it as low a rating as any menu-driven processor I've used. Here's my experience: I practice in the studio where I get exactly the tone I'm looking for, and I'm psyched for an inspired gig. I start playing with the band and I'm like, "Who's been screwing with my patches?" Very different nuances to the sounds at a higher volume in a hall. So I start tweeking knobs, which are very sensitive and interactive, and before long my tone is worse than it was to begin with. So I go back to the saved patch which I endure until the break, blowing my concentration trying to decide what to change when I get the time. Less than inspiring, to say the least.

This preamp is capable of terrific tone, but it's also distressingly easy to get horrible tone from it. Like most units, I suppose. The thing about this one is that it will ambush you: the setting that was perfect in one room at one volume will sound like hell the next night. The setting that makes one guitar sing will make the next sound dead. I've tried it with different power amps (Peavey Clasic 50-50 and a Carvin, which Tech 21 mentioned as a good choice) and all of my dozen guitars, through several cabinets (Celestions and EV's)and I have to say I've never gotten through a gig feeling satisfied. This is partly because I'm looking for the clipping power tubes tone -- big sustain without much break-up -- which is perennially the hardest for a solid-state device to emulate. Thing is, when I have time to tweek, I can get it, at any volume, with any effect, with any guitar. And I'm pretty sure that if I had enough time at gigs there wouldn't be any problem. But time is what you don't have at gigs, even if you're lucky enough to get a proper sound-check. Hence the C rating here.

I don't know. It's never crapped out, but it's scared me a few times, freezing up and needing to be rebooted.

Tech 21 is a great company. As helpful a staff as any I've dealt with. The PAS1 has never needed repair, but I had trouble with an XXL, which they fixed for free even though I think the warranty had expired.

I really wanted to love this thing. I bought it because I've been impressed with a friend's Tradmark 60, and I assumed this would be even better. I gave it the benefit of the doubt for over a year because it CAN be so good. But I've had enough; the Fender's coming back out and screw the guys if that think I'm too loud at the sweet spot. In the final analysis this is a studio tool -- a great preamp if you've got the patience to work with it.

This unit is very straight forward. The face has a series of knobs. Twist a knob, change the sound, nothing to it. 3 inputs, 4 outputs. I particularly like it because it has both balanced and unbalanced ins and outs. I actually use both depending on where in the chain I place the unit. Saving presets are a snap.

I have a PRS with Tony Ionni pickups and an old Jackson with Seymour Invador pickups. I don't own any amps (see Overall Rating for explination), so only take the following information to heart if you looking to do direct recording. The hardest part about getting the sound you like on this unit is determining the relationship the preamp and the distortion knob have on your sound. Like the manual says, the wrong settings here can give you noise, but I will submit that this only happens at the most extreme settings. If you take the time to learn the role each knob plays in shaping your sound, you should be able to avoid noise and still get the sound you need as far as distortion/overdrive/power saturation goes. As far as the types of sound I've been trying to obtain, those sounds that came from the early 90's, forever known as grunge, alternative, industrial as well as the thrash, heavy riff, palm mute sound of today. If your looking for examples Pumpkins, NIN, Metallica, Korn, Static X .... If your looking for a speaker emulator for heavy sounds, this definiately worth a look. It's pricey but you get what you pay for.

This one is hard to judge for me. I've owned mine for 3 months and I did have a problem with it very recently. I sent it in for repairs. Based on the other reviews, of which I read berfore I decided to buy mine, this seems rare. It is built very tuff and solid, and I expect not to have any more trouble with it.

They were very helpful when I called about my repair. They listened and were unassuming (if you have called other companies, you know this is not always the case). After an exhaustive search, the tech guy determined a capacitor was malfunctioning. Replaced under warranty and back in a week as good as new.

I'm probably the only guitar freak without an amp and cab. Since the beginning, I've been trying to get the real quitar sound without being real. I spent alot a time, and more money trying to perfect the recording direct-in thing. Preamp this, DI box that, POD this, EQ that (dbX 576, BSS DI, POD, direct into Mackie mixer, Pedals of all kinds, digitech RP-6, BOSS GT-5 ....). So far this is the only unit that gave birth to the sounds I was looking for. It helps to spice this piece up with other gear, but it definetly stands alone as well. Is it a preamp or a DI, or both, I don't know and don't care but presently I could not live with out it. I would definately buy it again. It's rich, bright, full, thrashy, crunchy, whatever you want it to be. It responds to how you play, and has a dynamic reponse. Will it work for you? Depends on what your expecting. If your a hard core tube amp nut, this (and nothing else for that matter) is not for you. If your looking for something close for recording direct-in this is the best thing I've run across for you to use so far. Like I said before, I like my music heavy and with and edge, and that's what I use this for. However I am in the process of getting a power amp I am definately looking forward to using this thing as a pre-amp in the real world of sound. Although this thing can be used for both direct-in and preamp purposes, my ratings only reflect it's abilities to direct-in record.

It is very easy to use. Programming your own sounds couldn't be easier... you just turn the knobs until it sounds how you want it, then hit store. The presets are so good, though, that I haven't even really fooled around with making my own sounds.

I've never been happier with the sound of a new piece of gear than with this box. Quite honestly, it sounded pretty raunchy at the music store... their rack was configured in such a way that I could only play through the PSA-1 dry with no other effects, plus there was a myriad of ambient noise (as is usually the case). I played around with it for a while, but eventually realized I was just going to have to buy it on faith... I had read the reviews here that raved about the great tones from this box, plus I'd had a SansAmp GT-2 pedal for a while and was quite pleased with the sounds I got from it. I'm running the PSA-1 through a Digitech 2101, and as I said before, I'm currently just using the presets. The Marshall and Boogie presets just blow me away. I sometimes come in the room, plug in, punch in preset #21 (a really heavy Mesa Boogie), and just sit there hitting power chords over and over again, in total bliss. It's that good. However, there's something wrong with that Stevie Ray patch... I call up that preset, but I still sound nothing like him. ;-)

I've only had it for a few weeks, but it seems to be built quite solid.

The only experience (though indirect) I had with customer service was to go fetch the user manual from their web site. I needed it because I bought the store's last PSA-1, and it was a demo model (hence the reduced price) with no box or manual. Anyway, I love it when companies make the manuals of their products available online.

My previous preamp, a Mesa V-Twin, sounded great in a live setting, but just didn't seem to have any "life" to it in the direct recording environment in which I now do almost all of my playing. I just can't get over how wonderful this thing sounds, though I only play through headphones so I can't speak for how well it sounds running through a more traditional guitar rig. It seemed a little pricey at $599, but I was ready to pay that much anyway... but the demo unit in the store's rack was the only one they had left, so I got $100 off. Now that I've had a chance to really play through it, it was worth every penny and then some.

I'm using a 1992 American Standard Telecaster with stock pickups. I have to cover many different styles in my various bands: Jazz, rock, disco, motown, country. Although I have not yet used it on a gig (just bought it today) I feel confident it will perform beautifully. It's the most promising piece of gear I've tried in years.
What really blew me away is that the presets actually sound like the amps that they are intended to emulate. The Marshalls sound like Marshalls... the Boogies sound like Boogies. (esp. impressed with the "Mark I" and "Boogie Clean" settings.) The distortion can be as subtle or as brutal as you like.

I bought this unit today and fell in love with it right away. I just plugged the SansAmp into my JazzChorus, it was exactly what I had been looking for. It's a killer preamp... Kind of like a MONSTER rackmounted distortion stompbox. You can dial in almost any sound you want.

Appears to be very solid.

I've been playing for 19 years. I had been using a Zoom 9002 with my Telecaster and JC-77 for 8 years, and got finally got sick of the Zoom's hollow digital tone.
I tried a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, a Rivera R-55, and a Rocktron Chameleon 2000 before trying the SansAmp. I don't like using tons of effects when I play, and I love the clean sound of my Jazz Chorus. I just needed a killer preamp section. The SansAmp is exactly what I needed. Even at maximum distortion settings, I can still hear the notes I'm playing. It "sings."
It gets a 9 in the overall category because it doesn't include a footswitch or a power switch.

To start with, I'm a bass player. I don't need an arsenal of different sounds, especially live. This unit has 49 factory pre-sets with 10 dedicated to bass, with the capability of another 49 which you sculpture and add into the 49 other open memory banks. Changing patches is very easy if you read, READ, the manual. The manual is dead on. Also there's a footswitch for your 3 favorite sounds.

I use the PSA-1 in my rack with a SWR SM-400 Bass Amp for live. I used an Ampeg SVT from 1972 all throughout the '70s. Then scaled down, due to weight, to Fender Dual Showmans then the Showmans with the tone-ring cabinets. Size was still a drag. So enter my SWR system, it's great but man did it lack all that tube stuff. Now I run the PSA-1 into the face of the SWR and I can get all my favorite analog bass tones from SVT balls to bassman smooth and a lot of cool sounds in between. Only drag is it's a little noisey but hey I play a Jazz Bass with single coil pickups so I can live with this. Plus live you never hear it. I hope I don't piss someone off but the sound is as close to perfect as it gets.

I've had this same unit for 5 years now and it has never left my rack.

I would like to think that the elves over at Tech 21 are over there working even as I type this stuff. I did find them to be very helpful at times in answering my anal questions.

It's not cheap but neither am I when it comes to my tone. I still own 3 Fender Blackface Showman and Dual Showman amps and cabs., a 1962 Ampeg B-15N, a GK 400 RB and a SWR Workingman's 12, but live for me it's the SWR with the PSA-1 running thru a SWR Triad cab with E.V. pro speakers (1-15" & 1-10"). Every tube head on the planet with ears should own this unit, not just the bass players but the GTR players also. I've heard this unit with all types of amps and speakers and it usually sounds great. My tone, so players TELL ME, frankly is some of the best tone ever, now if my playing was half as good as my tone, I would really have something. Tube heads, check it out.