Sansamp BSDR DI vs. MXR M-80 DI

[autodidact]

Just played a Sans Amp through my rig and completely fell in love but its a lot for me to drop on a pedal, I'm cruising the classifieds but they get snatched up really quick.

The guy at the local GC suggested that and MXR M-80 might be a more affordable solution but there isn't one around the stores here for me to try.

Anyone want to help me out with some comparisons?

[AdamJames306]

There's definitely no less than 20 threads on this very topic, but I will once again toss in my two cents.

I own both, and use both regularly. These are the facts-

The M-80 has two channels, so you can switch between clean and dirty. It also has a blend and gain knob, so you have more active control over the quality of the distortion signal. Lastly, it has a treble, mid, and bass EQ knobs. It has a color switch, which basically gives you a mid-swept sound. And it also has a built in noise-gate, which is nice when you're using more gnarly distortion tones.

The BDDI has only an on or off option, you can't switch off the overdrive. It has only bass and treble EQ knobs. The mids are swept by the settings of those two knobs. The gain provides anything from a tiny touch of grit to a full overdriven tone, but doesn't really get into full blown distortion. On a side note, the BDDI is substantially lighter than the M-80, which is built like a friggin' tank.

Now, my opinion-

The BDDI sounds a bit tinny. I never set the treble past unity, and most of the time it's pulled back a bit. I do really dig the overdrive tone, it's REALLY easy to dial in a nice gritty tone. Very plug and play.

On the other hand, the M-80 offers a lot more options, and a wider range of tones and distortions. You can, with some tweaking, get anything from light overdrive to full on Lemmy balls-out distortion. You don't lose a lot of low end either, which is a common problem.

At the end of the day, they're both gonna get the job done. Put either one in between your bass and you amp, and your tone is automatically better. They're both gonna land you somewhere in the "sweet spot." The BDDI is definitely the "industry standard" but that doesn't make it necessarily better. I use both for a reason. Sometimes I want the meaner tones from the M-80, and sometimes I just wanna plug into the BDDI and get a little bit of grit and kinda round out my tone. The weight issue is huge too. Being in New York, walking and taking trains to most of my gigs, there is a notable difference in my gig bags weight when I'm toting the BDDI around then when I've got the M-80 in there.

The last word, and the standard Talkbass wisdom, is this- try both if you can. Decide for yourself.

[boynamedsuse]

BSDR? Doesn't compute.

If you mean the standard Sansamp Bass Driver DI (BDDI), they are not like the MXR M-80.

Sansamp: Tube amp emulation with EQ and mild (tuby) overdrive.

M-80: Clean EQ with switched fuzzy distortion (think Big Muff).

Both are fine--but they are not alike.

[autodidact]

Originally Posted by AdamJames306

There's definitely no less than 20 threads on this very topic, but I will once again toss in my two cents.

I own both, and use both regularly. These are the facts-

The M-80 has two channels, so you can switch between clean and dirty. It also has a blend and gain knob, so you have more active control over the quality of the distortion signal. Lastly, it has a treble, mid, and bass EQ knobs. It has a color switch, which basically gives you a mid-swept sound. And it also has a built in noise-gate, which is nice when you're using more gnarly distortion tones.

The BDDI has only an on or off option, you can't switch off the overdrive. It has only bass and treble EQ knobs. The mids are swept by the settings of those two knobs. The gain provides anything from a tiny touch of grit to a full overdriven tone, but doesn't really get into full blown distortion. On a side note, the BDDI is substantially lighter than the M-80, which is built like a friggin' tank.

Now, my opinion-

The BDDI sounds a bit tinny. I never set the treble past unity, and most of the time it's pulled back a bit. I do really dig the overdrive tone, it's REALLY easy to dial in a nice gritty tone. Very plug and play.

On the other hand, the M-80 offers a lot more options, and a wider range of tones and distortions. You can, with some tweaking, get anything from light overdrive to full on Lemmy balls-out distortion. You don't lose a lot of low end either, which is a common problem.

At the end of the day, they're both gonna get the job done. Put either one in between your bass and you amp, and your tone is automatically better. They're both gonna land you somewhere in the "sweet spot." The BDDI is definitely the "industry standard" but that doesn't make it necessarily better. I use both for a reason. Sometimes I want the meaner tones from the M-80, and sometimes I just wanna plug into the BDDI and get a little bit of grit and kinda round out my tone. The weight issue is huge too. Being in New York, walking and taking trains to most of my gigs, there is a notable difference in my gig bags weight when I'm toting the BDDI around then when I've got the M-80 in there.

The last word, and the standard Talkbass wisdom, is this- try both if you can. Decide for yourself.

My apologies. Search function is limited on the mobile app

[EskimoBassist]

Great advice above from Adam James. I am personally an M-80 convert, absolutely love mine and couldn't gig without it.

[Zooberwerx]

To my ears, the BDDI sounds Ampeg-ish which is what I'm after...no significant OD, no fuzz. FWIW, the BDDI's level control can be re-labeled "mids" and used in conjunction with the bass & treble for tonal balance. A little goes a long way: I run the blend at 50-70%. I have no experience with the MXR so I can't recommend one over the other given your requirements.

Riis

[Setebos]

what Boynamedsuse said