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Sansamp over rated

#21
Had one... it didn't thrill me.

I thought about picking up another one to have as a DI... just in case... but then I bought a GK MB200. Now my backup DI is a backup amp that weighs around the same and is only a little bigger. I don't need the limited other things the SABDDI brings to the table and I don't use pedals.

YMMV, etc.
 
#22
FretNoMore said:
Maybe we could use a new rule for the effects forum, something similar to the ban on "ugly bass threads". A lot of people like SansAmp products, a lot of people don't. So what. Just go use something you do like instead of dissing stuff you don't like but others do.
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Personally, I'm totally cool with people posting about stuff they don't like, even if I use it and like it ;)

Just remember that when you do post about something you don't like that a lot of people do, be prepared to take some flak.
 
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#24
I'm a mids-loving freak. I'm also an Ampeg freak. How can this be? My Sansamp RPM and my SVT VR and my Streamliner all have an inherent scooped tone to 'em, but I noticed there are knobs on 'em!

If I turn down the bass knob a little and turn up the mids knob, I quickly and easily find *my tone* and it makes my insides all gooey and warm.

Yep.
 
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#27
They are good for what they are.
if you know it well, and understand what you can get from it, it can be useful in a recording situation where you don't have the time and resources to isolate a cabinet and get some nicely phased combination of close and far mic's.
Though these days, under those conditions, I reach for the tone hammer, and I love it a lot.
All my demos these days are via the tone hammer pedal, and I've had a producer or two tell me just to keep the track because the performance is on point and the sound is usable.
 
#29
brianrost said:
Using Sansamps with amps seems backwards to me, after all if you already use an amp why do you need a box that sounds like an amp?
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I'm glad you pointed that out. It drives me nuts to see people using it with an amp. For no other reason than the fact that "sans" is a prefix meaning "without" so the name quite literally comes out and says "without an amp."

With that said, I have never used this pedal so I truly don't know the benefits it could potentially offer me. I'm sure it could work great with an amplifier, but I just felt the need to point out what the name of the pedal means.
 
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#31
dukemasterj said:
I'm glad you pointed that out. It drives me nuts to see people using it with an amp. For no other reason than the fact that "sans" is a prefix meaning "without" so the name quite literally comes out and says "without an amp."

With that said, I have never used this pedal so I truly don't know the benefits it could potentially offer me. I'm sure it could work great with an amplifier, but I just felt the need to point out what the name of the pedal means.
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With all due respect, I couldn't care less what it says on the pedal or whether it bugs anyone else. I use a VT with my amps unapologetically.
 
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#32
To the op: I personally can't agree about the svt sucking tone, mine sounds phenomenal and has tons of presence in the mids. I don't personally care for Ampeg cabinets as much as my avatar 4x10 neos though, which I suspect help my clarity.

I do however agree with you about the sansamps not being that impressive. I agree they are a one trick pony IMO. And I agree they are too scoopy. But I also think they're silly because they don't actually sound anything like an actual tube amp. It sounds like a reproduction of one tonal range you can get out of an svt. Sorta....

Anyway try the svt through a few different cabinets sometime. You might like it. My avatars rule.
 
#33
dukemasterj said:
I'm glad you pointed that out. It drives me nuts to see people using it with an amp. For no other reason than the fact that "sans" is a prefix meaning "without" so the name quite literally comes out and says "without an amp."

With that said, I have never used this pedal so I truly don't know the benefits it could potentially offer me. I'm sure it could work great with an amplifier, but I just felt the need to point out what the name of the pedal means.
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As someone posted before, it makes sense as a preamp to an otherwise generic colored amp. From a cost and portability standpoint it can make a lot of sense. I have a $300 Carvin BX500 (great solid amp) supported by an RPM RM and a VT Bass pedal on my board when I need boost/extra dirt. Gets me the color/tone I want for around $700. FWIW - I have tried all of the Sansamp pedals and this combo pleases ME. That's whole point of all of this gear anyway, right? Also, it's very cool that we all have so many options to find OUR own tone. Part of the artistry - some like paints, others clay. We all just like more expensive technology sometimes. ;)
 
#34
dukemasterj said:
I'm glad you pointed that out. It drives me nuts to see people using it with an amp. For no other reason than the fact that "sans" is a prefix meaning "without" so the name quite literally comes out and says "without an amp."

With that said, I have never used this pedal so I truly don't know the benefits it could potentially offer me. I'm sure it could work great with an amplifier, but I just felt the need to point out what the name of the pedal means.
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I use it with an amp and it makes the amp sound 10x better at least IMO. Yes its called a sansamp but if it sounds great in front of an amp then why not?
 
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#37
I think Sansamp is appropriately rated. For $100+change used they are no brainer.

I've been using a BDDI since 2005. For metal styles I run it blended in the FX loop of my Mesa Bass 400 at Line level and it's a crucial part of my rig and personal sound. I dial in a lot of burly mids on the head itself to compensate for the scoop. For non metal styles I still find myself using it. I just put it in front of my Bass 400 and dial it a bit differently.
 
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#38
dukemasterj said:
It drives me nuts to see people using it with an amp. For no other reason than the fact that "sans" is a prefix meaning "without" so the name quite literally comes out and says "without an amp."
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Why do guitarists who use Marshalls, even channel-switching ones, also use distortion pedals... multiple distortion pedals? The answer is having multiple tones at their disposal. I believe bassists are permitted to use different tones as well. ;)

Some bassists leave a SansAmp switched on in front of their regular amp for just one basic tone. The reason for that is that they like the tone. Also, I think the SansAmps do a good job of modeling power tube overdrive, which very few tube preamps can do.

Yes, the SansAmp BDDI has a mid scoop when set "flat" and Blend up full. Many bass amps are scooped when EQ is set flat, so SansAmp plus bass amp can sometimes result in too much scoop. But whatever: not all bass amps are scooped, and as noted by others, the SansAmp scoop can be mitigated via Blend and EQ.
 
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#39
dukemasterj said:
I'm glad you pointed that out. It drives me nuts to see people using it with an amp. For no other reason than the fact that "sans" is a prefix meaning "without" so the name quite literally comes out and says "without an amp."

With that said, I have never used this pedal so I truly don't know the benefits it could potentially offer me. I'm sure it could work great with an amplifier, but I just felt the need to point out what the name of the pedal means.
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But it has parallel outs for a reason...

I don't love my sansamp. It fights me but I've found if I just give it a moderate setting and let the sound guy do his thing it turns out A O.K. I will take this over a passive DI any day.
I do wish they made other bass amp emulators, like a GK and an SWR and a Fender. I'd buy em up. Also if they could slap a tube or two in so it really emulated the preamps of some of these iconic amps I'd be a happy camper. The price point would go up but the market for preamp/DI's appears to be consistent!
 

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