Would you do this?

Tim Brosnan · January 08, 2017, 12:58:14 PM

Hey guys, this past Christmas I received a Sansamp DI pedal, the V2 version. On my New Years eve gig, I used it to bypass the EQ on my Fender Rumble 500 combo. I used the SVT setting, and a passive bass with Fender flatwounds. I was really impressed with the tone of this thing! It has many sample sample settings to use as a starting point, but I chose the SVT setting, because I've never played through an SVT amp before. I can't say of course whether it is like a true SVT, but it was a really great tone. So my question is; I could use that to drive a power amp, into a Rumble 1X15 extension cabinet I have. Is there anybody here who would do that, or just use the Sansamp to bypass the current amps EQ section? I'm still not sure what I should do. Thanks in advance.

Granny Gremlin · January 08, 2017, 02:33:14 PM

How are you bypassing the eq section of the amp?. If running the pedal into the fax return ( also bypassing the preamp) it is exactly the same as plugging the sansamp direct into a power amp. Yes u can do that.

Tim Brosnan · January 08, 2017, 05:06:51 PM

I did run it through the power amp in jack on the amp.

Psycho Bass Guy · January 09, 2017, 01:53:48 AM

Sansamp's SVT tones in their pedals are really, really good, and like Jake said, you're already doing a version of what you suggest. Go for it!

Tim Brosnan · January 09, 2017, 08:12:04 AM

Hey Psycho, you probably know more about SVT's than anybody! I love the Sansamp SVT tone. How close to a real SVT do you think the Sansamp is?

Psycho Bass Guy · January 09, 2017, 10:45:21 AM

Sansamp nails the basic tone and even models the progressive distortion of the amp being pushed pretty well. The only obvious difference is that the dynamic feel of the power section of the amp responding to playing can't be replicated just from a preamp. No big deal anyway since most SVT tones nowadays are set-volume and compressed. It'll sound great and generally the only folks who can tell the difference will be players with SVT's and even among those, they'd probably have to play through it to be able to tell.

Tim Brosnan · January 09, 2017, 03:01:03 PM

A lot of the motivation for this, is knowing that today's amps are no longer being built to last for years, but have a short life built into them. The Fender Rumble combo 500 I have is a nice sounding amp, but knowing that within a probably short period of years that it's gonna die, I thought the Sansamp with power amp would be a more versatile, and reliable rig in the long run.

Psycho Bass Guy · January 10, 2017, 12:53:18 AM

The lightweight stuff is becoming more reliable every day, BUT the caveat remains that most modern amps are in a very real way, meant to be disposable and not serviceable. You see it in PA gear already. There are loads of old Crown and QSC lead sleds in their third and fourth decades of life chugging along faithfully while their current namesakes do well to last five. Surface mount component switching (supply, output section or both) amps are cheaper to produce and ship which equals higher profit margins even with lesser prices. That they don't last as long is a positive to manufacturers eager to make another sale. Need more proof? Cellphones.

gearHed289 · January 10, 2017, 07:51:08 AM

Ah, planned obsolescence. I hate that. My GC/Acoustic combo lasted 5 years. Meanwhile, I have a 42 year old SVT and 20 year old SVT III Pro that never let me down. Hope my Genz Benz lasts.

Granny Gremlin · January 10, 2017, 09:13:54 AM

Apparently there are folks who will deal with fixing SMD stuff, but I pity the fool.

Dave W · January 10, 2017, 04:21:23 PM

I'm not convinced it's planned obsolescence so much as just not being cost-effective to repair. Long term reliability is still up in the air.

Psycho Bass Guy · January 11, 2017, 01:24:47 AM

Quote from: Dave W on January 10, 2017, 04:21:23 PM
I'm not convinced it's planned obsolescence so much as just not being cost-effective to repair. Long term reliability is still up in the air.

Especially on switching amps, many designs use off-the shelf modules for both power supply and output stages rather than engineer one from scratch. It makes short term economic sense until the actual manufacturer of those boards discontinues them and an entire product line becomes obsolete, usually with brand new models sitting on store shelves (cough- Markbass). All of this could be avoided, even using surface mount electronics, by having an in-house design engineer, which was standard until the "big boys" moved all their amp production overseas. When the modules develop problems in amps, many times they are ones that the manufacturers never envisioned and because the modules are generic, may be caused by a myriad of otherwise unrelated "features."

Simply from a basic design perspective, the amps are not going to last as long because the smaller components will heat up more rapidly and dissipate that heat much more slowly because of their smaller relative surface area, which shortens their service lives dramatically. PA power amps are the most analogous to bass amps which was why I cited Crown and QSC, both of which have revised their flagship power amp models on average about every two years in the past ten years where previously their "big guns" were 20+ year-old designs or variations thereof.

Tim Brosnan · July 01, 2017, 01:46:53 PM

Just wanted to give an update: I have not had an opportunity to use it as a DI for recording, as that situation has since dried up. But I have been using it as a pre amp, bypassing the EQ on my Fender Rumble amp. I stuck to the SVT setting, since I've always wondered what playing thru an SVT would be like. I know it'll never be exact, but I love the way this thing sounds! Big, fat, punchy-seems like a punch in the gut playing thru this-in a good way of course! I know the Sansamp can produce a lot of different tones, but the SVT works just great for me! I like it best with passive basses.