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.

I think the previous paragraph answers this question. Yes, it does sound awesome. The only other preamp I've played that can compare to this one is the Triaxis. But for what you pay for a Triaxis, there better be sex involved!!

This is all I will ever need as far as versatile tone goes. I put a BBE sonic maximizer in the effects loop and it sounds amazing! I was weary at first, because I've been brainwashed into thinking that if it doesn't have tubes, it won't cut the mustard. Well, maybe the guys at Tech21 have made a pact with satan, because this is a solid state preamp that sounds and behaves like a tube preamp. The controls on this thing will allow you to get pretty much any sound you need. The only sound I am not able to get is a super scooped death metal type sound, but in all fairness to this unit, I don't know of any amp or preamp that can provide this sound without an outboard EQ. So, I run an EQ in my rack and now I have that death metal tone, if I want it.

It's solid state, so already it's more reliable than something with tubes in it. A tube amp (or preamp) requires constant maintainence, and I just don't have the patience for it. Not only that, all kinds of things pop up unexpectedly with tube amps. I don't need the hassle. Solid state= hassle free.

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The only reason I don't give it a 10, is because nothing is perfect. This thing comes pretty close though.

This thing really kicks butt! I still like it.

This is an update to my previous review. I just have a few words about reliability:

Basically, I started having a bit of trouble with the PSA-1 not switching to new presets from ones I was currently editing. In other words, go to a preset, twist a knob, switch to another preset. What the PSA-1 should do in this case is ignore your edits, and switch to the new preset. However, mine was keeping the same settings, and then blinking its "editing dots" at me to tell me I hadn't saved my edits. Saving the preset didn't help, nor did power-cycling the unit. It was acting hosed.

I e-mailed tech support, and was told that sometimes the knobs rub against the faceplate and should be pulled out slightly to make sure they don't make weird grounding problems which might cause the unit to act up. Worst case, I was told, I'd have to back up my presets, do a full reset, and load them back in. I didn't bother, since the problem seemed to disappear the next day.

Last Friday, it reappeared, and was really getting on my nerves, because I was in the middle of recording. I decided to backup, reset, and reload my presets, and follow the suggestion of pulling the knobs out slightly. I started at the right, pulling gently on the knobs. At the 2nd knob from the right, I heard a "click" sound, and the stem of the pot came out in my hand! Doh! I was screwed. No way to get it back in, it's 11:00pm, and no Radio Shack open in the area. I opened the unit up, took the faceplate off, disassembled the pot, put the stem back in, buttoned everything back up, reset the unit, and it's working great.

A point: Beware, the pots in this thing might not be all that durable. I did NOT pull on the knobs with much force, and I wouldn't expect to have a pot fall apart like that. On the other hand, Pulling on them is kind of a weird thing to do, I admit that!

Another point: The PSA-1 was on while I was doing this, and worked fine, even with a knob shaft missing. That's pretty impressive, I reckon.

Another: Tech support was pretty helpful in a way, because the full reset solved the original problem. Plus, they're sending me a new pot. They seem pretty cool.

One more: This thing is a MOTHER to reassemble. If you decide to take it apart, have a short, fat screwdriver on hand with a u-joint and a magnet on it. Dang...

Well, I have to take a point or two off here, because "10" would mean it's totally reliable, and anything electronic fails on that score.

They're great!

I'd go out and buy another one of these if this one got lost or stolen, or, God forbid, I pulled the knobs off the front and couldn't get them back in.

Its as easy as it gets to use.......the large knobs give you amp-like control of all the parameters,making it easy to use and tweaking patches whist playing is a possibility (unlike some of its competetors-Marshall JMP-1).Patch editing is also really simple, you just set your sound like you would on an amp an press the save button!

I play an ESP LTD M-350 and a Gibson les-paul,through a rack set-up- PSA-1->>A big fat old analogue delay unit(for some silly noise!!!)-->>Marshall 100watt power amp,all into a Laney i use for my effects an electro haronix Q-Tron+ a small stone,Jim Dunlop Cry baby,Korg Ax1000g "cheap but surprisingly good" multiFX.I play in Rock/Grunge pearl jam like band i like nice warm tone with a really big ballsy sound with nice solo/clean/rythm sounds. I also play in a NU-Metal and a Hardcore band(...not my main bands but like need different sounds for all of them).Basically i need to be able to get all different modern rock sounds, which i get from the PSA-1 without a second thought...as far as tone,sound and gain goes i never want more,i feel i could get an amp sound to suit any sort of music.Also as it is a dedicated pre amp you are able to get as extreme sounds as you want, so dont worry if you want to go from light blues drive to extreme rectified madness or even beyond.

Reliablity never comes into the question.....it always does what you want it to.Spose of you dont put it in a rack it would break??!!!You wont need a back up.....unless you are planning on attacking your amp with a chainsaw as part of a solo.

Havent needed it....hasnt broken....manual explains everything you need to know even though you can work it out without the manual. However as i am in England Tech 21 are not a large make so i dont know what would happen if i tried to sort anything out......but i havent tried and i presume they have a UK helpline or distributor so i am probably talking crap!I am giving it 10 for this one cos i love it so much!

I bought this pre-amp when looking at the Marshall JMP-1, the Tech 21 PSA-1 crapped on the JMP-1, you wouldnt know it wasnt a valve powered preamp.I cant stress more, this preamp does everything! Guitar sounds that i get are like those of Stephen Carpenter(Deftones),Mike McReady(Pearl Jam)but you could literally play anything else you wanted.All i have to say now is DONT BUY THE MARSHALL JMP-1 BUY THE SANSAMP PSA-1.(PLEASE)

First off, when A/B'ed with the POD, thie PSA-1 kicks the POD's ass. Also, A/B'ed with the Roland COSM simulators. IMHO, the PSA-1 is better.

Second, the PSA-1 does a great job of emulating a variety of amps, from Fender to Marshall to Mesa/Boogie.

Third, the PSA-1 is a bit noisey on the higher gain settings (as with most decent guitar amps).

Nice wide range of tones. RTFM. I.e., learn how the knobs affect your tone. Use the presets as a foundation, and you can get killer tones.

Also, the effects loop rocks. Contrary to some opinions, it is not just 100% on or 50% on.

The 100% setting acts as an insert function for insert-style effects (like a wah) or where the blend is adjusted in the external effects processor.

The 50% setting acts as a blend function where the output of the effect is adjusted to adjust the amount of blend of the effect. For example, setting the effect output level to zero blends no effect, setting the effect output to 10 blends 50% effect and 50% dry. Thus, the PSA-1 preserves the signal quality of the dry signal. Good setting for delays, chorus, reverb, etc.

Purchased it used, dirt cheap. Got one that was really abused on the road. Some of the LED's aren't working. However, it sounds great and I have not clue what actual abuse was inflicted. Therefore I won't submit a rating.

I have e-mailed and telephoned Tech-21. Excellent support. They quickly mailed me a replacement owners manual at no charge.

I've been playing for over 20 years and have owned Mesa/Boogies, Fenders, DigiTechs, an ART, BOSSs, a PigNose, Peaveys, and other guitar amps. The PSA-1 rocks when compared to all previous amps.

I would definiteley replace my PSA-1 if lost or stolen, even if I had to get one for $600 new.

This is by far the best investment I've ever made. I needed something that was versatile. I was going to get a Mesa Recto, but the recto amps are strictly for metal type sounds. Nothing wrong with that, it's actually perfect for the style I play, but I also sit in with some jazz guys and do acoustic stuff too and I needed an amp that would be able to go from nice and clean to way too much distortion(there's actually a mesa boogie setting on the PSA-1 titled "too much gain"!). My first test was to compare the mesa sounds with the real mesa amps(this is a wonderful way to piss off the salesman at your local music store). To my surprise, they were about equal, give or take a little. I actually prefered the mesa rectifier sound on the PSA-1 to the actual mesa amp itself! So, that sold me right away. I then compared the marshall settings to a real jcm900 and the fender settings... you get the picture? Anyway, after comparing for almost an hour and pissing off this surly salesman, I decided to take it home with me. When I got this home and mtched it up with my solid state power amp (strictly for P.A use), it actually sounded better than with the tube power amp in the store! I guess this makes sense, match up a solid state preamp with a solid state power amp, right? Anyway, it sounded better; to me anyway. Now I need to get me a good solid state power amp!! I was on a roll, so I hooked up my bass players sonic maximizer in the effects loop and I almost wet myself! I didn't think this thing could get any better, but the sonic maximizer did just that. Now I have to get a sonic maximizer! So, the bottom line is this: It sounds awesome!!

This thing is cool! I can't believe it's solid state. If you read the manual and learn which knobs(yes, knobs!) do what, it's a piece of cake.

no problems here

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Yes, I know nothing is perfect, but I don't ever remember being so fully impressed by a piece of gear before!!

Lots of big-name people use this for everything from guitar to drums to vocals to flutes, but I've only used it on guitar and bass.

I also have a Rocktron Piranha, which is similar to the PSA-1 in intent and form factor: Both units are 1U analog preamps with MIDI control. However, the Piranha is a simple high-gain tube preamp with a speaker simulator, where the PSA-1 is solid-state, and goes a lot farther than just simple preamp activity. It's not a bogus/pretentious "amp modeller" however; It's a distortion box that gives the highest possible level of control over the content of your distortion tone, with a user interface that even a guitar player can understand(hee hee).

As far as sound goes: I record direct, with this running in the FX loop of a GX-700. I like the Piranha's ability to get a good, agressive distortion tone in this setting. However, that's all I could ever get the Piranha to do. I didn't care much for it's clean sounds, so I never used them. And believe me, I tweak and tweak. The Pirahna didn't strike me as being particularly versatile as a result. I was hoping the PSA-1 could get better clean tones, and I wasn't disappointed. They're great! It has a lot more teeth than the Piranha too. The distortion tones can get as fuzzed out as you want them, but you can still hear every note. You can get really thick-sounding tones from this solid-state preamp, thus forever putting to rest (for me) the idea that you have to have tubes to get the tone you want. You don't! The EQ on the PSA-1 is simple very effective. I can dial in vocal-sounding lead tones, colon-loosening low end, and sparkly-sounding highs. Of course, it's possible to get a horrible sound, but that's what you get with this much flexibility. The presets are okay, but can be improved upon.

I've been playing for 23 years, and have used/owned every non custom-made preamp out there, and this one is the most flexible. I love Tech 21 gear. It sounds great, and is very practical to use. I'll give it a 9 instead of a 10 because I haven't had it for that long yet, and, let's face it: it's just a preamp.

For bass, same story. I can get my favorite bass sound out of it: The 9-foot-tall-500-lb.-Geddy-Lee sound. Plus a lot of others. And that's with a set of strings that's almost a year old!

Not too many features. It just does one thing: generate distortion tones. It has all of the appropriate inputs and outputs, FX loop, etc. that you would expect a full-featured preamp to have. It does NOT have a cheap-sounding chorus, delay, reverb, flanger, "vocalizer", pitch shifter, or any pretentious modelling amp junk on it. It's simple. Simplicity breeds versatility.

I would say I could depend on it. I also own a Trademark 60 and a GT2 from Tech 21, and their stuff has been very reliable for me. I would gig without a backup, because I'm just a careless kind of guy, and I don't make a living gigging.

I've e-mailed them with questions, and they always responded within a day or so. I e-mailed them and asked for the online version of the PSA-1 manual. I got back a bunch of JPGs of the manual scanned in sideways, which I thought was kind of useless. I e-mailed them back and suggested they put the manual on the site in HTML format so people could read it, and the guy was really receptive to the idea. So at least they're not jerks! They get an 8, because a 10 seems like something you should give them only if they drive to your house to help you play your guitar through a piece of their gear or something.

Overall, I think this thing rules! It's cool looking, well-built, easy to use, sounds great, and plays well with my rack. One other thing I forgot to mention, it has a good FEEL. I like the way a good tube amp responds to playing dynamics. This doesn't respond like that, but it has a good feel nonetheless. For the record, I really despise the way modelling amps respond. They're like playing a recording of a guitar amp on a specific setting. Not this one. It's a little pricey (even used), so I can't give it a 10. It's really cool though.

I can't believe the sounds I can get out of this thing, simply amazing. For the first time in my life, I am completely satisfied with my tone. No complaints here!!

Pretty straight forward. No frills, no extras, just straight up tone and lot's of it!

no problems yet

n/a

I love this thing. I was looking for a versatile preamp with major crunch capabilities and that's what I got. I play mostly hardcore and punk and it was essential that my preamp provide me with an aggressive, heavy, full sound. All I had to do was tweak the factory presets a bit to choose one! Yes, I had the luxury of choosing between full blown heavy ass Marshall or Mesa Boogie tones!! Not to mention nice clean Fender, classic Vox, Hiwatt...You get the picture? I think it's only a matter of time before the word is out and everyone with a penchant for tone will want one. Get one now, while the price is still good.

It's very easy to use IF YOU SPEND SOME TIME WITH IT. At first it takes awhile to get used to the "parametric distortion", the Buzz, Punch and Crunch knobs. These three knobs are what sets this preamp apart from any other preamp. They are distortion knobs for low, middle, and high frequencies, allowing you to tailor your distortion sound to your exact specifications. If you don't take some time to discover how these knobs interact with one another, then you'll have some problems getting the sound you want, but with a little experimentation you'll soon be getting the best and most varied sounds you've ever heard from ANY amp or preamp

this is simply the best preamp or amp I've ever heard. I use it not only for guitar but also for bass, organ, harmonica, and even sax (distorted sax is a unique sound). You can nail any tone in existence, as well as any tone you can dream up.

no problems here

I asked them some questions via e-mail and had a response within 20 min!

why are you still reading this? go out and but one! I don't work for this company, but I wish I did! The only way this could be any better is if it came in a head w/ power amp and built in reverb and chorus

Well, it's pretty darn easy. Especially compared to modeling amps and boxes like Pod and the J-Station. It may take a while to actually get the best results, but the path to your is nothing but easy... just turn the knob!

Thank you to all of you who have posted reviews on this box. I bought it on faith mostly from YOUR reviews and I have not been disappointed! This unit certainly has lived up to it's billing. I've had mine less than 24 hours, yet I have been going crazy playing with this thing! It has all the smooth even-order harmonics you could ask for. I'm certain that with a small amount of time I can get many good personal sounds from this unit. It certainly is the nicest sounding "distortion box", or "amp emulator" I've heard. It doesn't have a perfect sound, because perfect would almost imply that nothing else (that is imperfect) would sound as good. At least with guitar. As far as I can tell, as a bass preamp this thing is superior to ANYTHING I have tried... and I have been looking for that sound for quite a while!

I only do direct recording, and I have been using a Johnson Millenium for almost all of my guitar parts over the last two years. I have been able to get some VERY impressive sounds out of that unit. Of course, that is a fairly complicated unit to learn to get the most out of! While I have no doubt that the PSA-1 acts much more like a real amp in that the sound is created along the signal path like a real amplifier, hence it is more sensitive to attack, pickup type, and other variables, the fact is that there are some situations (in my material, anyway) where it isn't necessarily the better choice.

First of all, this is much more of a compliment to the Millenium rather than a knock on the PSA-1. I'm only saying that there are different solutions to the same problem, and the PSA-1 is only one of them. But the PSA-1 is such a sweet sounding unit. It's really cool how many more tones I now have available to me. It seems to me that there are some overdriven situations that the Millenium has it's place. Maybe as I get better with the PSA-1 it will eventually displace my Millenium, but for now I just like the new variety of tones that are available to me.

So, for those who want to know what the differences are between this and amp modeling, I'll give it a shot. The PSA-1, as recounted on this page many times, is more of an amp emulator. What that means is that the signal travels through an analog path through the unit. It uses transistors (FETs) which are wired up in a similar fashion to class AB tube amplifiers, which is a push-pull configuration. Essentially, in an AB amplifier, one tube amplifies a signal in the positive direction, such that the tube is "on" half the time (50% duty cycle). As the signal swings back to the other side of 0 volts into the negative direction, the first tube turns off and the second tube turns on. When the switching occurs, it doesn't do so in a perfect manner... there is some inherent distortion during the crossover phase of the amplification process, and as the circuit is turned up and drives harder and harder, we hear the pleasing even-order harmormonics become prevalent, which is much (but not all) of the sound associated with a nice tube amp (hence, it's called "crossover distortion). Tech-21 has created a very innovative design which copies this process using transistors, or FETs, instead of tubes, but they have also designed in so many parameters to tweak the sound that it is literally possible for you to make many decisions about yor sound by tweaking a knob... decisions that Fender, Marshall, Mesa-Boogie, etc. were forced to hard-wire into their amp designs. FETs are soooo much cheaper than tubes and it's so much easier to work in the low-voltage domain that Tech-21 was laterally able to make all these parameters available to you for tweaking! And tweak you will.... this thing has a range of adjustability that is astonishing!

A modeling amp like the Johnson Millenium, (or "ugh" the Line 6 Pod) use a very different, but viable path to get to tube glory. These guys go out and buy a Marshall, a Mesa, a Fender, t

Best sounding tube amp I've heard for home studio purposes. Even though it has no tubes!

I play a lot of styles and so this is excellent for me. The Fender presets have the nice clean sounds, and the Mesa Boogie and Marshall presets bring tha noise. It is extremely easy to use, even a complete imbecile will enjoy it. The Best thing about it is how tweakable it is. Although it comes with 50 presets, you can fiddle with them and change them to your tastes. However, when setting presets, If you use too much gain, it gets noisy. Unfortunately my guitar sound still isnt brilliant, especially with distortion, as I am running the PSA-1 into a Marshall Valvestate. That's not the PSA-1's fault however. It is great to sit and fiddle with the presets until you find a really inspiring sound. I especially like the Fuzz Face and Big Muff Emulations, and the Tele preset. This is a good bit of musical equipment to have, I'd imagine session players would use these the most. It also has great bottom end. You can get huge low end sound.
I'm not used to that, having used a Marshall Valvestate that has absolutely no bottom.

This is basically a tube amp emulator, a handy DI device that can be used as a pre-amp. previous to this I had a Marshall Valvestate that sounded bad. Now I use the Sansamp as a pre-amp, into the Valvestate. The PSA-1 has fully tweakable controls, an effects loop, It is easy to use, It sounds good and I'm glad I bought it.

It hasnt broken yet and I bought it second-hand. Hopefully it'll keep on kicking.

I emailed Tech 21 to ask what power amps go well with the PSA-1. They very promptly emailed me back with tips and suggestions. Good customer service.

Basically I wanted amplification with the warm sound of tubes. The PSA-1 does this very well. I play a Fender Strat with EMG active single coils into it, and use a Marshall Valvestate as power amp and speaker. Because of this my sound still isnt totally killer but this is not the PSA-1's fault, Its the awful Valvestate. Kids, dont buy a Marshall Valvestate amp. I plan to get a good solid state power amp and put it in a rack with the PSA-1. Then I'm going to get a two by twelve speaker box to run it into. A quad box would just be too loud and overpowering, besides I dont think I could fit one in my car.
I love that it does sound warm and tube-like, without the hassle of tubes.

hm.....considering the ease of use i must admit that it lasted quite a while till i was able to get the sound i wanted, to be more precisely: i won this thing now for 2 years and i'm still searching and dialing.....the useful combinations of Buzz, Punch, Crunch, gain and preamp are just too much for me! (by the way: there are many combinations which sound really horrible)

my setup: Mesa 50/50, T.C Electronic G-Force, H&K 4x12 Cabinet and my Sansamp. through all this stuff, i play with my beloved universe (7-string from ibanez).
hm....what to say.....hm......well, first of all i want to disagre with most of the review submitters: it is NOT possible to create tubelike sounds, it is NOT possible to create a boogie or a fender by simply dialing around.......this unit has a great sound, but it's not a chameleon...
when you listen to it very intense you'll hear the unit's own sound..in every preset....it's not a tube base, it's transistor and you hear it! but that doesn't mean it's a bad sound. this unit has great distortion sounds, much pressure, from simply cruch till agressive heavy distortion. i don' really like the clean sounds...this unit simply lacks of compression.....considering the clean presets i would prefer a real tube preamp....but i seldom use clean presets so i don't mind. from all my friends and bands in my town i won the most powerful distortion sound.....combined with my mesa 50/50 it's a killer machine, designed to destroy everything on it's way! never heard so much pressure again! i do NOT agree with all the opinions to solid state amplification....my power amp is a tube amp and i'm happy about it....i tried out a solid state amp and the louder it gets, the more horrible it sounds...i don't really like solid state with high volumes and i give a shit to tech21 saying, i am to use a solid state unit for the PSA-1!
considering all the facts i would spend this unit an 8 because of the cool distortion sounds and, i have to admit, it IS quite good in imitating sounds.....very versatile.....but to hear something boogie like, you have to buy a boogie!

it's on night an day and never left me!
i think this thing is made for eternity....

-

i play for 15 years and i am still willing to buy a TriAxis...but for the long years of waiting that i finally will be able to buy this unit it's the best choice for me! i think i won't ever sell it, because the direct recording possibilities are quite cool....it sounds really ok to me...cannot be compared with a mike-recording, but in my opinion it sounds ways better than a Line 6 POD!

If you know how the controls work, it's easy to get a great sound out of this unit. Just read the manual and experiment. The presets are a great reference point. Just mess around with the presets and you'll eventually figure this thing out. It also helps to read the manual, which is very easy to understand. Here's a tip: the controls are extremely sensitive. Turning a dial just a little will result in a whole new sound. Keep this in mind. Also, learn how the controls ineract with each other. Once you figure out which dial does what, you have arrived!

Ok, here's my setup: PSA-1 -furman PQ3 parametric eq(It's good enough for Dimebag!)-T.C electronics G Force- BBE sonic maximizer- Carvin 600 watt Solid state power amp (lots of headroom). I run my rig into an old measa boogie 4x12 with celestion greenbacks. This rig in my opinion is the be all end all. I play very heavy music (Snapcase, Pantera, Hatebreed) and I get that really heavy mega crunch that I need. My guitars are a Gibson Les Paul Studio and a DC studio both with Duncan JB's. The only other preamp that comes close to the PSA-1 is the Triaxis, but I refuse to drop a small fotune on just a preamp. The PSA-1 sounds great by itself, but with the Parametric eq scooping the mids, it sounds completely insane! Everytime I finish a gig, I'll always have some guy come up to me and compliment me on my sound. One guy described it as "really heavy, but in a crystal clean way". I think he just meant that the distortion isn't at all muddy. I really love this thing. Here's a perfect example of how versitile it is: I filled in for a buddy of mine who plays in a top 40 band. The set list consists of everything from Foo Fighters to the Beatles to The Ramones to The Monkees. I was able to program all the different guitar tones I needed (it took me all night to get them done!!) to make it through the gig. I was very proud of my PSA-1!

Never had a problem. I have my POD as a backup, but never had to use it.

never had to deal with them

I have nothing bad to say about this thing. Case closed.

I play a Jackson Soloist SH2 (Seymour Duncan's JB4 bridge & SH 1 '59 in the neck). I play covers in the styles of Satriani, Malmsteen, Gilbert, Petrucci and Vai. I tone model all of these players dead on with a Digitech RP 10 in the effects loop (bypass the pre amp). The EQ plays a vital role in dialing in the tones of each of these players. The pre amp offers the authentic AMPLIFIER tone of each player as a starting point when writing tone modeled patches with the RP unit.

If you are looking for vesatility in your pre amp, then this is an amazing piece of gear. I am a professional musician and require many different quality tones from my amp. The PSA 1 has all of the tones most sought after from some of the industries leading amplifiers. The Marshall High Gain lead tones, Marshall Classic and Fender Twin clean tones, and Mesa Rectifier all passed the A/B test out of the box. I recomend going to the Tech 21 site and listening to the pre sets that are available. The features that really sell this pre amp other than sounding truly authentic is the MIDI control and the stereo effects loop.

I have heard good things about the reliability of this pre amp. I have had no trouble with it.

The customer support is awesome. I Emailed for a manual and the next morning they ZIP filed a manual. Thanks Lloyd!

This is one piece of gear that will remain in my rig for a long time. I have been playing for a long time and have trial and errored many pieces of gear. This is by far the best pre amp I have had the priveledge of playing through. The amp is pretty expensive new, but for the quality and versatility it offers I think it is a super deal!

I use an Ibanez RG-470, a Kramer Baretta, and a Jackson Soloist through the pre-amp, which goes to a Carvin HT-150 power amp to a Marshall 4x12 Valvestate cabinet. I tend to play heavy stuff mainly, but sometimes use clean for ballads. The pre-amp has (by far) the best dirty sounds I've heard! If you get too crazy with the gain it can get a bit noisy though.(nothing worse than the ADA MP-1 I used to own though!)
I've owned about every Marshall and Mesa head made, and I feel that this pre-amp has them both beat sonically. It continues to amaze me how much more it sounds like a tube amp than an actual tube amp does! In the store the unit was run through a Mesa Boogie 50/50 tube power amp into a Crate stereo 4x12, so I thought when I got it home into a soild state power amp all of the sound would be lost, but it still sounded great. I also bought this unit for direct recording, and I run it directly into a Boss BR-8 digital 8 track. It sounds much better than anything I can get from miking up my live rig with. I was surprised, because everything else I've ever tried to direct record always sounded like a swarm of pissed off bees. (I sould note that a patch that sounds great live does not sound the same direct. You need to tweak the preamp a little to get your patches to sound the way you like direct. I have 2 different sets of patches, one for live playing, and another set for recording. I can say that I can get the same live sound direct with a little tweaking.)

Nothing I can say that hasn't already been posted for this unit. It's a straightforward solid state pre-amp. Has a supremely simple layout with rotary knobs for all adjustments. Has rear ins and outs with effects loop and MIDI footswitch jack. The only real complaint as far as features go, is that I wish they included a footswitch, and also built a power switch on the front panel to turn the unit on and off. Luckily, I have a rack mounted power supply, so this is no biggie for me, but it would be a little more convienent.

I would guess that this thing is pretty durable since it's solid state. The music store I tried it out at, had it mounted in a rack that was constantly plugged in.(And since this it has no power switch, it means it was on constantly day and night.) I have been to the store on and off over the past year, and they say the unit has never been turned off, so this is a pretty good testament to it's reliability.

I e-mailed these guys some pretty stupid questions a couple of times before I bought it, and I always recieved a response within 2 days. Their replies were very thorough and personal. Other than that I have yet to need anything further from them. (knock on wood:)

I have been playing for the last 15 years. I was away from music for the past 3 years.Marshalls were all that I owned. When I began shopping again for a new amp I immediately went to hear the new Marshalls, and was really dissapointed. They are still God-awful expensive, and the sound was horrible. I was very happy years ago with my JCM900 50 watt head, and mainly used it for the distortion. With the PSA-1, I can not only dial in the sound of the JCM900's, but I'm not stuck with just that sound. I also like the idea of never having to buy and replace tubes all the time. Oddly enough, I e-mailed Tech 21 before I bought the unit to ask what power amp they reccommend, and every one they listed was a solid state. They do specify that you check the frequency range of the power amp you choose and make sure it's within 20-20k, and also make sure you check the impedance rating of the amp and the speaker cabinet you use, because a mismatch will result in poor tone.
The only thing that I can find fault with, is the fact that this unit is pretty expensive for it just being a pre-amp. If it were'nt for the sound of this thing, I would have taken a pass on it based on it's price ($600!) A lot of guys looking for that "Marshall sound" can pick up an entire combo amp for that price! (Hence the 9 rating) As it was, I was not looking for a rack setup when I bought this thing, I mainly wanted head that had "the sound" I was looking for. As it turned out, to use this thing, I had to buy a rack ($80)and a power amp ($350)to use it, which puts me at the cost of a Marshall/Mesa head! I also would like to see them make a head out of this unit with a built in power supply for guys who don't want the hassles of a rack/power supply to mount this thing in.

I use a Ibanez RG 470 with stock pickups,a MosFet 50 power amp into a Marshall 4x12 cabinet, for gigs, and I also run this direct into a Boss BR-8 for recording. I must admit I am still stuck in the 80's/90's metal trap, therefore I still look for the Dokken, Yngwie, Pantera sound. This pre-amp has them all...and then some! It's hard to describe, but the unit not only sounds like a tube amp, but it sounds BETTER! It has a tube growl that I was only able to get from my old Marshall Artist head. (But the Marshall did'nt sound as good as this thing!) The unit comes with a list of preset styles, but I guarantee you'll make your own that sound a million times better. I played any and every amp being made currently at my local music store before buying, and this by far has the most flexability and best sonic qualities of anything I have ever owned. The unit sounded excellent in the store, and even better at home. The pre-amp can cover just about any tube amp sound you want. Since I don't play clean much, I really can't comment on the clean patches, but the distortion is almost too good to be true! I did notice that you need to be careful with getting too crazy with the distortion, because you get a good deal of hiss on high settings. The manual even warns about the noise.One thing that's been stated here before, and I must concur, is that you definitely need to use a quality power amp for this unit to really shine. I played the unit in the store through a Crate 50 watt solid state power amp, and then through a Mesa Boogie 50/50 tube power amp, and the difference was night and day! The solid state Crate power amp sounded thin and paper like, whereas the Mesa unit sounded like a wall of warm sound no matter what patch was being used. So, if you can donate a kidney or some gold fillings to afford one, try to get a decent tube power amp.

Digital/analog pre-map. Has 49 preset and 49 user programmable patches. Has some new and unique anolog style knobs for a pre-amp. I used to like an amp that had a million buttons and lights on it, but I really appreciate the simple and intuitive layout of the front panel. My only complaint here is that when switching patches, the knobs need to be turned down to reset them. It offers channel switching via MIDI port in back. Has a unique feature for input jacks. It has front and rear input jacks and ,per the manual, the front input jack is for guitar, and the rear is mainly for rack use. When using the front input it automatically bypasses the rear. There are enough reviews on this to really get the idea on functions, but it prides itself on being a 100% analog processor with digital programmability. This is only a pre-amp, with no other built in effects. Kudos to Tech 21 for not throwing in more crap than most people want or need. I have had other amps with built in effects (Line 6 & Johnson) And I always ended up getting an external effects rack anyway. The effects loop on the rear has a 50/50 switch for mixing effects. They claim you need to run your external effects 100% wet, and to control the amount of the effect with the effects output. My biggest complaint is that there is no on/off switch anywhere on the unit. You either connect it to a switchable power source, or enjoy it's glowing LED's forever.(or until you unplug it)

This is the first Tech 21 product I have ever owned so I can't say too much yet. I have only had the unit for about 5 months now. It's solid state, so I don't anticipate any problems.

I did give the folks at Tech 21 a call to ask some questions about the recommended MIDI pedal setup, and they were very friendly and courteous. If I ever needed help, I feel confident they would be there for me if I needed them.

I've been playing for 15 years now. I have owned Randalls, Peaveys, Johnson, Line 6 and a lot of Marshalls. When looking for a new amp after being away from music for the last 3 years, I made sure I played every amp at my local music store. I initially was hell-bent on getting a Marshall, and tried out the DSL 100 head, and I think Jim Marshall should be ashamed of himself for putting out such high priced pine box tube radios these days! The salesman at the music store said "these are meant to be played loud, that's when they sound the best..." So I turned that puppy all the way up and listened. It sounded like a really nasal, thin, buzzy amp with the volume turned all the way up! Right as I was getting my keys out to head for the door, the saleman mentioned that he had a rack mount pre-amp that had an excellent distortion, so I decided to give it a try. If you are looking for a warm and versatile sound, give this one a listen. The main benefit I have seen with this unit so far is that I have a tube sound better than any tube head I have had before, and I don't need to keep replacing tubes to get it to sound the way it did the day I took it out of the box! My only concern was that this unit is pretty expensive for a rack pre-amp, when compared to the cost of complete amplifiers. If it wasn't for the sound quality I would have taken a pass due to the price. (I guess you get what you pay for...:)

Very simple. I have owned a number of multi effects and the part I have always hated is programming them. I always tended to lean towards stomp boxs because they have knobs. So this is a real godsend for lazy people like me. The descriptions of the knobs are a bit weird but reading the manual puts you on the right track. You can also plug in a momentary footswitch (Keyboard sustain pedal) and you can loop through a number of presets. I think this is neat and keeps it simple.

In the past I have been a real tube head. I am getting back into playing after a 2 year break. I shopped around and tried a number of amps. I would run into the usual frustrations: The clean sounds great from a fender but the distortion sucks, love the ditortion on a marshall but hate the clean and so on. So what i have done is purchased a Yamaha EMX 660 PA and I plug the PSA-1 into that.

The advantage with this is that you are getting an accurate depiction of how it sounds. I also havwe the Sans Amp GT2 and I used to plug it into a tube amp. I found that becuse it is an amp emulator when plugging it into a real guitar amp it turns mushy. I also play bass so I can use this as a bass rig and it sounds really good.

I think it sound terific. To be honest when I am playing I only use 5 sounds. I like a unit that does one rthing and does it really well. I tried the POD and I thought the SANs sounded a lot better.

The distortion sounds are unbelievable and unlike other distortion units it interracts with how you play. If you back off your pick attack it responds if you lower the vol on the guitar it doesn't drive it as much. The presets are are great starting point but it is worth tweaking them to suit your gear. The clean are really nice. I used to own a Fender Twin reissue and this goes close. Close enough for my ears anyway.

Another thing which is good if you are playing in small venues it is easy to get a good solid sound. I have found in the past that while a fenser amp sounds OK on stage you can be killing people in the back of the room with volume. With the setup I use I know that what I am hearing is waht will be heard in the room.

So far so good

I purchased it S/h and sent tech 21 an email and they sent me back a scanned manual the next day. The really should put a manual in PDF format available for download. I was impressed with their prompt service and my questions aboute the footswitch.

as far as an amp emulator goes I think it kills everything else on the market. I have been playing for 17 years and have owned enough gear in that time to open a guitar shop. The only thing is in Australia our dollar is in a bad way and anything imported is expensive. I would buy another second hand, but new they are quite expensive. (I envy US buyers)

I am looking into a Tech 21 Midi mouse as a foot controller it looks really neat.

At the moment I am playing in a sequenced trio and playing stuff like stevie wonder, disco, blues,. I am also playing in a 3 piece rock band and it does the job in both cases. I would reccomend it to anyone.

I am using a music man axis and I play every thing from 70's to 2000 rock-n-roll, so I need a very versatile amp. I had a Peavey Rockmaster before and felt that I was playing John Cougar Hurt so good in Metallica mode, because I could not dial in classic tone on the fly. With this PSA-1, all I have to do is stomp on a MIDI pedal to change the sound. Let's get to the sound. Let just say awsome. All the characteristic of a tube amp, warm, dynamic, responsive, great harmonics. I couldn't get over it. I was using the Van Halen I setting last night and the sound it just like a heavy modified Marshall. A little bit of cream, metal, and thrash. There's a little bit of white noice when the gain is high, but a little hush should take care of that. It is still way quiet and a lot of tube amp. Definitely much quieter then a 5150 for the gain that this thing can crank out. I can go from fendery clean to megadeth distortion. I have one word that describe this preamp. AWSOME!

Recently purchased from Musician's friend after reading the reviews in Harmony central and doing a search for comments on the internet. I was trying to buy a Rocktron Piranha, but decided to get this instead because I noticed from doing my research that a lot of professional studios uses this unit to lay tracks, even major artist like Joe Satriani. WEll known major band are using it in live gigs. Mine was probably made in 1999 or 2000. I read a review from a user of this unit complaining that when he switched from one patch to the next the level is not the same. I have to agree, but don't think it is the unit. It has more to do with the guitar that is plugged in. The hot pickups has a lot to do with the level. Just do some minor adjustment to level of the patches that you want to use and you are set. This preamp is very easy to use. Knobs, and knobs and knobs, I prefer it over push button to adjust the sound. My previous set up was using a Peavey Rockmaster through Rocktron Intellefix, then to a Peavey Classic 50/50 stereo amplifier. I became unhappy with the Rockmaster after I changed tubes and it started to do a slow death. For some stupid reason, changing tubes made the overdrive level drop about 95 percent. I thought it was the Sovtek tubes at first, so I switch back to the original and the level drop is still the same. Since I have a gig in about a week. I decided not to fool around with the Rockmaster and drop $600+ dollars into the PSA-1. Now I am running the intellefix through the effects loop of the PSA-1, and it rocks!
No one in my band could tell that I am not using a tube preamp. Because it sounds just like a crank tube amp! It blew everyone away.

Don't know about reliability. I have a friend who had their products for years and it still work. So I am not worry at all. PLus the great thing is I don't have to change tubes. I may eventually replace my Peavey Classic 50/50 with a Mosvalve Solid state power amp.
I heard it sounds even better with a SS amp, plus I am tired of dealing with tubes. It's heavy to lug around for gigs. While in the middle of a gig, I am constantly worry that the tubes my die in the middle or go microphics on me. I just want my setup as compact as possible while sounding huge.
As far as reliable is concern, I am going to go with knowing someone with Tech21 products and they are very happy with it.

Have not use customer support yet.

I have been playing for about 15 years. I am not an impulse buyer. So I always do some research before buying it. I have thought about buying a Marshall JMP-1, but I heard the gain isn't that great and you would only sound like a Marshall. I need something more versatile. I looked at a Boogie Triaxis, but could not justify dropping $1500 for just a preamp, plus I like real knobs instead of buttons. My Rockmaster was good, but the PSA-1 is even better. I am extremely happy with this purchase. It is simple to operate and the tone is unreal!

This unit is great you can plug your guitar in turn it on and no matter what preset your on it sounds good. Editing patches isnt really hard just read the book. The manual is not long but theres not much to this unit besides turning knobs so how hard can it be.

I use a Parker nitefly and Parker deluxe I have a line 6 but i dont really use it much anymore I pretty much just use the preamp and my mossvalve power amp, sde-300 roland, 535q wah, and my pitch shifter pretty simple setup but its perfect for me. It gets a little noisy on the pantera and number 28 patches but you can eliminate that pretty easy. Its very transperant everything is really clear but i really dont use that many effects(so once you run more effects you might be able to tell a differance). I can get several sounds i can get a good john petrucci type sound without paying for his 6 mesa's. I can get good evh and plexi sounds. I would not recomend using distortion pedals with this there is no need to it adds very little and makes it very noisy. I play alot of fusion and progressive stuff dream theater, satch, vai, spocks beard, and all and all this unit sounds great.

I havent used it at a gig yet. But it looks really dependable i plan on using it next time we play.

The controls on this thing were a little foreign to me, but once I got used to them, I had a lot of fun creating all kinds of cool tones. If you want to learn how to use this thing, I mean really learn how, read the manual. It's pretty straight forward, easy to understand. If you just understand and learn what each knob does, you're all set. Have fun!!

I love the sounds I get from this thing! I play mostly Hardcore/metal and I can get all the insane sounds I need to get and then some. I'm using it with a Carvin solid state power amp(recomended by Tech21) and a Mesa Rectifier 4x12 cabinet. I can't believe this thing is solid state!! It sounds sooooo damn good! I also use a BBE Sonic Maximizer (don't leave home without one!) and an old Parametric EQ that I use to scoop the mids for that really heavy out of control sound. For the first time in my life, I am truly happy with my set up.

No problems here.

I've only dealt with them on the phone a few times and they were great. Very knowledgable, very friendly.

This thing is the future of guitar tone; in my opinion. Let's face it, you don't need tubes anymore to get a good raging guitar tone. I use this live and with my home studio for direct recording. I used to use a POD for recording, but the PSA-1 sounds much more organic. I can't see messing with tube amps anymore. I think I'm set for life with this thing. Thanks Tech21!!

You'll have to get used to it, but once you've figured out how to operate it (which isn't realy difficult) its easy to get any sound you wnt

Cool, Actually I use it as a Pre Amp for my Bass, but it sounds just great. Youn can get sound of a SVT or a Fender Bassman. Even the distiortion sounds are really good and don't kill the punch in your sound unless most other distortion effects.
But sometimes it is a little bit noisy.

Every Email gets answerd within a day

It's quite useful for Bass as well, especially when you use it as an editional effect unit within another amp

It's quite easy to get a good sound out of this unit. The presets themselves are very good and usually require a simple adjustment of the Bass and Treble, when switching guitars. Now, here comes the downer. The controls on this thing are unlike anything else I've ever experienced, so it can be kind of a chore to edit patches. It isn't impossible, it just takes getting used to. Read the manual, that's what it's there for! Once you do understand how these unique controls work, you will have opened up a pandora's box of great tones! Unlike most preamps that merely adjust the parameters of the tone, this thing goes beyond that. It adjusts the overall sound, from Raging distortion to crystal cleans to bluesy overdrive, to whatever. Very, VERY versatile. Just a little difficult to program, but if you're willing to put in the time, you will be rewarded.

I'm using my PSA-1 with a carvin solid state power amp and I'll tell you why; The tech at tech21 explained to me that since this thing is a tube amp emulater, all the tone comes from the unit itself and anything more may muddy it up. A tube amp would add too much compression and therefore limit your headroom. Anyway, to make a long story short, it was recommended that a solid state power amp with the least amount of coloration be used, i.e pure clean power. Well, I replaced my old poweramp with the solid state one and woe and behold, there was my tone! Incredible! I still can't get over it. So, the moral of the story? The least amount of coloration will bring out the animal in this thing. Trust me!

no problems at all

Tech 21 are the kings of customer support, just check them out for yourself!

I love this thing, I really do. I can't imagine ever wanting anything else. If you hook it up to a clean solid state power amp and a good quality cabinet, you'll fall in love! Trust me!

I've had the PSA-1 for 5 years now with no sign of getting bored. Has about every knob you'd want on a preamp--great tone shaping framework. Effects loop is clean with no audible transients or loss of signal integrity. Also like the 50/50 wet/dry switch giving me more tonal flexibility when blending effects into my sound.

Straight off, it has very good sounds, when compared to what else is out there. Personally, I like the Marshall(1), Plexi(4), and the Twin(15)presets to build my sounds from. The Boogie presets are also nice. If you are a fiddler and tweaker (don't forget to get some playing in) you'll love this unit.I sometimes sense a nasalness on certain settings, and the clean, although tight and full, lacks character. I've dealt with that somewhat by running it through a good 4X10 tube combo (Fender BF Concert). I love how the PSA-1 can drive the front end of this amp, giving me wickedly pretty harmonic feedback on command in the high gain settings.

No problems.

No need.

I've been a semi-pro player for 20+ years and have owned and tested (stage and studio) reams of guitars, effects and amps--and have also sold off many of them. I'm a firm believer in the inescapable fact that everything in the chain of sound will affect the outcome. An earlier reviewer complained about how the PSA-1 needs to be adjusted for each different guitar, thus disappointing him in live venues. That challenge is a fact of life for guitarists no matter what you plug into. It's not a problem with the unit, rather its a planning problem. The PSA-1 has enough custom patch space to address that(should you choose this mission, Jim...). You really have to think "gear relationships" when building your rig/sound. I like gear versatility, so I'm not much into brand name guitars. My two frankenbabies are strat based, each with different wood (resonance)which influenced how I changed the guts. The first was built from an American ESP Custom--I installed three first generation Virtual Vintage Dimarzio strat pickups (low output duckbuckers and quiet!!!)and a Fishman strat vibrato bridge with peizos. Its a great Blues/R&B/Funk/Country and Southern Rock axe. The second (my work horse)was built from an early Kramer American. It still has the Floyd (back braced and fine tuned to float like "buttah") but I've ditched the lock nut for a graphite one with Sperzels. The guts are 1)Tom Anderson HM2(yellow) in the bridge, A Duncan vintage rail in the middle and a Cool Rail in the neck. The neck was custom built by a local luthier to be wider at the nut. The work horse is amazing for all rock forms, jazz, and all that textural eighties stuff guitarists did to hold their own against blaring synths. Both guitars are markedly different in tone and output, yet can be handled by the PSA-1 with proper planning. In the effects loop I run an old Korg A-3 with my own presets. Everthing is midi mapped with switching silent and fast through a floor controller. Its a very versatile setup for live and studio applications. The only other toys for the rack rig are an old DBX half rack compressor (modest setting)and a Crybaby 535. I use a couple of different rigs depending on the application and venue ranging from rack and processor to small tube combo with a couple of stompers. I'd definitely get another PSA-1 for the rack if this one were lost or stolen(might try out the Triaxis first). It's versatile, quiet, and cuts through in live applications.

Final soap box comment, it ain't in the hands--they're just following orders. Its in the head and soul, and tone alone is not enough--find your musicality. Great stuff has been played on crappy guitars and amps.

Well, it has knobs. Nothing complicated about this. Some of the midi features may take a little work but otherwise anyone capable of turning a knob should be able to make this thing do whatever they want with very little effort. You can edit patches in your sleep. The manual is very good. Also, the entire manual is available on their web site in addition to the knob settings for all of the presets. I found this to be incredibly helpful when creating my own sounds because it gave me an idea of what different combinations of knob settings sound like without having to start from scratch and figure it all out for myself.

INCREDIBLE distortion sounds. I'm playing it through a Mosvalve 962 which is quite possibly the best solid state guitar power amp that has EVER been made!!! I'm using a les paul, a strat, and a custom made plexi/acrylic body guitar. Also a digitech gsp2101 artist strictly for effects. You can get the sound of pretty much any amp you can think of. Marshall, Fender, Boogie, Randall, Peavey, Soldano, and any mod you can think of.... Metal, southern rock, classic rock, jazz, blues, rockabilly, funk, guitar rock (vai, satriani, etc...)...you name it, they are all there. Also, the presets are incredible. Use the "santana" preset(one of the coolest presets on it) with a bit of reverb and a hint of delay and WOW!!!!!!!!! The Marshalls actually sound like Marshalls, the Fenders like fenders and the Boogies (and the Pantera preset at full volume) can bring down an entire building!!! The miscellaneous vintage sounds (fuzz face, pig nose, etc....) are also amazing!!! EVERY single subtlety of playing through an all tube amp can be found in this unit (at least through my setup). The overtones, the singing sustain, the dynamics depending on how you hit the strings even on the highest overdrive settings...incredible. I used the psa-1 to replace an ADA MP-1 (which I still have but just got tired of) and found that the PSA-1 is much quieter, + I can get all the mp-1 sounds and about a million more with absolutely nothing lost. The only reason I didn't give it a 10 is because I'm still in search of the ultimate clean tone. Don't get me wrong, the clean tones you can get out of this thing are pretty amazing, but as with most clean tones I've heard they lack what I would call depth. They are as clean and transparent as you can imagine, but they are still lacking a little bit of...well...it's hard to describe, but it's a certain timbre that I've simply never been able to find....the search for the ultimate clean tone goes on I guess........ To be fair, I wouldn't call this a flaw because i've really never been able to find this tone in any amp/preamp combination, or amp that I've tried. Guess I'm just too damn picky about clean tones.

I've only had it for a short time so I really can't comment on this.

Same thing I said about reliability. However, their website has great info on it.

I've been playing for about 12 years. Everything from progressive (dream theatre, rush, etc..) to metal, to jimmy buffet, cat stevens, to ozzy and anything in between. Primarily original music covering all of these styles. This thing is great for anything you can possibly play. I'm currently playing in a cover band and it has EVERY sound I need and then some. That's saying a lot because we do everything from 50's to disco to metal to new stuff like Lit, Blink 182, Bush, to country and southern rock... I've used a bunch of other amps and preamps over the years, ada mp1, tubeworks realtubeII, digitech stuff(crappy distortion), ART stuff(also real crappy distortions) Marshalls, Fenders...you name it... The PSA-1 combined with the right power amp is right up there with the best of the bunch. One thing to remember, it is just a preamp. You DO need to make sure you have a good quality amp and good effects if you use effects. If you have a bad amp, it will suck all the tone out of your sound and no matter if you have a PSA-1, a JMP or a Triaxis, it will sound like total crap!! I would recommend a Boogie, a Marshall Monobloc(if you can carry the damn thing) or a Mosvalve if you can find one. By the way, If anyone has found the ultimate clean tone and would like to let me know what they did to get it, please e-mail me at dirofmis@aol.com.

Once you get used to the unique controls on this thing, you're on your way to creating a wide spectrum of tones. The best way to become familiar with them is to simply select a preset you like and play around with the dials. In no time at all, you'll figure this thing out. Bear in mind, the control panel on this thing does look a bit overwhelming at first, but so does anything else you're not familiar with. Also, the dials are very sensitive, so take it easy. Turning a dial just a little will result in a whole new sound. Like I said, select a preset and tweak away. You'll have this mastered in a day. Editing patches is a breeze; just tweak till your happy, press save twice and your done. It doesn't get any easier. It also helps to read the manual, which is very informative and easy to understand.

Here's my setup: A Mosvalve 962 power amp, a Rocktron IIcx Hush, a BBE Sonic Maximizer362, a Furman PQ3 parametric EQ, an Alesis Q2 and then finally, the crown jewel of my rig, my Sansamp PSA-1. I play Jackson and Gibson guitars. This thing can get a little noisy at high gain settings, but show me a preamp that won't and I'll buy you an Ice Cream! The Hush unit cleans this up just fine though. Ok, what can I say about the PSA-1...I don't even know where to begin. This is by far the best preamp I've ever owned. I've owned an ADA mp-1, a Rocktron Piranha, a Marshall JCM800, I've played through alot of amps and this thing beats them all hands down. I can't get over the fact that this is a solid state unit! Yes, solid state! Take your precious tubes and stick 'em up your ass, because this thing kicks! The only sound I can't get out of this (not yet anyway) is a swept midrange sound, but that's what I have my good old Furman PQ3 for. Besides, I don't believe in an all in one unit. Half the fun of putting together a guitar rig is mixing and matching units. I do believe that it all starts with the preamp though. A great preamp, a great poweramp and a great speaker cabinet and you're good to go. Other than that, I have no complaints about the sounds I get out of this magic box. One reviewer said that the PSA-1 doesn't respect the natural tone of the guitar. I must state that this guy is just plain wrong! In fact, everytime I plug a different guitar into it, I need to adjust the highs and lows on the unit. So tell me again how it doesn't respect the tone of the guitar? I don't know where else to go with my review of the sound quality, it's all there: crystal cleans to raging distortion, Marshall to Mesa to Fender to Vox, Metallica, Pantera, it's all in there and then some! Oh yes, one more thing; the Tech21 website recommends the use of a solid state power amp with the PSA-1. It allows for more headroom. My Mosvale is solid state, so I can't really say whether or not this is the case, but I'm pretty sure they know what they're talking about.

I've only had this unit for a short time. So far, so good.

I've spoken with them over the phone and the guy I sopke to seemed very nice, very helpful and very knowledgable. I emailed them with a question and I'm still waiting for a response. It's been over a week now. Maybe they're backed up?

I play very heavy metal/hardcore and this unit (along with my PQ3) suits my style to a T. I'll give this unit a 9 and I'll tell you why. The effects loop is not active. I run my Parametric EQ in the effects loop and this just kind of sucks. If I need a raging death metal tone for one song and a regular modern distorted tone for another, I can't just step on a midi floor controler. I need to walk up to my rig and click off my parametric EQ. Like I said, this just plain sucks! The effects loop gives you the option of running whatever you are running in the effects loop at 100% or 50%. But it's either on or off manually. C'mon, what were they thinking? Anyway, I give the overall sound quality a 10. This thing really is a dream come true.

I have a beautiful setup(at least in my opinion) I use an ESP LTD V250 with EMG/HZ hums.(very excellent guitar)the esp runs into the psa-1 while in the effects loop i have a 535q,boss ce-5 chorus(nice pedal)
and have the psa-1 hooked up to a servo 120 power amp into a mesa 2x12 recto cab. The sounds can be totally mind blowing and brutal with this setup! Perfect metal bliss. Although i do use the clean tones very much. Everything is just so great sounding, i cant really ask 4 more. Yes it does get noisy when you crank all nobs up to ten, but dont be an ass, read the manual before u act all tough guy with this unit. id give this thing a 20 if i could!

Made in `98 i think. This baby works wonders for everything i play. Mostly i play anything from rock, some jazz, to metal maybe even a bit of country ( i like the twangy guitar thing lol)But mainly i focus on metal and find myself regularly using the Mesa presets. But dont get me wrong, the clean sounds are all excellent and lively, the blues sounds great outta this unit. 49 presets and another 49 for your own. Read more about it at tech 21`s sight. Its a blessing that this unit has no poor quality effects in it like most preamps do. If your worried about duplicating that exact Mesa or Marshall sound with this unit and you are frustrated that u cant exactly get it, believe me, no one in the crowd is gonna notice it. i mostly use the psa-1 in bedroom or at friends place with my servo 120 power amp and my 535Q and a cuple effects boxes. 9.5 on features

I dont trash my stuff, `nuff said

never dealt

I have been palying for 4 years now. Long enuf to know the difference between shit and heavenly gear. I wud definettly buy it again if lost or stolen. Then i would buy (or steal) a shitty zoom 505 and kill that sucker with it! I kinda wish there was a power off and on button, but since i dont have a traditional amp this has all my tones in it and it is on all the time. Very easy to save and delete presets. very very wide range of tones, turn a nob a 16th of an inch and youll come up with something completely different! Be sure to check this box out before even considering something else.

SOUNDS BETTER THAN ANY PRE AMP ON THE MARKET. MAKES THE MARSHALL JMP 1 AND LINE 6 SOUND LIKE TOYS.

THE BEST ! STRAIGHT FOWARD, SIMPLE, FUNCTIONAL, NOT A BUNCH OF DIGITAL CRAP YOU'LL NEVER USE.

TOUGH

FAST N FRIENDLY AND THEY KNOW THEIR STUFF. RESPOND TO E-MAILS WITHIN 24 HOURS.

NONE BETTER ! THIS THING SOUNDS BETTER THAN 90% OF REAL TUBE AMPS ON THE MARKET TODAY. LINE 6 ? JUST A FAD. TECH 21 ? HERE TO STAY. THE ONLY THING WE NEED NOW IS A TECH 21 POWER AMP AND 4X12. A MUST BUY, SHOULD BE THE ONLY AND LAST AMP YOU EVER PURCHASE !

I have only played my one guitar into it which is a 50's type strat with very sweet, low output Duncan alnico2 type pickups. I fondly remembered playing this thing in a rack at a music store years ago and always remembered how uterly transparent it was capable of being to a stratocaster. My favorite tone is a singing, sustaining distortion that still allows the acoustic tone of the guitar to come through un-changed and responds to every nuance of your touch. When I came across one of these used about half a year ago, I bought it on the spot. Before this, I was in hell with a mess of stomp boxes going into my stock old Marshall...pretty decent lead tone, NO crunch, NO clean and frankly, my best day with stomp boxes was just not that great compared to ANY day with the PSA-1 into my Marshall. I want to make one preachy statement before I go any further: Tone starts with your fingers. With an appropriate guitar, this pre-amp, a decent delay/effects unit into a good power amp(I definately recommend a good tube power amp) and a good sounding cab (I use a very old vintage Marshall straight cab) there is just no excuse for not being able to come incredibly close to the sound of your favorite player. Playing with CONVICTION,SOUL and ATTITUDE will close the gap between what you WISH you sound like and what you DO sound like every time. This pre-amp really does not have any one characteristic and pervasive tone that you are stuck with. This is NOT the case with virtually every other pre-amp I have ever played. ALL of the lower priced, alleged "tube" (more on that later) ones have a honky, nasal sound and a certain raspy, very unmusical distortion that never goes away no-matter how much you fiddle with the knobs. Also, those few that can generate a tolerable saturated distortion always sound lifeless and dead at anything less than massive gain settings. NOT the case with the PSA-1 which does a mild break-up so well. Also, I often found that the clean sounds of most other pre-amps don't "match" the dirty sounds, meaning switching back and forth sounds so abrupt. Again, not the case with the Sans-amp. I should be honest and not gush too much ever. The finest, cost no object all tube pre-amps that I have played such as the motorized Soldano for instance, do have a sweeter, finer, more focused and articulate distortion at their best. However, none have anywhere near the tonal flexiblity of the sans-amp, and I'd bet in the context of a live band and a good player, you would never be able to tell a Soldano or whatever from a similar tone dialed in on the PSA-1. That being said, I need to state the following:
I can think of several reasons why players might turn their nose up at this unit: First, lots of companies have tried to do what this unit can do for the last 15 years at least, and failed miserably. THis is not a cheap digital simulation of amp tones. IT's a full-blown FET(which have quite a bit in common with vaccum tubes and clip just like them) pre-amp and despite my loyalty to all things tube, this thing sounds more like tube generated distortion than tube generated distortion! Second, and most important: if someone were to walk up to this thing in a music store and start twisting knobs without knowing what they're doing, the sound they would most likely get is a very buzzy, ridiculously distorted and very "transistory" tone. However, the PSA-1 is capable of the sweetest or nastiest distortion, the most sparkling clean tones, and virtually EVERYTHING in between. If you're the type of player that is never happy with your tone two days in a row, this is YOUR pre-amp! No matter what might not sound right...there is a knob that can be turned to fix it. This is the last thing to mention to anyone who may have had a bad experience with it: Each knob is incredibly sensitive and the range is huge, vastly more than any other pre-amp or amp. Turning just about any knob a mere 1/8 of a turn in any direc

This is a Midi switchable, FET-based guitar pre-amp. See their website or other reviews for features, I don't need to repeat them! There is no feature I wish it had, instead I praise tech 21 for the features this unit does NOT have such as cheesy horrible chorus, noisy, crappy compression, cheap quirky noise gates etc. Build quality seems excellent. Knobs feel nice and solid to turn, and I'm always a sucker for a thick, brushed aluminum face plate. Even has rack handles on front. Storing pre-sets by pushing your pick into the slot is a simple stoke of genious and another indication of how much care and passion went into the design of his unit. I see some folks ranking on its user friendliness. I disagree. The fact that this is hands down the most versitile pre-amp in the world is no reason to give it a bad mark just because you need to read the manual and become very intimate with what each knob does. I would only give it a bad mark if was un-necessarily complicated to do anything and that's not the case. Having only nice old fashioned knobs to turn with NO scrolling and peering into a LCD and scratching your head over computer lingo is a major blessing here. I could not possibly think of anyway that such an unbelievably vast range of sounds could be offered from such a simple and intuitive interface.

No glitches yet, I don't really bounce this thing around. It basically just stays in a rack in my practise space so can't say much here.

I have not needed to contact these folks so again I can't give a good opinion here. The website looks well maintained so that tells me they are on the ball.

I've been playing since the 70's and believe me for you guys that weren't around back then, you have no idea how good life is for a guitar player now! Back then if you were one of us regular kids, you had a Peavy practise amp, a Les Paul copy with strings 3 inches off the fingerboard and got a sound so horrible you just about quit to take up the flute instead. As for being able to get a sound anything remotely like your favorite guitar player...forget it, you didn't even dream that such a thing could be possible.
I notice others raving about this unit seem to have a long history and have owned lots of other gear too. That says a lot for the PSA-1. If it were stolen, yes I would definately find another one. Despite the flexibility and vast array of sounds the unit is capable of, it can NOT make a bad guitar sound good. It also cannot make a bad guitar PLAYER sound good! (If you fall into that category, please don't pour your money into any more gear, save your money put your energy into your playing first). Also, be realistic: Don't play it into the front of a Marshall Major full stack at 145 decibels and act surprised that the "Fender Champ" pre-set doesn't sound like a Fender Champ. (The pre-sets are not very flattering anyway).
I guess the only other pre-amp it could compare to in its price range would be the ADA mp-1 which I owned back in my embarrassing 80's metal-head days. I recently played one and remembered why I eventually dumped it. The sound I tried to get always seemed to be in between the very crude choice of settings...everything was either too much or too little. That unit did have a pretty articulate distortion however, and like the sans-amp was capable of a very BIG tone, not the thin crappy sound you hear from most other pre-amps.

To put everthing above in perspective; you will not get a sound EXACTLY like a Vox AC-30, Marshall plexi etc. Instead, realistically, it sounds more like a Vox, Fender vibrolux, Marshall or whatever plugged into a load box that is then plugged into a straight power amplifier. The way in which it falls short of the real thing really has more to do with the attack, it's not as explosive and full sounding from top to bottom as going straight into a full amp, but frankly, the control and balance I get instead makes that a good thing for me. Also, being able to instantly switch between so many fantastic and really "organic" tones is just heaven. I agree that it is not a plug and play unit. I also agree that you will have to fiddle with it to sound the way you want at every volume setting and with every guitar and space you play in. You may want to try just one toy with it for a more personal sound, which is a cheap MXR Dyna-comp. Don't use it to overdrive the input, there's no need for that. Use it very subtly and at unity gain to enhance string attack (humbucker players probably won't need it). You should definately run some good reverb or mild delay with it, dry is ok, but frankly, a bit of "magic dust" from a good processor is really necessary to stay happy with it. A crappy speaker cabinet will make any amp sound like crap. Please, please, please, invest in a glorious vintage Marshall cabinet, a good power amp and you should be set for life. Last comment: If you are still turning up your nose because this thing does not use tubes, my advice is to get over it. Most other "tube" pre-amps use solid state devices to clip anyway. Also, let's face reality for a minute: Do you know one person who gets a raging classic Marshall tone and does NOT use a stomp box in front of it to create 90% of the distortion you hear?(try Van Halen in his glory days, and all the old timers including of course Hendrix etc). Please don't tell me about the newer Marshall amps "all tube distortion". They are the nastiest, most un-musical sounding amps I've ever heard and I know for a fact that they use clipping bi-polar transistors to get th

Easy enough ....

I've been using PSA-1 for last 4 years ...with other various digital fx-unit, finally Boss GX-700. This gear is core part of my guitar sound. I'm using PSA-1 with Marshall Valvestate combo. I can make sound all I want with this incredible unit. This preamp beats everything. Mesaboogie settings make finest modern metal sound, ... covers all stage metal sound... from Motley Crue to Metallica ... Fender clean/crunch settings also provide rich sounds. Most of presets, "almost" same to the originals .... Michael Schenker, MXR+, Santana, Queen, Pantera(earlier tracks..), Metallica(3rd album), JMP-1,.. ... I made some presets for my own purpose,... but 49 presets are already enough. I can't imagine myself playing without this gear. Direct recording sounds good, but miked sound is better.

Also I've tried Line6 for three hours at store... Line6 was a joke ... (even though I admit three hour is not enough time to make decision...) I've tried Flextone, POD(every presets), spider combo, ... but their sounds are too DIGITAL and ARTIFICIAL, ... (But spider combo was impressive at its price.) I play for various music instrumental rock to thrash metal. This preamp covers most of them except "Death Metal sound (I make it with Boss GX-700 ^.^) . This unit is very versatile. There is no substitues now at market, I think. When I read line6 brochure, Line6 seems to be .. but it is not. Yes, of course, I will buy again this unit if I lost it.

For the specific input, outputs, knobs, and whatever, see the other reviews or check out Tech21?s web site. In theory, this unit is easy to program; in practice, it is not. The presets are programmed really loud. I find this a bit annoying. I adjust one preset, save it, then move on to another preset and have to remember to turn the volume down before I hit a note. Also, turning a knob can drastically effect the volume and/or sound too dramatically. I couldn?t imagine making on the spot adjustments in the middle of a gig. Manual is very informative, however.

I give this unit such high marks but only through my Boss GX-700?s loop. I find the dynamics a bit weak without hitting the front of the unit with the Limiter setting on my Boss set just so. But when I made the proper adjustments?WOW! This unit rewards those that willing to tweak until they are blue in the face. I didn?t find it nearly as difficult to adjust the sound to taste when recording direct or using headphones. This may mean that the unit's presets would sound better through a power amp with a lot of headroom. I use a humbucker equipped Strat into the Boss with the PSA-1 in its loop then into a JC-120. First, clean sounds. There are plenty. I love the Marshall clean (Limiter makes a huge difference by letting the notes bloom) with both humbuckers on. It sounds almost as good as my Laney LC-30, almost identical to a Marshall DSL-401. I don?t care for the Fender cleans too much. They are really trebly?ice picks on the ears. Slight overdrive: I like the BB King. My pickup (Anderson) takes it a bit further than the preset would otherwise. I also modified the AC-30 preset for a Phil Keaggy sound. Crunch: plenty of good crunch sounds. I go with the Plexi and Vintage Marshall primarily. Metal sounds galore. This is where this unit really shines. The Mesas and Marshalls are awesome. What I like about this unit is, like the real amps, you don?t need supersaturation to get very cool, bass thumping metal. There is quite a bit of pop or attack when the notes are first struck. Does Petrucci to a ?t?. One finally warning, since the unit itself is capable of producing such volume, you might want to watch speakers with low ratings.

I've never had a Tech21 product go south on me. I hear scratching when I turn the knobs but I don't think it has anything to do with the pots themselves. I would trust it without backup under almost any conditions. Haven't really abused it so I would rather not give a rating here.

Tech21's staff is extremely knowledgeable and friendly. I talked to John(?) a few times and he definitely takes the time to explain stuff. By the way, there is a modification for the PSA-1 that will provide power to the MIDI Mouse so that the controller stays on all the time. They will either send you the instructions or they'll do it for $25, I think.

I play just about everything and that's why I like this unit. I can't imagine any sound you couldn't dial in. Of course, some will please you more than others but you get solid state dependability, fantastic tube sounds, and versatility. Where can you go wrong. I would buy it again. I don't want to change tubes on two amps.

The amp sounds AMAZING. I tried the amp out at West LA Music, and ran it through a cheap fender solid state amp. I was immediately blown away by the sound of this thing! The second I plugged my Strat into the input, I was greeted by the warmest clean tones and brutal distortion tones that I had ever heard. I tested it against various other tube amps that were sitting around the store, an old JCM 900, a Twin Reverb, etc. Although the amp does not sound EXACTLY like these amps, it was close enough to convince me that this wasn't just a gimmick.
If you do decide to buy this little wonder box, don't settle for the presets. If you have a good ear, you can dial in tones that sound just like your favorite recordings, which is something that the pod cant do because the POD just gives you the sound of stock amps. With this preamp, you can also get the sound of heavily modified amps, which was a real plus if you're interested in just about any type of music.

This amp has more features than any stock tube preamp, and sounds as good if not better than many of them. The features on this amp are nothing short of amazing. By rotating the knobs you can go from country to modern metal (something that most amp modelers, namely Line6, can't do easily) Versatile is EXACTLY what this box is!

I've only had the amp for a couple of months, but i decided to wait this long to write the critique in case the novelty wore off. It seems relieable enough, and although it's a rack unit, it is very solid.

I've never had to deal with customer support.

This preamp has great tone. It's as simple as that. A lot of people whine about how it isn't the same as a REAL tube amp, but they're probably angry that people can sound like they're playing through expensive gear for just 600 bucks! Like i said before, dont settle for the presets, I've tweaked the amp to give me a very nice Yngwie Malmsteen "Rising Force" sound, as well as a great Joe Satriani lead tone! If you would like to know any of my settings, feel free to Email me.

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.

This thing is just oozing with great tones!The manual is straight to the point and well done.The PSA-1 is very user-friendly!

I recently purchased the PSA-1 and am absolutely amazed with the sounds that this thing can produce.I've owned this thing for over a month and I still get a charge out of how bad my amp sounds when I bypass the PSA-1 and go direct to my amp.Without the PSA-1 my amp sounds boxy and flat with really bad midrange.For the longest time I was certain that I had a really good tone until I plugged the PSA-1 in.The PSA-1 adds sparkle,tone and character in spades!I don't know what kind of Voodoo these guys are using but whatever it is,it's working!It's far and away the best piece of gear that I've purchased in the last twenty years,it has radically improved my sound.I play a Gibson LesPaul Standard and a 70's Fender Strat thru a Fender Hot Rod DeVille 410 and a Fender Twin Reverb and the sound is amazing.What versatility too! Dollar for dollar,pound for pound this is the best sounding product going.I no longer have any use for my distortion stompboxes,which were multiplying and causing alot of clutter.Things are so much less complicated with the PSA-1. My favorite band is ZZ Top and though Billy Gibbons has used a vast array of distorted tones through out his career I can get really close to alot of his tones with the PSA-1.Very versatile and very impressive indeed!This unit is pretty quiet except when using an insane amount of distortion. It does a great job emulating tube distortion,very nice and warm sounding.And the clean sounds are to die for as well I might add.

I bought this as a demo in a music store.It seems well built,no problems so far and I don't expect any.At $1200.00 Canadian(new) I don't think you could buy another one just for a backup,I know I can't!

I've communicated with them thru email and they seem to be very nice to deal with.I've also heard alot of good comments from other people as well.

I play mostly 70's style rock(ZZ Top,Led Zeppelin,etc...)and also try my hand at blues.The PSA-1 gets great tones for any of these styles.I've been playing for over twenty years.I would replace it if it were stolen.This thing is all about TONE and combined with it being programmable,it just can't be beat!I love everything about it.It's very easy to use and it helps you make music with very little fuss,have mercy!

I use a PRS Swamp Ash Special and a PRS Custom 22 with this unit, as well as a Carvin DC127 from time to time. I play a lot of rootsy rock and blues, as well as some Pink Floyd-influenced 'airy' rock. The sounds available from the PSA-1 are wide ranging and solid. Not every single sound is tonal heaven, but a few are for me, especially with the Lexicon's reverb. Huge variety available, from crushing heavy metal to sparkling clean, from bass heavy to ice-pick-in-the-ear treble. It's also very quiet until the you get crazy with the gain. I think it shines on medium-distortion sounds, allowing you more variety in that realm than anything else I've tried. And it sounds great with my Fulldrive 2 in front of it, too, just like an amp would.

I got this in 1998, but it hasn't changed since, as far as I know. The is an extremely versatile unit, and my main 'amp.' All solid-state, and that's fine by me. I have a Lexicon MPX100 in the effects loop. I put it through a home PA/monitoring system, allowing me any sound I want at any volume. A great option for people who record *and* play and want the same sound in both situations. Lots of knobs to use to hone your sound, and presets to store the ones you like. I don't give it a 10 because while the offer a footswitch, they don't include it, and because while there's a 50/50 switch on the effects loop,it should be variable. Also, I would have prefered a power switch.

Rock solid, never had a problem. Sold casing, all analog. Not a lot that can go wrong or require maintenance. I love it.

I was very impressed with the people at Tech21 whom I emailed before making my purchasing decision. I also have a SansAmp Classic, and they were helpful (and dead on) about comparing the two unit's respective sound capabilities and strengths. They responded promptly, too.

I've been playing for 6 or 7 years (I lose track). I would definitely buy another if it were stolen. I love the versatility and the presets. I hate the lack of a power switch, but that's about it. I've compared it with preamps form Mesa, ADA, and Lexicon, and I'm still very happy with my choice. I consider myself set for an amp for quite a while.

The PSA-1 is very easy to use and the manual is very well explained. It is very easy to get a good sound out of it by turning the knobs. Most of the distortions presets are alright but I specifically like the clean presets. I use the clean presets but I made my own distortion patches because I like a lot of low end distortion.

I use a Boogie Strategy 500 with a PRS guitar and a Gibson Les Paul. I get some huge distortion tones out of PSA-1 with this setup. The low end is incredible! The cleans are very pristine and warm as well. The PSA-1 is about the most quiet preamp I have ever heard. I can get any sound with the PSA-1. I like to play heavy stuff but I like to mix it up with nice clean tones.

I have only had it for 6 months and I have had no problems.

N\A I have never had to deal with customer support.

I have been playing for about 10 years and this is the best preamp I have ever played through. I usually play stuff like Filter and stuff with lots of punch. I like everything about this preamp and just because it doesn't have an on\off switch, who cares. Turn off the power conditioner if you don't want it on. I aslo like the fact that there is a input jack on the rear. I would swear that this thing is all tubes but they say there aren't any but I think it is a down right lie. This preamp is very easy to program and is very easy to use with a midi pedal. I have tried the Pirhana and the JMP-1 and the PSA-1 out tones them with my setup. I do think the power amp has everything to do with it though. I would recommend getting an all tube power amp. I would buy the PSA-1 again in a heartbeat if it were stolen after I killed the F@#$% for stealing it.

It's knobs, so it couldn't be easier to use. You just twist 'em until you get the sound you want, then save it. There are 50 locations, so lots of room there. The manual is fine, and the presets are good. You can pretty much just plug in and go.

I traded in a Mesa V-Twin pedal for this thing. The V-Twin was nice, but a little too midrangey for my tastes. There's a lot more tonal control with the PSA-1.
I use the PSA-1 almost exclusively for direct recording of guitar and bass, no mics. It's very quiet with clean and semi-distorted patches, but a little noisy when you crank up the drive, though no noisier than other boxes I've heard. There are some pretty good presets. In fact, I've only programmed a few of my own sounds (admittedly due to laziness).
This is a full-range unit, so it sounds great on guitar and bass. The distorted bass tones you can get from this thing are amazing.
Of course, it is a cabinet *emulator*, so don't buy it expecting a completely realistic sound. You can use it as a preamp through a real cab, though, and it sounds damn good that way as well.

I've only had it for a few months, but it's given me no trouble. I must gripe about the fact that there's no on/off switch, though. As soon as you plug it in, it's on, and the only way to turn it off is to unplug it (unless you've got it connected to some kind of power strip).
And speaking of the plug, I'm also a little bothered by the fact that the plug is permanently connected to the unit instead of being one of the removable types. But hey, at least it's not a damned wall wart.

Don't know, never had to call. Their Web site is pretty straightforward.

I use the PSA-1 in a rack with a Quadraverb II (for chorus, verb, and delay) and a Behringer Composer (for compression and gate), and it's a sweet box. I play a strat-style Steinberger (not the box-shaped kind) with stock pickups, and I get great metal tones, Van Halen-ish to Dream Theater-esque. It emulates Marshall, Mesa, and Fender pretty convincingly for the price. Like I said earlier, it can get a bit noisy with high-gain settings, so a gate of some kind is highly recommended.
For bass, I play through the same rack setup with an "I-been-had" (Ibanez) SoundGear 5-string, also with stock (read: crap) pickups. Even with those lousy pickups, I can get a really nice rock/metal tone with as much distortion as I'd like. I can't get a great slap sound out of it, but that might be due to the pickups on the Ibanez.
I'd recommend this unit for just about any style of music, except maybe death metal. You can't get those really killer swept-mid tones (at least I haven't been able to).
I would definitely buy this unit again, but not for much more money. I don't think it's overpriced, but I wouldn't pay any more than $500 or so for it.

This unit is very easy to use. Unlike other programmable rack preamps which require using buttons and data wheels this unit only requires that you turn a few knobs to get the sound that you want.

Unbelieveable! This is the best pre-amp I've ever heard for the price. You can get anything from from nice clean tones to heavy ground shaking distortion (check out the Rectifier setting!). I use this pre-amp with an Alesis Quadraverb and run it through an ADA Microtube 100. It is very quiet even at high volumes. Using this really brings out the life in my pickups and helps give me sustain that will sing for days.

So far so good. I haven't had any problems with this unit and I've had it for about a year. It never leaves my rack so it really isn't put under any wear and tear.

This is the pre-amp I've been searching for. Very easy to use and does everything I want. I only created one additional setting because the presets have all the tonal range I need (yes it's that good!). The only complaint I have is that there is no on/off switch on it. That means I either have to unplug it or shut down the power conditioner that it's plugged into. If your not in the maket to spend about $1500 for something like a Mesa Boogie Tri-axis then I would highly recommend the PSA-1 for all your pre-amp needs.

I am stunned at the tube realism (considering there aren't any tubes in the unit)! I had been using an ADA MP1 for the past few years and the PSA-1 blows it away tonally (from crystal clear to ultra-grunge). This unit is also 5 times quieter than my ADA ever was...I rarely have to use my noise gate anymore! There is an enormous amount of sonic flexibility available the user by tweaking the front panel. DON'T SETTLE FOR THE PRESETS!...THIS BOX IS CAPABLE OF MUCH MORE!

I use this preamp for recording only. The unit has XLR connectors and can run +4db. This unit can also accomodate a bass very nicely and I have started using it thusly in my studio. I never use the effects loop (stereo return) or the midi functions. The unit has impressive control of totnal character and drive/distortion.

No problems so far but I've only had it for a month or so.

**see reliability**

For the $$, I am really impressed with this unit. As I said above, the PSA-1 is capable of an amazing variety of sounds/tones and they all sound good...from clean to screaming. The box runs very quiet (this may not be fair since I am used to an MP-1...a noisy mess which didn't have XLR/balanced connectors/lines) and I am overjoyed with the tracks which has been showing up on my digital recorder. The PSA-1 has a purely analog signal path and this is the why it sounds so warm and punchy. Thus far, I would higly recommend this box for recording applications.

This thing is GREAT! Sounds like tubes all the way!! Flexible as hell, A million preamps in one (or something!) Easy to edit patches, 256 increment-knobs makes a lot of combinations. A very good, simple and easy manual.

I use this unit with an alesis midiverb 4 into a Marshall valvestate 8008. This is what I need. The preamp is sensitive and reacts to how you pick your strings. This works with blues, rock, pop, heavy, whatever, no problem. It's no problem to simulate Stevie Ray Vaughan or Steve Vai on this thing. The only thing that is a problem is that the eff. loop is nonprogrammable! You have the option of 50% direct/50% to eff.pros. or 100% into eff.pros. It wold be nice to be able to not have to use the bypass on the Alesis to have the PSA-1 stand on it's own.

No problems so far, it seems reliable!

No experience in this area!

I Play everything from heavy, and blues to pop and rock, and it does a VERY good job. I would buy this unit again, it's brilliant! I wish it had a programmable effect send/return loop, like i've previously commented: I control it with a BOSS FC-50, and it's really fast, it shifts instantaneously. Check it out Today!

This thing is GREAT! Sounds like tubes all the way!! Flexible as hell, A million preamps in one (or something!) Easy to edit patches, 256 increment-knobs makes a lot of combinations. A very good, simple and easy manual.

I use this unit with an alesis midiverb 4 into a Marshall valvestate 8008. This is what I need. The preamp is sensitive and reacts to how you pick your strings. This works with blues, rock, pop, heavy, whatever, no problem. It's no problem to simulate Stevie Ray Vaughan or Steve Vai on this thing. The only thing that is a problem is that the eff. loop is nonprogrammable! You have the option of 50% direct/50% to eff.pros. or 100% into eff.pros. It wold be nice to be able to not have to use the bypass on the Alesis to have the PSA-1 stand on it's own.

I use this preamp for recording only. The unit has XLR connectors and can run +4db. This unit can also accomodate a bass very nicely and I have started using it thusly in my studio. I never use the effects loop (stereo return) or the midi functions. The unit has impressive control of totnal character and drive/distortion.

No problems so far, it seems reliable!

No experience in this area!

I Play everything from heavy, and blues to pop and rock, and it does a VERY good job. I would buy this unit again, it's brilliant! I wish it had a programmable effect send/return loop, like i've previously commented: I control it with a BOSS FC-50, and it's really fast, it shifts instantaneously. Check it out Today!

There is no on/off switch. If the unit is plugged in, it is on. This is unacceptable!!! It doesn't cost that much to provide power switches and removable power cords. Get with the program manufaturers!
The knobs work in a truly bizarre fashion. If you work with patch #1, setting the pre-gain knob to the 3 o'clock position, then change to patch #2, which was saved with the pre-gain at the 9 o'clock position, the knob is still at the 3 o'clock position. Before you can adjust the knob for the current patch, you have to turn it until the indicator displays that you are in the correct position. (The sound changing while you do so). This means a quick adjustment is not possible, because the knobs all start in the wrong place. Bizarre? Yes.
Getting a sound is relatively easy. The manual makes it easy to understand why the Fender sounds are different from the Marshall sounds.
The manual is very useful, explaining the controls thoroughly.

SansAmp into IntelliFex Into home stereo.
The unit is pretty quiet. With both the pre and post gain turned all the way up, the unit makes a good bit of noise, but the distortion is just raging at this point. (Like running two distortion pedals back-to-back.
The unit succeeds in making convincing amp sounds! The fender presets sound like fender amps to me. The marsall settings sound like a marshall. The direct sound is pretty good, especially the low end control, which just makes the sound seem a little warmer. Not muddier.

Overall, an outstanding unit. Its not a big enough improvement over my Piranha to warrant the extra 600.00, but it is causing me to rethink some of my settings. I'm considering running an overdrive pedal in the loop on my piranha for those times when I just need a pile of saturation (something the Piranha itself can't do).
For distortion, the dual gain controls are happening! The Fender clean presets are convincing as well.

I play it with a Alesis Quadraverb, Peavey Classic 50/50 power amp and a 2x10" Mesa cabinet. The disto is much more than heavy, no hum, it's great. But it doesn't seems to respect the character of the guitar. You can play everything but Rock... I can't find a sound very crunchy and powerfull.

Good midi preamp, with great clean and crunch sounds... No EQ's, but a great variety of sounds, just a little hard to program.

Never broked down, easy to used. Cool !

Sounds great on every amp, it is THE preamp for out of money men like me. But where are the tubes ? The sounds are not so punchy that with areally tubed preamp...

Since I was a former ADA MP-1 user, the front panel on this unit was very liberating. I had full control, in real-time, of all the tone- shaping parameters. You can edit existing patches on the fly...just turn the dials until you get THE tone. It took a little fooling around to get familiar with the dials...they've got interesting names: buzz, punch, and crunch. The manual was very well done.

If you take the time, you should be able to dial-in any tone you want. On top of the tone-shaping parameters, you've got Low and High eq controls. The unit isn't any noisier than other amps/ preamps that I've tried. It seems to be quieter than my ADA as far as I can tell. Unlike a lot of other preamps out there, there are no effects in the unit...but when you dial-in these tones, you won't need to effect them to sound better. This is an amp *simulator*, and isn't designed to compete with the multi-effects horde of pro- ducts. I was able to create some very nice clean-tones with a hint of overdrive if I hit hard with my pick...it's very sensitive to your pick/volume knob. Tons of distortion tones are available.

It doesn't seem like a whole lot can go wrong. I would use it on a gig without a backup. As long as the ac power cord doesn't go bad on you, you should be fine.

N/A

I would definitely buy this unit again. It is so easy to use, and you can duplicate any sound you want. I've already re-created all of my favourite patches from my ADA MP-1. I love the fact that I don't have to worry about preamp tubes going microphonic (I've got a Mosvalve power amp as well). I didn't want the hassles of a real tube amp. Patch switching is instantaneous. One thing I do miss is the ability to switch the effects loop out of a patch. If I don't want a particular patch to be effected, I have to hit the bypass switch on my BOSS SE-50 (bypass doesn't colour my tone so much as disabling the effects within an SE-50 patch). I haven't made use of the XLR outs for recording, but if any of you are familiar with the Sansamp Classic direct-to-tape, this unit does just as well. This unit makes it very easy to create music (if you get over the option-anxiety stage -- their are sooo many tones available). This is the perfect tool for recording and live performance. For live performance, I've even used it straight into a mixing board and it sounds incredible...no more mosquito-tone (unless you dial that sound in).

This unit is very easy to use providing you give the short yet specific manual a good going over.Patch editing was one of my great concerns in choosing a new preamp apart from sound.I also employ an RP-1 from digitech which holds all my clean tones yet is hard to change prams on the fly. The great thing with the sansamp is on the fly editing. Tonaly the init is endless.Your instrument still maintains it natural tone and is not totally masked by the preamp.T

The unit can be noisy on some settings but I am guessing it is due to the amount of gain involved in some applications.A vast array of tones are available and quality tones at that.

Yes and yes

I would recommend this unit to players like myself who throught studio and live gigs need a vast array of useable tones fast.I as yet have not found anything to hate .I tried all the major brand preamps tube and otherwise. Let me say one thing here.I cannot say i tried units in the multi thousand dollar range.

10