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Sansamp Tech 21 Bass Driver DI

#22
jonnychicago said:
Man, i just got one of these (bass drive di) in the mail on Friday, and I absolutely love it. I'm playing through an ampeg ba115 combo with the settings flat, and I've stuck to the "SVT" settings in the manual. It absolutely thunders.
Click to expand...

There ya go!

It has great tips for settings in the manual. I was appalled at the number. :D
 
#23
I used to have a regular one and now I own a programmable one. I don't get where someone said the knobs are flimsy. It is a tank of a pedal and not much bigger than the regular one. You get used to figuring out as to how you set the knobs for each program. 3 individual "amps" from one pedal-you can't beat that.
 
#24
Are the DI and the Programmable both loud enough to use directly with a power amp only? i.e. do they have enough gain to take an instrument level signal up to +4?

I know that the Tech 21 blurb says that they can, but I don't see any indication of how to switch the outputs between inst and line levels.

I don't currently have a bass preamp, so I'm hoping I can use just a BDDI instead.
 
#25
The later models of BDDI have separate switches for the 1/4" and XLR outputs to select for line or instrument level. I'm assuming the programmables are the same. I don't know if it gets to +4, but I'm running mine through the power amp section a GK 1001RB-II head with enough volume to knock the clock off the wall. :o
 
#30
i heard and played thru at namm tech 21 booth, the new vt drive , ( cant remmeber name for sure ) this was a prototype .... something its a pedal to give your drive like a tube svt

its the best in my opinion of all the tech21 stuff i owned and sold.

i will say that 2 years in a row they were not the friendliest of people to me there either time. 2007, 2008.

but i still
want one.


sux when a great company you want to endorse, ( and have supported ) lack people skills.
 
#32
I use my Programmable BBDI a lot.

I also have a RBI I leave at church. The RBI to me is much more punchier, and gets a clear sound better. In fact, I roll the presence all the way off, and slightly dim (11 o'clock) the treble.

I mainly play G&L's, and for me the PBDDI is hard to get a really clean tone out of - but in a band setting, it sounds great. I have not tried mine through a tube amp. Mine is built like a tank, I certainly would not call the knobs cheap.

As far as available gain, I run the pad on both my units. I would think powering a poweramp with either would not be a problem. But I have not tried it with either, but they both seem to have a ton of output.

For what its worth, I have called Sansamp directly twice (when I was shopping) and both times they were very helpful and polite.

Mark

And for
 
#33
Does anyone know when in May/June the deluxe version will be released? A date would be great as would like to buy one in the very near future, and knowing the exact moment it's out helps the wait :D

Also, does any have an idea of what the price will be for the deluxe? I know the programmable is around 210$

Boy do I want one of these
 
#35
theoldmiami said:
This DI/Preamp sounds great through a bad solid state amp, but pretty weak (IMO) through a tube amp.

Anyone find the same results? I hope people are getting good sounds even with a tube amp too, but for me it just sounded too fake.
Click to expand...

Yes...I agree 100%. It is useless with my V4BH. In fact, what I don't like about the sans amp is that it takes away from the character of the bass and amp. It sounds good, but not much different depending on the bass.
 
#36
I can't get more than one halfway decent sound out if it anyway so I can't see why I'd even need 3 channels, much less a deluxe. My rig sounds better without it. Mid scoop actually makes it cut through less. Yah I know, roll the treble back for more mids or whatever. That just makes it sound worse to my ears. I have heard the RBI sounds a little better, and it had better for that price, but again it's a one trick pony. I personally despise the sansamp. I think it sounds every bit as fake as my p.o.s. Line 6 basspod. Try an EBS Microbass II, or the new Aguilar Tone Hammer when it comes out in May.
 
#37
manmountain8 said:
I can't get more than one halfway decent sound out if it anyway so I can't see why I'd even need 3 channels, much less a deluxe. My rig sounds better without it. Mid scoop actually makes it cut through less. Yah I know, roll the treble back for more mids or whatever. That just makes it sound worse to my ears. I have heard the RBI sounds a little better, and it had better for that price, but again it's a one trick pony. I personally despise the sansamp. I think it sounds every bit as fake as my p.o.s. Line 6 basspod. Try an EBS Microbass II, or the new Aguilar Tone Hammer when it comes out in May.
Click to expand...


...except the Microbass II sounds completely different. it does not mimic power tube breakup in any way shape or form.

The Sansamp is the only pedal i've found to really copy the power tube sparkle breakup during the 'attack' part of hitting a note. and i dont want to carry around a SVT, and i sold off my SWR IOD since it sounded worse. if you're looking for a mid-hump breakup like a tubescreamer clone then the BDDI is not it. which is why i use a variety of drive pedals.

of course if you're using the pedal with non hi-fi cabs then you won't really hear the benefits as well. clarity is a must.
 
#38
On one hand I'm right there with you. But...it comes in handy to get tone out of amps that just lack it. I also like the 3 channels for the cover band thing since some tunes are modern, so have overdrive, and some require a fat tube sound (either than or I set the 3rd channel as a volume boost).

Still, if you have good gear and like your tone in the first place, then it just gets in the way.
 
#40
To sum up the differences that have been mentioned: the programmable one has no parallel out, and the interface takes a little time to adjust to if you've never used a multi-effects pedal or a pod. Some people don't like that the knobs aren't always pointing to the setting that you're currently hearing. For me, this is kind of a boon, because it means if I accidentally bump a knob in transport it won't change my tone (knob twists when it's turned off don't change your settings.)

Bottom line, if you think you'll want to change tones during a gig, you'll really want the programmable version. If no, it's down to your preferred interface. Both are simple to use, but the standard feels more like adjusting an amp and the programmable is more like a multi-effect.
 

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