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Tech21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI Preamp Pedal

SansAmp Bass Driver DI gives you the warmth, presence, and punch of a miked-up bass tube amp system in a conveniently portable direct box/pedal format. SansAmp Bass Driver DI can be used as a preamp or stomp box with your existing stage rig. You can drive a power amp and speaker cabinets. Or go direct into the mixer of a recorder or PA. You can also plug into a power amp or conventional bass amp and a PA system simultaneously. Learn More...

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Overall User Ratings

Overall:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Individual User Ratings

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Feature:
What made this box unique compared to other pedal DI/pre-amps, this comes with Tube emulation mix (Blend knob) which gives a much warmer tone, harmonics/resonance sensivity level (Presence Knob) which is good for slapping/popping, and finally, the Drive knob which give you options to make your bass growl deeeep.

Quality:
I have own this box for 2 years now and there was one point in time that a sound crew while moving the stage equipments unknowingly placed the bass cab (a 15-incher SWR, 100+ lbs) on top of this pedal. All the knobs still worked well to this day with no scratchy sound on turning it. For awhile, I thought I had lost this one with this incident but true enough - the quality is good.

Value:
This is a good buy given the usefulness of this gadget.

Desirability:
This gear is housed on metal frame with Navy blue color; labels are presented in yellow and complemented by a sensible control layout which gives it a professional and classy look. The color combinations that presents this product makes it easier to read the gear labels on dimly lit stage.

Sound:
This pedal comes only with a 2-band EQ. But I had observed that as I pan the knobs of bass and treble beyond 12 o' clock, it seem to adjust the mid-lo and mid-hi frequencies along with it. On a 5-string bass, a much fatter and aggressive bass tone is produced when playing on the low strings A, E and low-B; while, playing on strings D and G gives a much higher treble which is okay if you're doing slapping/popping. But if you need a fatter sound definition playing on the D and G strings, you need to adjust the EQ at your amp. All-in-all the EQ provided by this small box is sufficient in most bass playing. It would have been nice if this comes with 4-band EQ; but then, given the price and its size this is what we get for. Other than the EQ setback, this unit gives a deep bass sound presented in a much warmer tone and options to make it growl (overdrive) or have a fat slap tone.

Ease of Use:
Tonal adjustments are presented thru knobs which makes it easier to adjust compared to other "hi-tech" floor boxes which utilizes push +/- buttons.

Support:
I never had problems with this gadget; but given the quality of this product, support service probably is as excellent as the product they produce.

Overall:
Some people view this gadget as a DI as its name implies. I view this as a stomp box with characteristics of a pre-amp. I said this because - as I pan the drive knob, somehow it increases the output volume - which is not good when changing tonal settings on live performances. Thus, I am pairing this box with a compression gear by Digitech (Bass Squeeze). Overall, I like this gear. My 5-string bass is constructed with Mahogany body, walnut/wenge neck with rosewood fretboard which provides a natural fat warm tone. But if I wanted to do slapping/popping which usually requires a bass with a brighter sound, my bass comes short on this. So, instead of buying another bass, I bought this gear and used this mainly for achieving a fatter funky tone and for some rock implementations requiring overdrive.

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Feature:
simple, as it should be.

Quality:
never failed.

Sound:
Makes any rig sounds great. Used it in Japan for 5 years. Stolen. Buying a new one soon.

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Feature:
The layout at first glance looks pretty basic.. But the features within just a slight turn of the knobs will give you a vast array of tonal possibilities.

Quality:
Excellent....pictures dont really do this baby justice..This is a real classy peice of gear..It screams quaulity..and high class.

Value:
At first..i thought this unit was a little high priced.......but once i got it and really explored the features I can see that it is priced right. I mean reality is that it cost about the same as a high end straight forward direct box...except that with this its not just plug in and tweek the board..you have dedicated tone shaping capabilities designed specifically for bass..Thats a plus that cant be beat.

Desirability:
Classy and Elegant... This is not the kind of direct box you take out to a fast food joint.. You need to take this baby to a five star resturaunt. And dont gforget to be a gentleman ..and open the door for a lady.

Sound:
The sound of this unit is awesome... You can get any type of tone for any type of style you prefer.

Overall:
This unit can't be compared to any bas modeler amps (flavor of the day)that are out there on the market. This unit is in a class by itself. If you are serious about your bass tone (Studio & Live)..This can't be beat.

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10

Feature:
the only thing i don't like about it is the power plug jack is too close to the 1/4" out jack. other than that its easy and strait forward to use to get phar tones a tube overdrive sounds

Quality:
very sturdy metal construction a stomp box you can actualy stomp on

Value:
a bit pricey

Desirability:
clean design, other musicians always notice it, powder black is always visualy pleasing

Sound:
the tone is awesome on this little beast, it truly is a pre-amp in a stomp box.

Support:
n/a never needed it

Overall:
If the price came down on the rack version i would consider replacing it. Other than that I will use this till it dies then probably get another as fast as possible

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Feature:
Its all you need bass mids and treb easy to work too.

Quality:
ITS BULLET-PROOF

Value:
its a little bit on the expensive side but i think its worth the price

Sound:
I love the way this thing can make my peavey sound like a huge ampeg stack its great

Support:
i havent had a chance to use it like i say its pretty hard to break

Overall:
great buy for your rig if you have 200 bucks layin around this is what you need. And it sounds great through the PA

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10

Feature:
I like stomping on the switch and getting an immediate and predictable boost at settings that I have entered. I've even used it with a six-string electric guitar for soloing with decent success. A carry case would be a nice adder, especially at the price.

Quality:
Very solid box and ac adapter

Value:
A little pricy

Desirability:
It fits the need.

Sound:
It's great to have the controls right at the, for punching up the volume when I need it. Without the effected sound, the DI gives a nice warmth, or it can send a very true and natural sound. The only drawback is that the mid-frequency range peak seems to be right in that nasty 1 - 1.5k region, and seems to be a bit un-natural when boosted. I've worked around it, though, and would probably buy another if this one went out on me.

Overall:
Probably would buy another one, unless a good, clean, quiet bass effects box came out at a marginally higher price.

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Feature:
Again, this is just a pre- if you want compression, chorus, anything else, this isn't designed for that. As a preamp, the features let you easily (and predictably) tailor your sound. Only 2 EQ knobs isn't much control, but they do a surprisingly good job.

Quality:
I've owned this for 2-3 years now and it is built like a tank. I've taken it to countless shows and it's never failed or fallen apart.

Value:
I give this a 10 because it does what it does extremely well. I have played through numerous amps and never found a sound that I liked as well as this. Compared to spending >$500 on even a decent head, this is a tremendous value.

Desirability:
If you're a bass player, the first $200 you ever spend on your setup should be to buy this pedal. It will add to your sound far more than you can imagine, and it will save you the money of buying many more expensive amps and effects. I have recorded and gigged and this is still the foundation of my effects chain.

Sound:
This is a preamp in the form of a stomp box. It sounds amazing and the controls all do their jobs very well. I have played around with several sounds (including the presets in the instruction booklet) and this has a great variety. I have recorded and gigged with this almost exclusively for more than two years and the sounds are always what I want.

Overall:
The only thing I'm thinking about replacing this with is the rackmount version (Sansamp RBI) because the rest of my setup is now rack-based... I'll still hang on to it as a backup because I can't imagine every playing without one.

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Overall:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10

Feature:
Bass and treble tone controls only, no presets.

Quality:
Seems very solid.

Value:
Good tone but doesn't have any effects (chorus, compressor, etc.)

Sound:
Nice warm tube preamp simulation.

Overall:
I need to be able to quickly change tones in a live situation, to switch from finger groove to slap to solo EQ. The Sansamp produces some nice sounds, but you need to turn knobs to get them and there's no way to store settings, which makes the unit impractical for gigs. The Sansamp seems like a very solid unit and it I think it would be a good DI box for recording. For gigs, though, the Behringer Bass V-Amp has all the features I need (and it's $40 cheaper).

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Feature:
Line level output, DI output, Parallel output (clean signal). Phantom power switch. I love the mix tweak, you can get the punch as well as a bit of the clean tone.

Quality:
HEAVY Duty. Totally Stompable!

Value:
The only problem I had (and I say HAD) was that is was very expensive, but in the end its very well worth it. I don't play anywhere without it! I even use it to DI my acoustic/electric guitar.

Desirability:
umm what.. SEX appeal? i'm not into toys! (and this one wouldnt be too comfortable anyway!) hehe

Sound:
Fat, Punchy, Really Great OD

Support:
Never used the support, but my initial queries about the product (before I bought it) were responded to very quickly.

Overall:
I will only consider replacing it if they can offer me a rackmount version of the same unit, but if its too expensive I'll just keep on using the stompbox

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