Sansamp into Bassamp?

steven mc. · #1 02-17-2009, 11:18 PM

Hey All,
I play a Fender P-bass through a Trace Elliot series6 combo.
Gig Funk/Blues/Classic rock/Oldies once a week consistently.
We have been playing on the street on weekends without Gigs, cause it's a lot of fun. I play through the PA only, on the street. the Powered mixer has some HI-z inputs but has no sweepable mids and my tone is crap. warm, but boring.
I've checked out Sansamp bass DI and MXR m-80, (that distortion isn't what I want) I'll be buying the Sansamp Bass DI programmable in a couple days,
BUT- I'm wondering If I can run into into my Trace Elliot tube combo for the real gigs. I know I "can", But anyone else done it? does the speaker emulation sound wierd?
What should I expect?
If I want something good for both DI'ing and as a effect into amp should I look at something else?
Thanks guys

totalimmortal08 · #2 02-17-2009, 11:22 PM

it will work.

niftydog · #3 02-17-2009, 11:27 PM

Heaps of people do it, should sound fine. Expect a slightly compressed-sounding mid-scoop tone with a bit of subtle grit. I don't think it will make you "stand out" from the mix with a small combo amp, but if you just want a bit of character to your tone this will do the job.

steven mc. · #4 02-18-2009, 03:39 AM

Oh, thanks. It's not exactly a small Combo amp, 100 watts tube gets Pretty good. But it's not a big amp either.
Mid scooped is great, thats what I do.
So... it will sound just like a regular distortion and not some funny sound into the amp?

The Ethanator · #5 02-18-2009, 06:27 AM

not really. sansamps arent made for putting out a typical distortion tone unless you really want them to (and ive never gotten one out of the one at my church). they just use a tube emulation circuit to give a little bit more grit and bite to the sound. it will still sound like a clean bass tone, just a little bit meaner. but it wont sound funny in your amp either. although using a tube emulation circuit running into a tube amp may give a slight distortion, so turning the drive down on one or both of them would be reccomended. get it, play with it at home for a bit until you find a good sound

IPS · #6 02-18-2009, 06:31 AM

I do this into my small combo with great results, I run the sansamp programable BDDI first in my chain. If you dont want it to scoop your mids, turn the bass and treble down, this is how the low and high mids are controlled, compensate by adjusting the level to taste.

MNAirHead · #7 02-18-2009, 06:36 AM

something that may work for your street gig..

Crate block.. you can do an Aux in.. 75 watts per side... Direct to XLR.. headphone practice... they do get slightly gritty as they have a guitar distortion curve.

They weigh about 6#.. can be found for under $100

old-fashioned · #8 02-18-2009, 06:40 AM

It' good with solid state amps, but not with tube amps according to my experiences. Sounds terribly muddy. Only may be fine when the blend is all the way down.

jjhardy · #9 02-18-2009, 08:16 AM

id agree with the previous person on tube amps. with my V4B, used as either a stompbox or a pre into the power section, it sounds a bit more muddy and undefined than the amp's pre. i would say that when using it in conjunction with other amps, what it mainly does is make your rig sound like a sansamp, whether you like it or not.

nightcityburn · #10 02-18-2009, 08:24 AM

It works, I do it every week. I run parrallel outs, one to my cab, and then the XLR to the board. The bass sounds much better, than running straight to the amp, and then to the sound board via the XLR. I set my EQ on my amp flat, and let the sansamp take care of all the tone.

My one complaint, and it is something I haven't figured out, no combination has allowed me to truly bypass my pedal to tune. I just have one of my channels set really quiet for so the house won't send much through.

RickenBoogie · #11 02-18-2009, 08:28 AM

Your Trace combo amp, is it actually a tube amp, or maybe just a tube in the pre?

4Mal · #12 02-18-2009, 08:28 AM

The BDDI worked wonders ahead of my old Traynor YBA 200 and that is a tube amp. So it depends on the voicing of the amp inquestion.

AndyLES · #13 02-18-2009, 08:34 AM

I use the Programmable Sansamp.

When I'm using an amp (during rehearsals, or borrowed for gigs - I don't own one) I run the Sansamp clean, with the blend down, and often into the "Active" input of the amp. In this application, it serves almost as an "active pickup emulator" and makes my cheapo Ibanez sound more expensive. :-)

If I need grit, I slowly turn up the blend and drive knobs, whilst keeping my eye (and ears) on the bass and level knobs....remember, the controls are interactive and can get messy sounding in a hurry if you're not careful.

One thing: contrary to what some naive kids think, the bass driver (programmable or not) is NOT A DISTORTION BOX in the traditional sense. If you want Cliff Burton-grind, you'll need another pedal.

Nightcityburn- do you have the programmable? I set one channel up with all the controls down to serve as a mute.

nightcityburn · #14 02-18-2009, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndyLES

Nightcityburn- do you have the programmable? I set one channel up with all the controls down to serve as a mute.

Yup, and that is what I do, and it serves me pretty well. I noticed last week while tuning with the pastor praying it was coming through, so I need to tweak. Hopefully I can get it whisper quiet.

Sorry for the hijack.

IPS · #15 02-18-2009, 08:43 AM

You could always get a pedal tuner, and if your going direct from the sansanmp, run the pedal tuner before it.

AndyLES · #16 02-18-2009, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IPS

You could always get a pedal tuner, and if your going direct from the sansanmp, run the pedal tuner before it.

Yeah, but it's more crap in the signal chain. I'm putting together a pedalboard right now, and I'm debating running the pitch black in front of my PBDDI (and in front of my Bassballs, ODB-3, and OC-3 pedals).

OR....

Running Bassballs >>> ODB-3 >>> OC-3 >>>(dry out of OC-3) >>>> Pitchblack (wet out of OC-3) >>> PBDDI. Hell, I may even drop the ODB-3 and clean the signal path up further.

nightcityburn · #17 02-18-2009, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IPS

You could always get a pedal tuner, and if your going direct from the sansanmp, run the pedal tuner before it.

Considering that. I am more than willing to trade my Fender Rt-1000 for one and buy a 3 space rack drawer to store it all for traveling. Just things I am thinking about.

And yes, it would add more things to my signal chain, but I don't think it would hurt things too much, as I don't use anything else aside from the PBDDI and a tuner.

Again sorry for the hijack.