Tech 21 made THE go to stuff in the 90's and early 2000's for recording without an amp. It's refreshing to see that ,after all the loads of digital modelers, their stuff still kicks ass.
Back in the day, (WAY back!), I used a prototype of the original unit for a song of mine I was recording in my home studio. It was lent to me by Mick Jones of Foreigner, so that was kinda cool. His former guitar tech was the inventor and the founder of the company, Andrew Barta. I assume Andrew was giving Mick prototypes to check out and give feedback (no pun intended!) The parts I recorded with that unit still sound really good today!
very cool story! I've been a fan of Mick since the 70's and credit Foreigner for my 1st taste of rock 'n roll. and a user Tech 21 since my dad gave me a Sans Amp GT2 in '92. I put it in front of a Peavey Triumph 60 tube head on the clean channel and it took my sound to a new level. I used it live and for recording because I could't afford a Marshall.
I've got an original SansAmp from back in the day, and it simply blew me away how good it sounded when I dug it out and tried it again a month or two ago! I'm definitely going to find a place for it in my current setup!
You have the greatest gig in showbiz. Saw you recently in Buffalo with BNL which was a great surprise! Met you a few times at various NAMM shows too. Well done! Kudos to you! I just found my original Sans Amp pedal which I got in 1992. Very much looking forward to plugging it in and seeing what it sounds like today. Cheers!
For those wondering (like me): Gain (input sensitivity, set the level going into the PSA), Buzz (boost or cut low-end break-up and overdrive), Punch (boost or cut midrange break-up and overdrive), Crunch (boost or cut top-end break-up and overdrive), Drive (increase amount of simulated power amp distortion), Low and High (shelving EQ, boost or cut 18dB), Trim (global volume control for all presets).
Good stuff, I was already considering the dUg Pinnick bass pedal, now this needs to be considered. The curse of wanting to play both instruments is the cost and bulk of the amps. These pedals and one power amp solves that problem.
I've been studying this unit I wanted to comment on the Buzz, Punch, and Crunch controls. That part of the unit is basically an active band-pass filter. It allows you to turn certain frequency bands up or down additively driving the signal with those frequencies. The Bass and Treble controls are subtractive so they reduce bass and treble as you roll them off but passively. To me the active controls driving the frequencies you want is perfect. I can get almost any sound I hear in my head where all other amps/preamps have their limits. This thing is amazing I just pulled the trigger on the Rack Unit because I wanted the additional IO. Some guys A/B comparing these two units say the rack unit sounds better. I'm a full blown cork sniffing tube amp snob and I absolutely love the sound this thing gets. I used the protools plugin and was completely blown away.
I still have my "Classic" SansAmp from 1992, an RK5 Flyrig, the CALI Flyrig, and have used them a lot. However, the one common issue I have is that they all seem to be missing that high-end sparkle. Not sure why. Could just be me and my settings. But yeah, Tech21 really revolutionized DI recording. I haven't recorded with an amp since the early 90's.
One useful thing this does, is with the "punch" (mid dirt) control, when it's lower than 12 o'clock, you get an American sound for Fenderish or Mesa-ish feel (depending on how much distortion), and past 12 o'clock, the general character of the sound gets more British. I still have the rack mount version of this I bought in the 90s, and I picked up that "trick" from reading it somewhere, probably a Guitar Player mag review or something. Imo, anyone who even just messes around on guitar on a hobbyist "whenever they think about it" basis once every few days should still invest in this.
I really love how you use speed and longer runs as an effect and not speed for its own sake. You do it in your demos and it's all over your two albums. You can blast.....but it never comes out as a Note Salad.
I own one and it's awsome. For class D power and IRs I prefer keeping the cab sim on. It works like a filter and usually works very well. For valve amps it seems to be better with the cabsim off.
I was reading that Joe Satriani said he used a Sansamp plugin for all the guitars on his latest album. He preferred it to all the other tones. The plugin is very old. Has modelling really come that far in 20 years then? Generally yes, but in that Sansamp plugin's case at least, newer tech is not always better. P.S. Re. Newer is better. The amp I played and liked most was a Marshall JMP 2203 through a Celestion branded 4x12. It was my nephew's father's amp and I got to play a 1980s party gig with it. Sounded great with his Charvel model 5 and a Yamaha distortion pedal. He traded it in for a new JCM 900 Dual Reverb when they first released. The newer is better thing we tended to assume in those days. I remind him to this day that trading in that amp was a mistake. He agrees (His band was called Confessor - a 1980s NZ band that played support for Motorhead and Megadeth etc -- kind of a mix of early thrash and NWOBHM). The Boss Katana is probably better than its 1980s equivalent the Peavey Bandit though. I just gave my nephew a Silver Jubilee 2525H and a Laney Lionheart 2x12 with H30s in it. Worth doing for sure. He's already better on guitar than me or his dad in some ways. Seeing a kid grow up playing guitar and constantly getting better is priceless. My niece did not learn to play the Hello Kitty strat I got her though. Blinkin' hip hop and pop music etc. Oh well (she is my favourite person in the world though, even with the dodgy taste in music etc).
Used a GT2 pretty well all the time for playing live. Great tones that still hold up today for some circumstances. The PSA 2.0 is a great option with its programming ability.
I love the rackmount! This is a great option as well.I wish they had an extra "return in on the back" so you could take your delays and reverbs from the regular out and back into the unit and use the xlr out. I am sure a DI would work just as well so no biggie. While I'm dreaming, Tech 21 please make a "vocal fly rig"!!!! For people that use sequencer live, all the vocal fx could switch via midi!
The guitarist for one of my favorite local bands growing up (Yolk….from the southern tier NY area) used one and used to get these really great, punchy cleans with an SG that sounded amazing with a wah. I think he ran it through a Peavy tube power amp into a 1960 cab.
The GT2 was my first guitar pedal. I've only stopped using it recently because it developed audio dropouts. Might be a bad solder joint, not sure. I tried the Behringer copy of it, but it just doesn't feel the same. It's fun putting overdrive into and and EQ after it too. It has its own overall tone, kind of compressed and friendly sounding.
Love Tech 21 stuff. I use their YYZ pedal on Bass, and the VT Bass pedal as an Ampeg V4 "simulator," if you will, with guitar, for those Stone-sy sounds.
PETE I thought that sounded familiar but being old school and missing 20+ Years!! I've missed a lot but U showed the old pedal then I did recall it but never owned one, but I would be happy to buy one for my home Studio but have to see , TY Brother and God Bless all my Best 4-5-4 Fight/Nicked Lady Show's 🙏🤘🎸🤠
I had the Tech 21 Fly Rig 5 and had to return it. I just play in my room but for some reason I was getting this noise no matter what outlet I plugged it in or even using surge protectors. If it wasn't for that I would have kept it because it sounded great. For some reason, some multi-fx/amp modeler type units do that for me and a number of them don't. I attribute it to maybe companies skimping on the wiring/insulation maybe. Regardless, it sounded great but I couldn't use it. I wonder if this newer one has the same issues? I do have several of their Character Series pedals and have no issue with them.
I like the gear reviews you post up on TH-cam. You also recently done the Two-Notes Revolt. How would you describe the major differences between the Sans-Amp vs. Revolt ? They both sound awesome on your videos. The Sans-Amp looks to be more flexible and user friendly. The Revolt sounds more true to the amps it's emulating. Thanks again.
Surprisingly I did not like the tone with IR. However, with built-in speaker sim... hm... I really liked it! That is really surprising as I have mostly negative experience with analog cabsims. I even owned SansAmp many years ago and it left rather bad flavor in my mind, but I was not experienced player back then. I need to give this thing a second try...
I was wondering why I couldn't hear the lead on the Mosrite-style guitar ... I only had my right earbud in, and it was on the left channel... lol. Nice demo.
Your videos are such a plethora of information. I don't think you've ever mentioned Rockman gear (I could be mistaken). Is the Sholz tone not one you're into? That guy did some incredible stuff. Created his own unique tone. Made the first headphone amp. And his own line of rack gear. Anyway's, always interesting to hear/see your videos.
I've been really digging your videos on the reactive load, impulse response, and this sansamp pedal. But Pete, what system are you using to hear the sound? Is it monitors? Is it recorded from the computer? I'm a newbie, and I'm chasing the tone in my head but i don't know where to start to find it 😅.
Great demo, as usual. You could run your guitar into a mound of mashed potatoes, and it would sound great. Ha! 😆 I'm a brown sound nerd, so I try to find it in every modeler I have. I own an original PSA1 and have been frustrated finding the brown sound. I went to preset #8, which is supposedly Van Halen 1. IMO, it doesn't sound ANYTHING like Eddie's early tone. So, I tried dialing in his tone on my own. I found a lot of high gain tones, but this unit lacks the variac sag that is the integral component of early EVH. Have you had any success dialing in the brown sound with your PSA? I also have a Sansamp British character series pedal, and the Van Halen setting they suggest isn't spot on, either. It's way too mid heavy and muddy. 😖 I'm learning to ignore factory settings suggestions and try to find it on my own. Thanks again for your demos and knowledge. I always learn something I wasn't aware of before. 👊
Question on using this, as I have something similar. I have a tube preamp/drive pedal on the floor (after the tuner & wah in the signal path), but it doesn’t have onboard reverb. It has both a line out, and an cab simulator. I want to come out of the preamp/drive pedal, into a reverb, then to the mic pre on the console. What’s the best way to do that, out of the line out, or out of the cab simulator? I was wondering about adding reverb after the amp simulator. The pedal mostly mimics my main amp, which is two channel with onboard reverb, difference being that the pedal has three channels & no onboard reverb. This is my “Shit, the neighbors are home” setup.
When you say console do you mean recording interface? Or like a little mixer? You could just come out of your print pedal into whatever you were using for reverb and then come out of that into a DI and then either into a line or microphone input… Should work fine. Just experiment a little bit.
Well, the way they listed in the manual, they say that it increases saturation in those frequencies.… Something like that. See you shortly get more mids and more distortion in the mids at the same time for instance.
I had fast Internet backstage at the venue. I was playing yesterday, so I thought I better get it uploaded and set to release… I like to release my videos at 10 AM Pacific time usually.
What's not to like? Okay; no XLR output, no MIDI out/thru, no FX loop, reverb or boost function, and NuX Amp Academy, while digital, is only 200 bucks.
I'm looking for a SansAmp gear that doesn't sound good... Does it exist?!?😂 It seems SansAmp is not able to go bellow a certain amount of goodness😊 By the way Pete you made an awesome demo for an awesome piece of gear!!!👍 I send you a few tons of love from France🇨🇵 where you are and you will always be welcome like you're at home!!! Same thing for my US and UK fellows, more than welcome in France bros!!!🇨🇵💖🤘
Tech 21 made THE go to stuff in the 90's and early 2000's for recording without an amp. It's refreshing to see that ,after all the loads of digital modelers, their stuff still kicks ass.
Back in the day, (WAY back!), I used a prototype of the original unit for a song of mine I was recording in my home studio. It was lent to me by Mick Jones of Foreigner, so that was kinda cool. His former guitar tech was the inventor and the founder of the company, Andrew Barta. I assume Andrew was giving Mick prototypes to check out and give feedback (no pun intended!) The parts I recorded with that unit still sound really good today!
very cool story! I've been a fan of Mick since the 70's and credit Foreigner for my 1st taste of rock 'n roll. and a user Tech 21 since my dad gave me a Sans Amp GT2 in '92. I put it in front of a Peavey Triumph 60 tube head on the clean channel and it took my sound to a new level. I used it live and for recording because I could't afford a Marshall.
I've got an original SansAmp from back in the day, and it simply blew me away how good it sounded when I dug it out and tried it again a month or two ago! I'm definitely going to find a place for it in my current setup!
Sans amp was ahead of its time tech 21 also imo.
Great video!
Love my GT2 pedal. The only thing that sounds like it is the Original Rackmount Non-Programable Sans Amp.
The sound of a thousand certified chart albums. Used in more professional recordings than anyone admits.
And on many instruments besides guitar! I feel like before so many plug-ins existed, the PSA was the way everybody would distort drums, vocals, etc.
@@omen3766 backup? Why not make it a central part of your rig? Wiþ a back-up one too lol.
Which albums? People say this a lot, but I've never seen a list.
You have the greatest gig in showbiz. Saw you recently in Buffalo with BNL which was a great surprise!
Met you a few times at various NAMM shows too.
Well done! Kudos to you!
I just found my original Sans Amp pedal which I got in 1992. Very much looking forward to plugging it in and seeing what it sounds like today.
Cheers!
For those wondering (like me): Gain (input sensitivity, set the level going into the PSA), Buzz (boost or cut low-end break-up and overdrive), Punch (boost or cut midrange break-up and overdrive), Crunch (boost or cut top-end break-up and overdrive), Drive (increase amount of simulated power amp distortion), Low and High (shelving EQ, boost or cut 18dB), Trim (global volume control for all presets).
Good stuff, I was already considering the dUg Pinnick bass pedal, now this needs to be considered. The curse of wanting to play both instruments is the cost and bulk of the amps. These pedals and one power amp solves that problem.
sounds great. A PT Fly Rig would be killer!
I've been studying this unit I wanted to comment on the Buzz, Punch, and Crunch controls. That part of the unit is basically an active band-pass filter. It allows you to turn certain frequency bands up or down additively driving the signal with those frequencies. The Bass and Treble controls are subtractive so they reduce bass and treble as you roll them off but passively. To me the active controls driving the frequencies you want is perfect. I can get almost any sound I hear in my head where all other amps/preamps have their limits. This thing is amazing I just pulled the trigger on the Rack Unit because I wanted the additional IO. Some guys A/B comparing these two units say the rack unit sounds better. I'm a full blown cork sniffing tube amp snob and I absolutely love the sound this thing gets. I used the protools plugin and was completely blown away.
I'm a long time SansAmp fan. The guys at Tech21 have really good ears. Totally dug your demo Pete!
I still have my "Classic" SansAmp from 1992, an RK5 Flyrig, the CALI Flyrig, and have used them a lot. However, the one common issue I have is that they all seem to be missing that high-end sparkle. Not sure why. Could just be me and my settings. But yeah, Tech21 really revolutionized DI recording. I haven't recorded with an amp since the early 90's.
i prefer the sound of tech 21’s circuits to any digital modeler i’ve heard or used, and the XXL is still my go-to pedal for high gain sounds
One useful thing this does, is with the "punch" (mid dirt) control, when it's lower than 12 o'clock, you get an American sound for Fenderish or Mesa-ish feel (depending on how much distortion), and past 12 o'clock, the general character of the sound gets more British. I still have the rack mount version of this I bought in the 90s, and I picked up that "trick" from reading it somewhere, probably a Guitar Player mag review or something. Imo, anyone who even just messes around on guitar on a hobbyist "whenever they think about it" basis once every few days should still invest in this.
I really love how you use speed and longer runs as an effect and not speed for its own sake. You do it in your demos and it's all over your two albums.
You can blast.....but it never comes out as a Note Salad.
Thanks!
I still have my PSA-1 and still dig it out now and then for recording. Wonderful warm analog sound.
Melodic guitar parts are not dead 🙏🏻 Oh and the new Sans Amp sounds amazing too
I own one and it's awsome. For class D power and IRs I prefer keeping the cab sim on. It works like a filter and usually works very well. For valve amps it seems to be better with the cabsim off.
I was reading that Joe Satriani said he used a Sansamp plugin for all the guitars on his latest album. He preferred it to all the other tones. The plugin is very old. Has modelling really come that far in 20 years then? Generally yes, but in that Sansamp plugin's case at least, newer tech is not always better.
P.S. Re. Newer is better. The amp I played and liked most was a Marshall JMP 2203 through a Celestion branded 4x12. It was my nephew's father's amp and I got to play a 1980s party gig with it. Sounded great with his Charvel model 5 and a Yamaha distortion pedal. He traded it in for a new JCM 900 Dual Reverb when they first released. The newer is better thing we tended to assume in those days. I remind him to this day that trading in that amp was a mistake. He agrees (His band was called Confessor - a 1980s NZ band that played support for Motorhead and Megadeth etc -- kind of a mix of early thrash and NWOBHM). The Boss Katana is probably better than its 1980s equivalent the Peavey Bandit though.
I just gave my nephew a Silver Jubilee 2525H and a Laney Lionheart 2x12 with H30s in it. Worth doing for sure. He's already better on guitar than me or his dad in some ways. Seeing a kid grow up playing guitar and constantly getting better is priceless. My niece did not learn to play the Hello Kitty strat I got her though. Blinkin' hip hop and pop music etc. Oh well (she is my favourite person in the world though, even with the dodgy taste in music etc).
Wow! That sounds even better than I thought. Thanks for video Pete.
The feedback from the baritone at the end is aces!
Used a GT2 pretty well all the time for playing live. Great tones that still hold up today for some circumstances. The PSA 2.0 is a great option with its programming ability.
I love the rackmount! This is a great option as well.I wish they had an extra "return in on the back" so you could take your delays and reverbs from the regular out and back into the unit and use the xlr out. I am sure a DI would work just as well so no biggie. While I'm dreaming, Tech 21 please make a "vocal fly rig"!!!! For people that use sequencer live, all the vocal fx could switch via midi!
Well done Pete,thanks for your info and demos,always fun to watch and listen to your playing.
The guitarist for one of my favorite local bands growing up (Yolk….from the southern tier NY area) used one and used to get these really great, punchy cleans with an SG that sounded amazing with a wah. I think he ran it through a Peavy tube power amp into a 1960 cab.
@pete ... excellent review sir! Looks like a super versatile pedal!
The GT2 was my first guitar pedal. I've only stopped using it recently because it developed audio dropouts. Might be a bad solder joint, not sure. I tried the Behringer copy of it, but it just doesn't feel the same. It's fun putting overdrive into and and EQ after it too. It has its own overall tone, kind of compressed and friendly sounding.
Love Tech 21 stuff. I use their YYZ pedal on Bass, and the VT Bass pedal as an Ampeg V4 "simulator," if you will, with guitar, for those Stone-sy sounds.
Yeah the geddy Sansamp stuff is great!
The trinity of awesome guitar vids online: Rick Beato, Ola Englund, and Pete Thorn.
I have the Trademark 10 awesome little amp.
I still rock my SansAmp GT2
Cool jam, Hey your leads on B.R. (the short) with 5 for Fighting sounded really spot on , Kudos Kiddo!
PETE I thought that sounded familiar but being old school and missing 20+ Years!! I've missed a lot but U showed the old pedal then I did recall it but never owned one, but I would be happy to buy one for my home Studio but have to see , TY Brother and God Bless all my Best 4-5-4 Fight/Nicked Lady Show's 🙏🤘🎸🤠
Still love my Paul Landers Flyrig for cleans.
I really like my Sansamp GT2
Awesome playing Pete! Love your reviews and tasty guitar licks on the products.
I used the GT2 a ton for recording back in the day!
The RK5 is my go to
I had the Tech 21 Fly Rig 5 and had to return it. I just play in my room but for some reason I was getting this noise no matter what outlet I plugged it in or even using surge protectors. If it wasn't for that I would have kept it because it sounded great. For some reason, some multi-fx/amp modeler type units do that for me and a number of them don't. I attribute it to maybe companies skimping on the wiring/insulation maybe. Regardless, it sounded great but I couldn't use it. I wonder if this newer one has the same issues? I do have several of their Character Series pedals and have no issue with them.
Sounds awesome Pete!
I like the gear reviews you post up on TH-cam. You also recently done the Two-Notes Revolt. How would you describe the major differences between the Sans-Amp vs. Revolt ? They both sound awesome on your videos. The Sans-Amp looks to be more flexible and user friendly. The Revolt sounds more true to the amps it's emulating. Thanks again.
C'est y est, Pete , tu m'énerves encore !!😊
Surprisingly I did not like the tone with IR. However, with built-in speaker sim... hm... I really liked it! That is really surprising as I have mostly negative experience with analog cabsims. I even owned SansAmp many years ago and it left rather bad flavor in my mind, but I was not experienced player back then. I need to give this thing a second try...
I've been playing for 50 years and want to create leads like Pete Thorn when I grow up.
I was wondering why I couldn't hear the lead on the Mosrite-style guitar ... I only had my right earbud in, and it was on the left channel... lol. Nice demo.
Your videos are such a plethora of information. I don't think you've ever mentioned Rockman gear (I could be mistaken). Is the Sholz tone not one you're into? That guy did some incredible stuff. Created his own unique tone. Made the first headphone amp. And his own line of rack gear. Anyway's, always interesting to hear/see your videos.
I had the original psa1 rack and I sold it “by mistake”. I am thinking to buy this for bass and guitar
Love how you’re more concerned with the usability of the tones, rather than how closely they resemble “original” amps…said the (otherwise) puritan.
I use my SansAmp as a no-input feedback oscillator.
(:
ah analog
I'd love to hear bass guitar and vocals through this too.
I've been really digging your videos on the reactive load, impulse response, and this sansamp pedal. But Pete, what system are you using to hear the sound? Is it monitors? Is it recorded from the computer?
I'm a newbie, and I'm chasing the tone in my head but i don't know where to start to find it 😅.
Great demo, as usual. You could run your guitar into a mound of mashed potatoes, and it would sound great. Ha! 😆
I'm a brown sound nerd, so I try to find it in every modeler I have.
I own an original PSA1 and have been frustrated finding the brown sound. I went to preset #8, which is supposedly Van Halen 1. IMO, it doesn't sound ANYTHING like Eddie's early tone. So, I tried dialing in his tone on my own. I found a lot of high gain tones, but this unit lacks the variac sag that is the integral component of early EVH. Have you had any success dialing in the brown sound with your PSA?
I also have a Sansamp British character series pedal, and the Van Halen setting they suggest isn't spot on, either. It's way too mid heavy and muddy. 😖
I'm learning to ignore factory settings suggestions and try to find it on my own.
Thanks again for your demos and knowledge. I always learn something I wasn't aware of before. 👊
I would have liked to heard your thoughts on using it live , how it compares to the digital platforms that are out there
Even by today's standards they still sound incredible.
Thanks for another great review! Can you capture IR profiles from the PSA 2.0 or other modelers via the Tonex software?
I would think so yes
Question on using this, as I have something similar. I have a tube preamp/drive pedal on the floor (after the tuner & wah in the signal path), but it doesn’t have onboard reverb. It has both a line out, and an cab simulator. I want to come out of the preamp/drive pedal, into a reverb, then to the mic pre on the console. What’s the best way to do that, out of the line out, or out of the cab simulator? I was wondering about adding reverb after the amp simulator.
The pedal mostly mimics my main amp, which is two channel with onboard reverb, difference being that the pedal has three channels & no onboard reverb. This is my “Shit, the neighbors are home” setup.
When you say console do you mean recording interface? Or like a little mixer?
You could just come out of your print pedal into whatever you were using for reverb and then come out of that into a DI and then either into a line or microphone input… Should work fine. Just experiment a little bit.
@@PeteThornTascam 2488 Portastudio.
Those are some tasty lines
Thanks!
Maybe the crunch and buzz are pre distortion eq ? Doesn’t sound bad at all to me…..
Well, the way they listed in the manual, they say that it increases saturation in those frequencies.… Something like that. See you shortly get more mids and more distortion in the mids at the same time for instance.
Goes to show you there is very little to gain in constantly getting the latest modeler etc...anything from helix period on and you can get pro results
But wasn't that discontinued?
That was the SansAmp PSA-1.1 rackmount. This pedal came out in late 2019.
What?, 16 hours it premiers?! Well..sheesh
I had fast Internet backstage at the venue. I was playing yesterday, so I thought I better get it uploaded and set to release… I like to release my videos at 10 AM Pacific time usually.
What's not to like? Okay; no XLR output, no MIDI out/thru, no FX loop, reverb or boost function, and NuX Amp Academy, while digital, is only 200 bucks.
Wow.... a little late to the party! Lol ... isn't this unit already 5 years old (give or take)
I actually have no idea, they just approached me to make a video of it, and I see it as an updated version of the PSA…
Not convinced Pete is that bothered by this one - think its more of a 'I'm getting paid' job
is it just me or have all youtube video content started seriously lacking since 2020 gee wonder why.
It’s just you
I'm looking for a SansAmp gear that doesn't sound good... Does it exist?!?😂 It seems SansAmp is not able to go bellow a certain amount of goodness😊
By the way Pete you made an awesome demo for an awesome piece of gear!!!👍
I send you a few tons of love from France🇨🇵 where you are and you will always be welcome like you're at home!!! Same thing for my US and UK fellows, more than welcome in France bros!!!🇨🇵💖🤘
I don't know how to and never used " speaker simulation ", I use my valve amps !!
anologue still beats dsp