New Pre-Amp day - Tech21NYC Sansamp GED2112 (from FX Pedal Rental)

[NancyJohnson]

Well here we are then. Apparently the first in the UK. Picked this up through FX Pedal Rental [url="https://fxpedalrental.com/"]https://fxpedalrental.com/[/url] arrived this morning.

I savoured the unboxing and loading the unit into my rack (pics below). First impressions are that it's sturdy and the build quality is great. I feels like it weighs a little more than my outgoing RBI.

For test purposes, I've been running a variety of basses through it, trying different wiring configurations. To get one thing straight immediately, the Drive channel sounds very nice in isolation, so (IMO) it's a perfectly adequate solution should you need to utilise the unit in a single channel set up; the Deep channel operates more in a subwoofer capacity, phattening up the overall tone when combines with the Drive channel. (The Deep channel also sounds super nice as well, sounding lovely and clean in isolation with the saturation knob phattening up the tone on rotation.)

While I have purchased a micro-ABY pedal to test whether I can route both channels down into a single output feed, for the purpose of this brief sum-up, I attached the unit to a Morley ABY. An external ABY is a far simpler solution than taking the thing apart and arseing about with the internal jumpers. (See edit #1 below.)

Tonally, I was honestly expecting to simply plug in a bass and it would just emulate Geddy Lee's tone out of the box, but that's not really the case, so experimentation in a real life scenario in a biggish room will be required for that. I assume that the unit has been built with Jazz basses in mind, but as I don't own one, I'll just need to tweak things with accordingly. I'll be basing things on my Lull JAXT4 as it's the one I'll be sticking through it most of the time.

The drive channel is pretty sensitive; whereas with the RBI it was a case of dialling up a 100% Sansamp blend and rolling up the drive to about halfway, this unit seems happy at 50% and drive at about 25% before you get into clippage. The mid/midshift are controls I've never really had previously and obviously they have an effect on the drive, so there'll be experimentation in the coming days.

That's it for now. Edits below.

[Edit #1] The unit works with a Morley ABY box (not the one I'll be using), so you [u]can[/u] combine both channels externally and route one output into a poweramp. There's a very slight dropoff in volume when the drive and deep channels are combined using this method. As I'll generally be running this into a single Barefaced enclosure, it may be a case of just leaving the ABY Velcro'd inside the rack, so I can rewire easily.

[Edit #2] The Lull sounds happier with the mid shirt at about the 5 o'clock position (2-2.5K).

Edited September 5, 2017 by NancyJohnson

[LewisK1975]

Nice! Although I've said before, I'm not sure about the colour of these, I'm assuming it helps with the visibility in darkened situations..

Course you wont have that trouble with the light from your Korg Tuner....

Top purchase whatever way you look at it!!

[dave_bass5]

I think it would have looked better on top of a washing machine :-)

Looks cool either way. Congrats.

[tonyxtiger]

Glad you're enjoying New Amp Day.

Can't believe no photo of you wearing the free geddy badge!

[NancyJohnson]

Tech21NYC posted this on Talkbass yesterday. Rather than taking the unit apart and fiddling with the jumpers, it's possible to route the Deep channel into the Effects return on the unit and it will output in blended/mono via the Drive output. I jammed with it last night and have to say it sounds so much better with this wiring configuration that the reverse-ABY method I had it wired with yesterday.

[b][size=3][i]"If you want to have the unit set internally to have both channels present at each output contact our support dept. We don't recommend using an ABY box in reverse, as this will compromise the tone and not provide consistent results.

If you’d like a “quicker” method for mixing the channels, you can run a short cable from the Deep section’s 1/4” Output, set for 0dB (button pushed in) to the Effect Return with the 50/50 mix engaged (button pushed in). Then run from the Drive section’s 1/4” Output to your amp, and/or the Drive XLR Out to the PA.

Start with both Level controls at 12:00. The Drive Level will now serve as a “master volume,” and the Deep Level will allow you to “blend in” the clean signal."[/i][/size][/b]

[Conan]

Much as I love Geddy, I'm fairly sure that it would take more than just replicating his set-up to sound like him...

[Daz39]

Well - you'd need Soup for a start. Can't get through a tour without the Soup.

[NancyJohnson]

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1504696807' post='3366623']
Much as I love Geddy, I'm fairly sure that it would take more than just replicating his set-up to sound like him...
[/quote]

I watched a few videos on You Tube with guys gurning their way through various Rush tracks and feel that stuff like the one below might be the holy grail of tone. That said, the none of the basses I've pushed through the unit give anywhere like the tone this guy has. I don't own a Jazz Bass either...anyone in my vicinity who does, it welcome to give it a whirl!

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QsdDYKpC0U[/media]

[Conan]

On the R40 tour Geddy played a whole range of different basses, yet always sounded like himself And of course debate still rages over which tracks on Moving Pictures feature the Ric and which are played on the Jazz!

[Conan]

[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1504702167' post='3366708'] the one below might be the holy grail of tone.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QsdDYKpC0U[/media]
[/quote]

Yep - that's pretty damn close.

[Thor]

Well I pulled the trigger on one of these and it was delivered last Saturday, gigged it in the evening. Have to say after a bit of tweaking it sounded superb - well chuffed, I sent a feed from the deep channel into our drummers sub - plenty of heft.

Interesting to read about blending the channels, shall try that later, cheers for the heads up.

[JapanAxe]

That pre-amp would severely limit you choice of rack processors - think of the potential colour clashes!

[spectoremg]

[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1504702167' post='3366708']
I watched a few videos on You Tube with guys gurning their way through various Rush tracks and feel that stuff like the one below might be the holy grail of tone. That said, the none of the basses I've pushed through the unit give anywhere like the tone this guy has. I don't own a Jazz Bass either...anyone in my vicinity who does, it welcome to give it a whirl!

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QsdDYKpC0U[/media]
[/quote]Essential Rush t-shirt so you know it's Rush.

[NancyJohnson]

I'm a few weeks in here...I've rehearsed with it, I've gigged it and last weekend recorded with it. I know I use the term 'in all honestly' and the word 'honestly' an awful lot, but honestly (there, I said it), the only way that I'd consider a different pre-stage unit would only be if Tech21NYC put a dUg pre-amp into production, which at this juncture seems unlikely.

On a day to day basis, I've wired the unit externally as per post #5 on this thread and the unit feeds one side of a (Matrix) power amp which I now run in bridged-mono mode. Suffice I am very pleased.

It took a bit of tweaking; but in the above configuration, the drive level effectively becomes the unit's output and it's a case of blending in the deep channel's saturation and output level to get an agreeable tone. I'm tending to run the GED-2112 with the drive channel's blend at 75% (so 75% Sansamp/25% DI bass), with both the mid-shift and the treble in their full-on positions. I'll adjust the bass and gain settings in accordance with the bass I'm using or room I'm playing in. It's VERY easy to dial up great tone.

At the weekend I recorded with it with the external cabling out, XLRs into two channels...to be honest (there, I said it again), I could have just had my mother, hearing aids out, twiddle things and it would have sounded great.

It's a blindingly good pre-amp. Blindingly good. Buy with confidence.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1504702167' post='3366708']
I watched a few videos on You Tube with guys gurning their way through various Rush tracks and feel that stuff like the one below might be the holy grail of tone. That said, the none of the basses I've pushed through the unit give anywhere like the tone this guy has. I don't own a Jazz Bass either...anyone in my vicinity who does, it welcome to give it a whirl!

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QsdDYKpC0U[/media]
[/quote]

That does sound pretty fantastic. I want one.
Funny he should go to all that effort to capture the 'Camera Eye' tone with a Jazz when he's got a Rick there too

[Cuzzie]

Good to hear, looked at this, but I am not a rackmount guy.

Hate/proud to tell you but a dUg pre amp pedal is in production it’ll have a tuner, mute, compressor and dUg sound with fixed crossover points for the distortion circuit so not as tweakable as the amp by any means, and it should be out within the year.

His will fit lovely in the FX loop of my Form Factor Audio BI1000 amp with other pedals going in the front

Just have both!

[NancyJohnson]

[quote name='Cuzzie' timestamp='1506599491' post='3379827']
Good to hear, looked at this, but I am not a rackmount guy.

Hate/proud to tell you but a dUg pre amp pedal is in production it'll have a tuner, mute, compressor and dUg sound with fixed crossover points for the distortion circuit so not as tweakable as the amp by any means, and it should be out within the year.

His will fit lovely in the FX loop of my Form Factor Audio BI1000 amp with other pedals going in the front

Just have both!
[/quote]

I saw a short video about the dUg, I'm sure at some stage it'll be part of my arsenal, I run a floorboard too for certain applications where amps aren't required.

Tiptop!

[Cuzzie]

Definitely part of mine.

I wanted a dUg amp, decided it was too much, but bought an expensive amp anyway and by the time I buy the pedal i’d Have spent the same amount!

What a silly billy! But loads of fun!

[sifi2112]

I noticed this GED2112 pre doesn’t have a separate XLR DI level control like the RBI .. is this XLR DI output level fixed or does it run of the master volume control ?

[NancyJohnson]

When I recor
[quote name='sifi2112' timestamp='1506868446' post='3381618']
I noticed this GED2112 pre doesn’t have a separate XLR DI level control like the RBI .. is this XLR DI output level fixed or does it run of the master volume control ?
[/quote]

When I recorded, I just altered the output with the pad button on the rear panel. To be honest, I never really gave it much consideration at the time, I just got positivity from the engineer.

In answer to your question, I'm not sure how the XLR output levels are controlled.

Edited October 1, 2017 by NancyJohnson

[sifi2112]

Thanks for your response ... maybe next time you connect the XLR you could try see if the master volume(s) affect the XLR(s) ?
Could be a deciding factor choosing this pre over the RBI ... any other observations over these two preamps would be most welcome

cheers

Si

Edited October 1, 2017 by sifi2112

[NancyJohnson]

[quote name='sifi2112' timestamp='1506892072' post='3381884']
Thanks for your response ... maybe next time you connect the XLR you could try see if the master volume(s) affect the XLR(s) ?
Could be a deciding factor choosing this pre over the RBI ... any other observations over these two preamps would be most welcome

cheers

Si
[/quote]

Will do. I'm doing a radio show this Thursday and overdubs on the 18th. Will have an answer then.

[NancyJohnson]

Just revisited this thread to work out how to externally wire the Ged2112 after I pulled everything out to flip my rack.

Have to say that since the dUg arrived, the Geddy unit has become fairly redundant.  I've recently purchased a pair of Aguilars and tonally they're very hi-fi; smooth/refined, and suit the dUg way more than the Ged (I've yet to get anything usable out of it at this point). 

I'm not planning in moving any gear on at this juncture, but feel the Ged is more suited to a brighter cabinet configuration (ie the Barefaced).  It's good to have a choice.

[sifi2112]

I’m still wanting to try a GED2112 so maybe first dibs on it should you decide to sell lol .. 

[Tech21NYC]

The Level controls on the front of the unit control both the XLR and 1/4" outputs of their respective channels. If the channels are jumpered internally, the mixed sound is available at all outputs.

The GED-2112 and RBI have some crossover tones but the GED has more midrange control as well as more Drive available. The RBI has a more modern tone and the Presence control gives at that "sizzle" that works well for certain styles of music. The form factors are very similar, but the GED had to forgo the ability to control the XLR and 1/4" outputs individually due to the extra channel. 

The GED-2112 can be used as a very transparent preamp if desired by merely turning the Blend and Deep Channel off which bypasses the SansAmp circuit. It then becomes a clean preamp with semi-parametric EQ. The RBI can also be used in the same manner but without the semi-parametric midrange control.