tech 21 sansamp tri-a.c.

by Y

Back in 1989, when the SansAmp Classic was released, everyone and his mother swamped to music stores worldwide to get their hands on the world’s first tube amplifier emulator. Much has change since the late 80s. These days tube amp emulators come a dime by the dozen, and shopping for a decent unit can often be frustrating. However, when it comes to warm, analog tube tones, Tech 21 never fails to deliver the goods. Released in 2002, the TRI-A.C. is the latest addition to the line of SansAmp products.

FEATURES

The TRI-A.C., which stands for “triple amplifier channel” in short, combines a 100% analog signal path with digital programmability in a user-friendly stomp box format. Three independent footswitches put your favorite tones at your feet. A three-position slider allows you to choose from three tube amplifier character modes – Tweed (Fender), British (Marshall) and California (Mesa/Boogie). The drive knob adjusts the overall amount of gain or overdrive. This unit also feature active bass, mid and treble tone controls that cut or boost +/-12dB from unity gain at the 12 o’clock positions.

The unit is shipped with three factory presets. Don’t like that run of the mill sound? No worries. Programming your own sound is a piece of cake. Just select an amp style, tweak the tone controls to your liking, double click on the footswitch of the particular channel you want the setting to reside on, and you’re done.

Finding your settings on each knob is relatively easy too. Tweaking a knob will set the LED directly below blinking. Continue tweaking the knob until the LED stops blinking. That will be the approximate position of the knob for that setting. Another smart innovation from Tech 21 is the “lazy pot”. It is implemented on the drive and level and is meant to be a safety feature. With the lazy pot, there will be a slow and gradual increase to the new setting, preventing sudden loud volumes from damaging your eardrums.

By the way, don’t even try to reverse engineer this unit. Pop open any Tech 21 pedals and you’ll find certain parts of the circuit boards epoxy-sealed to prevent any SansAmp clones in the pedal market.

PERFORMANCES

Initially, I found that the TRI-A.C. gave rather inconsistent tones when played through a couple of different amps. When ran through a Marshall JCM 800 head, for example, it gave an oversaturated and muddy tone. However, when plugged into a Roland Jazz Chorus, it sounded perfect.

I have since realized that the inconsistency in tone is caused by the pre-amp section of certain amps. Gear synergy is paramount in this case. Solid-state amps seem to go well with this pre-amp. The TRI-A.C. works best when run directly into the input of the power amp input, i.e. “effects return”, of an amp. This will have the effect of bypassing the amp’s internal tone-altering circuitry.

To get even better tones, try running your signal into cabinets equipped with full-range speakers. These speakers, like those used in P.A. systems, amplify all frequencies without bias. Standard cabinets designed for guitars are typically equipped with Celestion speakers, which tend to alter the tone a bit.

SOUNDS

By itself, the TRI-A.C. can almost send you to tone haven. Armed with a Fender Jaguar, I managed to dial up a juicy clean tone that’s full of sustain on the Tweed setting. Although it is not my favorite setting on the TRI-A.C., I, nevertheless, found myself jamming repeatedly on my own rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Little Wing’.

The British channel delivered a bright tone with upper-mid emphasis, commonly associated with Marshall amps. To achieve that, the guys in Tech 21 actually dropped a bright boost capacitor in there. With the drive set to maximum, the TRI-A.C. dished out balls-to-the-wall tone that will make Angus Young proud.

If you’re into heavy and dark music, then the California channel might just be your cup of tea. The California setting is great for heavy distorted rhythm and has decent sustain for soloing as well. The EQ for this setting is very sensitive though. Dial in too much bass and you will get a muddy tone, too little bass and you will lose the chunky tone when doing those palm-muting stuff. With careful tweaking though, you can hoax a convincing Boogie tone out of this little box.

One common issue raised by some TRI-A.C. users is the immense amount of hiss/noise generated by the unit. This problem can be easily solved by connecting the TRI-A.C. in the loop of the BOSS NS-2 Noise Supressor or the Rocktron HUSH pedal. I am currently operating the TRI-A.C. in the loop of a NS-2 and, in my opinion; the tone coloring caused by the noise suppressor is minimal. Be sure to bring along your TRI-A.C. when you are out shopping for a noise suppressor.

REVIEWER’S SETTINGS

My settings for the TRI-A.C. are as follows:

I program my clean tone on the first footswitch. I employ the CALIF setting for a slightly dark and midrange boosted tone. To round up the tone slightly, I place a compressor in front of the TRI-A.C.

My lead tone resides on the second footswitch. I like the brighter tone on the BRIT setting as it allows my lead to cut through the mix pretty well. To compensate for the inherent upper mid boost, I backed off the mid and treble slightly, and pushed the bass just a notch up.

My rhythm tone is programmed on the last footswitch. I like the heaviness of the CALIF setting on full drive. I tweak the bass while playing some palm-muted lines, until I find a sweet spot. To prevent the tone from muddying up, I’ll adjust the treble knob, depending on the amps that I am running.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Build Quality (9/10): This pedal, as with all Tech 21 products, are built to last. I had a minor problem with one of the footswitches few months back, but that was readily resolved. The battery compartment is easily accessible at the bottom of the unit. Despite the tons of huge tones delivered by this unit, it is surprisingly lightweight.

Features (9.5/10): I like the programmability of this unit as it gives me 3 different amp channels for use during jams/gigs. The available controls are relatively simple to use, and you don’t need a rocket science degree to start using one.

Performance (8/10): The downside of this unit is probably the gear synergy and hiss/noise generated. You have to ensure that you run your output through the “effects return” input of the power amp. Some tube amps can radically color the tone of the TRI-A.C. The hiss/noise can be easily eliminated by running the unit in the loop of a noise suppressor. That’ll mean extra cash though.

Sound (9.5/10): I like the versatility of this unit. It can deliver clean jazz tone to balls-to-the-wall metal tone with the click of a footswitch. I would say that Tech 21 has come pretty close to emulating the Marshall and Boogie tones. Tone purist would beg to differ, but I’ll say this unit is good enough for most applications. Unless you have a million dollar record deal, and you don’t mind paying for a real Marshall or Boogie, this unit can meet the needs of most gigging/recording guitarists.

Value For Money (9/10): At a mere SGD330, this unit can deliver tones that are close enough to real tube amps. The programmability will benefit most gigging guitarists tired of tapping dancing to change between different stomp boxes. I’d say that if you want anything with better tone and usability, you’d probably have to look at rack-mounted effects with midi footswitches.