Tech21 Bass Driver Elite

[GR7G5TER]

On 20/01/2026 at 11:53, dave_bass5 said:

Started and finished ? 😬

 

And recieved a prize! 

[GR7G5TER]

Thsat's a pre-amp to build your rig around, if it sounds as good as their anaolgue pedals it will be amazing.

 

But.........

 

I feel it's already out dated, a moddler pedal that has only 1 pre-amp? It's kinda like taking an HX stomp, stripping out all of the pre-amps, all of the amps, all of the cab sims, most of the effects, ALL of the guitar stuff, a whole bunch of functionality and not replacing it anything.

 

I can see that they'll be some people who will like the format and love the Sansamp tone. 

 

A fully programable pre-amp is an excellent idea, depending on the price point it might be an excellent product, but feels like a backward step comparedf to what's out there.

 

Respect to Sansamp for breaking their mould!

 

I'll 100% try it hen it comes out though I cannot see a use for it myself.

 

YMMV

Edited Wednesday at 17:16 by GR7G5TER
props to sansamp

[dave_bass5]

1 hour ago, GR7G5TER said:

And recieved a prize! 

Well he did win 😂

[dave_bass5]

55 minutes ago, GR7G5TER said:

Thsat's a pre-amp to build your rig around, if it sounds as good as their anaolgue pedals it will be amazing.

 

But.........

 

I feel it's already out dated, a moddler pedal that has only 1 pre-amp? It's kinda like taking an HX stomp, stripping out all of the pre-amps, all of the amps, all of the cab sims, most of the effects, ALL of the guitar stuff, a whole bunch of functionality and not replacing it anything.

 

I can see that they'll be some people who will like the format and love the Sansamp tone. 

 

A fully programable pre-amp is an excellent idea, depending on the price point it might be an excellent product, but feels like a backward step comparedf to what's out there.

 

Respect to Sansamp for breaking their mould!

 

I'll 100% try it hen it comes out though I cannot see a use for it myself.

 

YMMV

For me its all i could want, or at least need. No expression pedal makes it smaller, which is what i always look for and has put me off so many other boxes. Im using a GP-50 at the moment and other than always on Ampeg NAMM or sim, both quite restricted in tone options (although good enough) i only use a bit of Comp and Chorus. I dont need to make silly noises liek synth or filter stuff, and have no need for any real time control.

What i miss is using my BDDI, but im limiting myself to only use one box these days, as this works. There have been a few Ampeg style boxes ive wanted, but without the chorus and comp, so not ideal. 

[SumOne]

15 hours ago, GR7G5TER said:

Thsat's a pre-amp to build your rig around, if it sounds as good as their anaolgue pedals it will be amazing.

 

But.........

 

I feel it's already out dated, a moddler pedal that has only 1 pre-amp? It's kinda like taking an HX stomp, stripping out all of the pre-amps, all of the amps, all of the cab sims, most of the effects, ALL of the guitar stuff, a whole bunch of functionality and not replacing it anything.

 

I can see that they'll be some people who will like the format and love the Sansamp tone. 

 

A fully programable pre-amp is an excellent idea, depending on the price point it might be an excellent product, but feels like a backward step comparedf to what's out there.

 

Respect to Sansamp for breaking their mould!

 

I'll 100% try it hen it comes out though I cannot see a use for it myself.

 

YMMV

 

Yeah, but there's a market for stuff like this £719 3 knob Walrus Audio Preamp (analog). Sometimes the good but limited sounds and simple form factor and build quality are more important to people than having lots of features.

[BassAdder60]

I think for this pedal if it’s around £300 new hopefully it will be a great choice and one I would jump at 

 

I’m more interested in the drive, EQ. Chorus, compressor, blend and having multiple programmable channels would be perfect for a gigging bassist 

Definitely will get one when they hit the stores 

Edited yesterday at 08:56 by BassAdder60

[dave_bass5]

24 minutes ago, BassAdder60 said:

I think for this pedal if it’s around £300 new hopefully it will be a great choice and one I would jump at 

 

I’m more interested in the drive, EQ. Chorus, compressor, blend and having multiple programmable channels would be perfect for a gigging bassist 

Definitely will get one when they hit the stores 

Looks like it a has a mid para EQ with is great news if it does. I have a couple of mid settings on my Microbass 3 that I use for different things. Would be great to have these programmed in. 

Edited yesterday at 09:17 by dave_bass5

[Al Krow]

I'm maybe missing something, but this seems to essentially be a multifx with pretty limited fx capability? Other than the DI out, why go for something like this rather than one of the very capable mid-range multifxs available in the same price bracket?

[krispn]

I think what it is essentially is a programmable bass driver DI. It’s repackaged, now digital and they’ve stuck a couple of extra features from the fly rig. 
 

Might be a better choice for someone who likes the T21 brand/sound and wants a simple throw in the gig bag unit. Looks pretty easy to use over a multi fx, no menu diving, mobile phone apps and all the stuff folks here and on TB complain about with some of these multi fx units. Too much to get your head around and they then get let in a drawer for 2 yrs or you’ve got something with the processing power to fly a fleet of 1960’s spacecraft and mange the control room too!

 

Perhaps just a T21 diehard wanting midi integration of that classic sound? It’s not being branded or sold as multi fx if I’m reading the website correctly it’s a BDDI with added features rather than a very poorly realised T21 multi fx unit.  
 

Oh and it looks cool as… big and chunky, black, sturdy casing. 

Plus brands need to keep ‘innovating’ cause we all love to talk about gear on here 🙂

 

[dave_bass5]

I didnt notice this bit before. Makes it a bit more interesting for me

 

'The MIDI interface enables deep editing of parameters for amplifiers, blendable IRs, effects and EQ. The IR section includes a SansAmp IR, a curated collection of modifiable IRs, the ability to custom blend them, as well as upload your favorite external IRs. Clear, uncomplicated graphics, and intuitive controls provide ease of use to achieve your desired tones.'

[krispn]

Ooh I stand corrected it has deep dive functionality. It's officially multi fx unit

[Al Krow]

14 minutes ago, krispn said:

Ooh I stand corrected it has deep dive functionality. It's officially multi fx unit

 

Yup 😅

 

And I guess my point is that Tech 21 are famous for their analogue pedals; they've got a huge climb in the digital multi-fx space to match some excellent products already on the market, which are typically going to offer a lot more for the same price (Helix, Boss etc) or knock it into touch for value (e.g. Valeton etc). Just my tuppence worth.

Edited 44 minutes ago by Al Krow

[Iheartreverb]

It doesn’t seem like they have improved on the biggest functional headache of the BDDI Programable- something I’m currently wrestling with- is the inability to understand the setting on any channel allowing you to either adjust it or add more/less of anything on the next channel.

 

Yeah, I know the LED’s blink when your back in position, and the “lazy knob” feature slowly takes the parameter back rather than sudden jump in volume, for example. 
 

I think all Chanel’s sharing the same controls without any visual representation of what’s going on is just a poor design in this day and age 

[dave_bass5]

46 minutes ago, krispn said:

Ooh I stand corrected it has deep dive functionality. It's officially multi fx unit

At least people won’t (or shouldn’t, but who knows…) moan that it’s octave tracking  is rubbish and that the synth patches aren’t any good 🤣