• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Did people sleep on Tech21?!

#21
I discovered Tech21 when I bought a bass driver pedal and ran it into mt Carvin Redline R 1000 head . The head was versitile and had a lot of power but when I put the Sans Amp into it I knew I had the tone I wanted . I used that for a while but found it hard to make adjustments on crowded stages with the pedal on the floor . When the RBI preamp came out it was just what I wanted with the bonus of a mid control , I loved it with the Carvin head as a power amp . I switched to Crown power later and gigged with that for a few years . Sound guys loved the DI out and I was happy too . I later switched to an Ampeg SVPCL tube preamp but the RBI remained one of my favorite preamps .
Pro level for sure .

S7300008.JPG
 
  • Like
Reactions: Arthur U. Poon, Fuzzbass, BasturdBlaster and 2 others
#22
When the 500 first came out I had issues where they would cut out mid note on stage. DI worked fine, but the sound to the cabs went "poof". I went through two, and then shifted to a TH500, then ended up just sticking with my old LM2. I have a Leeds pedal, and love that thing, the VT500 just soured me on further experiments.
 
#24
Blues Bass 2 said:
I discovered Tech21 when I bought a bass driver pedal and ran it into mt Carvin Redline R 1000 head . The head was versitile and had a lot of power but when I put the Sans Amp into it I knew I had the tone I wanted . I used that for a while but found it hard to make adjustments on crowded stages with the pedal on the floor . When the RBI preamp came out it was just what I wanted with the bonus of a mid control , I loved it with the Carvin head as a power amp . I switched to Crown power later and gigged with that for a few years . Sound guys loved the DI out and I was happy too . I later switched to an Ampeg SVPCL tube preamp but the RBI remained one of my favorite preamps .
Pro level for sure .

View attachment 7420890
Click to expand...
More impressive is the fact that you actually have Dr Bass cabs!
 
  • Haha
Reactions: LuckyBastard, FRoss6788, burgerdj and 1 other person
#26
I've always wondered if the amps would have been viewed differently if they had been released before the associated preamp pedal. IIRC other companies (Mesa, Genzler, Aguilar, GK, etc.) have tended to release the amp and then a preamp comes out later on. I suppose those companies tend to be thought of as amp builders first and pedal builders second though whereas Tech21 is the opposite.

I could totally be misremembering the order of things for any of the above lol
 
#32
The Dr Bass cabs are all long gone . Marc Serio was a good cabinet builder but a horrible buisness man that ripped off many of our brother bass players with unfilled orders . I should have posted a picture of my rig with other cabinets rather than have people think they are cool .

BioDriver said:
More impressive is the fact that you actually have Dr Bass cabs!
Click to expand...
Not impressive at all . Tech21 stuff is impressive .
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Saetia and BasturdBlaster
#33
BioDriver said:
I picked up a Tech21 VT Bass 200 combo a few weeks ago and it's been insanely good. Took it to a rehearsal before the storms hit and it kept up great with piano, drums, and horns, so much so that I was asked to turn it down! It sounds great, is light, and built like a brickhouse and it makes me want to look at their other stuff if/when I feel the need to upgrade.

I know they have suspended production due to cost, but I can't help but wonder why so many people sat out on their amps. The VT500 head seems like an incredibly viable alternative to the Portaflex heads Ampeg was pumping out at the time, and while I haven't ABed them to the newer Venture heads they seem like at this price point they'd be a contender.

So what happened? And is Tech21 thinking of opening their amp line back up?
Click to expand...
One of my favorite bass combo . I am actually order the extension cab but production delay.

YAP_1614.JPGYAP_1620.JPG

Until the Ampeg RB line announce .... i sold the VT200 after test drive all my bass guitar include the 5 string bass.

My current combo and the SVT-juice pedal combo.

YAP_1352.jpgIMG_20250722_215440.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Low Down Brown
#34
After running an Ashly SC-40 for many years I tried out a Demeter HBP-1J for a while, but kept searching. Purchased this SansAmp RPM in 2010 and never looked back. It doesn't make every bassist happy but it makes me happy. I know it's just a preamp but I had to jump in here. So glad I got one when they were available. 👍

SansAmp, Crown.jpg


M. M.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Arthur U. Poon, Blues Bass 2, Yahboy and 2 others
#36
Fuzzbass said:
I am still kicking myself for not buying the DP1000 dUg Pinnick amp head. Silly me thought it would be a one-trick pony (or a limited range of tricks), but having owned the less-versatile pedal version for years now, I realize I made a terrible assumption.
Click to expand...
klokker said:
+1. The baked in tone kept (keeps) me away as well.
Click to expand...
I played that head last year on a gig, provided by the other band's bassist, and it was insanely insane, . Too much of everything, but if you are in the hardrock/metal scene, it would make the difference. I think it was intended to swap all the stuff Doug used to haul onstage. (I just saw he have just turned 75 last year...)
 
  • Like
Reactions: klokker and Fuzzbass
#37
deepestend said:
I always felt this way about the Tech 21 amps and just about pedal preamps in general: why would I get an amp with a deluxe set of tone options baked in when I already have a pedal that's doing that? I'd rather plug my sansamp pedal (which I can take with me for whatever amp I'm playing) into a power amp or into the effects return than buy a whole tech 21 amp.
Click to expand...
I totally get this, but on a fairly regular basis I play gigs where I don't have the time or stage space to set up pedals. It's usually the latter: band crammed into the corner of a smallish bar or restaurant, and I don't want my bandmates stomping on my stompboxes in the wrong way. So any amp I get has to have onboard overdrive - Just In Case.
 
#38
dabis said:
I played that head last year on a gig, provided by the other band's bassist, and it was insanely insane, . Too much of everything, but if you are in the hardrock/metal scene, it would make the difference. I think it was intended to swap all the stuff Doug used to haul onstage. (I just saw he have just turned 75 last year...)
Click to expand...
I figured out how to tame the dUg pedal so it doesn't sound metal. A friend who owns the head says that the head can similarly be tamed. But certainly, the dUg devices are not what you want if you're not interested in dUgTone.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dabis

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back