Tech 21 pedals - if you could have only one?

[Al Krow]

If you want warmer suggest you tip the character knob more CCW than my pictured setting.

Thanks, that's a useful tip; my character setting was at 7/10 last night, but that was a fairly crunchy dirt.

Interesting that the Red Ripper has a r.i.p dial which kinda equates in role to the character dial on the VTB DI.

I'll have another play this evening. Headphones are definitely nowhere near as good as amp+cab though for hearing the subtleties, particularly the low end; just need to balance not driving the rest of the locked-down Krow household into to a fit of Tech21 rebellion...

 

[Al Krow]

Wow that didn't take very long and I think I've just been completely won over!

Here's my contribution [bite engaged but cab sim off]:

With everything else set broadly flat on my amp and bass - this takes a classic P bass tone and does something akin to replacing a set of old dead strings with the zing and clarity of a new set of strings. Except the strings on my bass aren't old or dead, but that was the vibe I was getting when comparing the tone with VTBDI in by-pass and engaged. Been a while since I've had that bass players' grin - but it was there large tonight!

I could easily envisage having this as an 'always on' setting but I suspect there are a bunch of other settings in there to explore, but even if I don't find any others this'll do just fine!

I reckon with a J bass I would likely want to dial the character back to noon and in a band mix, with either P or J bass, have the mids set flat or slightly boosted rather than being cut a touch, which sounds great when solo'd at home.

Apologies @dave_bass5 - I reckon this pedal is not getting shipped out the door anytime soon, so you're going to have to get your own replacement (or very possibly one of the other Tech 21 pedals on this thread)

 

[Dr. Gonzo82]

I only own a Vt Bass v1, that's also the only tech21 product I ever tried. Bought it to get Svt Sounds out of my Hiwatt Clone.

Now I also own a real Svt and love it in front of my bass balls to get some crazy sounds out of it, with settings that sound horrible when i turn off the bass balls.

 

[Al Krow]

I reckon with a J bass I would likely want to dial the character back to noon...

Just tried that combination with the J pup of a PJ bass and no need to dial back the Character, sounds just fine as it is!

 

[dannybuoy]

So I'd like to change my answer - really liking the Leeds now!

 

[Al Krow]

So I'd like to change my answer - really liking the Leeds now!

Well that's high praise given you've been such a massive VTDI fan for years which was a big reason for me starting this thread! (And apologies this thread has cost you money, as it has me, but seems like neither of us is too disappointed )

So what's your fav VTDI setting (for my benefit!) and what is it about the Leeds you're preferring?

Oh and a complete aside: that SA Manta on my board posted above is the one that originally got from you a couple of years back and is probably my longest surviving pedal! But that's partly due to my not ever getting around to using it, something that this lock down is about to rudely change!

 

[Briton]

So I'd like to change my answer - really liking the Leeds now!

LOL.........That didn't take much persuasion!. Sometimes you just don't need a DI to make a good pedal. The Leeds is one of my favourites. Did you buy it used?

 

[FaithNoMan]

So I'd like to change my answer - really liking the Leeds now!

Although I prefer the Oxford(not for its' bass response, but the midrange grunt), I got the Leeds right before it, and the Ox was my second Character pedal. They are both excellent though.

I knew right when I got the Leeds that the Character series was a giant leap above anything they made before. I think it's why I have trouble really loving the PSA clips. I had the PSA-1 right before I got the Leeds. I felt Tech21 took a new step with sound with the Character series, like I said before.

Two really old clips with the Leeds, DI'd. I added some eq to the highend to make it a bit sharper. But probably my best two clips with that pedal:

cerulean exp_bass - Output - Stereo Out by Centaurus A

dumbloopLdrums - Output - Stereo Out by Centaurus A

 

[Al Krow]

Btw does anyone know what VT stands for? Virtual Tube?

 

[Al Kraft]

Btw does anyone know what VT stands for? Virtual Tube?

I always thought it was a way of referring to the Ampeg SVT (and complementary 810 cab) without a trademark infringement. All of the Character series seem to do something similar in terms of names with all the brands/products they, for lack of a better word, emulate.

 

[Kro]

I always thought it was a way of referring to the Ampeg SVT (and complementary 810 cab) without a trademark infringement. All of the Character series seem to do something similar in terms of names with all the brands/products they, for lack of a better word, emulate.

Yup. So given that SVT stands for Super Valve Technology (I'm going with that over Vacuum Tube), you could assume that the VT here is Valve Technology.

 

[Al Krow]

Yup. So given that SVT stands for Super Valve Technology (I'm going with that over Vacuum Tube), you could assume that the VT here is Valve Technology.

I guess that makes sense!
Although obviously and crucially the Ampegs have actual valve (12AX7 and 12AU7) technology & goodness.
Tech 21 is valve tech sim.

 

[hbabels]

It would have to be the Geddy YYZ - always on for me.

 

[Somanytoys]

I have the VTDI and dUg pedals, and a 2112 preamp. I love all of them.

If I could have only one, I think it would be the VTDI. I think that it's got the best combination of the most versatile sounds and the most usable features.

The dUg is great, there are lots of settings to dial in. My only complaint is that it needs more unity between the 2 settings. Both settings are great, but they're so far apart you can only use one on the fly. If they were closer, it would be a tougher call, because this is a really great pedal.

I love the 2112, it's truly a great preamp. I'm sure it's very similar to the YYZ, but I like the rackmount preamp version. I like having separate controls and outputs for different speakers (I use it with a stereo power amp, a 2x10 & a 15), and it can have quite a few nice sounds dialed in, lots of control.

But all in all, for sound diversity, options and convenience, I think the VTDI is the main pedal I'd choose if I could keep only 1

 

[catcauphonic]

Mannnn, I LOVE my Oxford

 

[Al Kraft]

I guess that makes sense!
Although obviously and crucially the Ampegs have actual valve (12AX7 and 12AU7) technology & goodness.
Tech 21 is valve tech sim.

I think even some of the die hard Ampeg faithful though would admit that the Tech 21 analog emulation is pretty convincing up to a point. The Tech 21 folks have been at this quite a while and there is a reason they have survived and thrived all these years. On top of good sound, I think most would also agree that their gear is well built and they provide great customer support.

Edit: I just wanted to add that I think a lot of the Ampeg signature sound is related to the tube power amp section (not just the preamp and its tubes) and the cabinets as well.

 

[Cuzzie]

I have the VTDI and dUg pedals, and a 2112 preamp. I love all of them.

If I could have only one, I think it would be the VTDI. I think that it's got the best combination of the most versatile sounds and the most usable features.

The dUg is great, there are lots of settings to dial in. My only complaint is that it needs more unity between the 2 settings. Both settings are great, but they're so far apart you can only use one on the fly. If they were closer, it would be a tougher call, because this is a really great pedal.

I love the 2112, it's truly a great preamp. I'm sure it's very similar to the YYZ, but I like the rackmount preamp version. I like having separate controls and outputs for different speakers (I use it with a stereo power amp, a 2x10 & a 15), and it can have quite a few nice sounds dialed in, lots of control.

But all in all, for sound diversity, options and convenience, I think the VTDI is the main pedal I'd choose if I could keep only 1

you can achieve a good sound in either clean or mix mode with no knob twiddling on the DP3X - just takes a tinker to get you there

 

[Daniel Piper]

VTDI

 

[Al Krow]

Been working through some of the sample settings in the VTDI manual. Interestingly the 'Bite' engaged = presence boost (high mids / treble) + HPF, to tighten up the low end, is the default setting on all of the sample settings.

Is that also pretty much the default with rest of the Tech 21 pedals where a Bite switch is available?

 

[Nephilymbass]

Tech 21 have produced some truly iconic kit over the years. Really interested to hear from you on which your favourite pedal(s) from their range has been, particularly if you've had the chance to use and A/B more than one. If you could only save one from the proverbial fire, which would you go for?

If you've got any clips of you using your Tech 21 pedal live, then please do share.

I mostly stuck with their rack sans amps when I was using tech 21. I had a bass driver for a while but I used the rbi in particular for a long time. It's great stuff. Over the years I switched back to normal amp setups and went from Tech 21 to Darkglass as far as drive sounds. But one tech 21 pedal i still would really like to get my hands on is the red ripper. I also wouldn't mind having a bass fly rig just to have as an always setup practice rig.