Tech 21 SansAmp RPM

The interface is as easy as it could be. Turn a knob and you will know what it is for. The back panel is also well-organized and it is easy to figure it out. The manual could be better, really, but you are not going to need it anyway since it so easy to use the RPM.

The important thing is it is very easy to get a great tone in a minute or two, this is what really matters to me.

What can I say? The first time I turned it on it took me 1 minute or so to get to that fat, growling sound I was looking for! It is really amazing! The best thing is that no matter which amp I plug it on, I'm always able to get a very nice tone. Before the RPM it always took me longer to set up my tone and I wasn't always pleased with it. Now I turn it on, turn a know here and there and voila! I always got a great tone that cuts through the mix... everyone in the band noticed the change!

One thing I love about it is the parametric mid control. By turning this only knob I can go from a very fat, round blues tone to a snarling, Geddy Lee-like tone.

The only thing that could be better is the drive. It sounds very nice until 12 o'clock position, adding a lot of bite to your tone. Beyond that point it starts losing too much definition, sounding artificial, too "electronic"... since I don't usually go that far on OD, it is perfect for me.

I have bought it some months ago so I can't tell you how reliable it is. I use it a lot and it is very well constructed - only the knobs are made of plastic. It feels really solid so yes, this thing does look dependable. Can't say about internal components.

Didn't need it.

I play classic rock, progressive rock and some funky songs and the RPM helped me build a solid tone. I play bass for 4 years and only know I'm really happy with my tone. The mid-shift button is a blessing and makes it very easy to get the right tone.
It is really a fantastic value! The only thing that prevents me from giving it a 10 is the OD that could sound better beyond the 12 o'clock point. But then you can always use the effects loop and add an OD of your choice.

Very intuitive front panel - Very self-explanatory & easy to comprehend what the each knobs function does.

I'm rating a full 10 here - perhaps the single most comprehensive improvement to my tone that I've ever encountered in the 20+ years I've been playing. Pristine & dead silent while laying down tracks, equally impressive live on a gig. What impresses me as much as the general improvement in tone is that just between the Bass, Treble, & Mid w/mid-sweep, I can achieve a better tone than I could with a fully parametric 5-band EQ that I've been using for years. Something in the magic of the SansAmp circuitry just does it's amazing mojo on the tone of my American Fender Jazz Bass Deluxe V. I sold off an Ampeg SVP Pro preamp I was using in favor of the SansAmp - the SansAmp RPM just simply sounds better. I don't mean a little better, I mean miles better. No comparison whatsoever. Clean, slight OD grind to full distortion, the SansAmp rocks! Try one out if possible - don't go looking into pickups, speakers, heads, etc., until you give the RPM a test drive - it might just be the biggest improvement to your tone that you could hope for. It surely has been for me. I haven't played everything out there, but in 20 years I have played a lot of gear & this unit gets 5 stars from this bass player. Thank You Tech 21.

Hand made units in the USA - cannot ask for more than that. Quality is top notch.

Have not needed Technical Support assistance.

I love the beefy muscle & clarity that the SansAmp delivers. Particularly what it does for a Fender Jazz bass. Let's face it, I haven't met any Jazz bass that couldn't stand some more beef in the low end - it's the nature of Jazz single coils. The RPM delivers beef, punch & clarity & does it like nothing else I've tried. Give one a test drive if you can. Highly recommended.

Technically, everything is vey easy to use. All features are self explanatory and with a little tweaking you can quickly figure out how everythng relates to your sound.

Ok, I need to put this in perspective. I have been playing bass for 20 plus years and I have always believed there are two kinds of bass players. Those who have an Ampeg 300 classic or those that wish they did. It is a monster of about 100 pounds and is somewhate fragile with all those tubes, but hey, it is the ONLY sound you want.

I have to admit I have been wrong. I am tired of lugging that beast around. Out of necessity I started looking. I (oh the shame) even tried the line6 pro with a power amp. That was a cute toy but after returning it to guitar center decided it was time to get something with a real tone. This thing sounds GREAT. I run my jazz bass into the unit, out to a BBE Sonic Maximizer and then into a cheap Carvin 600 watt power amp. Then off to an Ampeg 4x10 cab. It all comes out sounding great. i have that same deep low growly punch my SVT gave me in a versitile rack mount set up that weighs next to nothing.

I actually got this unit because they were out of the RBI bass preamp model. I suspect I will like this more since it has a sweepable midrange. I do plan on getting the bass driver pedal to go with this and compete the sound. So far so good. Cannot wait to get out and gig with this rig. By the way, I dont really slap with my style but did check it out a little. If you slap and pop you will LOVE this thing. Mix in direct sound for the low with the edgy top sound for pure slap heaven.

Solid rack mount set up. Cannot go wrong with that. Get a good rack and keep it clean and you should have no poblem.

No frame of reference. Hope I dont need to find out.

Solid, sounds great and is not very expensive. Should have switched over years ago.

This unit kicks ***. Especially if you play in a heavy rock/metal band where you want the bass to cut through 2 guitar players with full stacks and the drums. The manual is pretty cut and dry and provides sample settings but you really have to play with it your self to find your own sound.

I use this as my primary preamp and run it into a swr 350's effects loop (just a cable into return) and turn the effects blend 100% wet and it sounds great. Right now Im using a fender american jazz bass deluxe. This unit lets you dial in the perfect midrange sound as well as many other sounds and the drive on it can go from a little bit of grit to full on rectified distortion. The only thing better for distortion would be a Z-Vex Woolly Mammoth. The blend control lets u get the nice and smooth tube sound with out the tube weight and hassle. I just wish it had 2 midrange sweeps instead of just one.

This thing is VERY reliable. I would go with out a back up but i i always have another amp anyways so it doesnt really matter. I have had no problems with this unit at all and it stands up to ultra hot and humid practices in the Sub-Basement of Hell.

Tech 21 has great customer support i have emailed them about manuals and different set ups you can use and they always return my emails quickly and give me good information that I need.

I Play everything from jam band blues metal to heavy metal and heavy rock and this thing suits me perfect. Ive been playing for 4 years now and I even have a tech 21 RBI which is good but doesnt cut through the mix becuase it has the fixed midrange. I love the nice clean low mid growl boost sound i can get out of this and the full out rectified distortion but it can get a bit noisy with the drive full blast but thats understandable. As far as other preamp/drive rack mounts go this one is the king. I just wish it had 2 midrange sweeps but other than that this is a great rack mount unit.