I'm getting the Tech 21 Bass Driver 2nd hand....

magnusdeus123 · #1 01-03-2008, 12:11 PM

Should I buy it ??

Reviews praise it to high heavens as one of the best purchases you can get for your bass . I'm getting it kinda cheap enough to be a good....actually a great deal considering how much the original guy bought it for . Gonna check it out obviously .

I currently dont have any thing besides my bass (Ibanez GSR 390) and a Laney HCM 15B 15w amp . I connect my bass to the PC to record **** once a while , so I'm wondering that a DI + Preamp , is probably a good idea , hell for the preamp alone , it's a good idea .

What are you opinions..??

dancehallclasher · #2 01-03-2008, 12:31 PM

Opinions are very divided. If you play rock, especially with a pick, I think it's an amazing pedal. If you're trying to cop Jamerson, Jaco, Jamiroquai... not so much.

basadam · #3 01-03-2008, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dancehallclasher

Opinions are very divided. If you play rock, especially with a pick, I think it's an amazing pedal. If you're trying to cop Jamerson, Jaco, Jamiroquai... not so much.

True. Opinions are divided. I think with a little tweaking it can do all of the above.

magnusdeus123 · #4 01-03-2008, 01:20 PM

Hmm....well getting it is always a plus on the tonal side compared to not getting it right ??

Btw , I play rock/classic metal and plan to play nu-jazz/jazz-funk as I progress .

good enuff ??

Gear_Junky · #5 01-03-2008, 01:24 PM

Timi · #6 01-03-2008, 05:29 PM

If you buy it used for a good price you should be able to sell it for what you paid if you don't like it, so go for it!

For the record I don't like them, but it seems most people do.

jjhardy · #7 01-03-2008, 06:10 PM

worth it. itll even make a practice amp sound more than decent if you're into the tone

diechris · #8 01-03-2008, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dancehallclasher

Opinions are very divided. If you play rock, especially with a pick, I think it's an amazing pedal. If you're trying to cop Jamerson, Jaco, Jamiroquai... not so much.

Zender uses a sabdi now

i dont use one but i keep one around. i like the tone i get from my other OD pedal more. the reason i keep one is because if something happens to my rig i can always use it as a DI.

improvpwnd · #9 01-03-2008, 07:10 PM

Good pedal for recording. I use the Sansamp BDDI to record...one signal clean, straight from my bass (using the BDDI's parallel output) and one signal as dirty as I want from the BDDI's main output. Mix the two, scrap one, its all up to you, but at least you got it all.

zippydog · #10 01-04-2008, 09:52 PM

I returned one a few days after buying it.

YMMV.

Gear_Junky · #11 01-05-2008, 02:44 PM

this DI, like all SansAmps (which translates "without an amp") are amp/cab simulators and are not intended for going into an amp (although often do sound good that way too and are advertised as such).

they really do shine at recording or playing "direct" into the desk. the may or may not sound like the real deal, but certainly way cheaper/lighter and useable.

To anyone who doesn't like any SansAmp box, that's ok, but i strongly suggest really trying them without an amp (as a preamp into a recording or live console) and playing around with settings. they are not your average Boss pedal.

SteveMcB · #12 01-05-2008, 03:40 PM

Bought one used recently. Sounds great, but I'm not yet sure that it will do exactly what I want it to in terms of OD sound. I may have to get other pedals for that...

But the sound guy at church loooves it compared to the cheap Proco and ART DI's the church has or to having to deal with my biamp rig...

Steve

Timi · #13 01-05-2008, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gear_Junky

To anyone who doesn't like any SansAmp box, that's ok, but i strongly suggest really trying them without an amp (as a preamp into a recording or live console) and playing around with settings. they are not your average Boss pedal.

Agreed, I also think they sound better running direct than into an amp, but I still don't like them (owned one for 2 years and borrow them sometimes).

Gear_Junky · #14 01-10-2008, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timi

...but I still don't like them ... borrow them sometimes).

a-ha!

Seriously, though, I am always curious to hear what people, who seriously tried them don't like about them. That adds to my experience.

Do you not like tone or how it cuts through the mix? live or recording?

plastik-bass[?] · #15 01-10-2008, 04:18 PM

i've thought about getting one of these nice to see all these reviews

Timi · #16 01-10-2008, 04:34 PM

Nearly everyone raves about them but I don't like them, so sometimes I borrow one to give it another chance on my rig at home, at practice and also trying it for direct recording. Everytime I do this it reassures me that I just don't like them.

I would use one live if I had to if the only other option was a straight DI, but I would rather mic my amp or use the speaker sim output of my Bad Monkey into a regular DI. I do a lot of recording and theres no way in hell I would ever use one for that.

I don't like what it does to the tone. I find there is a weird mid cut even when the bass and treb are rolled right back, and I don't like the character of the overdrive, quite farty and almost harsh. Those mids that it takes away are vital for me to cut through the mix. No matter what settings are on it, I like the sound better when its turned off.

Gear_Junky · #17 01-11-2008, 12:14 PM

Timi, can I ask what the "rig" is made of?

I am not trying to disprove your opinion, taste is taste, it counts 100%. I am just trying to add to my "database" (in my mind).

It's possible that with really good equipment the sansamps can't improve the tone (and possibly even take it down).

thanks.

Earthday · #18 01-11-2008, 12:21 PM

I love it. It's extremely versatile as people have mentioned, and even just as a pedal it can do quite a bit for your tone. I like the warm Chris Squier-ish growl it gets me.

Timi · #19 01-11-2008, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gear_Junky

Timi, can I ask what the "rig" is made of?

I am not trying to disprove your opinion, taste is taste, it counts 100%. I am just trying to add to my "database" (in my mind).

It's possible that with really good equipment the sansamps can't improve the tone (and possibly even take it down).

thanks.

Tried it through a few different rigs.

When I had my own Sansamp I was using a GK 700RB and a Peavey 410TX. I got the Sansamp to warm up the sound of that rig but I still didn't like the sound. I remember one practice when I forgot the Sansamp and my tone was a lot more full.

After a while I started using a 70's NZ made copy of a Fender Bassman 50 which is when I stopped using the Sansamp because that amp just sounded so good by itself and the Sansamp ruined it. After a while I got my 8x10 and an Ampeg V4BH, once again the Sansamp ruined the tone of this rig so I sold it. I also tried it on a few other cheaper solid state amps. More recently I have tried them with my Orange AD200B and Ampeg SVT410HE.

I know that for the most part I have been trying them with tube amps but I still don't like them on solid state amps. I think the Sansamp is trying to emulate a rig that I already have so using one with the rig is redundant, and when I've tried it as a direct DI I just can't get that sound of my rig from it, just a scoopy boomy mess.