• 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.

Original SansAmp Bass DI help

B

bluesax

Feb 17, 2012
20
5
#1
Hey All,
New to the forum and pretty new to bass. Today I picked up a SansAmp Bass DI. Not the Bass Driver with knobs on the outside but one of the old original Bass DI's with the adjustments made inside. So, I searched the web and found an old thread from TalkBass that referred to a geocities article about mods, tweaks, etc. Unfortunately, geocities doesn't exist and I find nothing else anywhere. Searched a few forums here but most talk about the bass DRIVER. So, any ideas where I might find info? Also, looking for an owners manual/booklet if available. Thanks for any help. Peace
 
#4
Good idea, Darius. Here are some pics of the box. Hopefully somebody has experience with it. I'm also going to contact Tech 21 tomorrow.
 

Attachments

  • SansAmp top.jpg
    SansAmp top.jpg
    63.2 KB · Views: 2,811
  • SansAmp back open.jpg
    SansAmp back open.jpg
    129 KB · Views: 3,084
#7
What do you need a manual for? There's only 4 adjustments. Just for a start, I would try setting the trim pots to the same settings I set my SansAmp: "blend" control at 100%, "output" at 50%, "presence" at 50% and "drive" at 20% or so.

That's the special secret version only sold to soundmen. :hiding:
 
  • Like
Reactions: FaithNoMan
#10
bluesax said:
Hey All,
New to the forum and pretty new to bass. Today I picked up a SansAmp Bass DI. Not the Bass Driver with knobs on the outside but one of the old original Bass DI's with the adjustments made inside. So, I searched the web and found an old thread from TalkBass that referred to a geocities article about mods, tweaks, etc. Unfortunately, geocities doesn't exist and I find nothing else anywhere. Searched a few forums here but most talk about the bass DRIVER. So, any ideas where I might find info? Also, looking for an owners manual/booklet if available. Thanks for any help. Peace
Click to expand...

There were actually 2 versions of that older style DI. The idea was that it was more of a "set and forget" type of unit. The internal controls are for presence, drive, level and blend.

The intended use was either as a standard DI to convert your bass signal to low Z and send it to the board and the parallel through would connect to your bass amp. The other use was to send the SansAmp tube emulation sound to the mixing board, providing a mic'd bass amp sound instead of just the sound of a DI bass.

If you want, PM your email address ad I can send you a PDF of the manual.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Low-Five, FaithNoMan, bluejack and 1 other person
#11
I recently picked up one these older Tech 21 Bass DI boxes with the internal adjustments, Would anyone out there in Bass Land help a novice out on a manual ? Any and all help would be most appreciated. Thank You all !!
 
#13
Crater said:
What do you need a manual for? There's only 4 adjustments. Just for a start, I would try setting the trim pots to the same settings I set my SansAmp: "blend" control at 100%, "output" at 50%, "presence" at 50% and "drive" at 20% or so.

That's the special secret version only sold to soundmen. :hiding:
Click to expand...
sounds right to me (and i'm a soundman, too.) that's the straight-up "rock bass" sansamp tone.

the problem here is getting that sound to your stage amp; you'd need an XLR splitter and a way to get that XLR signal into your amp. (the 1/4" parallel out is likely just the same as the input signal).
 
#15
The original Bass DI which was introduced around 1990 was a product that was really meant for the sound man to use in place of a traditional DI. It was never meant to run into an amp. The idea was that you would plug into the Bass DI and send the uneffected parallel output to your bass rig (just like a traditional DI) and use your bass amp as your onstage monitor. You would then send the amp emulated output of the Bass Driver to the mixing board and have the sound of a mic'd vintage amp without the hassles of mic'ing.

Part of the reason the controls were on the inside was so it would "look" like a traditional DI but it also meant you could dial in "your" bass tone and not have to worry about the soundman changing it. After awhile customers requested having the controls on the outside etc. (see we do listen to what players have to say) and the product eventually morphed into the Bass Driver DI which we have been making for a number of years.
 
  • Like
Reactions: birminghambass, mcrawfordmusic, bluejack and 2 others
#17
tech21nyc said:
The original Bass DI which was introduced around 1990 was a product that was really meant for the sound man to use in place of a traditional DI. It was never meant to run into an amp. The idea was that you would plug into the Bass DI and send the uneffected parallel output to your bass rig (just like a traditional DI) and use your bass amp as your onstage monitor. You would then send the amp emulated output of the Bass Driver to the mixing board and have the sound of a mic'd vintage amp without the hassles of mic'ing.

Part of the reason the controls were on the inside was so it would "look" like a traditional DI but it also meant you could dial in "your" bass tone and not have to worry about the soundman changing it. After awhile customers requested having the controls on the outside etc. (see we do listen to what players have to say) and the product eventually morphed into the Bass Driver DI which we have been making for a number of years.
Click to expand...

Holy crap! That's genius for stubborn soundmen...I never thought about it like that!
 
#18
Dude. I had one of these in the early 1990s. It was my rig. Jazz, wireless, tuner, and This. They sound great. Straight forward. Get the setting you want and put the screws back in. WoW. That needs to be in the Tech21 museum.

bluesax said:
Hey All,
New to the forum and pretty new to bass. Today I picked up a SansAmp Bass DI. Not the Bass Driver with knobs on the outside but one of the old original Bass DI's with the adjustments made inside. So, I searched the web and found an old thread from TalkBass that referred to a geocities article about mods, tweaks, etc. Unfortunately, geocities doesn't exist and I find nothing else anywhere. Searched a few forums here but most talk about the bass DRIVER. So, any ideas where I might find info? Also, looking for an owners manual/booklet if available. Thanks for any help. Peace
Click to expand...
 
  • Like
Reactions: DirkP

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back