Tech 21 Tri-A.C.

It was incredibly easy to get a good sound. In fact, the 3 patches it came with were great to start with. Editing was easy, but due to the sensitivity of the pedal, it takes some thought.

I'm using this with a Fender Thinline Tele and a Gibson LP Melody Maker through a Carvin 100 watt acoustic amp/mini-p.a. Although this setup is idiosyncratic to say the least, it lets me keep an acoustic, an electric and a bass all plugged in and ready at the same time. Also, since it's a ported cabinet, it is capable of some sick lows that belie its small size. With the Tri-A.C. it sounds fantastic.
Noise is not a problem, and I can get a great emulation of pretty much any amp I would care to have. The distortions are mostly warm and can be musically affected with your guitars volume and tone. The Marshall sounds are not so warm, but then again, neither are Marshalls. However, with the tone rolled back, a woman tone can be produced easily.

I would depend on it, based on reputation and solid construction. I would gig without a backup (as most people don't usually have backup effects).

N/A

I play modal music in open tunings, but like to get heavy sometimes. I've been playing 22 years, and have had a plethora of guitars and basses. The Tri -A.C. has been a pleasure to use, as it delivered exactly what I needed - realistic simulations of a Fender, a Marshall, and a Boogie. If you can't get a good sound out of this, the problem is either the rest of your equipment or your hands & ears.

I am techincally retarded so I really appreciate the simplicity of this unit. Good instructions and good sound as a di and really good sound driving a small combo amp.

I've used it with an 80s strat a seventies telly and a new yamaha pacifica. depending on the gig either a hughs and ketner 60 wat solid state or a Marshall jcm900 combo. No exess noise effects have greate presence but sound natural. I dont really try to get the exact tone of other artists but i have noticed that the tweed setting can get me a sound very much like brian setser (And thats from a strat! The "Brit mode sounds a little papery, the california mode has more muscle.

I have used it as my only effect with good results.

Just some dials and three footswitches-- mad easy, once you look at the (short and easy to understad) manual. It takes some fussing to dial up the right EQ as it's active and if you mess with one of the frequencies it changes a lot of things. Live, it's easy to go into bypass by mistake (by hitting the switch for the patch that's on), and that's a bit of a drag. The only other tricky bit is that the knobs usually don't reflect the position of the sound you've got-- but hey, to motorize those knobs they'd have to charge a lot more dough.

I run a bunch of pedals into it and then into a direct box straight to the house sound (I use a splitter to go out to a keyboard amp as a moniter. It's quiet on the clean settings (I use a Warr guitar, and I think the active pickups and good cables help a lot) but not so much on distorted ones-- but I bet it's quieter than miking a marshall. I think running it into the front end of an amp would sound awful, but it's a simulator, and it's not really for that.
If you were trying to use this box to get the sounds of all the classic amps Tech 21 claims you can, then you'd likely be frustrated. It's a lot better than some other amp simulators (and I dig that it's analogue rather than digital-- bottom end is way different), but it sure doesn't sound like a fender, for example. Nor does it have nearly enough gain to get into real boogie territory. However, what it does really well is get you an awesome sound that's all your own. So, duplicating classic sounds ain't gonna happen, but getting your own ripping tone might, if you spend enough time with it. that's a tradeoff I'm happy to make.

Seems pretty robust. I use AC power, which helps. The switches are kind of cool-- they're unlike the sort of switch I seem to break a lot.

I really dig this bad boy. It has just the right level of complexity-- no bells and whistles or cheesy digital add-ons, but it's totally programmable and you can set it up to get three very different and monstrous tones. It's easy to use live, and has neato studio applications (like all of Tech 21's stuff). Plus, it's about the smallest amp simulator you'll find with footswitches-- when your pedalboard space is at a premium, this is a real plus. Even though I'm constantly tweaking my rig, I won't be replacing this for a long, long time.

its just like using a regular guitar amp it has factory presets but you will want to spend time playing with it and tweaking it out how many times did you buy a guitar amp out of the box not mess with the eq and play straight through and make a decision as to wheather or not it sucked the manual is quite clear this is not a distortion pedal!!!! it is three preamps that will remeber their settings really cool if you cant use this you should play an acoustic

my set up varies alot i play a 335 into an ampeg j12 with various pedals my amp breaks alot being that it is very old so this is mainly for use with a fender princeton 65 solid state it is of coutrse ran directly into the power ampLIKE THA MANUAL CLEARLY SAYS tha amp models sound good its very trebly but nothing that cant be fixed with a little time spent working out an eq thats right for your axe,amp,speaker,pedal arrangement all of these things will make a difference heres the real deal after purchasing my tri ac and getting it dialed in i went to my buddies house who has a real marshall stack 8x12 the whole shebang played em back to back guit for guit played with eqs and everything its a damn good replica it makes a lot of sound to push out of 1 crappy 12 the only real difference is 8 12s pushes a hell of a lot of air a bad speaker will make a huge difference i plugged into a 500 watt pa head and whalla tru marshall so if you are wondering why your little combo still sound little its cuz it is this hing is about tone great for recording the fender tone was good just work that eq and the boogie is super gainy but sounds really good in low gain but thats how i like it most guys want the gain all i can really say is make sure you use this thing as an offboard pre amp and not a stomp box i use pedals with it and they all sound good small stone phase shifter boss dd3 digital delay reverb not to much luck on the distortion pedal dfront yet but still have only had it for a few weeks and i work full time part of the thing is i used pedals befor to get a sound that i can get with the box without pedals my dod250 is really fore my ampeg which i wont use the tri ac with cuz it dont have no power amp in my big muff is coming together but then again that thing is hard to tame in any situation i have seen other reviews say they used tube screamers o0n the tweed mode so i have faith all in all really kick ass

have not had it long seems solidly built twech 21 has a good reputation

good web site never dealt with them instruction manuals are clear as bells

it does exactly what it says it does my advice to any one having problems is to troubleshoot their set up put all stomp boxes in front of tri ac wah pedals too modulation pedals flangers chorus etc after tri ac plug directly into power amp not on board preamp (or effects return if your amp has no power in) if you only have one input set all your eqs to 12 oclock and turn your level knob on the triac way down as to not kill your amp and last but not least if your speaker sucks then so will everytrhing coming out of it this box is a masterpiece

No problems setting this pedal up within minutes of plugging in. Manual is very clear and well written. Very convenient and flexible programming options (you can setup 3 Fender patches, or 2 Boogie + 1 Marshall setting in any order for example).

I was looking for mainly a direct recording solution when I decided to give the Tri-A.C. a try. Used a PRS CE24 and Clapton strat direct into BR-8 as well as through front end and power section of a Peavey Classic 30 and an older Lab Series L5. I was disappointed with the sound quality regardless of guitar or amp used along with the Tri-AC. I could only describe the sound as flat and lifeless. Played with the settings for a couple of weeks, but just couldn't polish the turd. Not what I was hoping for at all. I've owned several Fender/Marshall and Boogies over the years and didn't find this pedal even came close to copying their sound or feel.

Unit seems well built. No worries about gigging without a backup.

Very quick answers to e-mail questions at http://www.tech21nyc.com/

I had this pedal for about 2 weeks before giving up on it and trading it in on something else. It's easy to use and well built, but just not the type of sound I am looking for. I enjoy everything from ambient (Brian Eno, Sigur Ros) to Hendrix, Neil Young and Tool and would like to find a recording preamp that can cover that type of ground. I'm very fussy bitch when it comes to tone and will switch to something with tubes next time around (probably Mesa's V-Twin pedal). I've been playing about 25 years now and have gone through my share of guitars and amps.

very easy to use--select amp mod. e.q. settings and tap a button twice--very easy the e.q. is very sensitive though

i am using this w/ a epi les paul std. and a '67 ampeg gemini 1 at home--incredible--the boogie mod is sweet i can get a great delirious? sound w/ it it is very liquid sounding i also like the marshall sound great harmonics the fender is very close to my friends '63 reverb (minus the reverb)

live--my plan was to use this straight into the board and skip an amp
it sounded horrible i think this might be because of two factors

#1--i don't think this thing really has speaker modeling like some people say it does and that makes a huge difference

#2--it could be crappy D.I. boxes--they also make a huge difference
i have since purchased abehringer D.I. with speaker modeling--i hven't tried it yet and will tell you my results later

i really wish this thing had reverb also but no biggie--again--in front of a GOOD amp this beats all--period

it seems sturdy enough i can't afford back ups like some of you people--but i also don't beat the crap outta my gear for no reason like some of the dummies you read about

don't know the salesman was nice though

it' pretty cool i mean seriously it's analog try to get better tone you just need a goog D.I. most likely YES i would buy it again
love God
seth

Well let's see. The pedal is REALLY easy. Few buttons. Very "auto-explanative", but the buttons are extremely sensitive, so it may be necessary a lot of pacience and time to achieve a good sound, but definitely worth it.

I'm using an Ibanez S with Ducan pickups. The Amp is a study Amp: Fender Frontman 25R (Looking for a new one... a big one this time ehehe). Well, the guitar is pretty good and this thing did miracles to my sound. Unfortunately I'm using TriAc before the Amp's Preamp and this is quite wrong (another reason to look for another amp, with loop). I was looking for a Vai/Satch sound... both clean and dirty and with other effects (Delay, Chorus, Wah) it's close enough for me.

Definitely! I don't like to gig without a backup, but yes, I would go without one. To be honest, since I've bought it I only use w/o backup. Every Tech 21 product I've owned surely built "like a tank".

Man... I sent a lot of e-mails about SansAmp and TriAc (owned both of them) And that guy, Lloyd is really cool! He certainly knows what he's talking about and never miss the question. You send an email and two, maybe three days before, you have an REAL GOOD answer.

1. I like to play Vai/Satch, some Heavy Metal (Metallica, Iron, Pantera) and some Rock'n'Roll (Van Halen, Guns'n'Roses). This is a good aquisition to my set. Oh! I'm considering to buy another one to have 6 effects (4 dirty, 2 clean).

2. I'm playing for 9 years. I've owned a lot of distortion pedals, digitech and zoom pedalboards and it was ok to me. But this one is "THE" distortion pedal now. I'm using it with a Dunlop CryBaby (willing to pick a Boss Wah... PW isn't?), Boss GE-7 Equalizer (one for booster and one for fine-eq) and a Zoom 508 Delay and 508 Modulation (Don't laugh... But it's fine for now. Maybe I'll look the Line-6 floor pedals).

3. Definetely kill the fucking bastard and then, buy it again! Hum... well.. second tought, maybe, just for curiosity, take a look at the Line 6 Distortion Modeler.

4. I love the sound and the look. It's well built (inside and outside). I just think it could be 4 presets instead of three, and maybe a led display to write preset names. This would be really cool.

5. Yes... as mentioned before, I compare it with the Line 6 Distortion Modeler, but I like Tech 21 products. I've checked some MesaBoogie Pedals and Meteoro Doctor Drive Pedal, but this is way better since you can simulate amps... and three of them at the same time.

6. As I've said before, maybe a display to write effect names (but this is just for apprearence, so not really necessary), but to be close to perfect: 4 presets!!!

7. Hell yeah! It helps me A LOT!

8. Hum... yes! If you want to share ideas, presets or know more, feel free to contact me!

I found the TRI-AC extremely easy to program the sounds that I was looking to achieve with very little difficulty. I am very familiar with Tech 21 products and have used a Trademark 60 for several years. Finding the tonal nuances that I like was a "piece of cake.

I just read a lot of reviews here and noticed that all of the less than great reviews are from people that were using it as a distorsion pedal in front of the preamp of their rigs. I have never found much use for using a fantastic preamp in front of of amp with a built in preamp. I have to admit that because I already use a Trademark 60 I don't really need a preamp in front of that awesome preamp. My thoughts about that are that if you need to use a preamp in front of your preamp then get a Tech 21 amp and stop wasting your money on a whole bunch of stomp boxes. Just buy a Tech 21amp. I happen to love the Trademark 60 but use my TRI-AC with a Passport 150 as my main stage rig and may add a SANSAMP Classic to another channel to give me that really classic tube tone which isn't quite there with the TRI-AC but it is close enough without all of the weight of transformers and cost of replacing premium quality vacuum tubes. My TRI-AC coupled with my Passport 150 is an awesome sounding rig for my style of music which is blues/southern rock. I have always been a jamband type player. I learned back in the 70's that if you are going to be on stage you should play your ass off.

The sound quality is excellent with the TRI-AC. Very quiet operation and excellent tanal subtlties that very closely mimic a tube amp. My Trademark 60 is absolutely the finest solid state amp for achieving a tube sound without the weight and high cost of tube maintenance but the TRI-AC is excellent especially through my Fender Passport PA. I often play at campouts with my musician friends and we use my Passport with the battery so we can play amplified out if the woods. LOL I recently purchased a battery powered amp from Crate that I have since traded in because I could not get the sound I wanted from it. I purchased the small version of the Fender Passport and use it for my main rug with a TRI-AC as my preamp. It performs flawlessly and gives me the sounds I are my trademark. If Tech 21 made a dual channel SANSAMP or even a three cahnnel version I would buy it in a heartbeat but for now the TRI-AC is what I use most often. Originally I purchased it because I play in some really old honky tonks that have lots of old florescent light fixtures and my Trademark 60 is too noisy because of the poor wiring in those place but the TRI-AC is almost silent with very little RF noise and I can have my sound and run direct to the PA. :-)

I have not had any problems what so ever with the TRI-AC as with my other Tech 21 products. They are very well designed and crafted with the working musician in mind. :-) What more could you ask for except for being fairly priced which is true of all of their products.

I have had very problems with my Tech 21 problems but the few that I did have were quickly taken care of by a very knowledgeable staff. Most of the problems I encountered were easily corrected by me just using suggestions by Lloyd at Tech 21. The one problem that I had will be corrected as soon as I get my Killer Wah sent to the Factory. Lloyd listened to it over the phone and said send it in and immediately gave me a RGA number. The best customer support I have ever had.

I would have to say that as a mind bending preamp this unit rates a 10 in every category. Tech 21 rates a 10 for designing equipment with us working musicians in mind. It is easy to tell that it is a company founded by musicians for musicians.

Real working musicians equipment. Built top take the rigors of the road and fairly priced.
Excellent sound quality and excellent features. Simply the products available for the working musician. This is my opinion of course. My sound comes from Tech 21 products and will until I am too old and weak to play anymore. Incidenatlly my 16 year old son is my Bass player and he loves using my TRI-AC so I guess I will have to get him a Bass Driver. :-)

i played through the unit only for 5 minutes so i cannot write too much about it but maybe it can be helpful for someone...
the stuff is pretty easy to use, so i think i give a nine.

anyhow i tweaked the knobs it sounded good. if i set the treble and the bass to 10 and the mid to 0 on my fender roc-pro amp it sound stupid but with the sansamp it was okay.
i played with an olp guitar and a hughes and kettner combo.
but i woul dlike to tri it with a pa poweramp through my 412 peavey box.

it was okay for that 5 minutes, hehe!

Lloyd ath tech21 is very helpful. i can give a 10. he always replied to my mails fast.

If you can use an amp...

Seriously though, you have to be careful with the drive knob because if your level knob is set to high and you crank that baby -- feedback central! But that to me is a testament to how useful the controls on this unit really are. They actually do something! What a novelty. I have to knock off a point or two because you can blow your speaker if you're not careful -- even with the lazy pots.

As I read through the reviews this product has gotten, I must say that most of the bad reviews in the sound quality category were given by people using the TRI-AC for a purpose other than it was intended for. This product is a preamplier that is all analog in it's signal path (IE NOT a digital modeller). It is designed to be used as a direct recording device, or a preamp into a power amp, PA or powered speaker cab. To place it in front of a combo amp as you would a OD/Distortion stompbox is going to sound like crap. I wonder if these folks wondered why there was a "Tweed" setting?

Personally, I use mine as intended by plugging it into a Tech 21 Power Engine 60 watt power amplifier. For gigging, I use the XLR out of the PE60 direct to the house board and then I use the PE60 for my stage monitor. This combination works like a charm! The sound quality of this SansAmp is outstanding, even the "tinny" British (Marshall style) character setting. If you read the manual, you will see that this setting engages a bright boost capacitor (just like the Marshall Plexi) that increases treble response at low drive settings. The best sounds for this setting happen when you set the drive past the 12:00 o'clock point, and then use you guitars volume knob to control the output level, or you can just dial down the level control on the Tri-AC. I use the volume knob on my guitar which gives me tremendous control over my sound. You can also use the tone knobs on your guitar. The Tweed (Fender) settings are excellent, although I must say that I had to reduce the treble response on the default setting by just a bit. But then I am playing a Fender Strat with a set of Fat 50's PUPs in it so that doesn't surprise me much. The California setting (Mesa Boogie) is also excellent, and I find that my Fat Strat Texas Special just loves this character switch setting. Overall, the sound quality of this unit is better than any modeller out there and I've tried the Line 6 POD, Digitech RP & GNETX Series, Johnson J-Station, Korg's REMS stuff and the Behringer V-Amp among others. For convenience and truly warm, responsive analog tone -- with the convenience of saving 3 "presets" -- this unit is unrivaled IMHO. Add a Digitech Digiverb (pretty darn good for a digital reverb) or a Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail (also very good) and you're set with three great sound amps with reverb.

I've had this unit for about 3 months now, and I have giged several times plus dragging it to practice 1-2 times per week. It fits into the back of my PE60 and away I go. Gets knocked around a bit, but keeps on going so far. Benefit of the doubt...

I have called these folks and they are very knowledgable and no nonsense about their products. I got my answer, plus some suggestions and I didn't have to navigate a long phone menu!

This unit is the answer to a lot of my gigging hassles. Sounds great, easy to carry around and provides 3 great amps sounds which is all I need. If it were stolen, I would immediately get a new one without hesitation. For those who ripped the Tri-AC, give it another shot using it the way it was intended before you apss final judgement. Or not.