Tech 21 SansAmp Character Series British Amp Pedal
The legendary crunch of British steel and Greenback-style speakers and much more from this Anglo-voiced pedal.
Overall User Ratings (based on 2 ratings)
Submitted April 2, 2010 by a customer from yahoo.com
"Great tone, simple to use, wish it had balanced outs."
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
If this is anything like my other sansamp products, I suspect it will be rockin for decades.
If I could have one wish regarding this and Sansamp pedals in general, it would be that all of their products were programmable and had balanced outs to reduce noise through common-mode-rejection. But at this price-point, that's impossible. Maybe future designs could have that as an upgrade option? Please?
Sound
I still own my original Marshall 100 watt head, (circa 1972) two fifty-watt plexi's and a Marshal 100 watt head that was modified By Eddie's amp-tech, Jose. So long as you use a good power amp ( like a QSC or OLD American made Crown) and have a good cab with good speakers, this sounds exactly like the real thing.
Not only that, it can sound like MANY VERSIONS of a real vintage Marshall, modified or not. It FEELS like a real amp, even when you just plug it into your mixer.
Features
SImplicity and GREAT TONE are the main features. The fact that it is small and inexpensive doesn't hurt either.
Ease of Use
It doesn't get any easier... You plug in your guitar and rock. Any twist of the knobs immediately informs you what that knob does, even if they weren't clearly and logical labeled, which they are. Honestly, you'd have to really be stupid to get a bad sound out of this. It works all across the board, even with ridiculous gain settings.
It has a little "booklet" manual, but you won;t need it.
Quality
I have used Sansamp products for decades now and never had a problem, despite years of tortuous tours and thousands of sessions. Except for this, the newest Sansamp product I use are the GT2 and the PSA 1.1. Those two i have been using daily for the last three years. I still have my original Sansamp, (the one with the dip-switches) and it still works after over a decade. That's why I jumped on this as soon as they were available.
At this price, it is mostly great, though I would gladly pay extra for a way to save several settings and would love to see a balanced XLR or TRS out. That's the only suggestion I could make to improve this or any of the other pedals in this "character" line.
Value
It's like getting three customized Marshalls for the price of a Wal Mart guitar... How good is that?
( Does that make it a "Wall-Martial?" ;-)
Manufacturer Support
The guys at Sansamp are regular working stiffs who answer phones and e-mails. They are knowledgeable and get back to you quickly. I have never had problems with their stuff, but I have had technical questions. They always answered fast... usually within 24 hours ( weekdays)
The Wow Factor
If you like pedals and love the Marshal stack sound, the "I want it factor" goes to eleven!
Musical Background:
pro session player
Musical Style:
all
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Submitted September 29, 2012 by Stephen Murphy in Charlotte, NC
"Excellent alone or in your effects chain"
I've used this now for a few weeks both as an amp emulation after a Line 6 POD, alone, and after other effects pedals. It shines after my EMG loaded Les Paul. Super crunchy, which is what I was looking for. There's a lot of adjustability, so I'm sure you could get a good clean tone too. My single complaint is that it doesn't feel as solid as my Boss pedals. It doesn't have that solid metal heft to it that those pedals do, but the knobs feel quality, and I'm sure it's durable if you take care of it. I've been very impressed, and look forward to using it for some time to come.
Musical Background:
Weekend Gigger
Musical Style:
Modern Worship, Rock
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