Tech 21 SansAmp PSA-1 Preamp

Impressive, impressive, impressive. I can say this can be used for more than just guitar and create satisfactory results.

Preamp is only as good as the match of its power amp, but this preamp makes up for lacks in many amps. Well, unless the power amp has poor or no tube design. Then this is not a good match, but besides that... super impressive for a tubeless preamp!! It is for begining users as well as advanced, but the on the fly features need to be mastered, once you get a grip on settings, its just as good, if not, better than anything in the sub $1g class.

HAH, I dropped this thing TWICE. Nobody can tell, it wont die.

never needed customer support.

I also own a MB Triaxis and this. I would be crazy to say psa-1 is better than the MB, but I think in a lot of aspects, it IS better. But the flexibility of the psa-1 I think is much better. Of course overall I would rather keep the triaxis of the two, but im not getting rid of my psa-1 anytime soon, it is a bargain preamp, and Im very very very pleased. I am a music teacher at a local HS, and the kids have no problem using this for guitar or keyboards. Along with adults who are serious that play on the side with me. I can honestly say that I can recomend this pre-amp. I cant wait until tech21 makes a next generation amp with every feature this amp has and utilizes tube support. Then I will most likely get rid of my triaxis! That is how confidant I am.

i got this unit about 4years ago,
at first sight, it looks very easy to use,
but it was not that easy..
about a years ago, i got GX-700 for additional cabinet simulation.
now, it's really easy to get a good direct tone..
hear my direct recording samples at
==> http://fender.co.kr/mule.html
fender.co.kr is my url but another guys use it for test their page
soon i'll make my own

i got this unit for direct recording
with this unit, you can't get real direct tone.
use this with speaker simulations and EQ.
Boss GX-700'll perfect
my gx-700 settin'
EQ : low +5 Mid 250hz -10 1(q) high +5
Speaker Simulation : middle, mic 5, mic 100, direct 0
great direct tone i ever heard
i use G-major for digital effectin'
i play for 10 years and i think direct recording need some
secret knowhows.. i think GX-700 + PSA-1 is good start point
to go direct

i drop it at top of the subway stair... it falls 50m down
but it's ok work well no problem

i asked them several time
about cabs, power amps and so on
they are very kind

very good preamp for direct recording
if used with good eq and speaker simulation device

I play Blues,Rock,Metal.It suits very well with my playing and the factory presets includes FENDER MESA-BOOGIE MARSHALL MXR dist+ VOX VAN HALEN PANTERA SANTANA and many others sounds which i can say are very good.

Made in 2000. You can get thousands of very good sounds with this. I play Blues,Rock,Metal.It`s Midi so you can save many presets. It has an effects-loop, and you can choose to pass only 50% or full signal to the loop. It`s something like a parametric distortion device. It has preamp buzz punch crunch and drive knobs which sets the type of distortion you want plus high bass and level (volume) knobs.It`s totally analogic and the Sansamp technology make it sound like tube.

More reliable than tube-preamps thats for sure.

When i asked something about this device, Tech21 replied me few hours later...Very good

I play Blues,Rock,Metal. I hope this will last forever. If don`t i will buy another one. I hate the fact i haven`t bought this before.I LOVE ITS TONE. Haven`t yet heard something similar at this price.
Hope it helps.

So, I'd read that it had good low end and delivered great distortion and all that stuff, but never got a chance to actually try it out before purchasing so I just bought it online @ MusiciansFriend, knowing I could return it if I was unsatisfied, which I was. I ran my ESP MV-200 with Duncan pickups to the SansAmp, and tried my effects processors, G-Major and Digitech 256XL (Digitech = piece of crap) in the effects loop and afterwards in serial, not happy with the end result. Well, initially I just worked on the SansAmp by itself, running it to my Mesa 2:100 and then to 2 Marshall 1960B cabs, and just couldn't get the right tone. I wanted a very deep, distorted, almost thunder of a tone, with lots of good delay a reverb (think Stef Carpenter's tone on White Pony, very similar to that). All of the levels seemed good, and I even tried running it through a 31 band EQ that I had, but it just always seemed that whatever my end result was, whether it was heavy distortion or clean and bright, it just sounded like it was all coming from behind a wall. None of it stood out, none of the tone was powerful... no balls! So, after working with it for and estimated accumulation of about 20 hours, I sent it back, and got a Mesa Formula preamp, which has more energy and fortitude than anything I've heard, and I had up and running with the right tone in 15 minutes.

Pretty good parameter features... as mentioned before the "crunch" "punch" and "drive" knobs are alittle difficult to work with, but not too terrible. The patch work i.e. saving and changing is very good. It sometimes get's alittle confusing when you're trying to get into a particular menu due to the fact that it's all displayed via one screen with only numbers on it. For instance to get to the MIDI channel select screen you gotta go to patch 00 and then click the save button once, then select 04 (I think) then click save then dial in the channel number and then double click the save save button, keeping in mind you have no clue whether or not you're doing it correctly because there's no display telling you what menu you're in or what you've selected, all you see is a number. Basically, it's hard to keep track of what you're doing, but not impossible.

Never got to test it's reliability really, but I did have alittle trouble starting like the 3rd day I had it. This was no doubt due to the fact that I had it in my jam space, which that particular day was about 0 degrees, so it doesn't seem to like the cold.

Never dealt with 'em, probably never will. Besides this unit, which I will undoubtly never purchase again, I can't think of anything from Tech21 that I'd be interested in.

Plain and simple reason why I ditched this unit: I couldn't get the right tone out of it. Now maybe if I toyed with it for months and supplemented it with lots of other pieces of equipment, maybe it could have sounded good. But, I'm not about to do that, so instead I got a Mesa Formula, used for $300, that took me 15 minutes to get in tone heaven.

The knobs are great and make this easier to use than many other pres out there. Editing patches and saving them is a breeze. Just dial in the tone you want and save it by clicking twice. That's about as easy as it gets. The only confusing part is that there are buzz, crunch and punch (or something like that) knobs which control the amount of "break up" at different frequencies. Cool idea, but not as straightforward as a normal amp. I'd prefer more good tone and fewer options.

I use this with a celestion equipped 4x12 and a solid state power amp (per Tech 21's suggestion). I play Gibson Les Pauls and rarely use effects. At first, I loved this pre - I was playing by myself in my house, and it sounded great. But when I use the PSA-1 in a band setting, there is too much gain and not enough definition. Nobody else can hear what the hell I'm playing. So, what do I do? I back off the pre amp gain and/or the power amp gain to clean things up. Makes sense, no? But that's when the Sansamp starts to sound shitty. There is a true "Sansamp" tone underneath all the gain, and it's garbage. I think the other reviewers hit the nail on the head when they complained about the "decay". I don't know exactly what decay is, but I can say for sure that the tone gets crappy. No matter how much I tweak this thing, I can't get a convincing tube tone without pouring on the gain. It doesn't matter if I start out with a factory preset that is of the Marshall variety or the Mesa variety - I just back of the pre and then I'm stuck with the shitty Sansamp tone and it isn't pretty or harmonic or musical. The Sansamp has its own unique sound, and that sound sucks. The only way the Sansamp sounds good is ultra clean or ultra cruncy. Don't expect to get any good overdriven "breakup" type sounds out of this thing.

Don't get me wrong, this thing kicks ass when you want gobs of gain. But I guess that ain't my style anymore.

Very reliable. Never had a problem. I'd use it without a backup.

Excellent support. Better than 99% out there. I've called and shot the shit with these guys on a number of occassions and they are dedicated and knowledgable.

Overall, it's a nice pre. It worked well for me at first, but I find myself wanting a rocking sound that isn't so damned gainy, saturated and undefined. I want people to hear what the hell I'm playing.

This amp is great for gain-mongers. If you like more classic rock, british, and overdriven tones, get something else, like a tube head. I've tried to go SS for years now, and I'm done with it. Tubes are the way to go, guys. I hate saying it because I wanted to believe.

I love that you can change patches with a midi footswitch. If it were stolen, I'd get something else.

I bought this preamp on a whim...just walked into Mars Music and they had a deal on it I couldn't refuse. After playing it for 10 minutes, I bought it. Thats not the usual way I buy gear, but I really liked this thing from the start. I'm using this with a Tech 21 2x12, a G-Major, Mosvalve 1160, and Furman for the power. This is the ideal setup IMHO. At first I used the PSA-1 through a 5150 cab, and I've never heard tone so bad in my life (except maybe my first amp...a 10 watt Squier). Then I got a Tech 21 cab...the difference is so dramatic that you wouldn't believe its the same amp! The PSA-1 is AMAZING through the right gear. I see alot of people on here rave about how good it is through a regular guitar cab. If they think thats good, try it through a Tech 21 cab! The Tech 21 cab actually is loaded with full range speakers, instead of normal guitar speakers which cut certain frequencies. The cleans on the PSA-1 do not bounce like a tube amp, but with the right guitar and pickups, and a little reverb/chorus, you've got GREAT clean tone, and its very very usable. The mildly broken up tones are done suprisingly well on this preamp. SS amps usually fail in this area, but the PSA-1 pulls it off better than any SS amp I've heard. There is a little buzz when the notes trail off, but it is still very usable. The high gain stuff is where this unit shines. It just amazing how much grind this thing generates. And the best part is that it stays very very tight even in hi gain situations. Flip to the neck pickup for some smooth soloing, and to the bridge for crushing rhythm with great bite. Of the stock presets, 26 is my favorite...though I've come up with even better ones. In short, this preamp is amazing, and it can't be judged by plugging in through some shitty power amp and then into a guitar cab. Thats not the way it was meant to be used. Try it with a Mosvalve 1160 through a Tech 21 cab, and prepare to be blown away by how good SS can sound!

Really unique features on this preamp...specially the way that you can EQ the gain structure. Very cool, and very versatile. The PSA-1 switches by MIDI command, and does so 100% seamlessly with no delays or dropouts.

This thing is solid, and I can't see it breaking. Nothing is perfect though so I give it a 9.

Well, I emailed them a few times about the cab (before I bought it), and got no response.

This thing is a great piece of gear. With some good effects, the right cab, and the right power amp, you will have tone that is sure to impress. This rig replaced a Egnater MICA TOL 100...yes its that good.

The only complaint that I have is the way to save your presets. I'm a bass player and I have to keep a pick around just so I can save any changes. Other then that, just a quick flip of the manual and I used up almost all my user banks.

All I use is the PSA-1 through a power amp and my bass gets any tone I want. Its not just for guitars. Sweet tube over drive sound, perfect grinding distortion and smoooooooooooooth jazz tones.

You could throw it againt the wall and it'll still work

Haven't had to deal with them yet

I'm always experimenting with my tone and this is the only pre amp i've owned thats been able to not only keep up with me but raises the bar on what a good pre amp should sound like. I can't imagine why someone wouldn't like this thing.

Difficult to program on the fly live. In order to see what the preset parameter was you have to turn the knob till the little dots tell you. Meanwhile you have the last parameter the knob was turned to when you begin to move it. Saving is a hassle because the button is recessed and you need a pick to actually press it. I guess it was a good idea on paper but for those of us who have been using programmable gear, it's kind of an insult to our intelligence. Just give us a regular button. We'll be careful.

Manual is good, explains everything.

My setup is an Ibanez 3120 (loaded with Bill Lawrence L500XL and L500R pickups)- PSA - Korg A1 - Marshall 9100 power amp - Marshall 1960 Vintage 4/12 slant.

It's reasonably quiet unless you crank the gain. No more noisy than most others I have owned.

This unit is clearly made for shred. Many on this review page have given it rave reviews, and think that this accurately reproduces any amp. The FET distortion has it's own quality that is present in every patch, and due to this quality, it is unuseable for the cleaner/bluesier sounds. To explain, one of the tests I use for distortion quality is simple. Back the gains off on the device till you get the equivalent of a light blues patch with a clean breakup (unless they already have a preset)and with the guitar wide open hit a chord and let the sound decay away. A good distortion will fade out smoothly. This unit will decay with a crackling noise that sounds like a broken diaphragm in a kazoo. That is the overdrive characteristic intrinsic to the device. Now when you open up all of the gain knobs, preamp-buzz-punch-crunch and drive knob that emulates the breakup of a tube output stage, there are so many cascades, that the decay is smoother so you don't notice the crackle. Unfortunately that thin buzzy crackle will begin to get on your nerves because that is the basic building block of the unit's tone and all of the EQ shaping in the world can't remove it. Unfortunately, that's solid state.

If you try this unit, do this test just so you are aware and see if you can live with that sound it. Some folks don't care, and actually like it. To each his/her own.

As far as getting my favorie artist sounds, Most of the bluesier patches have more OD to cover up the crackle. when you back off the gain to approximate the artists tone, it gets ugly. The Petrucci style tone as well as the death metal stuff can be gotten on this unit easily, but as far as cleaner OD, forget it.

I play all styles of music, live and studio. This unit is flexible in shaping the basic tone of the FET's, but for my ears and needs, limited in actual function(see above).

I have been playing for 20 years.

In all fairness Tech-21 suggests a SS power amp, so I have also ordered a Mosvalve and will try it out with that instead of my 9100, but the crackle is there when you use headphones, so I don't expect there to be much improvement. If the Mosvalve sounds as good or better than the 9100, I'll keep it and replace it in my rack to save my back.

it takes some experimenting to really know how to use this correctly. I think a lot of the people who bash this thing, really just don't know how to use it correctly. READ THE MANUAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I bought this on the reccomendation of someone at guitar center. I was going to buy a pod pro, but the salesman told me that the PSA-1 sounds more "real", more "organic". Well, I really liked how the pod pro sounded, but I LOVED the way the PSA-1 sounded! It's just straight up tone, no efects or bells and wistles, just awesome tone!

it's solid state, so I can't imagine it would be too problematic.

I still cannot believe this is sold state!!! It really does sound much more "real", than the line 6 stuff, which can sound kind of artificial. It really does sound like a tube amp. In fact, the rectifier setting on this sounds better to me than my old rectoverb. This is just my opinion, so check it out for yourself.

Only 8 knobs.. all are straight forward... the only thing that sucks is the save button being recessed into the console, but hey it's still easy to use. Another thing that does suck is scrolling through presets one at a time until you arrive at your custom one.. but nothing a midi footcontroller cant solve

I use a modified Ibanez RG w/ DiMarzio Evolution and Air Norton pickups, as well as a Standard Fender Stratocaster... I also connect this badboy to an Alesis Midiverb 4 going into a Fender Deluxe Hot Rod amp... all i can say is WOW. The sounds are amazing. There is so much gain- enough to make Pantera turn their heads! The versatility is also excellent... from lush blusey sounds to hard rock, this thing does it all. Manual says it sounds too compressed going through a tube, but sounds great to me!! Gotta get a cab soon and try it out that way.. if it sounds good now, imagine how great it'd be w/ a full setup!

built like a tank

I emailed them because I got this unit at a closeout sale, without a manual or warranty card, etc. They quickly got back to me w/ all the info- manual, how to get the warranty, etc. Even suggested setups on how to use Midi with it and how to use it live! Very nice!

I play mostly progressive and instrumental rock, so tone for me is CRITICAL- listen to guys like Vai, Satch, Petrucci, and Eric Johnson.. I get very close to these guys' tones, and have my own special tone... very well made preamp, and I'd have to get another one if it were gone!