This "Blend Control" chunk at 3:18 of the video explains in seconds why the Sansamp Bass Driver DI is probably the most important pedal in bass history
@@TheBassChannel Yea, you nailed it. I have the previous model SansAmp Bass Driver DI and I learned a thing or two about my own pedal from your video. Which is saying something because I've used it for hundreds of shows! Thank you so much!! 🙏
I've had my Sansamp for two years now with Fender P-bass and PJ basses and I've adjusted some of my settings, in particular Blend, Presence and Drive and WOW! I'm getting so much more out of it now. Thanks Bass Channel.
To me, this may be the GOAT bass pedal. It just works. It is THE sound of rock bass, especially in the studio. The only other two pieces of bass gear I would argue have been more influential are the P bass and the Ampeg SVT.
Ive had my sand amp DI for more than 25 years, Same one!! its been on more stages and studios than i can remember! Have two and stack them for some heavy tones. Or A single for a little soim. Didn't buy into all the darkglass and other pedals sent them all back and went back to ole reliable! GOTO!! decades!
I fell in love with sansamp sound since the first review I saw on youtube, then I bought a programmable version, and it's my always on pedal. even now sometimes i search for reviews on youtube just because I like to hear the sound, and you guys did the best sansamp video that i've watched, thanks for that!
I just got mine in yesterday, and it freaking rocks!! I’ve have it dialed in like an SVT and it is crisp, gritty, and punchy. My setup is Fender Jazz Pro II MIA with 40 60 80 100 light gauge strings => Darkglass Super Symmetry compressor => Sanamp => Fender Rumble 500 input port. Amazing sound!
The SansAmp is like the Converse Shoes, the EMG81 for a guitar, ... classic... it delivers and you don't do nothing wrong with it... the trickfish is my favourite at the moment but the sandAmp will always be a part in my heart...
I had a v1 years ago and never bonded with it, thought it sucked the mids out. However, a couple years back I bought a v2, now it’s with me on every gig. It simply sounds great in front of house/PA, big thick tone, with plenty of punch and clarity. Don’t get me wrong, I also have a Darkglass VMT for OD/fuzz, but for FOH support it’s the SansAmp.
The OG bass preamp/DI pedal and it’s just being reviewed? Pfft lol. Glad you guys are checking it out :) I was a SUUUUUUUPER early sansamp/no-rig guy, so I love seeing them get some love. Mine’s still going strong and still lives on my pedalboard. Cali76CB->Sansamp is the foundation for me :)
I've had the original since 2005 and it's been a great tool. But looks like it's time to update to the new version having all that mid control was everything i always wanted!
Tech21 addressed every issue I developed over my time with the v1. Imo the only thing that could make it better is adding presets while maintaining a similar form factor.
Fantastic thorough review of the Sansamp Bass Driver V2 Chris 😀 I own the Bass Driver V2. I often pair it up with the Sansamp Para Driver. Both are must have versatile pieces of gear all Bass players should own. Keep up the good work, guys 😀👍
Proud owner of the unit here, the only thing that I found missing is the possibility to play it with headphones. If a new version with headphones out, and maybe a line in for backing track, would come out I wouldn't hesitate to buy a newer one!
@@coltonpugh9669they are, but I think they're monitoring the sound from some other sources. Probably the tracks are pre recorded and "re-amped" with the unit.
These bass tones sound massive, gentlemen! I especially love Jayme Lewis’s JB tone. Oh, and Fight Fire with Fire should be used in more bass demos than it currently is.
i have a sansamp bass vt as well as a q strip and i am sitll somewhat tempted to buy one of these eventually. classic is a classic, i hear the ease of use is bar none
The BDDI v2 is the second pedal I recommend to any new or even established electric bassist, after a tuner. It is as close to an industry standard as there could possibly be, because it sounds great in almost any context. It is *not* cheap, and will run you $200 used or more new, but it's worth the investment. The only thing I don't like about it is the black and yellow design, but I've learned to get over that. BTW, I have never really been a fan of Gibson basses or tapewound strings, but that EB-0 with tapes sounds perfect for James Brown. There are many, many preamp/DI boxes on the market, but the BDDI v2 is still one of the best at any price. You may ultimately decide on a different unit, but you owe it to yourself to give one a spin.
I just love this thing in every aspect except for heavy distortion. I run it with some grit in parallel with a much dirtier tech21 yyz and they work together like a charme
Chris again with another absolutely KILLER review! First the Gallien-Krueger and now the SansAmp, I'm definitely excited to see what great bass gear will be reviewed next. Outstanding job, thank you for this video and congratulations!
I've had this exact Sans Amp for about 10 years and I absolutely love it. My only issue is that when you max out the drive it gets really muddy, but anything 3/4 or less is perfect.
I’ll take sansamp over darkglass every time 🤘 I have the sansamp VT bass Di and absolutely love it. This model allows you to disengage the cab sim if you don’t want it too.
My son is building a pedal board for church and the Sansamp came in sonwe tried it, for me the blend all the way on and everything else around noon is where it's at for me, it gives my Gallien-Kruger 700RB an SVT feel. I play pop and skate punk so that's the sound I like , the church worship sound isn't too far form that 👍
I got the geddy lee 2112 di. And boy ohboy, does it rock. I first heard about these boxes from Joey belladonna cover band chief big way. I was talking with the bass player and I said, where is your rig? He said right here. He plugged into the PA, and I’ve been blown away ever since.
Great video ! It has so many sound options and sounds I like, especially with the bass 40/80hz button. Definitely going to buy me this one for at home. After all, it's still a must have for any bassist too.
I recently ordered the Steve Harris SansAmp pedal and am waiting for it to be delivered. I hope it is as amazing as this one. I’m sure it will be good just from the demos I’ve seen but we’ll see.
Best review of this pedal since... ever? You nailed it. What about the VT one? I'm a bit more hyped about it, it's def more ampeg-ish (ofc) and versatile imho. It'd be awesome to see your review of it (:
Great video guys. How were these sounds recorded, direct, mic'd cab, or a blend of both? Side note, i recently purchased the bass channel IRs and am loving them!
Hey!😂need a DI that covers ALL issues!?? Well, here it is! Great tone control for ANY Genre~‼️🤨👌🏾You can literally use it INSTEAD of an AMP!! 👍🏾😁Try it and you may well forget about bringing yours! Have the Sound Man send your signal FOH + thru the monitors and be KILLER sounding with rumble!! Don’t have one but used one this way and smiled the whole time!! I’ve got a EBS Micro Bass II that suits me fine so never invested but if & when I’m ll need a DI ,..definitely going this way!! .🎸🎛️✨🤘🏾😃
Great video! Did it sound better running into the front of the Hartke LH500 to keep the tube pre in the chain or in the effects loop return bypassing the tube pre? I think keeping the tube pre on the amp with eq flat and using as a pedal is a good option. Also on a different note, I love all those Spector basses you all are playing. Between the ns pulse 4 and the new HP model, which one do you all prefer. I am aware of all the differences but mainly would like to know which one you all prefer. Thank you, these videos are awesome!
Wrathchild ! This pedal may be odd, it still his very commonly used because it works. Whenever you're lost looking for a good tone, bring out the BDDI and you end up good.
This is an excellent and thorough review of this pedal. The best one I've seen! But I have one important question to all the gear experts out there. We are about to record and our producer asked for one completely clean bass signal and one with my sound through overdrive, fuzz and all my goodies. I'm thinking of putting my BDDI first in line and through the parallel output give him my clean signal and then connect the normal output of the BDDI with the rest of the chain and give the coloured one. Is that possible? I'm asking because I know that the parallel output is not balanced, it's basically connected to the input of the pedal and leaves the bass sound unaffected. Is it OK even if the output is unbalanced? The interface will be a MOTU M2, if it matters. IN1 will be the clean and IN2 the dirty. Thanks in advance!
I keep a BDDI (v1 I think - doesn’t have mid and bass shift buttons or battery door) in my pedalboard bag as my emergency sound when all else fails. When the Bass Fly Rig v2 added a character button to switch between BDDI and VT engines I no longer needed it permanently on the board. While I like the BDDI sound better, I’ve found myself more often choosing the more pronounced mids of the VT mode to be better heard in a band mix, and to complement fretless tones. If you're going for Jaco bridge pickup tone, or play a lot of harmonics, pick a VT based engine instead of BDDI. BDDI rules for slapping and hard picking. I wish the character button on my BFI v2 were a footswitch, or assignable to each channel separately.
The best preamp for me! I tried a lot of preamps, but I realised that what I want is somehow a better SansAmp. Because I was searching for the SansAmp sound in every preamp what I tried. And I failed! My pedalboard is: TC Polytune 3 Mini, Origin Cali 76 v2, Tech 21 SansAmp v2, Darkglass Microtubes X Ultra. I wanted to switch from the SansAmp v2 to Origin Bassrig SV, but there is not a real Ampeg sound for me in the Origin preamp. Why? Because for me the Ampeg SVT-VR signature is the "ultra lo" activation switch with the 40hz boost and 500hz cut and I miss that on the Origin preamp. Without "ultra lo" is not Ampeg simulation, is something else (very close, but not the SVT what I want)! The SansAmp v2 is not an SVT simulation (very close), is a Tech 21 industry standard for 30 years. This is the preamp sound that make history! This sound is in my blood, and the worst part of it is the fact that I'm searching this sound, but better, in every preamp on the market and I fail miserably. I will stop this irational search... Maybe... :D This is the sad story of my life and my wallet. :D
What is the song from 7:59 - 8:12 ?? Is it Rolling Stones? I can’t place it, help!!!! Also - AMAZING review of THE bass pedal. Wow, this was so full and well done. Thank you!
@@TheBassChannel Oh man, I wasn't even close with my guess! I appreciate the answer, I'm gonna go look for that song now. And Thanks again for the review of the driver, it answers so many questions. Tops!
They are releasing a sans amp xb in May or June..two channel..one clean one dirty channel and a third you can mix go check that out..they have a pre release video...sans amp xb
Still no input pad for active basses? 🤦♂ Had two of these back in the day. One regular DI and one Programmable, both clipped horribly when using high output active basses (and I'm not talking about the distortion that should be there). The only one I've tried that didn't clip is the old Tech 21 PSA-1, but I don't believe there's much in similar between the PSA-1 and the Sansamp Bass Driver DI series. Hopefully these v2 Bass Drivers just have more sensitive inputs, otherwise there's a lot of basses out there you can't use them with (unless you like to keep the volume pot on your bass at 25-50% constantly).
Man I got a second hand one of those a couple of weeks back. If I have any of the volume knobs turned up past maybe 3 it's all fuzzy noisy. Is this normal? Emgs in a Spector pulse if that makes any difference. And only really on the b string Love the pedal though.
I like this piece of gear but it's not perfect. If I could switch off the cab sim, I'd probably use this instead of the VT Bass that is currently on my board.
Contrary to popular belief, we are not actually sponsored by EMG - they are BY FAR Chris's pickups of choice, he's the big bossman round here, and he does have a friendly 'artist' relationship with EMG in that he can just call them directly and order whatever pickups whenever - but they don't pay us or anything. He absolutely would have EMGs in every instrument in the studio given the opportunity, LOL.
Honestly, I feel the sansamp is way more bang for the buck. Darkglass stuff is cool but absurdly overpriced, and really, unless you're going for THAT very specific darkglass modern metal overdrive sound, the Sansamp just does the job far cheaper and dare I say more efficiently. I play everything from punk to hard rock and metal. I can't tell you how many complements I get on my tone, and how many people have come up to me asking how i get my sound, just running a sansamp V1 into my amp. Also, try running distortions into it with a bit of presence 👌👌👌 To be clear, Darkglass is excelent gear, just overhyped in the online bass world, and FAR overpriced IMO
@@mattlazer902 Thanks for the input. It honestly feels like a Big Muff inline with that would get me that extra overdrive I'd want. That SA being half the price is definitely more enticing. Thanks again!
@@HvyMetal4Ever the B7K has a different, more modern sounding overdrive which is loved by many metal bassists. I too bought it after watching Orion's (Behemoth) live gear rundown because I loved his sound in The Satanist. The downside is that almost all metal bassists use the B7K nowadays, so it almost becomes too recognizable and cliché.
When the bass is stock, the switches have 3 positions: series, parallel, and single. I swapped the electronics out for two EMG MMTW pickups and the BTS System (running at 18v). Now the switches have two positions: dual coil and single coil
@@TheBassChannel I'm not gonna check the profile of every youtube replier, and there was more than one guy playing RATM in the video. Anyway, who cares.
So basically it will give any bass that ‘nails in a metal bucket’ top end rattle 😂 I’ve had 2 and just brought a 3rs but this video would have stopped me. Some good tones at the end but the first half was horrible to listen to.
