Tech 21 SansAmp RBI

Pretty easy to use, knobs are clearly labeled, do what they say.
Similar controls to a standard combo amp or something, drive, bass, mid, treble, presence, blend.

I do like how the XLR level is right on the front so you don't have to mess around in the back to set it.

I am not sold on this item. It sounds OK, not great. It can get the effect of using a Fender Bassman, but it sounds more like a Bassman effect, not a real Bassman. I tried all the settings in the manual, and they all sound terrible. The only way I got a good, usable sound out of this thing was to back off the Blend knob to about 12:00 to allow more of my actual bass instead of all the sansamp effect.

Seems like it will be fine no matter what I do to it. One thing, I don't like how all the 1/4" connections are all plastic in the back.

Have not tried it yet.

I play rock, blues, metal, surf, funk, etc. I need something that has a few good sounds that I can dial in easily. This thing gets some good sounds, but they are more effects and not real good preamp sounds.
I've been using this with a Fender JP-90=>SansampRBI=>QSC PLX 2420=>Schroeder 412R.
This unit sounds better the less I use it.
I like how versatile the sounds are, but they sounds like effects instead of cool bass sounds.
If this were stolen or lost I would buy something else.

Fantastic tones come easily with this unit. Especially if your other gear is great and in proper working condition. I call the active switch the "yes button". I love the way it sounds even with the controls flat. Go ahead and try it, you won't be sorry.

I personally like to bring the dirty up and boost the midrange to get that more "natural" sounding overdrive.

I feel that you can't go wrong with this unit in your rack.

I have two Sadowsky 5 string basses. One is a modern 5JJ, the other is a Standard 5. I use an Ampeg SVT4 PRO and an Ampeg SVT10E bass enclosure. Butter Zone!

The EQ and the drive sound great all the way across. It's fun to twist the knobs and try different things before settling with a tone. As I previously stated, you can just hit the active button and leave the knobs flat for a very friendly tone. Shaping is to your preference.

There is no noise when twisting the knobs and certainly no hissing or anything when you use the drive. It is clear that this unit was carefully put together for studio or live use.

It's easy to get that the sounds you hear by bands like Tool, Rush and Metallica.

It's very simple to get a nice fat clean sound or a nice grindy dirty sound that still sounds great amplified.

I use it without a backup, but I will get a second one at some point anyway.

Even with reliable gear, things can happen. I haven't had a single problem and I've had mine for about five years.

I've never needed to get service, but I've talked via email with Sansamp and they are polite and easy to talk to.

I've played rock, classic rock, oldies, metal and modern rock styles.

I've been playing bass since 2002 and I've had my Sansamp since 2004 or 2005 and it never gets left out of my signal chain.

A feature that should get more attention is the 50/50 button on the back. You can blend your effects loop by 50% to retain some of your unaffected signal. It's super cool to use with my Morley PWB wah. You get that big fat gritty wooshing wah sound while still having that big fat punchy sound. There are no words good enough to describe the awesomeness!

Do I wish it had anything else? It already has the yes button... it already has the 50/50 button for the effects loop... I guess it could only be better if it had a button that makes it make me a sandwich and pour me a drink. Seriously, it's very cool the way it is.

I finally got to use this unit in the studio. I feel it really shines on a song called "just a piece" I did with my band called Versed in Grey. Should be available for listening in October 2009

If you cant use this, you have issues.

I use this with a Fender Jazz and Fender Jaguar which are my two main basses. I have it running through an SWR SM400 which is Bi-amped using the SWRs internal crossover to an Ampeg SVT410 and SVT115. The Sansamp only runs through my 410. I let the 15" cab handle the low stuff on a clean setting. Alot of people say the Sansamp hisses. It will show some high end frequency noise but if you roll off the treble a tiny bit it goes away without effecting tone.

Read a bass magazine and youll find its in almost every pro bassists rack. Its there for a reason. I have no reason to have a backup but I am going to purchase one soon for my backup.

I bought this used, so I skimmed through the manual thats online from Tech 21. Found it easy to understand. I havent had to contact them otherwise.

I wish this was capable of being run through a bi-amp setup like I run but I almost like having my 410 run the effect of the sansamp and having the 15" cab run all the clean low stuff. This way, any low end that might be lost from the Sansamp is put back into my mix. If this was stolen, I would hunt down the POS who stole it and cut his hands off. I play mainly rock and it cuts through perfectly. There is some type of compression in this unit that makes every note you hit audible.

This is an update to my previous review.

After testing it with my full tube gear (Bassman 300 Pro head with 215 cab), I decided to try out with my other gear that is

GK 700RB-II and Avatar 212 neo cab. It's a $529 amp + $ 329 cab = for a total of $858 kit.

GK 700RM-II and Avatar 212 neo cab by themselves sounds great but honestly it sounds a bit sterile and a bit lean in low mids. It sounds awesome with 51' precision (cause it sounds so fat) or modern bass with active electronic, but a bit lean with modern Precision or Jazz bass.

Also since it's full solid state, it's as dynamic as it could be in any situation. Not good or bad, just different from tube rig.

So adding $263 SanSamp to a $858 half stack makes $1121 system made in heaven.

Seriously, when I connected the SanSamp to this rig I was very impressed. Even thou I was able to get the same tone as the SansAmp with the Bassman (and even better) with the GK it's a very different story. I cannot get this tone with the GK alone. Far from there.

Now as for the other review, I have to keep everything flat on the GK in order to get a good sound from the SansAmp.

The GK is very flexible tonewise, but it's really not possible to get the Sans amp tone.

I can get something not so close by
- Crancking the countour to the max
- Slightly crancking the presence and the treble
- Crancking the Low Mid to the max (for more chunck)
- Slightly reducing the high mid

Now this will be very lively and clean but still cold because it is not compressed at all.

The main difference is that the Sans Amp beautifully crancks the higs, but also dramatically compresses the sound, so the highs are very lively and when you play harshly, the sound brutal but not overwelming because the sound is nicely pillowed as tube would do.

It's really a transparent compression.

Now I realized something. Even though I complained on my first review concerning the lack of a pedal to turn the unit on or off, once you have the SansAmp hooked up to your kit, you will never turn it off. Let me explain why.

- First of all, it sounds so good that you will not want to turn it off.
- Since you have to keep everything flat on your preamp in order to use the SansAmp, when you turn the SansAmp off, then you have to tweek your preamp. Not very convenient.

By the way I also did another test, on both the Bassman 300 and the GK 700RB, completely bypassing the preamp and connecting the SansAmp directly on the effect loop return.

In both case I was desapointed. It sounds cold and lean. So it sounds so much better when connected in the instrument input of a preamp. It is just perfectly warm in this way, not too hot as long as your preamp is set all flat.

One little problem I found, the electric wire is very sensitive to RF noise. I did not notice this the first time. I wonder if the DI version is better this way since it's batteries fed.

I'm not talking of noise cought by your Jazz Bass, I'm talking about rather noise from the AC or some RF pollution. When a buzz comes from your single coils pickup, you can hear it change by spinning on yourself and then finding an angle that is more quiet. This time the noise was changing only by moving the AC cable. I could get arround this by reducing the gain on my preamp and boost the level on the SansAmp, therefore drawning the noise with louder signal. Oh well many old fashion good sounding preamp were sensitive to noise.

I sent them an email inquiring about the foot switch and they promptly replied with alternatives.

I was impressed testing it with a full tube head, but I was much more impressed testing it with solid state modern gear.

It makes all the difference in the world and both my GK head and Avatar cab benefit from the Sans Amp tone because not only it really sounds like old fashion tube (actually sounds much better then the lower end Ampeg stuff), it also compensates for the lack of low mid balls of this set.

It really made me discover excellent sound from that rig and I will now enjoy the best old fashion sound even in small club where I can't fit in with my big rig.

I'm keeping it.

I have heard so much about this that I had to give it a shot.

As easy to use as it could be. Started all flat, with Blend pot turned to max.

This is like an old School SVT. Awesome sound right off the box.

Great presence, imposing and deep. Very lively tone.

Great for Blues, Classic Rock, Pregressive, Hard Rock and Metal where tube crunch sound comes handy. If you consider James Gang as Funk, so let's say that this unit is Funcky.

Not suitable for Jazz/Fusion, and on the edge for Motown. You will not be able to get this Old Bassman sound that Peter Cetera had on the First Chicago LP.

Ok I already own an old school tupe head, Bassman 300 Pro, with the 215 cabinet that goes with it. So I could compare them both.

I actually had the SansAmp connected to my head's instrument input, but with all EQ set flat or disabled, all EQ buttons off and all compression off.

When I activated the SansAmp I was blown away. Really. Ok, the signal was still going through many tubes, but in a way to get the sound as natural as possible.

What strikes me the most is the presence. The SansAmp sound is very old school tube mid scoop and highs crancked to the max. So it's very crunchy.

The presence and the Crunch is VERY SVT. It is so SVT like that people that are turned off by the SVT sound will probably not appreciate the SansAmp. Personnaly I love that sound.

I tried it with Jazz 60' Precision 70' Precision 54' and Schecter Studio-5 with Bartolini Electronic,

Now this is a drive tube simulator unit, and it performs very well at emulating the SVT TONE and dept. But when it gets to the point of distortion, it sounds really like cheezy transistor distortion. But keep in mind that distortion is not the porpose of this unit.

Ok, I can get this sound from my Bassman, and much better distortion, but I need to tweek my sound heavily go get this tone. This still just shows how good the SansAmp sounds. Actually the SansAmp seems a bit more dynamic. It's definitely more catchy, because of the awesome tone right out the box.

Like an SVT, you cannot do everything with this unit, but what it does, it does it VERY well.

For the price and the absolute tone you get off this unit, I give it a well deserved 10.

Well, there is no tube in it and no digital parts either, so how better could be. Personnaly it's the chips that worries me not the tube but at least, this unit is as reliable as it could be without maintenance.

Highly recommanded.

This is really a fantastic unit.

If you own modern rig and you crave for SVT tone, get this. It's not as good for distortion but the tone and crunch is definitely there.

Now I have a problem, I have this tone with my amp already, but I have to tweek it a lot, so I'm tempted to keep the unit just for the sake of having a quick alternative in my tone. Don't know what I'm going to do.

If you plan to use this unit as a preamp, try to match it with a power amp that soun as clean and high end as possible, in order to keep the lively edge of this sound. It's just a personnal opinion.

This is a follow-on review from my earlier one dated 08/22/2005 to update the customer support & reliability ratings.

I now play a Warwick Thumb bass and I'm so happy with my tone it's not funny :)

I posted my review on 08/22/2005 - it's now Boxing Day 2007, and this unit is still going strong. Just the slightest hint of crackle in some of the pots, but that goes away after a few turns. Now that I have my settings dialed in where I want them, most of the controls don't get touched - so it's not surprising that they're a little dusty.

All manuals are available if you contact Tech 21, and they've been very helpful with some questions I had regarding my used Landmark 300 head. Very quick response time too :)

I have to drop this a point - using the Landmark 300 head has spoiled me for fixed mid frequency EQ. If I was buying again, I'd get the RPM instead - of course, that doesn't have the Presence knob, but my Warwick doesn't need much of that. Less agressive basses definitely benefit from it though. If the RBI had a parametric mid I'd never need another pre-amp.

Very easy to use. All analog knobs that can be adjusted for Drive, Presence, Bass, Mid, Treble, XLR output and Level. Pretty straightforward. Manual comes with a lot of sample settings as well.

This unit allows me to get the sound of many of my favorite bass players. You can easily dial in overdrive sounds similar to Geddy Lee, Doug Pinnick, Billy Sheehan or Chris Squire. The clean sounds can help you get nice smooth clean sounds with lots of bass and crisp highs (if you have the right bass of course).

I use a MusicMan Stingray 4 (fretted) and MusicMan Stingray 4 (fretless) and run them though the Sansamp RBI > Ampeg B2RE (only use the power amp) into an Ampeg BXT210M cabinet. The setup is great because the Sansamp sounds good through the PA so I really only need my stage rig to serve as a monitor. You will hear some noise when you boost the presence or treble settings but this is not due to the Sansamp it is amplifying previously un heard frequencies from your guitar. I don't care what people say every bass will put out some noise and this unint will expose it. Regardless it is not nearly as bad as alot of preamps and effects units out there.

It is a rock solid rack unit with no moving parts. I really can't see anything going wrong with it.

I play all types of music but predominately classic rock and progressive rock sounds. Occasionally, I do some jazz gigs and use my fretless through it. This box can literally dial in any sound you want. I have tried nearly everything out there including the Line 6 Bass POD XT (live and regular version), the 3 channel SansAmp, the Sansamp DI, the MXR Bass DI, BBE DI, everything you can think of. This unit, in terms of tone and versatility, blows them all away. This has more capabilities than the regular SansAmp DI box and can be your companion with everything.

I just picked up a used RBI yesterday. Not sure if mine is a newer one or not as I've seen two different sets of cosmetics on them- one has a grey face around the controls, and the one I have is simply a black fact all the way 'round, with white lettering.

The unit allows continuously variable controls, just like a "real" amp. There is no programability here- just plug in, dial up the tone you crave, and get to work playing (irony there!)...

The front panel control layout is pretty straight forward-From left to right-
Input jack, Drive, Presence, Blend, Bass, Mid, Treble, XLR Output level, Standard Output level, Active LED and pushbutton, and finally, a Power switch and old school looking power light... Just about as basic as an SVT or Bassman would be on the front panel...

The rear gets a little tricky! I won't go into all of the ins an outs back there, but suffice, there is also an input jack on the rear with an input level adjustment that lets you select between line level (0db and instrument level (-20). There are outputs for both the Sans amp tone and unaffected outputs. The sans amp outs have the same level padding switch as the rear input. Hopefully, the unaffected outputs are buffered I have no way of knowing at the moment (read on in customer support), and an effects loop with a switch for a 50/50 mix. This feature is one of the only things I haven't had a chance to play with yet (again, read customer support)

This unit is all analog, which to me is the real deal. So what if its solid state (read NO TUBES),It just plain out sounds good to me!!!

I got it home and plugged it into my SWR Stereo 800 power amp (currently bridged to mono) and SWR 4 x 10, hooked up my serious modified Yamaha BBN-4 (bass ass bridge, Grover tuners, Dimarzio Jazz Pickups in bridge and neck), and within a minute, got a tone that not only would make Geddy Lee or Chris Squire proud, but was pretty close to what I have heard in my head, but was never able to produce with my current gear!

You know the tone- that slightly "over the edge" SVT tone where the damn amp is loud enough to take on (or even take OUT) the Marshall and Hi-Watt boys; just at the point of going over the edge into serious grit with all that bottom end doubling and warmth? Yeah, that's the tone! Thats the tone I love and have wanted for years. Now its here! It can be dialed in to be thick (but not ot he point of sounding muddy) and gritty or biting (without harshness). This is what I've wanted from a tube amp (cost) and many speaker systems (cost and car suspension wear!!!). I have finally got it...

I should mention a bit about the gear that the RBI has replaced (for the moment). I traded off a Trace Elliot GP7-SM200 head for this. The T.E., while good, clean sounding head, just doesn't have the tone I was hoping for. In fairness, I lived with it for a year, and tried various EQ settings and such, but to no avail. I've seen guys who play upright use this amp (yes, its that clean), but it doesn't cut it for "balls out" rock.

The other item is an Alesis 3630. Before you go off and say "gee, no wonder he didn't get a good tone", let me tell you THIS 3630 has been modified to the gills, with everything from better op-amps, caps and resistor, to power supply beefing. This is my version of what the 3630 SHOULD HAVE sounded like in the first place! It will not compete against an Urei or Avalon, but its certainly better than every other 3630 out there!

With the RBI, and with the limited use that I have had over the last day, I ALMOST don't need the 3630. I say ALMOST, because while the RBI has a great tone and seems to respond to my bass guitar in a very natural way (emulated tube compression somewhere in there?), Ifind that when I try to slap, the tone just seems to be lacking a little- just not quite as meaty as I'm used to. Sure, the cut through and punch are still there, but things just aren't as even or "leveled" as they are with the 3630 in; or maybe its just my sloppy slapping ability after "only" playing for 20 years. Hehehe...

Put it this way- If I had a gig tonight, and had no chance to reinstall the 3630 into my rack, living with this box for the one whole day that I hvae, I don't think I'd be whining at the show about my tone- it STILL rocks, compression or not...

The thing seems to be built like a tank. I haven't opened it up and seen what's inside yet (I almost always do that- dont' tell the manufacturers, please!!!). The front handles actually match (in geometry, at least, but NOT in colour) the ones on my SWR power amp (the SWR's handles are black, but made from what I assume to be similar stock). All jacks and connectors have a very solid feel to them, even though almost all of them are plastic! This is the first rack with plastic jacks that I actually feel totally comfortable with!

Great look, solidly built, and, well, what else can one say? I don't think I'd consider a back up, unless I brought along my Sans Amp GT-2 just in case...

Here is where I CAN'T give this company a ten out of ten!

Like I said, I bought mine used. It came in the box, with a power cord, but missing two things- the packing material, and most importantly THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL!!!

So I figured I'd just surf over to Tech 21's website, right? Gotta be a PDF section there to DL it.

NOPE!!!
NOTHING!!!
NADA!!!

I have searched the site over about 20 times and found nothing there that even HINTS at instruction manuals for ANY of its products. Thats just plain crappy in this day and age.

In the end, I actually emailed them requesting the thing. While I KNOW how to run basics and set up a decent sound, I don't know things like "is the unaffected output buffered?" or "what is the input impedance?" Some people may not care and just plug in and away they go. I not oly would like to know this, but I'd like to see those sample settings everyone raves (or boos) about...

Shame on Tech 21 for not having this feature at their site. YUCKY!!!

Based on the lacking manual download section, how does one still justify a ten if that is the case? Easy, the product itself is simply a great sounding machine, regardless of whether you use it as an "effect", a preamp, or a full blown "rig" as Geddy Lee does in conjunction with a Palmer Speaker Emulator on some of the latest Rush material/live stuff).

Currently, I play in three different projects- one is called Silmica (www.silmica.com), the other, String Theory, and the third, Lucky-13. As one can guess, each band requires a different style of playind (and IS of course a different style of music in general).

I can see the RBI's use in each of these projects, ranging form power trio (L-13), power pop (ST) and improvised free form music (Silmica). Its range of use is pretty varied, so it most likely will NOT get left at home any time soon!

OK- finally had a chance to thoroughly check out the Tech 21 Bass Sansamp RBI. I found it incredibly easy to get a great sound, but not with any of the factory recommended settings. I apparently like a lot more low end than whoever came up with those. Regardless, this thing sounds great! I am running it as a preamp and I am able to get that big tube rig sound with my amp's eq set completely flat! There are some low-mid frequencies that seem overly scooped, but running through an EQ before it in a chain can compensate for that easily. My only issue with it is that with it being designed to emulate tube distortion and warmpth (both of which it does quite well), it's hard to get a really clean tone. That dosen't bother me in my rig, since we play heavy metal and some tube bite helps it cut through nicely, but for some other forms of music (like jazz, R&B and Raggae) where that super fat clean tone is needed, this might not be the best option. All the basses I tried through this did have active electronics, so maybe an old school passive P or J with some flatwounds would give you that tone, I'm not sure. I'd have to give this a 9 overall, with the limited EQ range and the whole clean tone thing being the only flaws this thing seems to have. Some anal retentive tube purists might be able to tell that it's not a true tube tone, but there are always people who love to nitpick shit and tell you why their $10, 000 rig sounds 5% better than your $300 processor. 99.999% of the people who hear this will just like what they hear. I would HIGHLY recommend this to anyone who wants killer tone and dosen't mind at least a touch (up to a shit-ton- I think that's the technical term they use in their manual) of overdrive bite. The manual is short and easy to understand, too.

When ran through a Carvin BRX1500 head with the eq flat at all 3's running into a Carvin BRX410 and BRX118, nice clean sound. No weird hisses, hums, snaps, crackles, or pops.

Only had it about a week, but it seems tough....

If anything happened to my gear, this would be one of the first things I'd replace. The line out and XLR out level controls are right on the front! That'll make me get along better with a lot of sound guys... If I designed this product, the only thing I would have changes is adding a headphone jack with adjustable level, then this could be your entire at-home practice rig.

The manual explains the controls, their functions and how to use each. Sample settings are a good place to start but I found myself developing my own custom settings based on the sound I liked.

Here's where it gets a little tricky. The Presence knob can create noise..yet it provides upper harmonics so you must decide how much to adjust to suite both your taste and to reduce annoyance. If you adjust the various knobs to integrate with your power amps EQ you can find many great sounds with little or no noise at all, so noise can be a problem but does not have to be. It provides warmth but it is not a true tube type of warmth..it gets very close but if you are a tube truist you may find yourself wanting a tube preamp..I am debating but at this time I am sticking with the unit because it is maintenance free and sounds great!

Tech 21 builds great gear, you won't have any problems.

See previous comments

I won't address all the bullet points as they are not necessary. My overall rating is reflective of it's ability to provide a variety of tones, including an overdriven simulation of a tube preamp. The reason I cannot give it a 10 is it not a 100% emulation for the warmth of a real tube preamp. Please dont misunderstand and take this as a negative because it is a very good simulation, but you know the real deal when you play in front of a real tube amp. The warmth just sounds like that invisable fuzziness that gets the hairs on the back of your neck up and the Sansamp just doesn't quite do th at..

Very easy to get a great sound straight out of the box, even with all the knobs dialed to 12 o'clock. A lot of input/output options, which is where it gets a little tricky. A good read of the (extremely clear and well laid out) manual will see you through.

Here's my setup: Stuart Spector Design NS-4 (neck-through Czech with dual soapbars) > RBI > Carver PM 1.5 power amp > Trace Elliot 1248H cab.

As mentioned, with everything set to 12'o'clock, the RBI has a lovely warm round tone. Like almost anything, if you dial treble or drive all the way up you'll add a bit of noise. The frequency response is great - dial in the suggested 'Reggae' setting and you _will_ shake your house.

The effects loop is brilliant - you can select Series or Parallel operation. I run the RBI's send/return through a Boss LS-2 Line selector pedal, which contains all my effects in two loops. Depending on how I have the LS-2 set, I either have just the basic RBI tone, or up two 3 channels simultaneously. Distorted bass with no loss of tone is a reality :)

I can't rate this yet, but I used the Bass Driver DI box for over 2 years without any sign of a problem at all.

Never dealt with them personally, but their website is nice.

10 out of 10 for bang-for-the-buck. No, it doesn't sound exactly like a tube pre-amp. It doesn't weigh the same or cost as much either!

I play bass for an Australian three-piece called 'idoru' (shameless plug: http://www.idoru.com.au). We define ourselves as atmospheric/heavy/rock. At times I need ungodly amounts of filth in my sound, other times I need it to be clean and simple. With all the options available in the RBI, it suits my style perfectly.

I've been playing for about 8 years, and I finally feel like I've got some pro gear when I take the stage. If it were stolen, I'd replace it straight away.

I love it's warm, round tone and simplicity. I love that I can go from clean to gritty depending on my playing. The only feature missing is the +10 db input boost as found on the Landmark bass heads. This boosts passive basses so you can get stronger levels of drive. As it is, I use effects to get my distortion.

I didn't even bother trying anything else - my experience with the BDDI was enough to make me upgrade. My tone before was good, now people are gob-smacked!

There are a lot of good sounds that can be coaxed from this unit. It can make some VERY convincing reproductions of an SVT, a Bassman, and a lot of other amps. My personal favorite is the Tool sound which is basically the SVT setting with more drive, less treble, and slightly more mids (with my Jazz Bass). Turn a few knobs and you'll have a completely different but still good, sound. I run an ART 441 EQ in the effects loop and it helps to add clarity and punch. In front of the RBI is an Ibanez AD-9 analog delay and an Electro-Harmonix Dlx Electric Mistress. Behind the RBI is a Behringer EP1500 Power amp and a new Mesa/Boogie 2x15.

1U rackmount solid-state bass preamp. Drive, Blend, Presence, Level, Bass, Mid and Treble controls, XLR Output w/Level control. Effect Loop with Mix 50/50 switch (for parallel or series operation). 1/4 TRS and XLR ins and outs. Pretty easy to get some awesome sounds out of with enough features to keep the "knob-turners" busy.

It's as reliable as it gets.

Tech 21 is always quick in responding to emails and has always been a pleasure to deal with for me.

I've been playing for a decade and have been through a couple amps (Crate, Ampeg SVT3, SWR WM4004, Mesa Bass 400+) and after trying this preamp out I'm VERY impressed. The RBI sounds more like an SVT than the SVT3 did. The Bass 400+ was the absolute best sounding amp I've played through but had to sell due to finances. This unit gets a similar meaty, crunchy bass tone I had with the 400+ so I'm happy with it. Plus, after turning some knobs I've got a completely different sound. I love Tech 21 products b/c they're always reasonably priced, sound good, and last.

Pretty easy to use however the manual does help a TON. It's more complicated than the pedal version but a little more versatile too. I'm too lazy to comment on all the features so check out www.tech21nyc.com or read the previous reviews.

It's good at getting very close to all those sounds it says it can recreate...say about 95 out of 100 for a comparison scale. It will never quite be that all-tube Bassman or SVT but for a few thousand less (money, pounds, headaches changing tubes, etc.) it's definitely worth it. The sounds are very musical and it works great as a preamp.

It's as reliable as electronics get. Keep away from flame and water and it'll last forever.

The tone, versatility, portability, and reliability of this unit make it indispensable in a bass rack. Like I said before, it comes really close to getting all those great sounds and although the die-hard tube fans will disagree, the general public will never know the difference. May I suggest the Bass Driver DI foot pedal for those who love the "less-is-more" approach (such as myself). I traded the RBI back in for the pedal b/c it offered pretty much the same sounds in an even more portable version. Just imagine showing up at a show in ANY sized venue with a jazz bass, some chords, and this pedal. Pretty cool huh?

The Sansamp RBI is very easy to use. The controls are simple and the manual is easy to read and it very clearly explains all of the features of the unit. There are no patches to edit since this is a single channel unit. It took me about 2 minutes to get a good sound happening from the unit and after about 1 hour of play it sounded really great all by itself.

The sound quality is excellent and the unit is very quiet. The controls are quite interactive with one another and a great number of tones are possible dispite the rather simple control pannel. I'm using it with an Ampeg SVP-1500 power amp and nothing else. I use it to produce a more classic rock bass tone with some distortion and it does this absolutely great with a big warm sound that's wonderful. The best part is the fact that no other gear is required to get these sounds, no compression or outboard eq is needed, great...

I could not resist removing the cover to have a look at the insides of the RBI. Inside the layout is very neat and there is are actually VERY few components inside, it's mostly one large IC. After looking at the layout and construction I feel that problems will be unlikely under any type of use. I plan on using it for years and I hope that works out because it's replacing a good sounding but less than reliable piece of gear in my rack (SVP-PRO). I'd feel safe gigging without a backup unit.

I have not delt with them directly but their website is packed with lots of good information on all of their products.

For playing classic rock or similar styles with a simple rig this thing would be just about impossible to beat. If you like to get different sounds by using different playing styles this thing is perfect. If you need channel switching or a million presets it's not what you want. It's just amazing how great of a sound it gets from such a small simple package, I don't see how they do it and it's not a 1 trick pony either, great stuff.

This unit, like its little brother the D1, is very easy to use if you understand what it does, and how it works. Take the time to read the manual, and re-read your bass amp manual! Understanding your guitars signal flow and how it is processed in your amp, can lead you to find new way to improve your rig. Many manufacturers include a signal schematic that shows just how your signal is routed through your amp, and what happens to that signal as it is being processed to the power amp. What I have learned will hopefully help others out there, in their quest to find that just right blend! So, pour yourself a cup of coffee, soda, beer or what ever, and sit back because this is going to be an indepth review. A review, that is my personal findings, and a review that just might be an education for some others out there having the same problems. And just maybe, for some of you, an education in signal processing! Enjoy!

Our bass player is using a Yamaha bass 4 string, and a Hofner. His amp is a Ampeg B4R. The speaker cabs are a 4-10 top, and a 15 or 18 bottom. Each cab is rated at 8 ohms. Keep this in mind, because I will explain more on ohms later. When he first purchased this amp about 6 years ago, we hooked it up like the manual said, we choose to run the amp in the bi-amped mode. For those of you who dont know, bi-amping gives you the ability to route the bass signal to two different power amps. The B4R, in this mode, now has two seperate power sections. By running this way,it allows you to determine how much of the low freqs and high freqs go to the cabs. Utilizing the frequecy blend knob on the front of the amp, determines how much, and what freqs get processed by which amp. IE, the low amp, or the high amp. Also, the B4R has a balance knob next to the freq knob which is used to determine just how much of that processed signal will go to the top cab, and how much will go to the bottom cab. Once we fired her up for the first time, we tried everything to achieve some good driving clean bass tones. We twisted all the knobs and eq the shit out of it. Drove the gain up and master in an attempt to get that good old thumping clean clear bass that gets your feet a tapping. Tried this, tried that, tried all of it and guess what? The only way we could get some close sounding bass from this rig was to drive the gain to almost max with the main volume knob maxed also.............and even then it sounded like a hippos butt flappin from a bad graze of dining in the swamp! It was terrible! What did we do? Well, for a totally stock B4R, the only way to get some halfway good tone was to shell the bi-amp mode, and run the rig in the bridged mode, and piggy back the top and bottom cabs together. Running in bridge, diffently had some power now, and like I said not too bad of tone. However, in this mode, you have almost no control of you signal to the cabs. Being a guitar player myself, I would compare that mode, to a Gibson Les Paul. Either all or nothing! Our bass player has played this way ever since until just recently. A side note here! Electronics don't like vibration period. If your running your amp assembly on top of your cabs, and dont have one of those 600.00 vibration cases, you had better put some 2-3 inch thick foam under it! We didn't, the vibration took its toll, and circuits in the amp became loose so it had to go to the shop.

When we got the amp back from repair, our bass man hooked it all up again in bi-amp mode. Said he wanted to try it again that way...........Jeeeeeeeeeezzzz why? Same result as before, no difference. Thats the million dollar question. Why? Why does this amp not sound good in this mode? Whats wrong? How in Gods name can we get this amp to sound like its got some butt, and what is holding it back?

I am not claiming to be an expert here, and I certainly am not a electrical engineer, all I can do is relate what I did, and what I think happens with the amp running in this mode.

First, remember ohms? We have 2 cabs, each at 8 ohms. The B4R is rated at 1350 watts mono-bridged into 4 ohms. Thats a bunch of power to drive the signal to drive the speakers. By piggy backing 2 8 ohm cabs, your ohms now is down to 4. Forget addition, 2 8s when it comes to ohms, does not equal 16. It equals 4. So, we had plenty of power in the bridged mode to make things sound half assed good. However, in bi-amp mode, this amp is rated at 2 X 255 watts into 8 ohms. That means each cab could get 255 watts to push it! You would think that 255 watts would be enough to push things, but its not............believe me! In the back of my mind, I feel that the preamp section of this amp is nothing short of horse shit on the trail.............and I truely feel that the B4R has a combination of an inherently weak preamp section and a weak power amp section running in the bi-amp mode. Especially running 2 8 ohm cab

Cant say much here, but if it lasts as good as it sounds.........well?
Would I use it without a backup..............would have to if it shot craps..................but would we want to.....Hell no!


Only givin a 5 here cause I dont know.........too early.

Haven't used them yet, but one heck of a web site.....thanks Tech 21

Style: Classic rock, blues, some newer rock, some Jazz.

No LCD, no menu, all knobs. Easy.

Not my choice for a bass preamp. I own a Tubeworks Blue Tube and an Ampeg SVP-Pro, both are tube preamps. The Sansamp claims to get those vintage tube sounds - I don't think so. The distortion sounds like a fuzzbox to me when it overdrives. I like the preamp to peak into distortion when I slap-n-pop - the Sansamp is too ratty, not as warm and punchy as real tubes and it doesn't have that natural compression of tubes.

I didn't care for the EQ either, they're not as effective as the preamps I own. The stompbox bass DI is even worse than the RBI.

Not my style, but they work for other folks namely any style other than slap-n-pop. But it gets a 3 for falsely claiming to get that vintage tube sound - not even close.

If you want a tube sound, buy a tube preamp.

If you don't want the hassle of replacing tubes and you're playing basic styles, check out the Sansamp it will do the job.

The front knobs need little explanation. All the sockets and switches on the back need some explanation. This is also meant to be a recording studio tone tweaking tool.

VERY GOOD SOUND QUALITY. Heard on many recordings. Used by more than bassists. It makes an excellent heavy metal guitar preamp as it can get very distorted and dirty if need be.

I never heard of them having reliability problems.

Good so far. They answer all your questions and help with setup issues.

I just couldn't go the real tube preamp route as they were too expensive. I didn't want future retubing issues either. More importantly, I think this preamp has more tonal range than just about any tube preamp out there at twice the price. You need to bypass the preamp section in any combo amp or amp head you use, however. The tone control sections can sometimes interact and really kill your sound. It works great into power amps like a Crown, etc. For just bass, you could buy the Bass Driver DI, but for guitar I like this better because of the midrange control and gain control on back. This also gives much more hookup versatility and a separate XLR output volume control. Classy little preamp. Worth the money, every cent.

For ease of use, this rackmount unit is very similar to the stomp box version. That is, it's very easy to dial in a good sound, and the default sound is pretty good. I bought it to do a decent simulation of a cross between an SVT and a Bassman and it does that very easily.

I use this with the power amp of an SWR SM-400S head through an Ampeg 4x10 cab. I was never satisfied with the tone I got out of the SWR preamp, and this unit really makes it sound like an SVT. (And I owned one for a while and sold it because it was too heavy, so I know what an SVT is supposed to sound like.)

It can be a bit noisier than the stomp box version (Bass Driver DI), but the output of the stomp box isn't really enough to be a preamp all on its own like this rackmount unit is. (The BDDI behaves more like a DI box than a preamp.) I'm not big on a ton of high end in my bass tone, so dialing the highs and drive down a little bit from wide open was not a big deal to me.

I suspect if you want your sound to have a lot of highs in it or like a very overdriven sound then the noise might get to you. If you're going direct into a studio sound board, you might be better off going with the stomp box version instead. However, as a preamp, the RBI is certainly the better way to go, because of the different output levels of the two units.

I played around with the recommended slap and reggae sounds, and they sound pretty nice. And of course, the SVT and bassman sounds are great.

When you power it up, you get a pretty big boom if the sound's already on. I typically power up the RBI first, then my head/power amp.

I gave it an 8 mainly because of the noise in some possible settings, but be advised that this thing does the SVT or Bassman sound very, very well. If that's all you need (as is the case with me), you'll be very happy with the sound.

I've only had it for a couple of months now, and it seems reliable enough. It's basically a solid-state preamp, so I don't expect much to go wrong with it.

Since I'm using only the power amp of my SWR head, I always have a built-in backup. However, I don't expect to ever really need it.

Never dealt with the company, so I have no opinion on this category.

I play roots music (blues, cajun, celtic), rock, funk, soul, etc. so the SVT/Bassman sounds I get out of this thing are absolutely fabulous for those styles.

I'm playing mostly a ten-year-old Fender '75 Reissue Jazz bass (with Dimarzio replacement jazz pickups and an EMG BTC preamp) through this unit, an SWR SM-400S head, and an Ampeg 4x10 cab (500W@4ohm).

I really love that I'm getting a decent SVT-like tone out of a 35-pound rackmount unit instead of the 85 pound SVT-II I lugged around for a few too many years.

I wish it were less noisy in some of the other settings, but that's a minor consideration to me, because I typically just set it and forget it. And watch out for the boom when you turn it on if you already have your power amp on.

VERY EASY TO USE RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX. THE MANUAL IS FINE, BUT YOU'LL MAINLY USE IT FOR CONNECTION OPTIONS(D.I. ETC...). CONTROLS ARE ALL STRAIGHTFORWARD.

I USE THIS UNIT WITH A QSC POWERAMP, READ TUBE PREAMP(NICE),AND A KORG TUNER THROUGH 2 BAGEND CABS. I RUN THE READ THRU ONE SIDE OF THE QSC AND THE SANSAMP THRU THE OTHER. I CAN GET THE SANSAMP TO SOUND JUST LIKE THE READ, OR HAVE EACH CAB SOUND DIFFERENT. I'VE MANAGED TO COME UP WITH SOME GREAT COMBINATIONS. I COULD'VE BOUGHT 2 OF THE SANSAMPS FOR THE SAME PRICE AS THE READ. IT'S A QUIET UNIT THAT SOUNDS GREAT(SOUNDMEN SEEM TO HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THIS UNITS D.I.). MY BACKUP BASS IS A SPECTOR WITH PASSIVE PICKUPS AND THE SANSAMP IS REALLY USEFUL IN FATTENING PASSIVE PICKUPS. IT CAN BE NOISY(NOT MUCH) WITH THE GAIN OR THE PRESENCE KNOBS UP TO HIGH. FOR ME, IT SOUNDS GREAT. THE SALESMAN WHERE I BOUGHT IT SAID IT DIDNT HAVE THE WARM SOUND OF A MORE EXPENSIVE TUBE PREAMP, BUT THIS IS A MATTER OF TASTE AND THE QUALITY OF THE REST OF YOUR SETUP(AND HIS COMMISION).

I'VE HAD THIS UNIT FOR 2 YEARS, NEVER HAD A PROBLEM. WELL BUILT AND LIGHT.

NEVER HAD TO CALL.

I PLAY IN A BLUES-ROCK-FUNK BAND WITH HORNS AND A KEYBOARD PLAYER. THE SANSAMP IS QUIET, RELIABLE AND EASILY ADAPTABLE. I RARELY USE EFFECTS, SO I CAN'T SAY HOW THIS UNIT WOULD WORK WITH SOME OR ALOT OF EFFECTS. COMMON SENSE TELLS ME THAT IT WOULD ONLY ENHANCE ANY SETUP. FOR $300, YOU CAN'T GO WRONG. ALL IN ALL, GREAT JOB, TECH 21.

Thi sunit is so easy to use you don't even need the manual to get started.

With a 6x10 GK rig pushing 1200 watts, this piece will blow your mind. For direct or micing through cabinets you will get a great tone. It's very versatile in the range of tones you can get from it. Effects will always sound great(depending upon your tastes) but the effects themselves may require a little tweaking.

had it for over a year and have never needed anything.

Have dealt with them once and they were extremely helpful.

Overall this unit will rock for anything or any style that you play. With infinite tone and awesome sounds you could just buy it without hearing it and be very pleased

The sound that somes out is raw, and dirty, and distorted. it sounds grungy. sounds great with bass, but i can make it change to make it sound very soft and sweet sounding. very clean.

This little tool kicks. It has amazing tone for a tube emulator.
The features are pretty basic.
(Drive-Presense-Blend-Bass-Mid-Treble-XLR-Volume)
Has the active in it, which boost up bass and treble.
Sounds great with my set up.

Sturdy, enough said.

haven't called them back since i bought it. great preamp.

been playing 3 years now. perfect for any rig that wants to rock out with heavy guitars.
rackmount case 8u and a 6u
furman pl-pro 20 amp conditioner
korg DTR-1000 tuner
sansamp RBI preamp
DBX 215 EQ
DBX 166 compressor
BBE 482i sonic maximizer
Crown xs 500 power amp (1600watts bridged at 4ohms)
Avatar B410 cabinet

It's an analog tube emulation preamp. Sold as a bass preamp, but just as well used for guitar or any stringed instrument. I would have preferred round knobs, but you can go to the Rat Shack and get colored knobs of various sizes that customizes it to your taste.

OK, it can get a bit noisy when the treble is turned up, but since you'll never turn it that high without creating even worse finger noise on the strings, it's probably not an issue, especially for bassists that want to sound like bassists. You can own a truckload of tube amps, or you can own one of these 5 pound boxes. It will also emulate solid state bass amps if that's what you want, because that's what it is. If you want better, you had better think on paying more. If you want just as good sound without as much tonal range, try the BBE MAX for about the same price.

It will probably be working long after your power amp craps out. However, I did not take it apart to examine the internal build quality, but expect it to be good.

These people remind me of Yorkville Sound, which is one of the best companies in the business.

If you have a particular style, then one of the premium tube preamps at a much higher cost will be better for that particular style. If you want value and versatility, this will probably be the best you can do. This is a good preamp to compare the expensive preamps against, because if they can't beat it, you shouldn't buy it.

Simple. A couple of knobs. The only tough part is figuring out which side of the switch puts you on phantom power and which is the ground lift. Other than that, the knobs are very sensitive, both individually and to each other (think mesa: you turn one knob, you might have well just turned them all)

Fender American Deluxe P bass and Warwick Corvette Fretless 5. This thing actually kicks the shit out of the preamp in my SVT4PRO! It cant be described what it does to the tone. Clear, deep bass, and clean treble if you want. Or, if you want distortion you've come to the right place. The presence brings out so many harmonics, and the drive so effectively simulated a clipping tube power amp, that i was scared that my rig was melting down. You can basically go from victor wooten like clean, sensitive feel to the raging snarling glory of an svt that's about to explode. Beware the Kings X Preset if you have a horn loaded cab!

Seems Pretty tough and solid. I'd hate to be without it on a gig, but it seems reliable enough to use it without a backup. Spare 9 volts are a plus, though

never tried

I am truly into all styles of music, and listen to anything. This box takes me into hi fi clear land where harmonics abound and the slightest touch is picked up, all the way to a moan that sounds like satan himself. I wish it had a dedicated mid (although you can get that on the rbi) and maybe just maybe another output so i could send a colored signal to my amp and also a recorder (or additional power amp) without needing extra hasstle. If you play bass, if you play any stringed instrument, buy this! NOW!

IF NOT FOR ANY OTHER REASON, TRY THIS: I PLUGGED IT INTO MY SHITTY ROGUE 20 WATT AMP, WHICH SOUNDS LITERALLY LIKE A FARTING DUCK, AND IT BROUGHT THE TONE BACK TO LISTENABLE. ITS A MAGIC BOX I TELL YOU!
ask me any questions about this product or bass in general.

What could be easier? Turn a few knobs and get your sound.

Our bass player had a couple of these, so I borrowed one and started singing through it. I do a lot of hard rock screaming vocals, and I need something to help me get a lot of sounds for different songs, and for cool vocal hooks. The nice thing about analog knobs is that you can turn them at different speeds and vary the sounds as you are singing, for really unique sounds.

It seems very well made, especially for affordable gigworthy gear.

They were surprised that I sing through it, but they were very helpful with suggesting suitable power amps. I bought a Crown PA amp.

I sling it over my shoulder with a guitar strap and tie the strap to the two front handles. That way, I can turn the knobs while I'm singing. I always missed having an instrument on stage like the rest of the band. Now I have something that looks like an instrument, and nobody else plays one of these like I do. I changed some of the knobs to round ones so that I could turn them back and forth more quickly for better control. I use a Shure SM57 or SM58 microphone most of the time, depending on what's available. They are tough and put out enough voltage to get serious output from the unit. The power cord needs to be tied to the unit to keep it from falling out, and I had to replace mine with a longer one. I think these work much better than the digital units because of the smooth and continuous way you can turn the knobs and control the sound as you are singing. I don't think anybody has ever gotten some of the sounds that I do from this black box distortion thing.

Pretty simple analog interface . . .no complicated digital menus or anything . . just plug it in, dial the knobs, and start playing. since it doesnt have any patches or banks like most digital processors do, its a bit more difficult to recall patches and settings unless you write them down or memorize them - but i usually only use one all-around tone, so it works for me. has 2 outputs so that i can send one out to monitors and one out to recording interface. great for live and studio.

I use this mainly in the studio as a DI for recording bass, and it gets me exactly the sound i want. Its amazing to think that with only a few knobs that you can get a lot of different tones ranging from really modern metal bass tones to vintage-y tones as well. I dont think this precisely emulates other specific amps and sounds really well, but regardless, the tones from just turning a few knobs are quite exceptional and should be enough to cut any gig.

Have only had it for a month in the studio, and has not failed yet. seems very solidly built and even has 'tough' looking rack handles as if it were meant for abuse on the road.

have not had to deal with yet

I own and operate and home studio and this provides all the bass tones i could possibly need for sessions ranging from pop to metal to jazz. Overall, this ia versatile piece of equipment in terms of sound and uses and has a simple interface. I run a modified fender jazz deluxe bass straight into it and from it into my DAW. doesnt need much tweaking to get a great sound. i havent even used it live yet but i have no doubt that it will perform exceptionally there as well.