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....

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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...:)