Tech 21 SansAmp PSA-1 Preamp

Price Paid: US $350 used

Features: 10
Solid state preamp that uses analogue modeling to reproduce just about any other amplifier realisticly. Has eight control knobs on the front, each with 256 incremental steps meaning a total of 1.845x10^19 possible configurations, but probably only ~10,000 user differentiable settings. The control knobs are lockable so that people don't mess with my settings. Up and down buttons to switch between presets are located on the front as well as an imbeded save button which prevents accidentally deleting presets. Save button can be pushed using a pick.

Front and Rear 1/4" input
Stereo 1/4" output
MIDI I/O
Effects Loop with 50/50 switch
Stereo XLR output (very handy)
LED display
Jack for momentary footswitch

I use it for all of my live performances and practicing when I get a chance to bring it home.

100 Presets: 1-49 : Factory Defaults
51-99 : User Defined
00 & 50 : Bypass

Sound Quality: 9
Guitar: Ibanez RGs, Epiphone Sheraton
Musical Styles: Progressive Metal, Hard Rock, Bebop, Fusion, Free
Form

This preamp can do just about anything I've asked from it. When playing my Ibanezs I can get booming, heavy rhythm, screaming leads, shimmering cleans and glassy jazz tones. This thing is the best reproduction of tube quality without actually being a tube amp.

The only problem I've had with this preamp is when I've used it with my Epiphone Sheraton to produce jazz sounds. The tone quality is decent, but I think that particular guitar would sound better through a vintage combo tube amp.

Reliability: 10
Never had any problems, failures or glitches with the system. No tubes to break in the middle of a show and I still get tube quality!!!

Customer Support: N/A
Haven't dealt with them, haven't heard anything about them.

Overall Rating: 10
Playing for 6 years.
If this preamp were stolen I would try to find another used one, or just pay the extra money and buy the new model; Sansamp PSA-1.1. It's the same as the original except they've added a master volume knob.

Guitars:
- Ibanez RG350DX w/ EMG 60 (Neck) & 81 (Bridge)
- Ibanez RG1570 w/ Dimarzio Air Norton (Neck), HS-2 (Mid) &
EVO 2 (Bridge)
- Epiphone Sheraton (ES335 style)

Rig: Guitar-> Morley Bad Horsie 2 Wah->Ernie Ball Volume Pedal->
PSA-1 Sansamp (TC Electronic G-Major in Effect Loop)-> Samson
Servo 260 Power Amp -> Modded Peavy 10" cabs
*PSA-1 and G-Major controlled by a Rocktron Midimate
Rack powered by a Furman Power Conditioner

Love: Amazing reproduction of tube quality tones
Hate: Nothing

There is only one thing I would add to this unit which would be a larger LED screen so that the preset names could be displayed. Seeing numbers on the front doesn't always tell you a lot about a preset.

I used my Dad's amps since I started playing and this is the first amplifier that I've personally owned and it may be the last. I spent at least 5 years playing different amps and listening to see which was right for me. I played Mesa, Marshall, Line6, Digitech, Vox, Peavy, Seymour Duncan, Crate... the list goes on and on. When it came to the best combination of versatility, tone and reliability, the PSA-1 came out on top.

For anybody that has had trouble getting a good sound out of this amp, make sure you use a solid state power amp and FULLRANGE speakers. The PSA-1 is designed to be used for more than guitars, so it was meant to be put through PA speakers.

Submitted by Graehme Floyd at 06/03/2006 15:09

Price Paid: US $600

Ease of Use: 6
The manual is very helpful for this product. Editing patches is a breeze, but getting the sound you want out of the unit is tough. Someone said there is no midrange knob, there is! The PUNCH knob! Buzz, Punch, Crunch all determine low, mid, and high distortion breakup. The Drive button simulates Power tube distortion, while the Pre-Amp button simulates tube preamp distortion. The low and high knobs act as a clean frequnecy boost. I suggest wandering thru the presets to see what the unit can do when you first get it. The controls and the way the patches work are quite strange at first and requires some practice to work the unit correctly. Getting a good sound is easy on this unit, but getting the sound you want is tough. Each knob has 256 incremental steps, when you factor in 8 different knobs, that is way over 8 billion different sounds! There is a definite learning curve with this unit, but once you get it, you can get exactly what you want.

Sound Quality: 9
I use this unit with my 5 string bass and I feed the sound from the PSA-1 straight into my Aguilar DB680, then to my QSC Power Amp. You can get many distortions: overdrive, growl, crunch, fuzz, thick thin, insane, anything you want. The unit has an inherent tube sound even though there are no tubes in it. The tube emulated sound is NOT better than the real thing, I must add. But, the sound coming from this unit sounds great! There is some noise on this unit when certain knobs are too high, but what unit is SILENT with distortion? (I haven't found one...). Rex Brown of Pantera, Byron Stroud of Fear Factory, Oliver Riedel of Rammstein, Tony Campos of Static-X, Adam Duce of Machine Head, Paulo Pinto of Sepultura; all of them use this unit to get fantastic bass distortion. I loved all their sounds and I got a unit that can create what they have. This unit is best for distorted sounds (my opinion). The unit can do clean sounds, but I prefer my Aguilar DB 680 preamp over that idea though. The Distortion off this unit is excellent, and NOTHING on the market even comes close to this unit.

Reliability: 10
Very Reliable and easy to use while playing live. I gig without a backup because, hey, I don't have an $600 for a backup!

Customer Support: 8
They have emailed me back on certain questions and have been very helpful.

Overall Rating: 10
I love Heavy Metal and Rock. The unit requires patience from the user. If you want something easier to work with, don't buy this! This unit is COMPLEX, but rewards you with awesome tone if you give it a chance. The Unit keeps the low end of my bass very well. The distortion on this thing is very responsive to my playing and that is by far the best part. The knobs sometimes act "wierd" on you; the knobs may not create a tone change until 3 seconds after you move it. The ability to have 50 presets makes up for that though. If you want a large selection of distortion sounds for bass that sound like your bass heroes, buy this unit. If you never want to use a STOMP BOX for distortion ever again, buy this unit. Stomp Boxes don't even come close to the sound quality of the PSA-1. I will never part with it. $600 is expensive, but worth it!

Submitted by Kevin Glenn at 09/05/2005 13:48

Price Paid: ż 350,-- (euro) used

Features: 9
Great, no unnessary buttons and options. Just what you need and programable too. I use my PSA-1 together with de G- Major from TC Electronics and the X15 Ultra Foot from Art. Works perfect together.

Sound Quality: 9
This is the best I have heard for al long time. I have had an POD XT Pro but that's nothing compared with the Sansamp. The XT "feels" digital where PSA "feels" and sounds analog with lots of gain but clean also very impressive. I'm playing a Blade RH-4 with EMG's wich is a perfect combination. The amp is capable of creating many different sound from very clean to brutal ditorsions. Also in high volumes the sound blows out of your speakers, in my case 2 Marshall 1912 through a Valvestate 8008 amp.

Reliability: 9
No problems yet, seems very reliable.

Customer Support: 7
No idea.

Overall Rating: 9
If it were stolen or lost, I would try to find another one.

Submitted by Tjalling at 06/28/2005 12:01

Price Paid: US $299.00

Ease of Use: 10
It's just knobs,although,you do need to learn how they work together.

Sound Quality: 9
I always give sound quality a 9 'cause it can always be better.This unit kicks ass.It doesn't have a mid control knob,but,this is a different type of circuitry.By cutting the highs and lows you get a shit load of mids,I like mids.There is so much range in this unit that I have my highs less than half way and my lows a little more than half way.I get perfect mids this way.The distortions are clear and brutal,cleans are cleans.I use a Les Paul and ESP BARITONE w/EMG 81's through a Marshall Valvestate power amp and regular cabinets.This unit does sound better through full range speakers and a completely transparent solid state power amp,but,fuck it.My set up still kicks ass.

Reliability: 10
I've had it for three years with no problems.

Customer Support: 10
The Lloyd dude is cool.No matter how stupid you might sound,he'll answer any question.

Overall Rating: 10
For the money,you can't get any better.I play death metal and it's perfect.It does sound like a tube head.I've been playing for 8 years and have tried all the Marshall's,Mesa's,and so on.Trust me,you don't need to slam down 13 hundred bucks,fuck the novelty and fuck the purists.

Submitted by Anonymous at 12/25/2004 21:38

Price Paid: US $550

Ease of Use: 7
U NEED to know how to work the very unique controls on this, in order to get the tone u want, so READ THE MANUAL!!!

Sound Quality: 10
this thing sounds amazing!! At first, I was a bit dissapointed, because i matched it up with a SS power amp; like I was told to by someone at tech 21, and I just didnt get the sounds i thought i should (I was running it into a mesa boogie recto 4x12). Then i was told to use full range speakers..... well, I ran it through some cheapo home made P.A cabinet made with radio shack speakers, and BOOM!! there was my sound!! I couldnt believe how incredible it sounded! The mesa boogie's, the marshalls, the fenders(the fenders did lack a little, but still sounded great), all the sounds were there. i was told that guitar speakers added too much midrange and that what was needed was full range speakers. well these cheap radio shack speakers did the job. can u imagine what it would sound like through a top of the line P.A cab? Well, this cheapo P.A cab wasnt mine, so all I had was my mesa cab. i did find out that by running an EQ in the effects loop, u can cut out the mids that are added by guitar speakers and improve the sound greatly. Ultimately, I'd like to maybe build a 4x12 cab with full range speakers, but for now the EQ does the job. Once u see what this sounds like through full range speakers, you'll see what I mean.

Reliability: 10
S.S, so u cant go wrong

Customer Support: 10
I called tech 21 and emailed them several times and I always got and intelligent, honest and professional responses from them

Overall Rating: 10
this is the best preamp for its price range. Hook it up to a P.A cab or any type of full range speakers (radio shack!!) and you'll see just how amazing this thing is. Also try cutting the mids with an eq if you use a guitar cab with it.

Submitted by Anonymous at 10/08/2004 08:58

Price Paid: 700 (euros)

Features: 9
fantastic interface. Includes so much control to shape the sound.
low and hi eq settings. no mid but the way eq is designed make this useless. i wish it had a more specifically (intended) direct record output. the perfect gear just to name it.

Sound Quality: 9
PRS CUSTOM 24 goes trough PSA-1- empirical lab Distressor ont the PSA FX LOOP- psa outputs then go to : PDA 9 PALMER SPKR EMULATION (right) GI 100 BERINGHER sPEAKER SIM and then to a mackie 1604 mixer to a Digidesign M BOX TO live (ableton)on a MAC G4 for DAW. I also own a modified JMP-1 preamp that sounds amazing (far better than the original. i've had tons of gear as a hi-tech fashion victim (V AMP PRO, pod XT)But i must admit that this box is, as already mentionned, far far far very far from is so called competitors. Attack is so precise, distorsions are..how to say... the sound you always have dreamt of for tube distorsion preamp (since it has tube). i won't get into details on the incredible sound of this preamp...whatever you think your sound is lacking of (pod, Vamp etc.) with your actual gear is in it. i'm serious. The only reproach i have is for direct recording purpose..i 've forgot miking long time ago. the PSA DIRECT SOUND still very 'trebly and harsh to be recorded direct TO MY OPINION. So i once add a PDI 09 PALMER SPKR SIM AND ON THE OTHER OUPTPUT A BERINGHER GI-100. I highly recommend this set up for direct recording with psa-1. the result is frankly superb. given the price of these box no risk. YOU GET THE TONE line 6, digitech or roland just can't approach and i also use theses box. clean sounds are also fantastic..never thought i could get a SRV sound with a PRS..BUT IT IS. I rate it to 9 just because i have to add spk sim to get that untouchable tone.

Reliability: 10
i've been using it for 3 years now : never the beginning of a problem. It's a tank.

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 10
Playing for 18 years. almost 70's things and this is a must have. the digital craps users should have a try. would buy it again. nothing else.

Submitted by mathieu winckel at 09/14/2004 07:26

Price Paid: US $600

Ease of Use: 8
It's an 8 because sometimes the value lights are not right...
And I have had flakey results with the mapping MIDI presets in the unit... But They really are Minor Issues... It has never failed and sounds the same every day I use it. Ones it's set up to how I like it. It's easy to tweek a setting (If I needs a little more volume) and to and save with a pick.

Sound Quality: 8
Sound is great on this unit. But I liked my old Peavey Rockmaster Better... But... After buying a QSC power amp that changed a lot... Do not use a TUBE amp.
Here is my set up.
Morley Wah -> Diditech Wammy ->
PSA-1 =>EFX LOOP -> EQ -> G-Force <= EFX return
PSA-1 Line OUT => BBE Sonic Maximiser -> QSC-850
PSA-1 XLR OUT => Mixer (for PA/Recording)

Everything is MIDI controled by a Ground Control and the CFX-Looper.
Yeah I am a control Freek!

I find the BBE in to the board is a little too Bassy, And not exactly what I am going for.

I love what the Sonic Maximiser can do to your sound... If your a guitar player, Get one.

Reliability: 9
Yeah. I have never had it not work... And it gets used a lot.
I was recording some stuff and I was hearing this pooping sound...
I thought it was from the PSA-1.. I Riped my Rig apart tring to find it... Well It was my 12 Year old Sonic Maximiser. Bought a new one. and my sound is so clean now...

Customer Support: 10
Fine, I never had a manual it was the store demo unit and the manual was gone??? the sent me a new one. Nice to see that!

Overall Rating: 9
Distortion is killer and the Clean is a little plane, but with the rest of my EFX I can fix that right up... It is a dependable, MIDI, No Tube, Preamp.
One thing I would like to see here is what power Amp is everyone using...

Submitted by Robert Davis at 08/30/2004 08:36

Price Paid: US $700 used

Features: 10
This Pre-amp is for professional users or medium users becose it functíon is different to multieffects. Works with various frecuency and differents controls in the panel.

Sound Quality: 10
My set up is: Yamaha guitar model RGXTT, and RGX820Z, both with Seymor dunkan Pickups, Chameleon 2000 for perfect efects and POD XT PRO for some effects. I love this pre-amp I tried with others Pre-amps: Line6 PODXT PRO, V-amp PRO, Marshall JMP-1, ADA MP1&MP-2, and the best is PSA-1, maybe Tri-axis Mesabooguie is good, Voodo Labs is very good, Prophesy also good, piranha is good, but PSA-1 is more versatyle and the Distortion is vERY VERY BRUTAL...I´m play the guitar in a Fusión Band: Heavy Progressive,Metal Fusión, Funk, some Blues,ETC and PSA-1 is the winner. I tried record direct with PSA-1 and is very Brutal Pre, I´m sessión music, not POD XT is a TOY, NOT V-AMP, is a cheap TOY, Maybe JMP-1 is decent, Triaxis very Expensive, Vodoo Labs Expensive, try with PSA-1 is the best.

Reliability: 9
All OK

Customer Support: 10
Very well, I lost my owner manual and LLoyd send my the manual the next day, perfect.

Overall Rating: 10
PSA-1 is a versatile pre in comparition with others preamps, brutal distortión, clean very well, is a PROFESIONAL PRE. For direct perfect, in studio perfect, Exellent Quality, Exellent Sound, Exellent price, I love it.

Submitted by Anonymous at 08/05/2004 23:08

Price Paid: N/A

Features: 9
Powerfull simlicity. This thing has 3 buttons, a couple pots, and an array of I/O. Everybody else has explained its features so no use. This is probably one of the best solid state guitar/bass preamps ever made. I give it a nine because I own three of them and they can be a little quirky.

Sound Quality: 9
Clean tone is a little generic, but add a little overdrive and badabing, its sounds good. This thing is also great for bass. The only problem with the unit is that it sounds like the back of my ass when put through a tube amp. You must use a solid state amp for this unit to have it sound good. It has nice thick distortion ( a little noisy) that doesn´t sound aat all solid state.

Reliability: 8
Has some problems everyonce in a while with its pot recal. The blinking lights sometimes don´t seem to guide you in the right dsirection, but works eventually with a little patience.

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 8
Good unit but not the best thing to buy for ditortion.

Submitted by Anonymous at 08/02/2004 21:47

Price Paid: US $300 used

Features: 10
Excessive distorsion tweaks, no more no less

Sound Quality: 10
I play this unit throuhg a Behringer 412s box, on my ibanez rg with seymour duncan hotrails.
This preamp is great. for all you who doesnt like it i suggest trying it out with the correcte equipment. full range speakers and a clean power amp. i can get all kinds of sounds of of this little unit. i have tried some other ams, like the peavey 5150 (way too much fuzz) and som mesa stuff (can be emulated =)

Reliability: 10
never fails. i have gigged on it without a backup and i still will!

Customer Support: 10
well they are very nice to help with manuals and questions but thats all i've tried

Overall Rating: 10
if it got stolen i would fetch my rifle.
i got this special model with red front and a real signature. made in 100-ish units throughout europe.
i just love it!

Submitted by Bearwolf at 07/20/2004 06:49

Price Paid: US $399

Features: 10
I bought the preamp for a rack setup for live shows in 2002. Features are standard, really for this type of preamp, except it doesn't do an fx. That's fine with me, I only wanted core tone from my preamp anyway. The place where this unit shines is versatility in tone, and the ability to take a signal to the board with the XLR outs, as well as drive a power amp and speaker with the 1/4" outs. Stereo FX loop is nice.

Sound Quality: 9
Ok. I use PRS CE-22's and McCarty model guitars. THe current setup in the rack is as follows: Carvin UHF Wireless > PSA-1 > TC Gmajor in FX loop > Mesa 50/50 > 2 2x12 Mesa recto cabs. I am a guns for hire guitarist (and sound engineer) so I need to have versatility in my sound. I play all types of rock, blues, jazz, funk styles. It depends who's hiring me for the session/live show. My own project is a mix of progressive rock and blues. This thing nails it all with the live setup. What really blew me away was the ability to take the direct signal and a signal from a mic'ed amp/cab and mix them live and in the studio. Whoa. I was half mast the whole time.

Cleans are impressive and full, moreso than any other direct preamp I've heard, and nicer than some boutique amps I own. I disagree with other posts here about the slight-breakup settings. I find them very workable, and mixed with the signal from the power amp are great. The heavy distortions will kick yoru ass across the room. Tight low end, aggressive punch, and clear definition. It reacts very well to picking dynamics and hands down is the easiest to pull useable on key feedback in all the high gain settings of all preamps I've used.

I've put this up agains my Triaxis, and it held it's own. I'd say it was 98% as good as the triaxis preamp, and some settings were nicer.

As a sound engineer, nothing's a 10 on tone, but it's a very solid 9.

Reliability: 10
I've roaded this live for over 2 years, and it's seen every type of situation from studio work to shit bars and larger venues. I stopped bringing a backup after 6 months. It's solid state, and it's a tank.

I'd say 10 on reliability.

Customer Support: 9
Lloyd is an excellent technician to deal with, and is not only prompt but extremely knowledgeable. He answered all my questions and then sugested settings and gear to work with it. Good form, Tech 21!

Overall Rating: 10
It's a 10 folks. If you can't get it to sound good, you're doing something wrong. Check the surrounding gear or try it direct.

Overall, I give it a 10.

Submitted by David at 07/06/2004 16:53

Price Paid: US $630

Ease of Use: 9
The Sansamp PSA 1 is a very special and serious preamp. It has something for almost everyone which is saying a lot. It is arguably the best professional preamp in its class and also better in some aspects than preamplifiers that cost twice as much.. My experience has been that certain trends in popular gear that tries to cover a lot of sonic ground tends to spread itself too thin and as a result gets passed over by serious musicians. Not so with the Sansamp PSA 1. This unit is setup to be used right out of the box with Presets that are emulations of popular amplifiers or ‘signature’ tones of famous musicians. The Presets differ from many other companies Presets in the sense that these are not voiced just to sound good in the demo rooms and consequently make a sale based on the showcasing ability of the unit; Rather the Presets are carefully tweaked emulations that are authentic sounding and will have real world use.

The easiest way to get started is to dial in a Preset that you like and tweak the sound using the knobs to adjust gain, treble, bass etc. For someone who would like to dive in deep this unit has plenty to offer too. This unit has control pots that are actually digital rotary encoders with 256 increments each. Multiply that to the number of knobs and you can imagine how many possible combinations one can get with this unit. The great part of this part of the interface being digital is that you can store near infinite combinations to memory of which there are 50 banks. Plus you will not have the usual wear and scratchy pots syndrome with these encoders (Controls)
To create your own sounds that are based on real amplifiers, I’d suggest reading the manual to understand the function of each control. The controls are very precise and fast acting, if you are used to dialling in with a lot of movement you may overcompensate! The manual states which controls emulate poweramp distortion etc. Along with the standard EQ which is in the form of treble & bass, you have parametric distortion/tone EQ in which each knob affects a specific frequency of a dialled in tone The rest of the preamp is pure FET based analogue circuitry. I will not go into the authenticity of the tones in this review as I feel that aspect has been covered by earlier reviews and forums instead I’d focus on a few other aspects.
Do not confuse this Preamp with the Physical modelling toys that masquerade as preamps. The Sansamp is a REAL preamp. I do not have anything against digital (in fact I love digital technology) but most of the Physical modelling amplifiers barring a select few just don’t cut it like a real amplifier. The problems lie with dealing with the non linearity’s of physics, optimising and economising algorithms for DSP and the very quality of the software code being written to emulate real amplifiers and effects. A good virgin vinyl record played on a reference grade gear has a bandwidth of 100Khz and a top flight tweaked spool tape recorder around 400Khz! When some folks complain that the CD did not sound as sweet as vinyl they were not kidding! One might argue that since the average hearing is around 20Hz to 20Khz what’s the point in having bandwidth above/below that. The fact is some people do hear above 20 Khz and energy can be felt at lower Hertz. Just because you can’t hear it audibly does not mean its not there! Ignoring the fact that there is non linear physics at work is why we probably have models of 400W power amps in jelly bean plastic boxes that run on 9volts and sound caricaturish! If it were possible to digitally clone a Class A tube amp like a Trainwreck or Boogie or Matchless DC 30 or the likes for $ 200 then they’d be out of business faster than you could say “Yikes!”. In the studio I recorded a clean guitar part and played the same lick using Amp emulation plug-ins and Sansamp in the loop. Although both sounds were good, nearly everyone said the Sansamp had more “bloom” and “definition”. That’s what you get wit

Sound Quality: 9
This preamp works best with Solid state power amps although there are some who may disagree. I heard this with a Mesa Tube power section where I liked the sounds of the distorted Presets but I am not so convinced that the clean sounds are that good. When the power amp was switched to a Bryston 300W Power amp with enormous headroom the entire rig came alive. Distortions were powerful and low ends taut, cleans were sparkly and chime like and overdrives were articulate and had nuance. As with any gear synergy is paramount. Solid state seems better suited to this preamp. Do not use this with Celestion vintage 30s or other wonderful typical guitar cabs. It is designed to be used with full range cabinets which are available from Tech 21 and you can also find others. I use fender US deluxe guitars and Les Paul custom through the Sansamp. Of course you have to change the gain levels while using the same Presets while switching guitars. The Sansamp PSA 1 is a very quiet preamp, even on extreme settings it is much quieter than a Marshall JMP-1 which constantly buzzes and hums at extreme settings. The mesa boogie triaxis too is also pretty quiet. In any case, most of us use noise gates at some stage. Since I use this in a home studio setting, my output is through monitors. I think this preamp sounds best using the FX loop instead of taking a signal output from the Sansamp to a DSP and then to power amp. The serial connections destroy the tone. I suspect that happens when your signal hits the D/A converter of your FX unit. A 50/50 mix sounds good to my ears and there is a neat little switch at the back that allows for this.I will give it a 9.

Reliability: 8
The Unit seems very reliable and I think it should perform well under any normal circumstance provided it is not abused. I think that it does not tolerate voltage fluctuations very well. Sometimes, I have noticed that strange things happen like Blinking lights or non responsive controls which are remedied by restarting the unit. Use a UPS or Line stabiliser like furman.

Customer Support: 10
I did get in touch with the company when I first bought the unit in relation to some voltage conversion queries and power amp that I had, since I live in a country where we have 220 VAC. Tech 21 customer support exemplifies what a good company should be. Lloyd , the Product manager is prompt, courteous, informative and goes a long way to solve your issues even if they are not immediately related to their product. Fantastic company. Morley is another company I think stand out in terms of customer service. I will always buy newer products from such companies because they offer much more than advice and support. I have faith in their vision. I say this because I have gear from Alesis ,Roland, Boss, Yamaha…Worst service ever. Some did not even bother to reply even when I said I had some defunct units that need immediate attention. I guess that is how it is with some Mega corporations.

Overall Rating: 10
My favourite guitarists are Allan Holdsworth, Scott Henderson, Morse, Abercrombie, SRV, Scofield and David Gilmour of the Crazy saints. I tend to like progressive and blues and the jazz masters. This unit can cover a lot of the tones I hear on the Cds. As a preamp it covers a lot of sonic territory and covers them well. It definitely is not one pointed and is very broad in tonal range although I am sure it cannot please everyone. Check with your sonic goals first. I’ve been playing since I was 16 and am 32 now. I have some vintage pedals and racks, and I am saving up to buy a lexicon PCM 81 or maybe a Lexicon MPX 1 if I can’t save enough!

If it were stolen, I’d become a monk. Learn Shaolin Kung Fu so as not to be violent with the perpetrator of the crime but demonstrate to him how lucky he was not born a brick and buy another unit! This one is a design classic. One point I’d like to make: I hope some companies like Tech 21 never stop making rugged all steel chassis and knobs and gear with that solid feel. It infuriates me to see gear (even expensive ones) nowadays that are made for fairies from lala-land. All those yucky plastic knobs and super soft membrane keys look ok on a Casio calculator. Professional audio gear should have none of that. If the customer pays good money for gear he/she should in no way be part of this “planned obsolescence” corporate jig where the components are known to fail within a certain period. Some of the footcontrollers I have seen are actually made for gnomes.

I compared it with A Mesa boogie Triaxis and Marshall JMP 1 as I was considering only preamps. The triaxis is one of the best there is but I did not like all the distortion sounds, I detected a mid range that was not very pleasing to me plus it is quite expensive. The JMP-1 was great on distortion but hisses too much. The JMP’s cleans were not to my liking. The PSA 1 was a no brainer. Best choice for me.

Anything I wish It had:
It is very difficult to critique this unit as it is so good. Anyway here are my suggestions:

1. A mid range knob would be nice. In all fairness I think that’s not possible because of the lack of real estate on the front faceplate.
2. The PSA 1 really shines on distorted and clean settings, The overdrive is not as spectacular especially the decays. This is only relative though.
3. I wish the unit remembered the patch last used while powering down. If this means the addition of an onboard battery then I can live without the feature as I would not like to live with the worry that the battery has to be replaced every year as most onboard memory batteries are not user changeable.
4. A power on/off switch would be nice. If tech 21 feels real estate is a problem they could make it at the back of the rack like some other units.
5. The Power cord: This one I have a real gripe with. I wish they did not make it connected direct to the unit as power cords often get caught on something or can just get frayed from use. It cannot be easily changed. It would make sense just to have a female socket on board wherein the cord would just need to be replaced. If the size of the rack is a constraint, tech 21 can increase the depth of the unit to accommodate the female socket.
6. I wish the top and sides and screws were aluminium/stainless instead of steel. This unit is a keeper. It should definitely look good for years and not rust as it does. Often screws rust and get locked in and are difficult to remove while servicing.
7. I wish the manual stated the process used to arrive at the tones they programmed. Trial and error iterative process can take up a lot of your time in nailing new sounds.

All these are very minor to say the least, some might say I’m being overtly critical, but hey! You asked for my opinion!

For those who want a summary the PSA 1 has more answers than questions to its credit. Sure it’s not perfect but it is one of those units that you will have longer than most. I dont know of any other unit that does what it doe

Submitted by Goldie at 06/11/2004 04:36

Price Paid: US $300 used

Features: 9
I bought this off of Ebay for about $300 several years ago and have used it extensively on stages/clubs of all sizes and in various recording studios. This has all the features I need or want in a preamp for my live rack setup (where I don't need effects loops and the like in your preamp because I'm using loop switchers for the stompboxes and running the preamp outs through my signal processors anyway). I like my preamps to do one job and do it well... function as the TONE generator for my system. I don't need or desire these preamp-with-FX boxes that try to do it all... I use high-end outboard gear for FX, noise gating, etc. At any rate, the PSA-1 is VERY easy to program, very simple layout, great design in terms of the recessed save button and MIDI memory protect features, switches presets instantly and noiselessly, and fulfills its purpose as a straight-ahead tone-generator flawlessly with no scrolling menus (digital crap!) or endless button pushing (Triaxis!).

Sound Quality: 9
I play primarily PRS Standards and Customs, with the occasional Strat, Les Paul or Parker thrown into the mix. VHT power amps, Mesa Rectifier cabs, TC Electronic signal processing, Electrix Filters, Adrenalinn, custom boutique stompboxes, Axess Electronics loop switcher for all pedal effects, balanced monster cabling throughout the rack, impedance buffering, power conditioning, etc etc. My signal is clean and strong, and anything not being used in a given preset gets automatically switched out of the signal path for ultimate clarity and tone. I'm a programming FREAK with all my gear and an audio engineer as well... spent four years studying how all this shit works and spent way too much time comparing gear in an objective setting to determine it's real capabilities. I'll break this rating section down into two categories:

1. Recording/Direct into PA:
For recording direct or playing live into a PA, this preamp gets a solid 10. Fantastic high gain capabilities, tight low end, brutal aggressive distortion... for metal and hard rock guys this will do the modern rectifier sound better than any preamp I've tried yet in the studio, and also allows you alot more control and versatility than the real thing. Also does lovely spanky or pristine cleans and very good medium overdriven/Fender w/Tubescreamer type of tones. I'm an engineer and a producer and also use the POD in the studio constantly (like everyone else, believe it or not) but this box gets a comparable direct tone with a much more in-your-face aggressive edge to it (and more definition at high gain settings) than the POD can manage. Not quite as "polished" a sound as the POD, which is usually ready to sit in a mix with no tweaking, but definitely in the same playing field. However, this same "polished" hi-fi tonal characteristic of the POD is also what makes it suck so much ass in a live setting, whereas the PSA-1 can actually make a go of it on stage and in the rehearsal studio.

2. Live through a rack setup w/VHT Tube power amp and MESA 4x12 guitar cab (V30s)
I used this preamp exclusively for a while in my live setup and I was very happy with the tight low end, brutal yet defined high gain, and lovely cleans. Cleans arene't quite on the level of a Triaxis or Egnater, but the high gain stuff kills those two all-tube boxes that cost about 3x as much. However, I did find that in a band setting I never could quite get the PSA-1 to really cut through the mix without upping the High setting, which is very sensitive and very quickly goes into "buzzy ice-pick" territory and gives the sound a very "hard" thin quality. And believe me I tweaked this box for many long nights and used a variety of different amps and cabs. Attempts at running an outboard EQ or using the Presence and Gain controls on the Power Amp were not successful, as you can't add in frequency that's not there with some amplitude to begin with without getting all kinds of phase artifacts and noise. There is also this slightly buzzy quality to the distortion, similar to the Mesa REctifier but not NEARLY as bad or pronounced... it's not something that jumps out at you right away but a timbre that wears at your ear after a while and begins to get annoying. What I discovered is this: the main problem with this box is it is really lacking in the all-important mids/upper-mids frequency range, which is where the guitar is strongest and finds its place in a typical bass-drums scenario. So while the preamp sounds great by itself through a power amp/cab setup due to the tight low end and high gain clarity, it really gets lost once your low end gets dominated by the kick and bass and you're left with a very skimpy midrange and a high end that has no punch or cut and which you end up boosting to try to cut through the mix... this is what leads to this overly bright and hard sound. However, this box has proven so reliable, so easy to program, and such a godsend for the

Reliability: 10
Been running this thing for up to 6 hours every day for the last 3 years (and I bought it used), dragging it all over the East coast for touring and recording, and it's never crapped out on me. Every now and then after LONG sessions the LCDs might start bugging out a little when programming tones, but this is quickly rectified by switching presets and then switching back. Never had ANY problems live whatsoever.

Customer Support: 9
Not too sure about this one, but they've been pretty informative the couple times I've called with questions. They're a small NYC outfit, so I gotta give the home team props.

Overall Rating: 10
Purely in terms of value (i.e. - bang for the buck) this preamp absolutely destroys every other preamp I've tried, and that's almost everything out there under $2000. I've owned, tweaked and extensively tested the Mesa Triaxis, Mesa Studio, Rocktron Prophesy, Voodoo Valve, Piranha, Hafler Triple Giant, Egnater IE4, Voodoo Lab Preamp, POD Pro, and a whole host of various Digitech, ADA, and other related crap that I don't care to remember the names of.... not to mention a ridiculously long line of Marshall, VHT, Mesa and many other amps. I've spent countless hours running preamps through line-switchers through identical setups side-by-side for accurate comparison through a bevy of VHT and MESA poweramps and cabinets. My conclusions: If you're into tight, heavy, high gain guitar tones there's nothing out there that does this sound better than the PSA-1 IMHO, and it's clean and medium overdrive tones are very good and useable as well. Great sounds for direct recording, great sounds for live performance (especially if you go direct to the board), and very good sounds through a power amp/cabinet setup. Like I said before, every piece of gear has it's own tone and distortion characteristics, and this box DOES have a "Sound" that you can never really dial out... if you like this type of distortion then you're all set. If not, then keep looking. The PSA-1 is a bit lacking in the punchy mids and smooth low gain overdrive tones that a high-end all-tube preamp will excel in, but at this price with this many great tones it just doesn't get any better. This one's a keeper!

Submitted by Razor at 06/08/2004 14:53

Price Paid: 2000 (R$)

Features: 7
Os controles estăo todos lá. Com nomes subjetivos como, buzz?? punch! etc.
fica faltando um controle de médio, até um medio grave e outro médio agudo poderiam dar mais respaldo a busca do som. Com paciencia vc chega onde quer.
50 bancos para salvar seus ampplis é mutio pouco. ( comece a explorar e verá - jah tive que me desfazer de vários)

Sound Quality: 9
Uma gama enorme de sons, com presets bem feitos, atente só a sua guita. Uma telecaster năo soa como uma Kramer!
excelente para sons limpos e drives para blues e rock´n´roll. Agora pra metal ( que eu toco), deixa a desejar, dependendo do punc q vc espera, năo rola perfeito năo, mas como é um emulador de amplis, qual assim soa?

Reliability: N/A
A assistencia tecnica em osasco é excelente (perto da prefeitura). Comprei uasdo, mandei dar uma revisăo e tá tudo ok

Customer Support: N/A
!!

Overall Rating: 9
pelo preço e as opçőes, este é o cara! năo emula microfones como o Pod e o V-amp, mas pra ligar direto no ampli é o melhor. Dá pau facil no JMP 1 da marshall

Submitted by Roger at 03/31/2004 20:29

Price Paid: US $549.99

Ease of Use: 10
The PSA-1 is very simple to use. Plug it in and let it rip! Some people have said it lacks mid settings, some say it acts randomly...I say boloney! I have been a recording artist for 10 years and find the PSA-1 without flaw. If you know what you're doing, this piece is amazing, if not, then you are an amateur and need not buy this product.

Sound Quality: 10
Absolutely quiet. I have read here that some people say it is a bit noisy, I don't see how it oculd be. I have used POD Pro, XT, Digitech 2112, 2120 and this piece is the most quiet. (Note to those who say it is noisey: Check your cables, connections, and other hardware.) I'm using the PSA-1 in my rig with Furman Rackrider, DOD EQ, Digitech 2112, Ultrafex, and a compressor. Amplification: Marshall SL-X JCM900 head, 2 1960B cabs, Crate GX-900h head, 2 crate 4x12 cabs. The PSA-1 blows the POD and digitech products out of the water. Don't waste your money on BS, get the PSA-1.

Reliability: 10
Dependable to the max. Very durable. Rugged; made for touring. Enough said.

Customer Support: N/A
Haven't dealt with.

Overall Rating: 10
I perform industrial music and the PSA-1 with my custom ESP guitars and EMG 81 pickups that cuts through any mix with an apocalyptic twisted metal sound. I love my PSA-1. I no longer use my Digitech or Line 6 products as my front runner, they are now secondary units. Direct recording with the PSA-1 is unreal. I CAN SUM THIS PRODUCT UP IN TWO WORDS: SIMPLY AMAZING.

Submitted by D at 03/12/2004 03:21

Price Paid: US $450

Ease of Use: 5
While non-standard for a guitar amp, editing controls are easy to understand and very effective. Unfortunately, there are not infinite-rotary pots, so values abruplty jump from the current to the memorized one. Master volume is stored with each preset, and changes when switching from one preset to the other. No power on switch. Someone could find the latters not so important, but for me they are major shortcomings.

Sound Quality: 10
The sound quality is simply stunning. Devastating distortions, autoritative cleans, loud and incisive bass settings. A different color than my JCM800, but exactly the sound(s) I was looking for for certain pieces.
As for audio quality, it is great. I go direct to the digital recorder, and I've plenty of volume and punch, with the greatest definition.

Reliability: 6
Pots are of the cheapest kind, and the software is buggy (for example, sometimes you turn a pot counter-clockwise, and the "down" value dot indicates this change; but when turning it clock-wise, the original value cannot be restored). The (older) PSA-1 of one of my friends behaves rather randomly. I'm not too confident it can last forever.

Customer Support: N/A
They were very helpful before purchase, but I could not receive answers to the two emails I sent them _after_ purchase. Maybe they simply went lost...

Overall Rating: 9
I play mostly deranged variants of metal. The PSA-1 fits them perfectly. With higher dynamics and much better definition than the POD or the V-Amp, it can be used shamelessly in studio. If broken or lost, I would certainly buy another one, but I'm unhappy of the build quality and lack of essential ergonomic features. However, since I got it I'm started composing a lot. This should be a good testament onm its true qualities.

Submitted by Anonymous at 03/09/2004 06:27

Price Paid: US $380 used

Ease of Use: 8
Just migrated from a Line6 POD to the PSA-1, and I've been wanting one for a while. The PSA-1's controls are a little different to the norm, hence the score. The POD's are like amp - if you can't work them you shouldn't be playing electric guitar. The PSA-1 for one doesn't have a midrange control, which takes you by surprise if you're expecting one! The PSA-1 can do it all, though, and one read through the manual will have you all sorted. Also give it an 8 for that sad power cord, it really couldn't have been so hard to give it a standard, kettle-cord type plug socket to make it easier to standardise one's rack. Useablility issue you ask? Yes, I need to use it in my rack, and that power cord is irritating. It could use a power button as well. Minor design gripes, but they need to be mentioned. At the price these go for new, these should be standard issue in the design. A good number of user banks are available, though, unlike the POD.

Sound Quality: 9
Okay, this is what's all about. I'm playing a 1994 PRS Custom 22 into the PSA-1 as a preamp, straight into the 'effects return' jack of a Marshall JCM900 with a 1960B 4x12 cab. The PSA-1 is DEVASTATING. I haven't played a POD XT yet, but I've owned a POD and recorded with a POD Pro, and the PSA-1 kicks the POD out of the picture - there can be no comparison.

I need everything from clean U2 tones to nu-school metal crunch, and the PSA-1 nails everything - and gorgeously I might add. Playing it is like playing any tube amp, it responds to pick dynamics, pick-up type, you name it. I loved it when I played it in the shop, and after I'd taken it home and the novelty had worn off, it was even better! This pre-amp is NOT over-rated.

I particularly like the tight bottom end on the Boogie-esque tones, I found the POD's bottom end to alway get 'flubby' on the Rec setting unless I played a scooped setting. Clean tones are beautiful, and I also disagrre with some reviewers here - the slightly distorted tones are lovely. But that could be pick-ups, I haven't played a Strat into one yet, just my PRS.

The reason I give it a 9 and not a 10 is because the best clean tone I ever heard was from an old Boogie .50 Caliber, and the PSA-1 hasn't quite got me AS excited as I was on that day. It's gets me very close though. And that .50 Caliber could do half the other things this does. Great Fender tones, great Marshall tones, great Boogie tones, and all in one rack-space - with no tubes to crack, blow or be biased. Schweet!

It is a little noisy on the high-gain settings as some have commented, but no more than the quality amps it's emulating. Just need to get a decent 'gate and I'll be fine. I play without one at the moment and it still rocks, the noise doesn't get intrusive if you know your rig and how to control it.

Reliability: N/A
Yes I can depend on it, look really solid. Just don't like that power cable. Would I gig without a back-up? Yes, because I can't afford a back-up! :)

Customer Support: 10
I stay in Cape Town, South Africa. Yeh, that gives this context. there isn't a dealer here, so I had to e-mail to get a manual since I had bought mine 2nd hand. Requested a PDF manual, and got a response the next day. Very friendly, very prompt and very helpful. I had some e-mail hassles, and Maureen made sure i got what I needed. Kudos to Tech 21

Overall Rating: 10
I listen to, love and play just about everything rock. From pop-rock to nu-metal. Been playing for about 8 years. I play everything from teeny clubs to open-air festivals, and I can't afford a back-up rig, so my rig has to be flexible & rugged. The PSA-1 is as good as it gets as far as I'm concerned. If it were stolen I'd first dish out some vigilante justice and get it back, or failing that find another one ASAP. I would not consider anything else. I can't wait to take this into studio when we record soon!

Submitted by David at 02/06/2004 04:25

Price Paid: US part of a trade used

Features: 8
Not sure of the year since I bought it used. This is easily one of the coolest preamps to ever be created. It has no "channels," but it does have 49 factory and 49 user presets. And may I add, this preamp should win an award for being the first piece of electronic gear ever created to have presets so good you never need to use anything else (while at the same time being extremely "tweakable" to appease those people too).

It's got an effects loop I don't use, and I've never tried the direct record outs, but I wouldn't do that anyway. It's, as said before, a solid state device which sounds almost eerily like actual tubes.

Sound Quality: 8
My setup (like you care) is Ibanez, ESP, and Epiphone guitars to PSA-1 to G-Major effects to Randall RT2/50 tube power amp (amazing amp and I'm surprised there are NO reviews of it here). I mostly used the presets, but also filled up about half the user locations with original sounds as well. The tone was great yet not great.

Someone down the page said every tone it made sounded like it came from behind a wall and I agree. I had to constantly crank the presence to the maximum on the Randall and usually turn up the "high" control on the PSA-1 to get a non-muffled sound. This was a bit disappointing, but no big deal.

I disagree with those who said that this sounds bad for mildly overdriven tones, but wholeheartedly agree with the ones who say the clean and fully distorted sounds are incredible. That they are. This made a "rectifier" sound better than my rectifier and the Marshall sounds were much more interesting than any of the countless other boring Marshalls I've owned in the past. I also agree that it has its own tone and though the sounds are close to the amps they're trying to be, they're not exactly the same.

Reliability: 7
No problems in just shy of a year of owning it, don't plan on having any problems since I actually take care of my gear.

Customer Support: 9
I've emailed them about five times and each time the reply came before the day was done, sometimes within an hour. To me, that's good support.

Overall Rating: 8
This is an incredibly good preamp. Rocktron, Digitech, Line 6, throw them all in the trash, they don't hold a candle. The only preamp which beats out the PSA-1 (and this is my opinion, remember) is the TriAxis, but this comes from a die-hard Boogie fan. The PSA-1 makes remarkably good Boogie tones, but not quite as focused as I like them. Still, the PSA-1 is a VERY close second and will be remaining in my rack as a backup.

Submitted by Dan at 01/27/2004 14:24

Price Paid: US $390.00 used

Features: 8
I rate this an 8, because quite frankly it aint supposed to have a tone of features. It's a straight forward Pre Amp. It has all the basic things you need. 2 in's, stereo outs, effects loop with 50/50 switch(depending on your set up this can be very handy). The knobs on the face are very simillar to that of a traditional tube amp, and are labeled acording to what they do. No nonsense here. The Buzz adds Buzz etc. etc. The only thing I wish it had was more MIDI versitility. E.G. make some or all of the face knobs controlable via midi expression pedal. It would be very cool to be able to vary the "Preamp" or "Drive" with your foot on the fly!

Sound Quality: 10
I play in a top 40 bar band, so i need a wide variety of tones at my fingertips. The PSA1 delivers! I play a 1998 Ibanez RG 570, a 1980 Ibanez Artist, and a early 90's Fender American strat. These run into the PSA 1 with a T.C. Electronics G-Major in the loop. I use a Rocktron Velocity 150 (150w) solid state Power amp into 2 Rocktron Velocity S112 (1x12)75w speakers cabs. I do not run stereo live. I have a Bradshaw switching system to handle the midi functions. The amp and speaker combo is very important. The PSA 1 needs a Clean pwr amp, like you would use for a PA system, and full range speakers, again like that of a PA system. Your traditional 4x12 marshall cab will work but you will get far better results from full range speakers.
The cleans on the PSA1 are amazing even fully cranked, the fender styles are damn near dead on, I even tricked a few people into thinking I was playing an acoustic, when I was using the RG 570 stock!(NO Piezio pickup!) the Marshalls, and Boogies get noisey on the high gain settings....just like the real amps. No complaints here either, a basic noise gate covers that. I get tones for AC/DC, to Metallica and INXS to Simple Minds so it really is the most versatile system I've used.

Reliability: 9
Never Had a problem. I gig regularly with out a back up. I do take good care of my gear though. Shock mount rack etc. etc.

Customer Support: 9
Again the unit seems to be solid but I did talk to the teck support guys before buying. Lloyd was awesome, very helpful.

Overall Rating: 9
I've been playing 20 years in all sorts of bands. I used to manage a Guitar Center. I have played with all the toys. I did a lot of research before going solid state. This seemed like the best thing going, and I beleive it is. To give you and Idea of just how great I think it sounds. I just sold my Mid 80's Marshall JCM 800, I have no need for it anymore. If it was stolen, I'd replace it in a heartbeat!

Submitted by degenr8 at 12/22/2003 11:34

Price Paid: US $500

Features: 10
I use Sansamp plus G Major plus BBE 462 and plug into my Marshall Valvestate return plug in. I have 3 ibanez (jem, rg and PGM model). I play all styles of music (jazz, blues, rock, mpb and metal). Sansamp is very versatile -> some clean sounds (fender simulation) makes my ibanez sound as a fender, and some heavy sounds (mesa boogie simulation) makes my sound get very closer to mesa distortion.

Sound Quality: 9
I also have a Digitech 2101. Sansamp blow digitech in terms of versatile and distortion. Some people say that this preamp is not good for recording or playing live. Also, tech 21 recommends to use a solid state power amp on it, avoiding tube power amp. I tried one time plugging sansamp in a Carvin power amp (tube power amp), sound was far worst comparing with my valvestate power amp. So I am not totally comfortable with this product It is why I am giving a 9 to this. But tried and you will not be disappointed with this produtct. It is an excelllent machine.

Reliability: 10
I never had any problem with it

Customer Support: N/A
no problems

Overall Rating: 10
Excellent product. Tried first and compare to other pre amps (triaxxis, digitech 2101, jmp-1, rocktron voodu valve). You will see that Sansamp will kick many of the products mentioned above, however, it depends on what kind of tone and sound you want

Submitted by bob rock at 11/24/2003 17:37

Price Paid: N/A

Features: 9
Alot of features. If you are looking to get one you are aware of them.

Sound Quality: N/A
Ok, First of all I tried hooking this up to my Carvin DCM150 power amp and a Genz-Benz Flex 2x12 cab. It wasn't very impressive. It was dull and all the metal/hard settings sounded too much alike. My Tubeworks Real Tube 9002 reissue is half the price and was way more musical aka not cold. I also tried the PSA-1 thru a combo amp's front end as well as driving it through the return loop with the same results. Yes, I've switched the vol/line setting buttons to experiment. I got online to check out the other reviews to see if there was something I wasn't doing right. Anyhow, the last review written here was the answer. FULL RANGE SPEAKERS! It sounded 90% better. I'm still tinkering with it. The speakers I ended up running it through are cheap so I can only imagine what real PA speakers will sound like. With that said I am still not tripping my balls off with the sounds I can get out of it now. I'm still tweaking and will leave a follow up review.

Reliability: N/A

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: N/A
Things I like: no power off button(I always turn all preamps, effects,etc BEFORE I turn the Power amp on. It's one less switch to flip. I love how you can hold the up or down button to go thru the presets(speeds up after you hold it in over a second so it's faster than just tapping it one preset at a time). The enclosure is great and looks nice.

The things I don't like: When you power off it doesn't keep the last preset you were at. You can't name your patches. The knobs are plastic.

Submitted by Anonymous at 10/13/2003 19:38

Price Paid: N/A

Features: 9
I have already reviewed this product. This is a second review. Features are great. There's nothing extra that I need other than a tone knob for the mids. And maybe also a presence knob.

Sound Quality: 9
USE FULL RANGE SPEAKERS! This solves many problems. I was using a 300 watt 4x12 cab with celestion gt100s with a solid state pre and I just wasn't cutting through the mix in a band setting. The clean sounds were OK. The high gain sounds were there, but they were undefined and not cutting through the mix. I simply could not coax a good medium to low gain growl out of this setup. Then, after fucking around with this setup for 3 years, I tried sending the Sansamp through the input of an old Roland JC-120 2x12 and *BOOM* - there's the tone! JMP growl, Mesa Rectifier, Fender Twin. It really is in there!

So here's my advice everyone - Use full range speakers with this preamp. Do not expect your typical celstion 4x12 to cut it.

Reliability: N/A

Customer Support: 10
awesome. lloyd rocks.

Overall Rating: 9

Submitted by Anonymous at 09/27/2003 21:27

Price Paid: € (540) used

Features: 8
I got this preamp secondhand on ebay in Germany. Perfect condition.
If your looking for a GREAT pre, and you're not a tube-fan this unit is for you. I play almost every style from blues, to metal, and this baby can handle everything!
The stuff is simple: it has 3 pre (distortion) EQ, 2 postEQ, input level, drive and master volume KNOBS, program-select UP and Down buttons. No more button-pushes to get the sound I want!:-)
Midiable, 49 user and 49 factory programs.
It has a BEAUTIFUL metal case.
Headphones-out, 2 line outputs, stereo fx-loop. The fx-mix is simple, global off or 50-50. It would be better to control the mix with one more knob and save the setting in every program...(-1point)
Wish it had an ON-OFF switch (-1 point)

Sound Quality: 10
I have an Ibanez RG570 with a seymour custom5 in the bridge position, and a Strat fitted with EMG SA set. The guitars go into the PSA1, the PSA1 to my Digitech GSP2101, then a Digitech-Hafler G150 mosfet poweramp that drives two selfmade 2x12 cabs fitted with Celestion Classic Lead 80s.
Wanna get the Gilmour sound? No problem. Wanna play Dream Theater? No problem.
Finally I have an amp that has a very tight and clear bottom-end.
The distortion is brutal, but crystal-clear at the same time (just like in Fates Warning - that was the sound I'd been looking for)...incredilbe.
When I let it ring I feel like a baby in his mother's arms...Warm, clear and round.
I had a Fender RocPro1000 and an ADA MP1 before, but none of that could get close to this baby.
There's no question why does Jim Matheos (Fates Warning), Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings), or Joe Satriani use this stuff.
I showed it to one of my friends today. He didn't belive that this is a full solid state amp. It made him thinking of buying one of these babes instead of a Mesa Triaxis...
I LOVE this stuff!:-)

Reliability: N/A
I only got it for a mounth now...
What can I say? Like others before me: Built like a tank!

Customer Support: N/A
I'we asked them one thing in email, and they replyed next day.

Overall Rating: 10
I play for 10 years, I had a Marshall Valvestate 8240, a Fender RocPro1000, an ADA MP1 before. None of that could reach this thing in sound. Small, light, great sounding...what else do you need?
If it were stolen or lost (how could I lost my gear??) I'd buy another one immediately.

Submitted by GG at 09/03/2003 12:38

Price Paid: US $399 Mint cond including Midimouse+Cable used

Features: 7
Salut Montreal Bob ... enchante ... I concur with Bob Guido's review below. The PSA-1 rackmount is an ingenious tools that rocks for both performing and recording. I picked one up from a cat in CA this week on eBay for $399 including MidiMouse and cable in A++++ shape to replace my beloved JMP-1. This device is definitely straight as forward in-your-face and idiot proof to use as it gets.

Before it arrived, I went to the tech-21 website and downloaded a page (front-back) on each amp type preset values plus the miscellaneous page. Without the manual I created a performance bank (51-60) including:

51 TWIN
52 SRV
53 PLEXI 50
54 PLEXI 100
55 EVH CRUNCH
56 SCHENKER LEAD
57 SANTANA LEAD
58 METALLICA
59 PANTERA
60 MESA LEAD

It took all of 10 minutes. The catch is setting unity gain on all patches to match in real time.

I loved my JMP-1, however, it is utterly incapable of programming Mesa or Fender patches.

The device runs thru a HUSH IIC, into a wet/dry/wet configuration, Left output dualled out into BBE 462 into MOSVALVE MV-462, and right output dualled out into delay+chorus thru another BBE462 into a separate MOSVALVE MV-462. Single 4x12 cab with four inputs one per speaker, G12H80s top, Altec Lansing D120Fs bottom.

I never liked tube power amps, and on the MFG's recommendation to use a solid sate power amp the MOSVALVES are perfect (warm, do not affect the tone, and are solid state). The PSA-1 and BK Butler's MOSVALVES are a perfect match.

This is not my primary performance preamp, although it could easily become one. I also use a Real Tube II preamp, however, my primary rig is rackmounted Mark IV Mesa Boogies. All preamps go thru a rack mixer.

The PSA-1 fills my tone gaps for live and session work where the Mark IV Blues-Rock leaves off. Now I have the best of all worlds.

One thing I didn't like was that the Master Volume is "saved" with the patch. I would have preferred a dynamic global master volume in "real time" depending on venue, and a patch volume saved with the patch that readjusts itself on all patches when the master volume is changed in real time. Oh well ... I give a 7 here, because this is a critical performance feature bout not a critical studio feature. Huge bang for the buck otherwise!

Sound Quality: 10
I have to admit that the Fender Twin is tricky. It "treble pings" at max volume with the MFG preset values. The ping can be dialed out by turning the crunch down to just a smidget beyond midnight, adding 25% punch and turning the Master Vol up to 100 percent. Otherwise, the output levels are too low, and unity gain off-matched to the adjacent high gain patches.

I have played all the REAL high gain amp HEADs modeled on the MFG list. Man this thing really rocks, and sounds smoother than the real McCoys w/o the volume, weight, noise, tubes, and other baggage ... Rectos, Plexis, 5150s etc. I'm stunned. I'm not sure what exactly the Hiwatt and Tele Simulator are. Didn't lik'em at all. Didn't even bother with the MXR Bigg Muff etc. Never liked that crap mush anyway.

I didn't like the Bluesbreaker, but then I don't like anybody's bluesbreaker modeler either. This is the only amp that nobody on this planet has been able to model. The AC30 is close.

Bottom-line, a single performance bank of of good Marshall & Mesa crunch and lead sounds covers a lot of rock genre territory. Line 6 does not even appear on the sonic radar compared to this single-rack device.

The Marshall patches have a more aggressive character than the JMP-1, even with brand new Jan Phillips in V1 and JJ/ECC83S in V2, and I loved my JMP-1 ... and that was MFG'd by Marshall go figure ... nuff said

I owned a GT2 for 10 years that I used for bass in the studio but it used to feedback like hell live on guitar. That little sumbich made any bass amp head or bass guitar sound better: Punchy and in-your-face bass. I am sure the PSA-1 on bass will sound even better.

This is not your jazz music teacher's preamp. This is a solid state aggressive guitar rock machine covering Classic, Hard, Prog, Metal, NuCrap, etc -

Notwithsatnding the really cheesy patches mentioned above, this puppy gets a solid 10 for solid aggressive monster rock tone. I surmise that all MFGs (Lexicon, Eventide, Digitech, etc) always inlcude bullshit patches to prove that their staffs get stoned often are not infallible nor perfect lol

I read this guy's review below who is turning this knob down and that knob down and comparing to a tube head "checking the buzz factor"? What a tweed-head brainwashed moron. Welcome to the 21st century moron ... if you don't and can't understand the technology ... then you just don't get it huh? It is a rock machine, not a blues club panacea to not buying a Victoria Combo. Go buy a fucking hand-built Victoria for $2200.00 with original bassman specs, Weber Q10s, resistors to tolerance, etc etc etc ad nauseum. When you blow a tube in your bedroom or douchebag open-mic talent show in NY or NJ and it fails, I'll be rocking an arena in Europe somewhere with my $399.00 PSA-1 and getting paid for it you fucking loser. Get a life ...

Reliability: N/A
Based on other reviewers -- built like a tank.

Customer Support: N/A
Based on other reviewers -- solid NY MFG that stands behind their product.

Overall Rating: 10
This is truly a wondeful piece of technology. When I get back in a few months, I plan to try it in the studio and experiment with fattening/crunching guitar/bass tracks, and who knows, maybe it has utility on other instruments including vocals?

Would I buy again? Sure, if another deal like this came along. Way too expensive at regular retail prices. eBay has levelled the playing field in that regard. I am past paying retail for anything anymore. You buy a new piece of gear at any music store then its worth 25 cents on the dollar when you try to sell it back later. My sentiment to the music stores and their ignorant non-player lizard sales staffs: Go fuck yourselves ...

Submitted by ROCK THE PLANET!!! at 08/01/2003 18:05

Price Paid: US N/A

Ease of Use: 10
The operation, editing and storing of user programs in the PSA-1 is very easy. The manual is very informitive and outlines the history of SansAmp technology and thier approach to emulation of tube amplifiers using FET analog circuits.

Sound Quality: 10
Recently for a project, my client wanted the best possible clean but tube driven sound. Basically, clean with a bit of that tube compression kind of tone. I ran some extensive tests using a ProTools Recording system with Apogee I/O and A/D convertors before we got started. The front end was a Sure SM57 microphone into a Neve 1073 mic preamp into the Apogee A/D and direct to disk.

This was what we had at hand:

Fender Vibro King custom shop Class A guitar amplifier (fender's most expensive amp)
Fender Deluxe Reverb vintage
Vox AC 30 Top Boost vintage
Vox AC 15
Matchless DC30
Fender Super reverb 1960's model
Fender Bassman vintage
Line 6 POD pro on Vox and Fender Bassman settings
Sansamp PSA-1 Plug-in in ProTools.

I DIDN'T OWN THE REAL PSA-1 RACKMOUNT YET.

I Recorded a guitar track direct through the Neve to ProTools and re-amped it through all of these amps and the POD. All amps had the EQ and volume set to produce the best clean sound. I also set the amps tone controls and levels so that no amp was particularly brighter or bassier than another. Sameness in tone would keep the listener from percieveing more treble or bass as "better tone". They were all miked the same with a shure SM57 on axis pointing at the seam between the speaker cone and the dust cap centre. Standard stuff. So I did all the re-amping and recorded all these amps and the Pod simulations. I listened to the results for a long time. Afterwards for fun I put the SansAmp PSA-1 Plug-in that was in the ProTools system I am using on the original direct NEVE guitar track and holy #$%^! I thought it sounded way better than any of the Amps miked up and the POD. So I wondered...is there something wrong with my ears? Maybe it's getting late and I should get some sleep and listen to it tomorrow. So I invited several musical people over for a little beer and listening party. I gave them each a piece of paper and asked them to write down after I soloed each track whether it was a real amp or a simulator (POD, SansAmp plug-in). They were not able to see my ProTools session as I was in front of the monitor.

Here are the results: Many people confused the POD with the the real amps. But EVERYONE said that their favorite sound was the first one. It was the Sansamp PSA-1 plug-in by Bombfactory on the direct NEVE guitar track. Not one person hesitated to say "what was the first one? It sounded so much better than the rest." It was exactly what I said to myself the day before. I was not alone. The SansAmp Plug-in was the most digital thing out of the bunch but it had the most defined warm tube tone and tightest bottom end as well as a nice round and bell like top end. It was not mushy or muddy, the way a lot of the Amps were. The POD on the VOX setting was thier second choice but it too had a muddy bottom end. So here is what I wanted to know: Does the Sansamp PSA-1 Plug-in sound anything like the real rackmount unit? Is it close or is the Rackmount better? If the Rackmount is better than this plug-in then I have to have it because my clients and friends think the Plug-in has the most real and best tube amp sound even going up against the real thing recorded through a Neve! If the hardware is better than the software version then it will blow them away.

I sent this letter to Lloyd at Tech 21 and he encouraged me to try the real SansAmp PSA-1. I bought one and I have since tested it up against all of my amps, the POD pro and the SansAmp PSA-1 Bombfactory Plug-In.

Conclusion:

The PSA-1 Plug-in blew me away. It sounded better than the POD and any real amp with a SM57 on it. The real PSA-1 goes a step further than any of these. It sounds larger, more in your face, wider and deeper than it's Plug-n emulation and the POD and all of the real amps with a Shure SM57 on them. It has a sound that goes beyond any Amp or simulator. It sounds tighter in the bottom end than a real amp. It is also punchier. When you let n

Reliability: 10
This rack is built to withstand nuclear fallout and has wonderful metal handles on the front that make it oh so easy to install into a rack case or a producer's desk in a studio without scratching any of your other precious outboard gear above or below the home you have made for your new PSA-1.

Customer Support: 10
Tech 21 has the best customer support of any music product manufacturer. They are even better than Eventide who are extremely helpful.

Let me just say that Lloyd at Tech 21 goes out of his way to maintain Tech 21's mission: to make the best professional guitar and bass preamps for the stage and the studio and not flavor of the month products like bright red kidney beans, purple blue and green Droids.

Overall Rating: 10
I am a professional recording engineer/record producer in Canada. This preamp is providing me with an extended sound palette of guitar color that goes beyond what tube amplifiers and the Line 6 POD will provide.

Other devices that are designed to perform the same function as the SansAmp PSA-1 that I have owned and used are:

Line 6 POD pro
Line 6 POD xt
Hughes & Kettner Tubeman Plus
Rocktron RepliTone and Chameleon
Hughes & Kettner Red Box
Marshall JMP-1
ADA MP-1
Johnson Millenium Modeling Amplifier
Yamaha DG-Stomp
SansAmp GT2 and SansAmp Classic
ZOOM 9002
Voodoo Lab Preamp

The SansAmp is unlike any real amplifier or other digital, analog or tube amp simulator/modeller and allows you to carve your own personal sound with it's unique tone controls. It sounds larger, wider and taller than any real amp does with regular micing technique.

Submitted by Bob Guido at 07/13/2003 21:43

Price Paid: US $200.00

Features: 9
Rated 9 because some minor improvements could be made. This is the "tone generator" portion of a rack guitar system. It uses a total of 5 gain controls to change how the tone is created/shaped. The Preamp and Drive controls are like the Preamp and Master controls on a 'regular' amp, while the Buzz,Punch and Crunch adjust the gain for low, mid or high frequencies through the preamp - these 3 knobs control whether the voice you create sounds like Fender, Marshall, Vox or Mesa. There is a Level control that controls the overall output from the unit, as well as a Bass and Treble control.

The output section is VERY flexible, including two stereo F/X loop options. Very sturdy construction, and good rugged feeling jacks.

Learning the "secret" behind the knobs takes a few minutes to get comfortable with, but you don't have to be a genius to make this unit sound good - it simulates a "real" amp, and you have to adjust it like one.

Sound Quality: 10
I don't say this lightly - sonic quality is a solid 10. Please understand, I am a loyal tube fan, and I *LOVE* my solid state PSA-1.
I use the PSA1 as an easy way to get lots of tones in a simple rig. I use a speaker simulator and F/X in the loop of the PSA-1, and run the PSA-1 through a rackmount 15 band EQ, then into a variety of small combo amps (depending on how big the room is). This requires some care (my EQ on the combo amps is usually pretty radical), but is dirt-simple and works great.

To me, the acid test of any rig is how it sounds when it's barely dirty - the PSA-1 does slightly gritty tones VERY well ! I can get nice Vox (TB and non-TB) and Marshall Bluesbreaker tones, warm semi-clean and semi-dirty Marshall tones, big ringing HiWatt tones, growly Fender tones, and a variety of high gain tones (just for fun, really - I don't use high gain tones with the guys I play with). Eventually I'll develop some more settings (Tweed, etc), but for now I'm having more fun playing than tweaking.

I use a 57RI Strat with Duncan lil 59'er mini-humbuckers - these are midway between single coil and HB in output. I play alt-country, classic rock, and eclectic styles.

Reliability: 9
Occasionally on power-up, there will be very low output from the unit (perhaps 1 time out of 200+ times). Turning the rack off and back on solves the issue - it has never been a regular problem, and has never happened other than right at power-on. It's a low noise unit - when I play bass with this preamp (clean only) I'm using about 700W through a Crown amp - it's dead silent, no hum, no hiss, no junk. Hi gain guitar tones will hum or hiss some, but not too bad. There is never any of the crackle or thump noise I often get from preamp tubes in other gear.

Customer Support: N/A
No experience with them.

Overall Rating: 9
I got this during the final clearance sales when Mars Music went bankrupt - $200.00 for this is a STEAL - I lucked out. I probably never would have purchased this at the regular retail price - but I would have missed out.

This unit has essentially solved most of my tone issues when playing a variety of guitar styles. Total tone purists might not be happy with it, but I think a *lot* of players would be. I think that the quality of tones I've heard from it are significantly better than the Johnson, Line6 and Behringer digital units I've played. This unit is a modeler, but it's an *analog* modeler, not a digital one - it's a lot less compressed and artificial sounding than the digital types (BTW, I own and enjoy a Behringer modeler).

Submitted by John Shinal at 05/06/2003 08:45

Price Paid: US $649

Features: 8
They've been covered below. Lots of knobs--maybe more than necessary but I never complain about that. MIDI support was my main concern and it does that well enough--you can recall saved patches but can't modify any paramaters using a MIDI controller. My only complaint was the knobs being out of sync after a preset recall--this can cause problems if a knob is set to a really high value and then a patch is recalled with it in a low value. If you then move the knob the value changes instantly to where the physical knob is, perhaps greatly overloading the next item in the signal chain (I severly overloaded the input stage on my G-Major once). To be fair, the only other way to do it using pots (instead of encoders which are much more expensive) would be to have the knob not do anything until it matches the patch value, which I would have preferred (and which wouldn't be that hard to do).

Sound Quality: 6
First I want to qualify my review by saying that I was using headphones and no power amp with the PSA-1, using my Zoom PS02 as the headphone amplifier. According to the manual, the outputs are suitable for direct recording or as the input to a power amp and cabinet, so my setup should have been usable. That said, the cleans were good, the heavily distorted sounds were okay, and the mildly distorted sounds were poor. As others have mentioned, the breakup characteristics of the FETs do sound like a broken kazoo. This is masked in the high distortion patches by the overdrive, but just after breakup it is unpleasant to my ears. And, while you can't hear the kazoo sound on high gain settings, they are a bit harsh though headphones so I can't give them a high score either. I will grant that the PSA-1 probably does sound a lot better through a power amp and a cabinet, but for direct recording or monitoring with headphones it just doesn't cut it. The cleans were nice but not very warm so I give it a 9 for cleans, a 6 for heavy distortion, and a 2 for mild distortion--average 6.

Reliability: N/A
Seemed well built, but I didn't have it long enough to get a real opinion.

Customer Support: 9
Pretty good. I emailed them for the PDF users manual and they quickly responded and emailed me one.

Overall Rating: 6
I hoped this would be the preamp solution to my MIDI-controlled rack system, but it wasn't. I'm sure it sounds better through a power amp and cab, but I live in an apartment and the whole focus of my rack system was that it had to be silent, which means headphones. I don't recommend this unit for headphone use--only the cleans sounded good to my ears. The basic distortion sound is poor unless you have the gain cranked, and I play blues and classic rock--not metal--so I need a nice mild distortion I can build on. I returned the PSA-1 after about a week of trying to make it work for me, and I decided that tubes were the only way to go. I have since purchased an Egnater M4 preamp which soundwise is exactly what I was looking for (admittedly at a much higher price), but lacks the MIDI control of the PSA-1. Oh well, I can live with the lack of MIDI control on the M4, but I couldn't live with the sound of the PSA-1. For other people with different setups this may be a good product (it must be, given the high ratings some people have given it) but it wasn't what I was looking for.

Submitted by Keith Kotay at 05/04/2003 21:31

Price Paid: US $400 used

Features: 10
Preamp is only as good as the match of its power amp, but this preamp makes up for lacks in many amps. Well, unless the power amp has poor or no tube design. Then this is not a good match, but besides that... super impressive for a tubeless preamp!! It is for begining users as well as advanced, but the on the fly features need to be mastered, once you get a grip on settings, its just as good, if not, better than anything in the sub $1g class.

Sound Quality: 10
Impressive, impressive, impressive. I can say this can be used for more than just guitar and create satisfactory results.

Reliability: 10
HAH, I dropped this thing TWICE. Nobody can tell, it wont die.

Customer Support: N/A
never needed customer support.

Overall Rating: 10
I also own a MB Triaxis and this. I would be crazy to say psa-1 is better than the MB, but I think in a lot of aspects, it IS better. But the flexibility of the psa-1 I think is much better. Of course overall I would rather keep the triaxis of the two, but im not getting rid of my psa-1 anytime soon, it is a bargain preamp, and Im very very very pleased. I am a music teacher at a local HS, and the kids have no problem using this for guitar or keyboards. Along with adults who are serious that play on the side with me. I can honestly say that I can recomend this pre-amp. I cant wait until tech21 makes a next generation amp with every feature this amp has and utilizes tube support. Then I will most likely get rid of my triaxis! That is how confidant I am.

Submitted by Calvin M Rozter at 04/25/2003 02:58

Price Paid: US $599

Ease of Use: 10
i got this unit about 4years ago,
at first sight, it looks very easy to use,
but it was not that easy..
about a years ago, i got GX-700 for additional cabinet simulation.
now, it's really easy to get a good direct tone..
hear my direct recording samples at
==> http://fender.co.kr/mule.html
fender.co.kr is my url but another guys use it for test their page
soon i'll make my own

Sound Quality: 10
i got this unit for direct recording
with this unit, you can't get real direct tone.
use this with speaker simulations and EQ.
Boss GX-700'll perfect
my gx-700 settin'
EQ : low +5 Mid 250hz -10 1(q) high +5
Speaker Simulation : middle, mic 5, mic 100, direct 0
great direct tone i ever heard
i use G-major for digital effectin'
i play for 10 years and i think direct recording need some
secret knowhows.. i think GX-700 + PSA-1 is good start point
to go direct

Reliability: 10
i drop it at top of the subway stair... it falls 50m down
but it's ok work well no problem

Customer Support: 10
i asked them several time
about cabs, power amps and so on
they are very kind

Overall Rating: 10
very good preamp for direct recording
if used with good eq and speaker simulation device

Submitted by arnold moon at 03/04/2003 02:12

Price Paid: 500 (Euro) used

Features: 10
Made in 2000. You can get thousands of very good sounds with this. I play Blues,Rock,Metal.It`s Midi so you can save many presets. It has an effects-loop, and you can choose to pass only 50% or full signal to the loop. It`s something like a parametric distortion device. It has preamp buzz punch crunch and drive knobs which sets the type of distortion you want plus high bass and level (volume) knobs.It`s totally analogic and the Sansamp technology make it sound like tube.

Sound Quality: 10
I play Blues,Rock,Metal.It suits very well with my playing and the factory presets includes FENDER MESA-BOOGIE MARSHALL MXR dist+ VOX VAN HALEN PANTERA SANTANA and many others sounds which i can say are very good.

Reliability: 10
More reliable than tube-preamps thats for sure.

Customer Support: 10
When i asked something about this device, Tech21 replied me few hours later...Very good

Overall Rating: 10
I play Blues,Rock,Metal. I hope this will last forever. If don`t i will buy another one. I hate the fact i haven`t bought this before.I LOVE ITS TONE. Haven`t yet heard something similar at this price.
Hope it helps.

Submitted by martin haaks at 02/17/2003 14:46

Price Paid: US $600

Features: 6
Pretty good parameter features... as mentioned before the "crunch" "punch" and "drive" knobs are alittle difficult to work with, but not too terrible. The patch work i.e. saving and changing is very good. It sometimes get's alittle confusing when you're trying to get into a particular menu due to the fact that it's all displayed via one screen with only numbers on it. For instance to get to the MIDI channel select screen you gotta go to patch 00 and then click the save button once, then select 04 (I think) then click save then dial in the channel number and then double click the save save button, keeping in mind you have no clue whether or not you're doing it correctly because there's no display telling you what menu you're in or what you've selected, all you see is a number. Basically, it's hard to keep track of what you're doing, but not impossible.

Sound Quality: 2
So, I'd read that it had good low end and delivered great distortion and all that stuff, but never got a chance to actually try it out before purchasing so I just bought it online @ MusiciansFriend, knowing I could return it if I was unsatisfied, which I was. I ran my ESP MV-200 with Duncan pickups to the SansAmp, and tried my effects processors, G-Major and Digitech 256XL (Digitech = piece of crap) in the effects loop and afterwards in serial, not happy with the end result. Well, initially I just worked on the SansAmp by itself, running it to my Mesa 2:100 and then to 2 Marshall 1960B cabs, and just couldn't get the right tone. I wanted a very deep, distorted, almost thunder of a tone, with lots of good delay a reverb (think Stef Carpenter's tone on White Pony, very similar to that). All of the levels seemed good, and I even tried running it through a 31 band EQ that I had, but it just always seemed that whatever my end result was, whether it was heavy distortion or clean and bright, it just sounded like it was all coming from behind a wall. None of it stood out, none of the tone was powerful... no balls! So, after working with it for and estimated accumulation of about 20 hours, I sent it back, and got a Mesa Formula preamp, which has more energy and fortitude than anything I've heard, and I had up and running with the right tone in 15 minutes.

Reliability: N/A
Never got to test it's reliability really, but I did have alittle trouble starting like the 3rd day I had it. This was no doubt due to the fact that I had it in my jam space, which that particular day was about 0 degrees, so it doesn't seem to like the cold.

Customer Support: N/A
Never dealt with 'em, probably never will. Besides this unit, which I will undoubtly never purchase again, I can't think of anything from Tech21 that I'd be interested in.

Overall Rating: 2
Plain and simple reason why I ditched this unit: I couldn't get the right tone out of it. Now maybe if I toyed with it for months and supplemented it with lots of other pieces of equipment, maybe it could have sounded good. But, I'm not about to do that, so instead I got a Mesa Formula, used for $300, that took me 15 minutes to get in tone heaven.

Submitted by Russell Best at 02/11/2003 12:06

Price Paid: N/A

Ease of Use: 8
The knobs are great and make this easier to use than many other pres out there. Editing patches and saving them is a breeze. Just dial in the tone you want and save it by clicking twice. That's about as easy as it gets. The only confusing part is that there are buzz, crunch and punch (or something like that) knobs which control the amount of "break up" at different frequencies. Cool idea, but not as straightforward as a normal amp. I'd prefer more good tone and fewer options.

Sound Quality: 5
I use this with a celestion equipped 4x12 and a solid state power amp (per Tech 21's suggestion). I play Gibson Les Pauls and rarely use effects. At first, I loved this pre - I was playing by myself in my house, and it sounded great. But when I use the PSA-1 in a band setting, there is too much gain and not enough definition. Nobody else can hear what the hell I'm playing. So, what do I do? I back off the pre amp gain and/or the power amp gain to clean things up. Makes sense, no? But that's when the Sansamp starts to sound shitty. There is a true "Sansamp" tone underneath all the gain, and it's garbage. I think the other reviewers hit the nail on the head when they complained about the "decay". I don't know exactly what decay is, but I can say for sure that the tone gets crappy. No matter how much I tweak this thing, I can't get a convincing tube tone without pouring on the gain. It doesn't matter if I start out with a factory preset that is of the Marshall variety or the Mesa variety - I just back of the pre and then I'm stuck with the shitty Sansamp tone and it isn't pretty or harmonic or musical. The Sansamp has its own unique sound, and that sound sucks. The only way the Sansamp sounds good is ultra clean or ultra cruncy. Don't expect to get any good overdriven "breakup" type sounds out of this thing.

Don't get me wrong, this thing kicks ass when you want gobs of gain. But I guess that ain't my style anymore.

Reliability: 8
Very reliable. Never had a problem. I'd use it without a backup.

Customer Support: 10
Excellent support. Better than 99% out there. I've called and shot the shit with these guys on a number of occassions and they are dedicated and knowledgable.

Overall Rating: 6
Overall, it's a nice pre. It worked well for me at first, but I find myself wanting a rocking sound that isn't so damned gainy, saturated and undefined. I want people to hear what the hell I'm playing.

This amp is great for gain-mongers. If you like more classic rock, british, and overdriven tones, get something else, like a tube head. I've tried to go SS for years now, and I'm done with it. Tubes are the way to go, guys. I hate saying it because I wanted to believe.

I love that you can change patches with a midi footswitch. If it were stolen, I'd get something else.

Submitted by Anonymous at 02/02/2003 20:20

Price Paid: US $200 new!!!

Features: 10
Really unique features on this preamp...specially the way that you can EQ the gain structure. Very cool, and very versatile. The PSA-1 switches by MIDI command, and does so 100% seamlessly with no delays or dropouts.

Sound Quality: 10
I bought this preamp on a whim...just walked into Mars Music and they had a deal on it I couldn't refuse. After playing it for 10 minutes, I bought it. Thats not the usual way I buy gear, but I really liked this thing from the start. I'm using this with a Tech 21 2x12, a G-Major, Mosvalve 1160, and Furman for the power. This is the ideal setup IMHO. At first I used the PSA-1 through a 5150 cab, and I've never heard tone so bad in my life (except maybe my first amp...a 10 watt Squier). Then I got a Tech 21 cab...the difference is so dramatic that you wouldn't believe its the same amp! The PSA-1 is AMAZING through the right gear. I see alot of people on here rave about how good it is through a regular guitar cab. If they think thats good, try it through a Tech 21 cab! The Tech 21 cab actually is loaded with full range speakers, instead of normal guitar speakers which cut certain frequencies. The cleans on the PSA-1 do not bounce like a tube amp, but with the right guitar and pickups, and a little reverb/chorus, you've got GREAT clean tone, and its very very usable. The mildly broken up tones are done suprisingly well on this preamp. SS amps usually fail in this area, but the PSA-1 pulls it off better than any SS amp I've heard. There is a little buzz when the notes trail off, but it is still very usable. The high gain stuff is where this unit shines. It just amazing how much grind this thing generates. And the best part is that it stays very very tight even in hi gain situations. Flip to the neck pickup for some smooth soloing, and to the bridge for crushing rhythm with great bite. Of the stock presets, 26 is my favorite...though I've come up with even better ones. In short, this preamp is amazing, and it can't be judged by plugging in through some shitty power amp and then into a guitar cab. Thats not the way it was meant to be used. Try it with a Mosvalve 1160 through a Tech 21 cab, and prepare to be blown away by how good SS can sound!

Reliability: 9
This thing is solid, and I can't see it breaking. Nothing is perfect though so I give it a 9.

Customer Support: 5
Well, I emailed them a few times about the cab (before I bought it), and got no response.

Overall Rating: 10
This thing is a great piece of gear. With some good effects, the right cab, and the right power amp, you will have tone that is sure to impress. This rig replaced a Egnater MICA TOL 100...yes its that good.

Submitted by Anonymous at 01/22/2003 09:44

Price Paid: US $375 used

Ease of Use: 9
The only complaint that I have is the way to save your presets. I'm a bass player and I have to keep a pick around just so I can save any changes. Other then that, just a quick flip of the manual and I used up almost all my user banks.

Sound Quality: 10
All I use is the PSA-1 through a power amp and my bass gets any tone I want. Its not just for guitars. Sweet tube over drive sound, perfect grinding distortion and smoooooooooooooth jazz tones.

Reliability: 10
You could throw it againt the wall and it'll still work

Customer Support: N/A
Haven't had to deal with them yet

Overall Rating: 10
I'm always experimenting with my tone and this is the only pre amp i've owned thats been able to not only keep up with me but raises the bar on what a good pre amp should sound like. I can't imagine why someone wouldn't like this thing.

Submitted by Adam at 01/21/2003 09:17

Price Paid: US $650.00

Ease of Use: 7
Difficult to program on the fly live. In order to see what the preset parameter was you have to turn the knob till the little dots tell you. Meanwhile you have the last parameter the knob was turned to when you begin to move it. Saving is a hassle because the button is recessed and you need a pick to actually press it. I guess it was a good idea on paper but for those of us who have been using programmable gear, it's kind of an insult to our intelligence. Just give us a regular button. We'll be careful.

Manual is good, explains everything.

Sound Quality: 7
My setup is an Ibanez 3120 (loaded with Bill Lawrence L500XL and L500R pickups)- PSA - Korg A1 - Marshall 9100 power amp - Marshall 1960 Vintage 4/12 slant.

It's reasonably quiet unless you crank the gain. No more noisy than most others I have owned.

This unit is clearly made for shred. Many on this review page have given it rave reviews, and think that this accurately reproduces any amp. The FET distortion has it's own quality that is present in every patch, and due to this quality, it is unuseable for the cleaner/bluesier sounds. To explain, one of the tests I use for distortion quality is simple. Back the gains off on the device till you get the equivalent of a light blues patch with a clean breakup (unless they already have a preset)and with the guitar wide open hit a chord and let the sound decay away. A good distortion will fade out smoothly. This unit will decay with a crackling noise that sounds like a broken diaphragm in a kazoo. That is the overdrive characteristic intrinsic to the device. Now when you open up all of the gain knobs, preamp-buzz-punch-crunch and drive knob that emulates the breakup of a tube output stage, there are so many cascades, that the decay is smoother so you don't notice the crackle. Unfortunately that thin buzzy crackle will begin to get on your nerves because that is the basic building block of the unit's tone and all of the EQ shaping in the world can't remove it. Unfortunately, that's solid state.

If you try this unit, do this test just so you are aware and see if you can live with that sound it. Some folks don't care, and actually like it. To each his/her own.

As far as getting my favorie artist sounds, Most of the bluesier patches have more OD to cover up the crackle. when you back off the gain to approximate the artists tone, it gets ugly. The Petrucci style tone as well as the death metal stuff can be gotten on this unit easily, but as far as cleaner OD, forget it.

Reliability: N/A

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 7
I play all styles of music, live and studio. This unit is flexible in shaping the basic tone of the FET's, but for my ears and needs, limited in actual function(see above).

I have been playing for 20 years.

In all fairness Tech-21 suggests a SS power amp, so I have also ordered a Mosvalve and will try it out with that instead of my 9100, but the crackle is there when you use headphones, so I don't expect there to be much improvement. If the Mosvalve sounds as good or better than the 9100, I'll keep it and replace it in my rack to save my back.

Submitted by Anonymous at 01/18/2003 18:20

Price Paid: US $500

Ease of Use: 7
it takes some experimenting to really know how to use this correctly. I think a lot of the people who bash this thing, really just don't know how to use it correctly. READ THE MANUAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sound Quality: 10
I bought this on the reccomendation of someone at guitar center. I was going to buy a pod pro, but the salesman told me that the PSA-1 sounds more "real", more "organic". Well, I really liked how the pod pro sounded, but I LOVED the way the PSA-1 sounded! It's just straight up tone, no efects or bells and wistles, just awesome tone!

Reliability: N/A
it's solid state, so I can't imagine it would be too problematic.

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 10
I still cannot believe this is sold state!!! It really does sound much more "real", than the line 6 stuff, which can sound kind of artificial. It really does sound like a tube amp. In fact, the rectifier setting on this sounds better to me than my old rectoverb. This is just my opinion, so check it out for yourself.

Submitted by Anonymous at 01/01/2003 21:19

Price Paid: US $130 used

Ease of Use: 9
Only 8 knobs.. all are straight forward... the only thing that sucks is the save button being recessed into the console, but hey it's still easy to use. Another thing that does suck is scrolling through presets one at a time until you arrive at your custom one.. but nothing a midi footcontroller cant solve

Sound Quality: 10
I use a modified Ibanez RG w/ DiMarzio Evolution and Air Norton pickups, as well as a Standard Fender Stratocaster... I also connect this badboy to an Alesis Midiverb 4 going into a Fender Deluxe Hot Rod amp... all i can say is WOW. The sounds are amazing. There is so much gain- enough to make Pantera turn their heads! The versatility is also excellent... from lush blusey sounds to hard rock, this thing does it all. Manual says it sounds too compressed going through a tube, but sounds great to me!! Gotta get a cab soon and try it out that way.. if it sounds good now, imagine how great it'd be w/ a full setup!

Reliability: 10
built like a tank

Customer Support: 10
I emailed them because I got this unit at a closeout sale, without a manual or warranty card, etc. They quickly got back to me w/ all the info- manual, how to get the warranty, etc. Even suggested setups on how to use Midi with it and how to use it live! Very nice!

Overall Rating: 10
I play mostly progressive and instrumental rock, so tone for me is CRITICAL- listen to guys like Vai, Satch, Petrucci, and Eric Johnson.. I get very close to these guys' tones, and have my own special tone... very well made preamp, and I'd have to get another one if it were gone!

Submitted by Anonymous at 12/28/2002 18:16

Price Paid: US $325 used

Features: 9
This is a very versatile preamp unit. 49 factory presets and 49 user presets. User presets are a cinch to store. The unit looks cool too. I wish it had more room for preset storage. 49 doesn't seem to be enough. All in all a real versatile amp that can cover a whole bunch of styles. I play mostly rock and modern pop music.

Sound Quality: 9
I play an Ibanez S540 w/Dimarzios or Ernie Ball Luke model or my Fender American Strat w/Van Zandts through the PSA-1. My power amp is a Mesa Boogie 50/50into a BBE 482 Sonic Maximizer and I use a TC Electronic G-Major for effects and all are controlled with my Rocktron Midi Mate. They are all wired with /George L cables. I use Carvicn Legacy 2x12 cab w/Celestion 30's.
This unit will cover just about any music style you could imagine. Can go from Fenderish super clean(there's actually a preset called Fender Super Clean) to over the top Mesa Dual Rectifier sounds. And they're pretty convincing too. This preamp only gets noisy when you turn the gain way up as does any other amp. Generally it is very quiet though. And the distortion can be very brutal but sensitive at the same time to the volume control on the guitar. Many of the factory settings may go a bit overboard on the gain, but you can use the volume knob on your guitar to control that a bit. You can always adjust a preset to your liking and reduce the gain and save it. I like the fact that you just have to turn knobs to get your sound, just like regular amps. The knobs may seem to be a bit tricky to figure out at first but it all makes sense.
My favorite clean presets are the Fender Twin and the Mesa clean. For distortion presets, well... they all rock. Especially the Mesa sounds. I own two other Mesa amps and the PSA-1 has more gain, if you can believe that. The Marshall settings are cool too, but I don't really care for the Marshall sound.
There are so good many sounds in the factory presets alone and you have the ability to tweak 'em all. And it's all controllable via midi.
They recommend powering up this unit with a solid state amp because using a tube amp will make it sound too compressed. I don't know about that, sounds pretty awesome with my Mesa 50/50. I tried connecting straight to the PA and it sounded pretty good there too.
This unit fits all my needs and then some.

Reliability: 10
Looks pretty reliable. no tubes, so no worries. Never broke down on me yet. But I always bring a back up to any gig regardless.

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 9
I've been playing guitar for almost 20 years. And I'v had all kinds of gear thoughout the years. I've always liked Mesa Boogie sounds but couldn't afford a Triaxis. I read the reviews on HC about the PSA-1 and thought I'd give it a try. If the Triaxis is the reigning king of preamps, then this must not be far behind. It is just as versatile and costs way less. I would definitely get another one if it got lost or stolen.

Submitted by Anonymous at 12/25/2002 07:35

Price Paid: N/A

Features: N/A
this is an update of my review that i posted a while back. my opinion of it hasnt changed, but since my last review i've gained a lot more experience.

Since my last review, 2 new things have been added to my rig: an outboard eq courtesy of my new TC Electronic G Major (read my new review for it!) and a proper poweramp. i bought a jcm 900 head and cab, and am now running the psa-1 into the fx loop return of the head, effectively bypassing the head's preamp section and making it into a mono poweramp.

i'd just like to say that with the help of these new items, the unit has REALLY come into its own. particularly with the added control of the mid frequencies that the parametric EQ of the G Major gives me.

i'm more psyched than ever about my tone. i can honestly say that this thing DOMINATES 99% of all the tube amps ive tried, the last 1% being a couple of presets on my friend's triaxis. i URGE you to try one of these, or even better... buy one. and i urge tube purists to wake up and smell the FET's.

Sound Quality: N/A

Reliability: N/A

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: N/A

Submitted by Garroch at 12/17/2002 09:01

Price Paid: US $300 used

Ease of Use: 7
how difficult is it to turn knobs and push a 'save' switch with a pick? could be a problem for finger pickers, i suppose.

what is difficult, and quite the pain'dela arse, is that there is no bypass except for patches 00 and 50. i always like to a/b the effected and uneffected sound - how else do you know what the darn box is really doing to your tone? they could have at least put a jack in the back for a bypass foot switch. pretty lame imgpo. it really sucks to scroll from #78 to #00 just to check yer tone.

my other beef is the limited number of user presets considering the vast sonic capabilites and sensitivity of the unit. this unit is very dynamic and needs to have it's own patches for each one of yer guitars. what sounds great with a strat can't be used with a humbucking axe, and that's as it should be considering the goal is a range of expresive tone from your personal attack. i am a tweaker and love to fiddle and create tone and for this the psa-1 is excellent. the problem is... you've only got 49 spots to store your creations without midi swapping.

now the good stuff. this thing sounds so good and is so easy to create great sounds through - just twist the 8 knobs and drive away! i bought this to compensate for the weakness of the ods and distortions in my korg a-3 and it sure does the trick. i call it the 'dial a crunch', because there are so many ways to tweak your tonal color. too bad there aren't more patch locations to keep more of them.

Sound Quality: 10
my work horse axes are: an 80's white jap strat with stacked double coils equipped with splitters and a floating kahler bridge with the nut lock off, a 90 sunburst gibson howard roberts(like a semi-hollow f-hole les paul) that someone put a stop tailpiece on, a 60's or 70's block neck jaguar that was refinished in orange and gold glitter by and had humbuckers added by my old pal homesick james - (i have added a single coil in between that can be phase reversed and the mix is controlled by the alternate tone/vol of the jag - one for the single the other for the humbucks. each p/u can be turned on/off and reversing the phase of the single has a subtractive effect as you roll it up.) i bought this primarily for recording, but it also sounds great though my 70's fender deluxe reverb and my seymour duncan 100w convertible. my recording is monitored through makie 1604 and tascam tm-d1000, powered by a hafler pro1200(great amp! get a hafler!), out of tannoy 6.5s(sweet).

this thing sounds great! i wanted a better preamp and i got one in the psa-1. this unit has 98 patches - 49 factory, 49 user, and 00 & 50 as bypass. i find the factory settings useless due to their vast gain range. traveling from patch to patch is way too extreme without backing your volume pedal amp or mixer down. too bad i can't write over these.

i don't judge by 'it sounds like a 'blah, blah' it ain't a 'blah, blah' and no two players hands can make one good single 'blah, blah' sound the same. i just want it to make the sounds that I like. i don't care about biting anyone elses sound verbatim, but if you do, i'm pretty sure you can get close with this.

i tweak patches for each guitar and this unit responds with great sensitivity to the personality of your pickups. i like the depth that tube amps offer, and this unit gives you vast abilities to construct the quality of that depth.

Reliability: 10
never let me down so far...

would i gig woithout it? my amps sound good all by themselves.

Customer Support: 9
called them once about thier compatible midi pedal. they were nice.

Overall Rating: N/A
i play blues, reggae and soul - with an occasional clash tune thrown in. i've been playing guitar for 23 years and am still learning. recently i have been studying with jazz maestro larry luger. i have a project studio with both outboard gear and computer based softsynths - gigastudio and reality both rock!

i'm not sure if i'd get this same unit again. i needed a preamp for a good direct sound and my pal, r&b/jazz player gil parris, sold me this one.

this unit sounds great. it does what it should.

my next tool in my arsenal looks like it's going to be the 'adrenalinn' - that little blue box sounds nasty - it's either prove of intelligent life on earth, or we've already been invaded by the ufos!

Submitted by lyle sande at 12/09/2002 10:19