Tech 21 SansAmp PSA-1 Preamp

Very easy to use. Good method of programming. Just twist knobs and store.

Sound quality, depends on what you want to use it for. If you play in a cover band and need a wide variety of sounds then this preamp is for you. If you want your own perfect, defining tube tone get a tube amp. It's good for copying and getting a rough idea of what the sound should be, Still has a screechy solid state sound to it. For example the high gain sounds, at best, are reminiscent of really really bad Chinese 12ax7 tubes.

The cabinet simulator is good for DEMO quality work, don't expect fantastic tone from long hours of miking placement either. Like I said this is for a cover band guitar player.

Very dependable.

Had a problem with the MIDI out. It worked, then it didn't. Sent it to sans amp checked out fine. But still would never work after that. Just ended up using processor to control it instead of vice versa. Never gave out seems pretty indestructable.

I've been playing 15 years and have owned practically every amp it's supposed to copy, so I can say close but no cigar. I had to have something that was excellent for recording so I switched to a Soldano preamp with a Mesa 50/50 power amp for dirty and a 70's twin for clean.
Like I said if your set list includes The beatles and metallica and you don't want a perfect sounding, huge rig with morley A/B boxes and old DOD masterswitches get a PSA-1.

Ok, here's the deal: ALL YOU IDIOTS WHO FAVOR TUBES OVER SOLID STATE, GET OFF THE BANDWAGON AND OPEN YOUR MINDS A LITTLE! This is the 21st century, you don't need tubes to get a tube sound anymore. I own a dual rectifier and a jcm800 and they sit in their road cases, because I like this better. I was using a mesa 2:90 to power this, until it crapped out on me(tubes...ugh). I bought a used mosvalve power amp off of ebay, to use until my mesa is fixed and I like the way this combo of psa-1 and mosvalve power amp sound. The 2:90 sounded awesome, but i can't deal with the headaches.

It's VERY versatile. My GOD is it versatile! I get everything from a heavy ass nu metal distortion to crystal clean.

it's solid state, need I say more?

these guys are very cool!!!

with the exception of my Les Paul custom, this is the only piece of gear I've ever been entirely happy with. The key to making this unit sound awesome, is in matching it with a good poweramp and a decent speaker cab. I got the idea from another reviewer to put a sonic maximizer in the effects loop. Smart guy, it makes this thing sound UNREAL!

I primarily use Ibanez guitars and Music Man Axis.
I play all sorts of music from blues and jazz to rock to metal.
I can not believe all the sounds you get out of this little preamp. I can immitate all the other amps I have and I can not tell the difference. Either on tape or live.

The Mesa settings are amazing...I dig the Pantera setting right out of the box through the Mesa 290 power amp on Modern it straight up rocks.

Brand New. Just bought it at SAM ASH Music in PA. I can not believe all the sounds you can get out of this amp.

I have a music store in my studio, GSP-2101, Mesa Triaxis, Mesa Dual Rect, Marshall TSL, Peavey Profex, 5150 Head, etc.... If it comes out I buy it (my wife's a doctor). This amp does all of those and then some.

Only had a couple of days.

Have not had to call them yet. Warrenty rocks.

All I have to say is I can not believe all those sounds come from one amp with no tubes!!!!

Here is my setup:
Ibanez 540S with DiMarrzio Evolution in bridge
PSA1
ADA Microcab
BBE 482
TC M-One Effects Processor

My style of music: Rock instrumental (Vai, Satch) and contemporary/new age instrumental

First let me say I record direct. I don't like how the PSA sounds direct. I need to do a lot of EQ tweaking to get a nice direct sound. So I use the ADA Microcab and it makes this thing sound amazing direct. Sometimes I get goosebumps when I play this setup.

I used to have a Marshall 4x12, but I sold it. I tried using the PSA with a Hafler P3000 power amp and I just didn't like the sound that much. But in a music store, I tried it with an Ibanez Prestige S Series guitar, some sort of Mesa power amp through a Mesa cabinet and it was the most amazing sound I have ever heard. I wish I remembered the exact combo of gear I used. Anyway, the point is, with the right power amp and cabinet this thing will smoke anything on the planet.

Lately I have been comparing the PSA to two reputable amp plugins - NIGEL (works with the UAD DSP card) and Amplitube. They don't come close. Enough said.

The lead tone on this thing is so damn sweet. I used to have a Johnson Millenium (which cost over $1000) 250 head, and it sounded pretty harsh (especially harmonics). There is no harshness to the PSA. It has a very rich, complex sound. Very full. Ludicrous amount of gain. Usually I have to crank premaps all the way to come close to getting the gain I like, but I can have this thing at 75% and that is plenty!

And another thing - this thing will experience feedback much like a 'real' amp. That goes to show you how responsive its signal chain is.

If you want to hear how this thing sounds in my setup, check out my recordings at

www.guitar-dreams.com.

All recordings made AFTER Dec 2001 were done with the PSA and Microcab.

Not many people realize this, but Tech21 will provide anyone who asks, some firmware that will allow the PSA to respond to MIDI continuous controller data. It isn't an official part of the product because Tech21 says that it causes 'zipper noise'.

Anyway, at first I thought this thing was too limited, but then I realized that it truly is meant to do one thing and do it well! So in terms of a guitar preamp, it has great features (lack of effects is absolutely irrelevant)

I don't know if this is true, but I also hear you can use the effects loop to achieve an output that bypasses the speaker cab simulation in its output section. That is good if you want to use a dedicated simulator or go to power amp and cab.

And the particular type of controls this thing has are fantastic. It has two controls to mimic pre and post gain. It also has these frequency shaping controls (labeled buzz, punch, and crunch) that have quite an unusual powerful effect (similar to pre-EQ perhaps).

Anyway, enough about features - let's talk about sound.

I bought it used last year and haven't had any trouble.

They tend to be quite slow at answering emails. Quite annoying.

I have been playing about 13 years. This is my favorite sounding setup (not that I have had many). People tell me they really like my tone with this setup. Other modelers don't compare (POD,etc). They are not capable of the versatility of tone that the PSA has.

I am moving to Germany this summer and am bringing this bad boy with me!

I use a variety of guitars - Fender 68 RI Strat, Music Man Super Sport Axis, PRS Custom 22, and a Gibson Les Paul Custom. Everything sounds great thru the PSA-1. I am extremely satisfied with the cleans and the distorted patches. I run it through a Peavey Classic 50/50 eith the TC Electronics G-Major for effects. Awesome!!!

Extremely versatile. Easy to dial-in whatever you want. No effects but that is ok since the sounds aren't masked by a wall of effects. I am still not use to the lack of an "on'off" switch.

I purchased the unit used and it has never had a problem. Despite it's flawless record I would "never" go without a backup.

Immediately after purchasing the unit I e-mail Tech 21 with a couple of questions. I received a reply within the hour. Very impressively!!! They seem like a friendly bunch of people.

I also have a Carvin Quad-X preamp in the same rack but this is my main sound unit. If this was stolen or lost I would definitely get another one. I have compared this to the POD Pro and the JMP-1 and the PSA-1 blows them away. An increadible bargain when purchased used.

i bought this thing by faith, because EVERYONE at a store recommended it over the JMP-1 which i intended to buy. since i could return it, i figured what the hell.

when i first plugged this thing in, i have to say i was disappointed. the sounds were all a tad bit scratchy and harsh. i soon found out, however, that this is not an amp that sounds good out of the box. this may sound cliche, but you really do have to tweak it. i've made several killer presets, anywhere from a mesa recto without the muddiness, or a marshall jcm-900 without all the harsh treble, to a gained out, hot rodded plexi.

this thing sounds EVEN BETTER on stage than it does in the bedroom (not something you can say for most solid state units :-D). some of the harsh treble which comes through mine gets lost in the mix and it sounds really killer. i'm almost positive, though, that this treble is my fault for running 2 preamps in a row (the psa-1 followed by the preamp in my valvestate). yes, the distortion IS brutal. yes, the gain IS powerful. and yes, the clean IS beautiful. this thing can model 49 different amps so your tonal pallette from which you build your presets is just immense.

i have noticed some hiss at high volumes, but it doesnt get to me.

I thought i had written a review for this a while ago but i guess i havent. anyway, here goes:

This thing is versatile as hell. its a midi preamp with 49 user presets and 49 factory presets. its all solid state, but it uses FET's rather than transistors which allow it to provide a more organic tone. it also uses its FET's configured in a push-pull circuit like that of a class AB tube amp, unlike other solid state units. this makes the tone a lot more responsive.

NOW, what gives this thing the real kick in versatility is the use of BUZZ, PUNCH, and CRUNCH for controls. this is NOT bass, middle, and treble. these knobs adjust the amount of BREAKUP in low, middle, or high frequencies, respectively. a tight modern sound, for example, calls for LESS buzz and more punch. this allows you to rework the very tonality of the simulated amp, giving changes in character that are similar to those you would get with mods to the respective amp. this feature also allows you to shape the tone in a way that other modelling amps most definitely do not.

the way you adjust the actual amount of frequency in there is with the LO and HI knobs. my ONLY beef is that there is no mid knob. it's still possible to make a scooped or raunchy, nasal sound without it, but it requires more tweaking. adding a mid knob would make it easier.

FOR REFERENCE: my setup is as follows:
Guitars:
-Ibanez RG7420 7 string, stock
-Cort Solo w/ EMG 85 in the bridge

Poweramp/cab:
-none. i run this into the input of my marshall valvestate combo set to a VERY clean sound with the EQ knobs all at 12:00

i got this thing christmas of 2001 and it hasnt gone down on me yet. one potential problem is that there's no on/off switch. however, the manual says it's not a problem, and that recording studios that use these things leave them on 24/7 with no problem. sounds good to me. i flip off the power switch at the wall at night just in case tho ;)

havent had to deal with them yet

im really pleased with it. i've been playing for almost 5 years now. if it were stolen or lost id DEFINITELY pick up a new one. i did compare it to the marshall JMP-1, and decided against it because the marshall only makes 4 sounds, whereas this makes 49. one of those 49 happens to be a JMP-1 preset, which is a very good representation imo. again, i wish it had a mid knob but i can do without it. if you cant, you may want to invest in an EQ pedal or a rack EQ of some sort.

Very easy to setup, the sounds are great, there is basically no need of manual, although it is well written and comprehensive. I love this unit, as pretty much anything else SansAmp puts out

Excellent sound quality. It has pretty much eq tailoring (low and high) and buncha other contour knobs, what it lacks is a mid eq knob, though. Aside from that it rules.

no probs with it yet

great cust support

I play mainly metal. This amp has been a godsent - the best frigging distortion. I run it thru Peavey 50/50 classic tube power amp and it sounds killer. Some of the clean setting are not that helpful, but I bought it mainly for its distortion sound and this is great!
For the price new it might be a bit expensive, but I got mine used and I think it is a great value. Definitely easy to use and in sound quality it beats all the amp simulated effects, like the POD pro.

I use it with a gibson sg Standard with EMG-81 pickups in it.
I Play in a band called FULL COURT PRESS www.fcponline.net and we play hiphop infleuenced hardcore.
It just has a killer brutal sound or else the verry good clean sound of a fender etc.

A VERRY GOOD pre-amp, it's verry easy to save your presets, controlling it with any midicontroller...
Just say it's verry nice!!!
Has midi in/out, 2* outputs xlr and 1/4 jack.
I use it with a mesa simul 2:ninety and it souds KILLER, i previous had a Dual REctifier and i've sold it cause this setup sounds MUCH BETTER, believe me.

Good

Verry Good, they always answer your mails directly.

I've bin playing for about 6 years now and use the sansamp with the mesa Simul 2: ninety, behringher ultrafex pro sound modulizer, tc electronic G-Major, and i use a Korg DTR-2 Rackmount tuner.
My guitars are a Gibson SG Standard with EMG 81 pickups, and i gonna buy myself a Gibson LesPaul Smartwood.

The crunch is pure brutal!
I Love it..
But.. again i would give this a 10 but cannot:
Does the terms LOUD AND OBNOXIOUS white noise and hiss/hums offend anyone else?
Well, thats about all this does at "real" volumes if you even pause/break for a millisecond..
Even with my Rocktron Super C Hush and an additional gate from my compressor it does this and can not be remedied.
I am very unhappy about that!
As for clean tones..
Its pretty bad too.
Oh, they sound great! but they cant be set up to match the levels of the gains..Not unless you throw your dc mix all to heck..
So you go from blistering loud crunch to an acoustic sound that is drowned out by the drummer and singer on stage.
Real dissappointed in that too.

Even with my lower ratings, I still beleive its the absolute BEST pre amp on the market in its class.
I would rocommend it to anyone!

I would have to agree with most of the posts here on this baby!
Its is the hottest pre amp I or any of my freinds have had the chance to pleasure!
Unfortunatley, while its the best sounding unit.. and i have had almost every avbailable pre amp made in my 15 years tenure as a guitarist.. But the features are awful..
I dont want to have to MAP my presets to channels 50-55 etc.. It would be much better if the user presets were the first block of 50 and vice versa..
Big let down there..

They guys over at Kaman are pretty nice. I spent alot of time with them trying to figure out how to get thru the above mentioed issues..
Ultimately, they said there was no way around it and it was the characteristics of the unit.

They were helpful.

this is a great sounding pre amp.
I say the best!
if you can get past the problems i have with it or just dont care as much about them as i do, Then you will be one happy cat!
I highly recommend it!
As for giving this or any other unit a 10.. the unit would have to be absolute perfection in all aspects...No piece of gear will prbably ever merit such a level.
Your ears may tell you that now, but in 2-4 or even 10 years down the road.. these opinions always change as does the gear....

This is not a ten because (1) there is no "mind-to-circuitry" connection (you actually have to turn the knobs with your hand or feet) to shape your sound, and (2) the terms "buzz", "punch", "crunch", etc. aren't used much on units by other manufacturers-- but these terms ARE in guitarists vocabularies and in MHO descriptive and cool.

It is so easy to record with this. I don't have to mess with micing an amp. And most important is that there are no compromises in tone.

I consider myself a tone afficionado. Cut to the chase: This rack unit rocks my world completely. I write songs and have a pretty amazing home studio. I also have a choice collection of guitar pedals. With the PSA-1 you can dial in with fine detail just about any guitar tone that a multitude of amps would otherwise require. For the past several years, we have heard so much propaganda about having real tubes for getting the best tone. What a load of marketing crap! This unit is solid state. No tubes. It is all analog, too. It sounds extremely responsive to your playing and very organic. It can shred, do SRV, country-- any style.

My setup: My main axe is one I never heard anyone else having. It's a Ibanez Roadster (this spelling is correct). There are nonstock EMG's in there. I bought it new in 1980. It is a strat copy that I suspect was too close so it disappeared quickly (my theory-- could be wrong). This guitar goes into the Empirical Labs "Distressor" (the most awesome compressor ever made), then into the SansAmp, then into the Ensoniq DP/4 (one of the best ever delays-- by the way, it is digital and very WARM sounding; putting guitar, vocals, whatever through a bit of this will easily warm up otherwise thin sounds that are a result of recording digitally), then finally into the Lexicon LXP 15 II. You come out of the Lex in stereo at the end of this chain, and you will be in heaven. You will feel that whatever pro sound you want, you'll be able to get. There-- there are all my secrets just handed to you on a silver platter (well, maybe not all...).

I have other guitars, like a Fat Tele, and they all sound fabulous in this chain.

I might add a pedal in this chain, depending on what I'm going for. Maybe a Ross Phase Distortion, Guyatone Wah Rocker, whatever, for that special sound.

The original review for the PSA-1 appeared in Electronic Musician in October 1994. You can still buy this all these years after. Obvious to me is that this is a modern classic piece of gear and a reliable, time-tested design. I bought mine used several years ago and I have been around the world with it. It is completely reliable. I never had a problem with it.

I have never dealt with them. I guess they are in NY, NY I believe, so I'd expect an attitude.

Overall, if you are really picky about tone and have gone through various pedals searching for what will give you the sounds you want, get this for a million different guitar sounds. Get your head straightened about about needing tubes; the PSA-1 is soooo organic and responsive and tube-like. You won't miss your tube amp! This makes life sooo easy for recording. Once you get comfortable with the controls, you'll feel like god, in control of the Universe of Guitar Tones. I went through half a store load of different gear before finally finding this and I wouldn't want to play guitar without it. One caveat, though, is that I AM talking about the sound I get through the chain mentioned above. But just the PSA-1 and the Lexi coming out in stereo is heaven, so you don't need the expensive compressor to sound great with this. Overall: This thing will go down in guitar gear history!