discreet Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 (edited) [b]SansAmp GT2 for Bass..?[/b] Got my hands on one of these from our guitarist who is furiously shedding FX pedals to 'go back to basics'. Didn't think it would be any good for bass, but having had a twiddle, a fettle and a pootle around with it while, er... noodling, I eventually discovered that it is an excellent bit of kit and does in fact sound great with bass. [center][/center] There are 'official' bass settings ('SVT-Style Bass') in the operating instructions, but these are far too hot to be of any use IMHO and best results are got with a lighter touch. With more subtle settings there is no noticeable tone suck and no attenuation of the low end... and if you take a bit of time and trouble you can set it up so that you get a nice grindy growl when you dig in a bit, which is very fine. Further information: [url="http://www.tech21nyc.com/products/sansamp/gt2.html"]http://www.tech21nyc...ansamp/gt2.html[/url] These can be more affordable than some of the equivalent bass versions (particularly second-hand), so I think a closer look would definitely be in order if you're in the market for such a device... I thank you for your indulgence. Edited June 10, 2013 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyquipment Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 I guess you'll have to use a blend pedal to maintain some of the low end? There is no mix pot on the GT2? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted June 8, 2013 Author Share Posted June 8, 2013 (edited) There isn't, but I've found that if you don't go overboard with the 'Drive' control (around 10 o'clock) there's no need. And with the MIC switch on 'Center', MOD on 'Clean' and AMP on 'Tweed' there seems to be very little (if any) loss of the low end. I'm not talking full-on distortion here though - just enough to make the bass very fat and present, verging on a nice valve break up. Not as an effect as such, but as a pre-amp tone, if you like. YMMV, obviously. Edited June 8, 2013 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 Those are great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 A friend of mine used one of these on bass for years, always sounded good to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Left Foot Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 really stupid question, does the sansamp mean you dont need an amp head?... that could be helpful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 Sort of... You can use it as a preamp directly into a PA system capable of reproducing bass properly. But then you'd need to sort out monitoring etc. They're very useful for studio recording; plug in, get your settings and blast away! Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted June 11, 2013 Author Share Posted June 11, 2013 (edited) [quote name='Left Foot' timestamp='1370977835' post='2108264'] really stupid question, does the sansamp mean you dont need an amp head?... that could be helpful[/quote] I've used a number of different boxes on their own and in various combinations as pre-amps into a power amp: VT Bass, Markbass Super Booster, Behringer BDI-21, various SansAmps and Bass Drivers, DHA VTs, Zoom B3 and so on - with varying degrees of success. I'm currently using the GT2 with a Carvin B2000 which works very well because you can tweak the three mid EQ controls on the B2000 to avoid too much of a mid-scoop - which can be a problem with boxes such as the GT2 and the BDI-21 (for example) when using them stand-alone as a pre as those boxes have only basic 'Low' and 'High' EQ controls. Though you can get round it to an extent with the BDI-21 by backing off on the 'Blend' control and allowing more of the clean signal through. As tonyquipment has said, there is no such control on the GT2. And as Mr T says above, you can certainly use them DI for recording and for live work direct into a PA - given adequate monitoring, of course. Having been in this situation [i]without [/i]decent monitoring I would be tempted to rock up with at least a small combo or powered wedge just to be on the safe side... YMMV. Depends if you know what you're getting into - or not. Edited June 11, 2013 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Left Foot Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 Cool cheers guys. I think its best just sticking with combi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 Yup. I've had one for years. No paint left on mine! Lovely pedal indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tayste_2000 Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 I have the Behringer version and I'm going to pickup the Tech 21 version as soon as I can find space on my board, it is like the greatest stacking pedal ever, any other dirt you run into it just sounds way better. Seriously good and under rated pedal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle psychosis Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 [quote name='tayste_2000' timestamp='1371113798' post='2109874'] I have the Behringer version and I'm going to pickup the Tech 21 version as soon as I can find space on my board, it is like the greatest stacking pedal ever, any other dirt you run into it just sounds way better. Seriously good and under rated pedal. [/quote] I also have the behringer one, I use it for headphone practice on my guitar. Didn't think to try a bass through it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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