Sansamp VT Tech21

[lunarpollen]

I just got a VT Bass today, after waiting a damn year to get one finally. It ROCKS!! It's amazing how my P and especially my Jazz sounds thru it, and how sensitive the knobs are - a small adjustment makes a big diff in sound.

Gobs of tone for days, the kind of tone I couldn't afford until now!! (ie: a real SVT and Fliptop) I'm gonna run it thru my power amp and have tons of tone and power.

I know it's not the real thing but it's close enough for me, mang!

I love if for all my bass guitars... The only thing I don't like about it is that it seems to REALLY accentuate string squeak on my upright, from those nylon windings on the Innovation Silver Slaps. There's something about that squeak frequency that the pedal overamplifies. I wish the strings had a smooth surface like the black nylon strings

 

[MIJ-VI]

Sad as this is gonna sound Tortilla.......I was still confused. Like I said earlier,I'm brand new to pedals. I was afraid to blow up my cabinet or ruin my brand new amp/cab.

Nothing personal. I'm just a complete dunderhead.

One thing to watch out for with the VT Bass is that in addition to very sensitive controls, it can have an extremely high output (F'n' LOUD!!!) when both: its LEVEL and DRIVE knobs are turned up past 12:00 (noon). This is because the VT Bass was designed to drive a power amp as well as to function as an effects pedal.

Until you develop a feel for how to use your new VT Bass' controls to get sounds that you like while maintaining unity gain (your bass' perceived volume should be the same whether the VT' is on or off) you might want to keep your bass amp turned down to avoid an unexpected and potentially ear damaging LOUD BLAST from your rig!

BTW. No one is a dunderhead if they're smart enough to want to learn.

 

[MIJ-VI]

I love if for all my bass guitars... The only thing I don't like about it is that it seems to REALLY accentuate string squeak on my upright, from those nylon windings on the Innovation Silver Slaps. There's something about that squeak frequency that the pedal overamplifies. I wish the strings had a smooth surface like the black nylon strings

1) You play DB?

2) How's your VT's CHARACTER and HIGH knobs set?

 

[Gearhead43]

I love if for all my bass guitars... The only thing I don't like about it is that it seems to REALLY accentuate string squeak on my upright, from those nylon windings on the Innovation Silver Slaps. There's something about that squeak frequency that the pedal overamplifies. I wish the strings had a smooth surface like the black nylon strings

Hmmm.....I haven't tried it with my big bass yet, but I play gut strings that don't squeek.

The higher the character knob, the more the highs and high-mids seem to be present. Maybe try it with the character backed down?

I noticed how much brighter overall the VT is compared to my Para Driver though - I needed to back the treble down to about 10 o'clock or so to suite my ears. OTOH - I am not a trebly bass kinda guy.

 

[JimmyM]

10:30 was discovered as the point where the treble knob is set for near flat response, so yeah, i could see that,

 

[Gearhead43]

10:30 was discovered as the point where the treble knob is set for near flat response, so yeah, i could see that,

I wonder why they made the highs so boosted on the VT? Are Ampeg tube amps really that bright? I have only played an SVT thru the 8x10 fridge, so no tweeters. Not a tweeter fan anyway.

 

[JimmyM]

the treble knob has a lot of range so you can simulate the ultra-hi switch on the svt.

 

[dave_bass5]

Hi Guys.
Just a quick question to those who own and use the VT.
I want to fatten my bass up but not really looking for distortion or an effect as such. I plan on getting something thats on all the time, although im happy to make adjustments during a gig.
Just playing covers/weddings etc with a MB and Schroeder rig. I want a bit more tube warmth and a bit of zing, without getting toopy if thats possible.

My three short listed (but never tried) are a VT, Sansamp DI and Tone Hammer.
I do have a Behringer BDI21 that ive started using recently and i like what it does so was thinking the Sansamp would be a good choice, seeing as the Behringer is "based" on it but the VT looks like it might be more useful as i dont need to use it as a DI.

Thanks for any help and sorry if im taking this off topic.

 

[john_g]

And not to take it too far off the topic too, but does anyone else have to keep the level knob almost all the way down when playing through an amp? I cant raise it or I get too much output and distortion. I am playing a G&L and those are active and high output but still. When others are saying their level knob is at noon or more, I would blow up my rig. Maybe its just my bass.

 

[BassBrass]

Hi Guys.
I want a bit more tube warmth and a bit of zing, without getting toopy if thats possible.

That's exactly what I use the VT for, and it's variety of midrange possibilities is really what makes it cut through...you can add mids 2 different ways (character and mid knobs). Above 11am for drive is too much for my purpose although I could see using it (or it's brothers) as an overdrive with a different eq than I use (less low, highs cut or else it squeals w feedback when there's no signal) I have the drive at 10am for presence, not overdrive. btw, people who think it has too much high freq. are thinking that the noon position of the high knob is neutral. Forget all other effect knobs and the suggestions they give and cut that knob far left if that's what it takes.

 

[dave_bass5]

That's exactly what I use the VT for, and it's variety of midrange possibilities is really what makes it cut through...you can add mids 2 different ways (character and mid knobs). Above 11am for drive is too much for my purpose although I could see using it (or it's brothers) as an overdrive with a different eq than I use (less low, highs cut or else it squeals w feedback when there's no signal) I have the drive at 10am for presence, not overdrive. btw, people who think it has too much high freq. are thinking that the noon position of the high knob is neutral. Forget all other effect knobs and the suggestions they give and cut that knob far left if that's what it takes.

Thanks very much, that puts my mind at ease.
As it has a cab emulator that cant be turned off i was a bit worried about what it will do to my tone but i guess that can just become part of it.

 

[JimmyM]

the speaker sim is just a 5k rolloff and a gradual rolloff of the lows similar to an ampeg cab.

now to handle jgroh's question: if the knob has to be really low in order for you to get it to where the volume isn't out to lunch compared to your clean sound, so be it. it's not like if the level is too low you can't get it to sound good. but when you have it set clean and turn the level up all the way, it's a clean boost. so naturally you'll have to back off of it when you add drive. that's the way it works in order to be able to have so much range.

 

[kenstee]

I wrote to Tech 21 about some of the loudness and extreme sensitivity issues some people (including myself) here have been having with the VT Bass. FWIW, here is the reply I received:

"Unfortunately, it's hard to have it both ways.* The VT Bass needs to offer*a lot of headroom, if,*for example, you're using it with an active bass, and enough output to drive a power amp directly.* If we cut back on that, some people might complain "I've got it all the way up and it's not loud enough".**I would say you've got your Character and Drive set pretty high, so I'd start by bringing those down to minimum, and see how high you can set the Level knob so it's at unity gain (the same volume whether the pedal's on or in bypass).**Then, start to bring up those knobs... you may find you don't really need them as high to get the sound you want.* Another way of controlling the volume is with the EQ controls, which cut and boost dB.* Keep in mind if all three are at 9:00, or 12:00, or 3:00, it's the same tone... it's just louder at 3:00.* So once you've found your EQ shape, bring them all down in the same relationship to each other.* You'll keep the same tone, but cut the volume."

So, that's their view. YMMV.

 

[BassBrass]

I use the low (2nd) input of my main amp (Peavey Tour 700) AND have a limiter in the effect/send (to protect speakers and add sustain) and my VT volume is set about 9:30. Mentally, if I had to set it under 9am, I'd have no idea where it is...just above 9 is doable, same position as my Blowtorch. Neither my pre or power amps are above noon. It's loud but manageable (no feedback unless the drive gets set too high).

 

[JimmyM]

I wrote to Tech 21 about some of the loudness and extreme sensitivity issues some people here have been having with the VT Bass. FWIW, here is the reply I received:

"Unfortunately, it's hard to have it both ways.* The VT Bass needs to offer*a lot of headroom, if,*for example, you're using it with an active bass, and enough output to drive a power amp directly.* If we cut back on that, some people might complain "I've got it all the way up and it's not loud enough".**I would say you've got your Character and Drive set pretty high, so I'd start by bringing those down to minimum, and see how high you can set the Level knob so it's at unity gain (the same volume whether the pedal's on or in bypass).**Then, start to bring up those knobs... you may find you don't really need them as high to get the sound you want.* Another way of controlling the volume is with the EQ controls, which cut and boost dB.* Keep in mind if all three are at 9:00, or 12:00, or 3:00, it's the same tone... it's just louder at 3:00.* So once you've found your EQ shape, bring them all down in the same relationship to each other.* You'll keep the same tone, but cut the volume."

So, that's their view. YMMV.

actually, that's just the way it is. it's not their view...it's fact. the price you pay for so much versatility is sensitive knobs.

 

[kenstee]

Will be interested to see if there is an updated VT Bass next week at NAMM.

 

[Handyman]

actually, that's just the way it is. it's not their view...it's fact. the price you pay for so much versatility is sensitive knobs.

They could add actually add a switch to simulate the ultra high switch. But the price for that would be... additional actual price.

 

[lunarpollen]

I get over-accentuated string squeak using my upright at just about any usable knob settings. It's not like piercingly loud, it wouldn't matter so much if I was playing a BG where I'd expect some string squeak, but on DB it's really noticable and distracting. However, I really don't need to use the pedal for DB, I am fine going straight into my LMII. But I was hoping it could provide me with some additional usable DB tones. It's no big deal, but still I'm left wondering who makes the lowest-tension black nylon DB strings out there. They are by far my fave type of strings, feelwise, on either BG or DB.

 

[JimmyM]

you want low tension, get weedwhacker strings. there's a place in bradenton that makes them. forget their name at the moment. $25 a set, and they do black.

 

[JimmyM]

This got by me the first time, but upon rereading it's pretty wild:

Another way of controlling the volume is with the EQ controls, which cut and boost dB.* Keep in mind if all three are at 9:00, or 12:00, or 3:00, it's the same tone... it's just louder at 3:00.* So once you've found your EQ shape, bring them all down in the same relationship to each other.* You'll keep the same tone, but cut the volume."

never knew that. not sure it makes a difference in my operation of it, but that's wild.