Keep or Sell? Tech 21 Sansamp GT2
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away a small rebel pedal company in New York created an all analogue amp and cab simulator. Years later, the dark side rose up in the form of digital modeling to challenge analogue technology. The question is, should we look to the past for our ampless guitar gigs, ie the Tech 21 Sansamp GT2 or trust the digital modeling path?
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late 2023 it still sounds better than amp sims to me. Absolute Goat of a pedal.
I sold one and turned around and bought another. Just can’t beat it for songwriting in your home studio. I plug it right into my scarlet interface and get a good sound right away, no menu diving just a few knobs and switches.
I’m a beginner to intermediate guitar player and this is the kind of gear that will make you loose less time tweaking you amp or modeller and it will give you more time to actually play guitar.
A keeper 100% So many warm analog tones squeezed inside it.
I've had this box for 19 years and it's still one of my go-to boxes. No sampled plastic sounding bull-dooky to be found here. I particularly like mine using the clean Tweed setting but I also like the British setting a lot too for dirtier stuff. The California is my least favorite but mostly because it's just not the kind of sound I'm after.
One of the best pedals EVER made! Been with me for 25 years and gets used every day. Amazing tonal differences can be made and humbucker nasty low freqs can be easily tamed.
A GREAT ROCKIN PEDAL! I bought mine in 1997. I've been using it quite often with my smaller practice amps. At the time, I was using kind of a sterile sounding Crate combo amp that had a rather weak Distortion channel. However, when I played the SansAmp GT-2 pedal through the Crate amp's
clean channel, it sounded absolutely phenomenal! Even after I was able to afford a strong tone Marshall DSL40C LOUD tube/valve amplifier, I still held on to the SansAmp GT-2 pedal for studio recording and smaller live gigs and home practice. The only problem I've had with it as of recent is that the drive and volume pots tendd to short out. I hope Tech21 still has their lifetime repair guarantee.
It works as a regular direct box when disengaged, and plug headphones into the output for silent practice when off or on. For headphones you will need either mono to stereo plug, or plug a 1/4" headphone plug in about halfway. I like British/clean/center, gain maxed, roll off guitar volume to clean it up, guitar on full gives a good overdrive/distortion sound, kick in an overdrive and it gets pretty heavy if you add a little extra gain on the pedal. Also cool to put mod switch between clean and hi gain and find your sweet spot on the gain, you get both channels at once.
This video is so good!
Just yesterday, I tried to sell this one, but I have to check if it’s still working properly.
So I played it.
I continued playing for 3 hours.
I decided not to sell it😅
The EQ has a huuuge range. I made a clone about 20 years ago, and it's really my pedal for everything. It's easier to control the gain from an overdrive, the Sans Amp drive control has a lot of gain for my taste (especially in the most extreme settings). I always use it with the drive at 9 o'clock (low) ,flat EQ, and if I want more gain I push with an OCD or a Rangemaster. The Tweed simulation is the best thing it has, by far. The Marshall also has its own thing, but not always in "high gain" mode; if you use it in the "clean" and "classic" positions, it works very similar to an old plexi or jtm (and you can push it with the overdrive, or you can clean it just with the guitar volume, like a real amp)
It's definitely one to keep.
Is the EQ active in that it either cuts or boosts?
Try running this into your DAW with a typical 4x12 Celestion Greenback IR. I sounds amazing and it's more flexible and you can instantly dial in almost any tone you can imagine in your head in seconds. I found some really inspiring tones very quickly. For me it's my goto recording solution and you get your DI signal for reamping. I have the PSA 1.1 rack unit. It really shines in the super high gain department.
I have the GT2 running it in to my Laney clean channel sounds KILLER. The GT2 is a KEEPER! 🎸
I just ordered this pedal, (inspired by Pete Loeffler of Chevelle). Are you running it in the FX loop or in front of the amp?
Got my pedal and it's a keeper. Tones for days and days and days...
Great review. I once used GT2 on a gig with Peavey Classic 30, and had the Marshall Plexi style setting for ZZ Top type distorted sounds. I did not use any other pedals. It worked really well, and I was even complimented on that sound.
Cool, I like the classic 30 and 50 they're good amps.
How do you use GT2 together with classic? Do you connect it in front of the amp or in the fx return? Thanks
@@matouscervenka7248 It was connected in front of the amp.
I use the same; Classic 30 set clean with a touch of verb. GT2 in British (Marshall) mode with Hi-Gain mod. Sounds great!
I came from a sansamp character pedal US Steel, then triple Wreck v2, then sansamp psa2, then fly rig PL1. Then I got the sansamp GT2 out of curiosity and I’ll always remember that impression when I first plugged it and played it. A big WOW. It’s the only one I use now, no extra distortion or drive or nothing, it just sounds superb.
Hi, I’ve been looking at the fly rig pl1 and gt2. If you compare the feuer channel to the gt2 do you feel any differences? Do you think it’s enough to get the gt2 if I’m only interested in the feuer channel? Thanks in advance. It’s hard to find anyone who played both.
@@maximumkarlsson3557 they’re extremely similar and at certain settings, the same amp. You can definitely tell the PL1 is based on the GT2 engine as Paul Landers stated. But I find with the gt2 I can get more tone variety because it has different amp and mic settings. PL1 is very cool, but it’s fire channel is based on just one voice of the gt2. Sure, you can tweak it, but it’s still the same voice.
I prefer the round tones of the GT2.
Thank you so much! It’s so nice to hear an answer with good points. I will go with the gt2. Thanks for taking your time to answer my question 🙂
@@maximumkarlsson3557 glad it made it easier for you. You’ll be amazed with the GT2 🤘🏻
Did you try character British pedals? I like its sound so much. I wonder is it possible to get the same British pedal sound on gt2. Then I would buy gt2.
The Sansamp GT2 still is the easiest and most compact way to get a great guitar tone directly into your recording equipment. I have got an original Hughes & Kettner Tubeman as well as a Laney L5 Studio amp. Both sound even better than the Sansamp, but they are harder to carry and setting them up quickly is more complicated. (The Tubeman needs a special AC power supply.)
My band is looking to gig on the road more and I bought one of these to run at the end of my signal chain through mains instead of taking an amp and cab on the road. However, I also have an AB/Y box that will let me route a signal to both my real Fender Bassman and the GT2 (through a direct box and into an audio interface). I’m interested in seeing what this sounds like versus the real thing
I find that having three user presets with a footswitch each makes their TRi AC model much better.
I have both. Tri-AC is cool, but it can't get all the same tones as the GT2
Great video !
I would keep it if you haven't sold it already. Here's why. Try it through a Headrush 112FRFR. As we all know, full signal chain matters. Putting this through various speakers can get mixed results. Some will sound okay, and some won't. Putting actube amp into a different speaker cab that it wasn't designed with will most likely sound bad. I used a Joyo American Sound into a Headrush 112FRFR, and it sounds bett3r to me than my Kemper, Axe Fx2, or Helix.though the Helix sounds better than all other modelers through this particular speaker. I am sure it would be a different story with a different speaker.
@@woodygranger2126 sold it, but I just bought another one.
i'll keep mine. Still a versatile pedal.
You should do a demo of this with Behringer pedals. I still hate spending big money on at home practice pedals. Great pedal have had mine since I think early 90’s. Great channel.
Behringer have a version of this pedal.
I guess joe satriani's newest album is all on his sansamp he didn't realize it till he was done and his engineer was like oh shit we didn't use any of the mic amps
You can get more variety of clean and overdrives by turning the gain way down and level up. Even on the British and California amps
yup
The circuits completely based on tone filtering and clipping carefully choosen modern chips. Very keen and admirable design and a a bit a middle finger to electronic snobbery.
Kurt has a good tone with that pedal
Yep, that was the main pedal used on In Utero with a Veleno aluminum guitar. Great sound.
Had
You may want to sell it, I don’t think you need it. I would keep it though. Good pedal- the original modeler! 🤷♂️🎸🍄🧘🏼🙏
Sound great keep it😃
Great circuit and brilliant idea back then. Years later still fine in front of the IR loader. I keep it.
Put gt2 into sonicake IR then try 8" studio monitors. You may be surprised.
It was a great demo! Thank you!!!!
Did you try the hughes and kettner Tubeman MK i before? In this case, I'd like to know what do you think about it. Best regards
No I haven't 🤔
Keep the pedal... I just ordered mine, and it will arrive 2moz... I love analogue pedals, they are all I ever use.
Guys, I need a good advice. I like tech21 charater british pedal sound (Joyo british or mosky m-shall). Who knows, may I get the same sound out of gt2? In this case i would buy gt2, because character british duscontinued.
Keep it
Do you find there is an excessive amount of noise with this pedal? I never noticed it in the past but have built mine back into a studio pedal rack after being in storage for about a decade and when enabled (British, Hi-Gain, Center, dials at noon), the noise is very high. Also, when enabled before my Boss CH1 pedal, the chorus pedal squeals wildly - not sure whether a ground loop issue or maybe some of the components in the GT2 have gone bad - or whether it is just a noisy pedal to begin with.
Keep it 👍😉
Is your reverb before or after the sans amp. I am toying with the idea of keeping/selling mine...
Generally speaking I would put reverb and Delay after a pedal like this.
anyone knows how these compare to their Blonde etc series? I don't get why they would make pedals that only imitate 1 amp while they have this one that can imitate a bunch, and almost for the same price??
I'd imagine the individual pedals are more flexible
I have the Blonde, it's a great pedal platform and works for me. It records extremely well.
In the GT2 you have to use the drive in a low position, It has too much (I guess it was part of the design of the time, all the kids wanted a JCM800 to play metal, but they were expensive)
The circuit has a lot of changes between the 3 types of amp (1 or 2 gain stages, just like a real old amp, it tweaks the EQ in the gain stages and also in the later ones (the same thing that happens when you move treble/bass on a plexi head for example, you don't affect the general "EQ", but you affect the gain stages, and with that you change the character of the distortion).
The new series (blonde, california, british) is only 1 "amp" of the GT2, made into pedal
.
(in fact, in the GT2 circuit, you have 2 different input stages, one for "tweed" and the other for mesa/marshall, they come together before the EQ, just like a real amp)
@@pedrova8058 Do you know, is it possible to get exact the same sound of character British pedal on gt2. I like its sound so much. But they discontinued character pedals. Only gt2 available.
In terms of efficiency, if the pedal is nearly 30 years old and there is still doubt about selling it next to the technology of nowadays, it means the old technology is tough to beat. Otherwise, it would have been knocked out already.
Now, in terms of effectiveness, it has to do with the needs of the musician. The actual technology is more versatile and easier to operate.
(I got the SansAmp Classic and I am wondering about keeping it or selling it)
Tech 21 calls it "clean" while it sounds overdriven because no one buys a pedal for genuine clean tone. You want clean then bypass the pedal. :D
It’s the 💣, 4ever a keeper🤘🏾
Have you (or anyone on this comment thread) used this with a Roland Jazz Chorus? I'd love to know your thoughts. Judging by this video, my guess is that it would sound pretty good. Thank you for the video!
I haven't, these were designed as an amp & cab simulator, however, plenty of people say that they sound good into an amp.
I run mine through a custom built Fender Princeton 2x10. I’ve run this pedal for 24 years. It’s my only distortion. I use exclusively the Mesa classic gain rolled all the way off and it sounds super 70s classic. I’ll never have another distortion pedal. Love it.
Have it for abt 20 years now. Found no reason to let it go. What digital does is just mimic all other existing pedal & amps. Why waste money.?
I dont have it but I think it is NOT a cabinet sim, just PreAmp (or maybe it is ?). Also I read the manual and it says nothing about connecting it through the effects loop.
The fact it has a mic placement setting puts it as a cab sim. Now, wether it's good at it or not is another question.
Totally agree with all of your comments. In fairness the 'Tweed' actually sounded rather good.
But, as I'm sure you're thinking... It's a sell. 😄
Yeah, it was fun to have a play, but not justifiable to keep.
Hi. Is this pedal similar to the old sansamp classic '89 reisssue ? Thanks
I'm not sure, I've never tried the GT1
not really... i owned both but i am not a big fan of them. bought them for Nirvana sounds but i prefer my boss ds1 or ds2 or my rat. imo the classic beats the gt2, but the prices for the classic are a joke.
does it take pedals well ?
@guitarplayer5932 good question 🤔 I'm going to do a follow-up video, I'll address it then.
Yes it does. I have mine for 15 years and I’ve set an old D&R compressor in front and sounds amazing. I didn’t know Sansamp at all until I was watching Steve Hackett’s gear on his website. He’s also using the GT2 (unless he has changed in the meantime).
Keep
If I have sanamp I want to buy Tomlin cabsim
sold it years ago, never regretted ever
Bassman amps are not very clean FWIW
LIke what?
Kurt cobain pedal ❤
Can hear some megadeth tone
There's something about the clarity of this pedal that I just don't like. Unsubscribe.
Yes, it definitely has a 'flavour' about it.
I sold mine lol
Keep