Customer Reviews

Tech 21 BSDR SansAmp Bass Driver DI

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I got this pedal for its distortion sound after borrowing a friends SansAmp Bass Driver DI and falling in love with it. I had to purchase my own. After using it for a few months it has become an essential part of my full time sound. I don't use it as a distortion pedal anymore but as a full time pre-amp for live shows, rehearsals, and recording studios. Although, this pedal does offer my favorite distortion sound for electric bass. My favorite sounding bass ever has Bartolini Mark V pickups and preamps. I introduced the BSDR and now when I play the bass with out the BSDR the bass sounds dull. It's because I'm so used to the great tone of the pedal now. I only have the drive turned up a 1/4 way at the most, which adds a nice punch. The pedal adds lots of presence, and fat, well rounded tone in the low end. I have gotten compliments from producers/engineers in several studios already, as well as compliments at live shows from fans and sound engineers. This has been the best piece of equipment I have purchased for my professional bass playing career. It adds a confidence that changes the way you play!

I have had my SansAmp Bass Driver DI for nearly 10 years, and it is the single best piece of equipment you can buy for your bass rig on a limited budget. I use it twice a week live, and have used it for direct recording on numerous occasions. I have had people stop me after shows to ask me about my excellent sounding "rig", which includes the SansAmp into a cheap compressor and a small combo amp. It can do great things even for an inexpensive bass, and sounds fantastic with my Warwick and Fender American Jazz basses. It is an absolute essential for bass players.

I've had this preamp for roughly 11 years. It's been used live hundreds of times and at practice thousands. I've recorded with it at home and in studio and it still works as great today as the day I bought it, even after many nights of being kicked, stepped on, beer spilled on it, and infused with cigarette smoke from the bar patrons. I've gotten many incredible sounds out of it but found that I have 2 personal favorite settings: one for rock and one for jazz.

The sansamp is also a great boost for passive basses and gives them power without distorting the sound. All in all it's improved the sound of every bass I've ever owned from low to high end. Well worth it.

Thinking of selling your amp and trying something different? Keep your amp instead, and add the Bass Driver DI to your input signal. You'll have a whole new world of incredible tone through the same old rig. The first time I played through this little guy my eyes and ears opened wide... how could I have gone without this for so long?

Or maybe you love your amp, especially its excellent built-in preamp, and see no need for a box like this? You're missing out on a ton of punch, clarity, subtlety, warmth, and tonal versatility. No matter how much you already like your amp's native tone! PLUS the direct-box ability for when you need a direct send to the PA or mixer.

No matter that your amp has an awesome tube preamp built in. That's great, and it's way better than not having one, but you'll still sound better with the Bass Driver DI in your input chain.

While this unit works great at all volume levels, one thing I'd like to point out is that for bass players practicing at lower volumes at home, this DI allows you to dial up a fat, inspiring tone that makes you enjoy practicing way more, without having to crank your volume before you can sound good. I know your tube preamp gain control already does that for ya... but this box will take that possibility far beyond what you already had.

This pedal is the perfect tool for the gigging musician who wants to be ready for any venue or as backup in case his amp fails and he has to go direct. It's a great DI with a good preamp attached to it.

Let's face it, some places won't have the best backline for you to plug into so you need to be able to sculpt a good tone out of what they have. And let's face it, most people like the Ampeg tone which this pedal emulates (and very well).

The pedal gives you just enough control to quickly dial a nice sound. You plug in, power up and turn the knobs until you like what you hear. Judicious use of the blend knob makes up for the lack of a midrange control. I never felt hobbled by this design quirk.

Tonewise, this pedal is NOT transparent. It won't sound like your bass but with gain. You MUST accept the Ampeg tone emulation if you plan on buying this pedal. You can't dial it out. Purists will say it doesn't really duplicate an SVT. Well nothing will, but the Sansamp brings you close enough to fool most people especially live. As a former SVT owner, I think the Sansamp captures the "power tubes on the verge of breakup" sound very well while weighing 88 pounds less.

My only complaint about this pedal is that the switch is soft like a Moog or Markbass. It doesn't make a hard click like your typical MXR or EHX pedal. I have to be careful when I stomp on it to make sure I actually engaged/disengaged it. Other than that, I think everything about the construction is good. The DC jack is standard BOSS 9V, the knobs are easy to use and see while the overall size and shape of the effect is pedalboard friendly.

Once again, great DI with good pre but ONLY if you like the SVT vibe. If your tone goals steer you more towards clean then you might not like this pedal.

I tried this on a live gig from a buddy who raved about this pedal. Its has a great distortion and sustain, but its got a compressor circuit and you cant adjust it or turn it off, when I tried to pound a high note the attack and volume gets squashed/neutered. I know funk bassists and studio cats dig a good compressor but I absolutely cant stand one on my live rig(I expect and count on a GOOD soundman to add it in a live mix, great, as long as I cant hear it). Kinda pricey too, I ended giving this pedal back to my buddy, no thanks. I ended up buying the comparable MXR dist/D.I. that has a mid control and noise gate @ about a third less than what this pedal costs. IMHO a much better deal; more for less and no compress(ion).

After researching and evaluating bass DI boxes, a friend (and professional bassist) ordered a new Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI three days ago and we set it up in my home studio. When we tested the device for the first time, it sounded like a cheap distortion pedal operating with a weak battery. The sound was broken, very brittle, and filled with static when the active circuit was engaged. The by-pass circuit (or parallel signal output) worked without any problem and delivered a clean bass guitar sound. We tried every possible hook-up combination, double checking every cable, setting, knob, switch, cord, and battery to ensure nothing was overlooked. We tried the unit with both phantom and battery power with the same disappointing results. The same horrible sound was present thru both XLR and 1/4 outputs when the active circuit was engaged. The problem never corrected itself and we deemed the box defective. He is in process of returning the item to the music store.

I've got nearly 40 years of experience in music with setting up all types of effects and equipment. It never ceases to amaze me how much quality has declined with musical gear recently, especially with electronics manufactured in the United States. If this were a $25 dollar stomp box built in a third world country, failure would be easier to accept. Sadly, American made units hold no advantage in reliability (at least in my recent experience) against foreign made gear. When a $200+ dollar unit (like the Tech 21 DI) leaves the factory dead, it clearly says someone was "asleep at the wheel" in the Quality Control office.

Like any decent preamp, the SansAmp expands and refines the sound

of the electric bass, whether in the studio or playing live.

My friend has one and swears by it.

And I concur.