Sans Amp

[Axlaf]

Ok bass brothers. I´m pretty curious in getting me a Sans Amp. But there are many devices out there. I see there is a pedal and a preamp for a rack.
I have the Markbass SA-450 head which has no lamp.

What is Sans Amp anyway? Does the pedal work like a distortion thingy like the Boss-es or should I just get me This? (http://www.thomann.de/gb/tech_21_sansamp_rbi_basspreamp.htm)

The bottom line and the meaning of my post is what you guys know of Sans Amp, have you tried it? And would it be wise acquiring me one when I have the Markbass SA-450?


thanks in advance...:emot-look

[DeathMachineGun]

they CRUSH!! ive messed with the bass driver DI pedal things and also have used a Tech 21 Landmark 600 bass head on a number of occasions.

what the controls allow you to do is tune in any sound from any amp pretty much. you like an Ampeg tube bass head sound? turn the controls a certain way and youve got it. like the Mesa 400 plus? dial em in another way and youve got it. SWR, GK, etc etc. you can get any of their sounds, plus infinate dialing of your own sounds to incorporate what YOU want in your sound.

i dont know why people are always "Ampeg, Ampeg" all the time. ive owned one of their preamps and one of their full heads in the past. sure Ampeg's are sick and a industry standard, but why limit yourself to one heads sound? the Sans Amps let you dial anything you want.

ive got a DI pedal i use now but will be upgrading in the near future to one of the rackmount preamp units and a poweramp for my head to top my Vader 4x10.

bottom line, they fuckin OWN and it is the last bass amp i will ever buy or need. go find a local shop by you and check out one of the pedals. it will give you an idea of what the heads will do or even try a head if you can find one locally. you wont be disappointed.

[Axlaf]

Ok dude, thanks alot for the intel! And I reckon you have a seriously kick ass rack judging by what I read.
Gonna seriously check out the pedal. Is the classic a good start?
-----
ERLEND I see that you have one, how is it?

[stabwound]

They dominate, crucial piece of gear for me.

[embryonicdrums]

The SansAmp pedal totally kicks ass!! Seriously man, my bassist got one a while ago, and his sound is awesome now.

Consider this-he's low on cash at the moment, and his last amp is fried, so he's reduced to using a Carvin powered PA mixer to play bass through. Sounds like poop without the SansAmp, but with it hooked up, it actually sounds like a real amp!! Can't wait to hear what it will sound like when he gets a new rig...

I have even heard of people just taking the SansAmp on tour and just running strait into the house PA at shows. Considering how good it makes any sound source sound, it makes sense, to a degree.

Long story short...get one! It's worth the cash, I swear

[stabwound]

I have even heard of people just taking the SansAmp on tour and just running strait into the house PA at shows. Considering how good it makes any sound source sound, it makes sense, to a degree.

Yeah man, I've tried it and it's not bad.

[Disincarnate]

Sansamps are killer.try out the mrx m 80 aswell they are abouyt 100 $ cheaper and give you more options than a sansamp.

[Erland]

Ok dude, thanks alot for the intel! And I reckon you have a seriously kick ass rack judging by what I read.
Gonna seriously check out the pedal. Is the classic a good start?
-----
ERLEND I see that you have one, how is it?

i use it for live and studio, and that only. so I`m pretty happy with it, yeah.

[Axlaf]

Ok man, your sound rips just for the record.

[Phoncible]

sort of a one trick pony from what i've heard (regardless of what deathmachinegun said, haha). I might be wrong, but i have never heard it do anything other than a cool dm-tone that shines through the mix well, even tho it does it very well. judging from sound clips, it sounds alot harsher and thin than some other di's.

ohh, and yeah its a di box, but could easily be used as a boost before an amp

[Phoncible]

ohh yeah, and the bass driver programmable would probably be the one you'd want ;) (or the rack version)

[Axlaf]

Yeah ok, thanks man. But can I hook the rackversion up with my Markbass SA 405 head? Or do I have to get me one of those power amps??
Can the head as well?

[Phoncible]

well, its basically the same, only more options & rack. they do have pre's too tho, which you could plug in your fx loop return if you got one. not happy with the markbass? pretty sweet little things :D

[Axlaf]

No I´m more than happy with it :D just checking the feedback.
hehe sweet little thing is a powerful thing.

[Disincarnate]

i think buying mrx 80 is a better option and a smarter move.ive played on both.the + points of the m-80 is that its about 100 $ cheaper,you have more knobs to fiddle around it with and a distortion button(which you can use if you want)

[Axlaf]

Mkay, mkay. thanks for the tips dude. Are you using this ??

[Phoncible]

got dist in the sansamp too, and i'd rather have a cool sounding pedal than one with lots of buttons! havent tried the mxr (which i suppose you ment) tho, so i'm not saying it sounds bad!

took a look at it now, and it doesnt have that many more options. not programmable either, like the sansamp (which essentialy could give you a distortion button too)

[DeathMachineGun]

sort of a one trick pony from what i've heard (regardless of what deathmachinegun said, haha).

the pedals have a more narrow band of operation. dont bother me really as i only play death metal. when i said its totally tweekable i meant that more for the rackmount or the 600 watt combo head. it even has lists of settings in its user manual to get different sounds. i remember they had one for the band Tool, and it was a dead ringer for their bass sound in their songs. nothin id use but its got the capability. there were some other sounds as well, along with being able to adjust in between any and make your own too.

best bet is not to take anyones word for it and just go check one out and judge for yourself. >;)

[GrindYourMind]

It's a ballsy sounding thing for Metal. The little Aguilar preamp/DI is alot rounder sounding for any other application though.

[Phoncible]

best bet is not to take anyones word for it and just go check one out and judge for yourself. >;)

absolutely. the sansamp has become a bit too "standard", how cool would it be if everyone played with the same sound? hah. Of course depends on your other gear and how you play, but thats even more of a reason to try it for yourself!

check out www.basstasters.com . judging from those clips i think i'd go for the aguilar or radial, but its hard to tell how they'd fit in a mix, especially considering tweaking and stuff

[GrindYourMind]

I'm recording some bass tracks and the Line 6 digitized Sans-Amp sounds like Satan.

Strings > Onboard Preamp > Toneport > Bass Overdrive model (sansamp) > Modern Preamp model (Avalon) = Huge

[Phoncible]

never got along with the distortion boxes in the pod =/

[GrindYourMind]

Yeah, the digitized version is way grittier than the actual SansAmp, I just have the Drive turned down to like 13 out of 100.