Tech 21 SansAmp Character Plus Series Overview

Andrew Barta and Tim Starace discuss the design & development process of the SansAmp Character Plus Series. They celebrate the unique chemistry between specific historic amplifiers and specific historic pedals, and cleverly unites them together in single packages:
English Muffy = HiWatt-style + Big Muff-style
Fuzzy Brit = Marshall-style + Fuzz Face-style
Mop Top Liverpool = Vox-style + Rangemaster Booster-style
Screaming Blonde = Fender-style + Tube Screamer-style
For a closer look and more details, click here:
www.tech21nyc.com/products/sansamp/characterplus/
Check out the full playlist of all the SansAmp Character Plus Series pedals here:
kzbin.info/aero/PLHNte-PbVjgV0cGKMcBbbO4XgwoRACN-b

[@6strung21]

Tech 21 leading the way again. Love your gear.

[@kevinsturges6957]

Great pedals. We need to hear these demoed direct!

[@RulgertGhostalker]

there are quite a few direct demos on KZbin, and one is through a JC-120; which, if you are familiar, can be an extremely clean solid state guitar amp, so more similar to direct.

[@steverherb]

What a great idea, combining pedals & preamps in one unit. I already have the British character pedal, but now I need one of these

[@nwdigitalaudio]

Awesome Pedals and Legendary Company!

[@echocollectors]

I got my Mop Top Liverpool a couple of days ago and I could not be happier. Truly excellent pedal. I had the original Liverpool (v2) and it was one of my go-to pedals before I got the Mop Top. Great pedal in its own right. But having two independent channels plus the boost adds a LOT. The boost is fantastic. Now I'm able to dial in a clean tone (I use channel A), a somewhat overdriven tone (channel B), and a saturated lead tone (channel B with the mid-boost turned up a fair ways). I run it through my AER 60 and now I've got everything I need for a gig just by running this one pedal, with the AER handling my acoustic guitar and vocals and the Mop Top for all of my electric guitar playing.

[@Tech21nyc]

Wow, thanks so much for your report!

[@trd4life302]

Im trying to achieve the early Beatles tone on a budget. Aiming for that clean trebly chimey tone. I got a ric 325. Unfortunately, there are no music stores where I live therefore would have to buy unplayed/unseen. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[@echocollectors]

@@trd4life302 I'm not personally using it for that style, but I feel like it can get pretty "chimey" on Channel A through my AER Compact 60 I'm using it with. One thing I would note, though, is that it seems a little darker through a traditional guitar amp. I love it through a PA and other FRFR-style speakers. Maybe someone else with more Beatles knowledge or using a more typical amp can provide greater insight for your use. Good luck!

[@tonycarel1785]

Absolutely love this channel!! not only does the owner of the company talk about the pedals talks about the history of other musicians. I was wondering does tech21 have a website where I can order the pedals from? Again thanks to everyone at tech 21 for developing such quality products and reasonable price for the everyday musician!! Forever a fan and user.

[@Tech21nyc]

Thank you so much for the kind words! We only sell discontinued items and merch/accessories/parts direct on Reverb. Just contact your local authorized Tech 21 dealer or consult our dealer locator page: www.tech21nyc.com/find-a-dealer/

[@paolo-1283]

Having an aby box with these pedals would be 🔥🔥🔥 having the power to combine fender and marshall amps together or wet dry wet setup 🤘🤘

[@xaviervonbuchwald5243]

Marshall and fuzzface.....fantastic...real sound.

[@glendoggett9670]

Awesome update to the original Character series! I still use my Blonde. Would be nice if the channel A and B knobs were different colors like the FX knobs on the new series.

[@riniones]

I love this company and the product they release... These sound great, they seem another well conceived addition coming from a musician's perspective... simple, useful, great sounding... what's not to like?

[@Tech21nyc]

Thank you so much for the kind words!

[@daveeichenberger7473]

The English Muffy with a bass sounds just like John Wetton in 1973.

[@FullMetalDMZ]

Such a cool idea, definitely gonna check those out!

[@danielcastillo5525]

And the Mesa Boogie and Orange? You should make those as well

[@NicholasGreenwood]

Cool concept, and great execution. Cheers guys.

[@Leo_Safko]

Another great demo. Love this company🤘

[@Dannyroo08]

I wouldn't mind a VT + character or a VT centric/programmable fly rig next! For now I'll keep rocking the BFR v2!

[@AmarylisFlow]

Sounding great! Real shame there’s no reverb though. The reverbs on the fly rigs are lovely, would’ve loved to have the option on these. Maybe in a future iteration…

[@iommiclife794]

I love amp-style pedals which are combined with a drive-pedal - mostly Fender-style. And yours sound amazing. Design is well thought but imo lacks of a send/return entrance to put modulation and time-based pedals between drive and "amp".

[@Tech21nyc]

The Character Plus can be thought of as your main tone generator/preamp or for adding extra channels to an existing amplifier. It can be used as the heart of a pedalboard with a traditional amp or for an ampless rig. The best place to put time domain effects is after the 1/4" output. The XLR connection was added as a convenience for recording purposes where time domain effects are usually added in your DAW.

[@lizardspherestudio]

Awesome products!

[@MographVideo]

Considering one of these as a gig back up for my tube amp. If it dies, pull this out of the bag, direct into the PA. Good idea?

[@Tech21nyc]

Absolutely! Be warned, however, when that day comes, you may decide to forego lugging your tube amp around in favor of the SansAmp. We hear that happens a lot. 😄

[@hekakain4108]

I have the sansamp GT2 with a mint condition Blonde on the way...Groovy...

[@IvanVai-3]

When using the 1/4” Universal Output, will the cabinet emulation still be active, similar to the Balanced XLR Output?

[@Tech21nyc]

Thanks for asking. Yes it will.

[@andreazampieri5513]

Great products, as always Andrew! Bravo we say in Italy! But I remember a California and a Steel version of the character series. So my question is: would we ever see, and hear, an hard rock/metal version of this beautiful beasts? Thx!

[@Tech21nyc]

Grazie mille for the kind words! We have no immediate plans to expand the series, but perhaps at some later date. In the meantime, you might want to check out the Paul Landers PL1 Signature Fly Rig: www.tech21nyc.com/products/flyrig/pl1/

[@andreazampieri5513]

@@Tech21nyc Thanks guys! I’ll check it out!

[@marcusnoel5264]

Which Sansamp Character Plus Series Unit should I pick for Jazz and Jazz-Blues sounds ( ie. style(s) of K. Burrell, W. Montgomery, G. Green, G. Benson )? Seems like it would be either Screaming Blonde or Mop Top Liverpool. But, which one tips the scale more towards Jazz & Jazz-Blues using Humbuckers(PRS SE Semi-Hollow)?

[@Tech21nyc]

The Screaming Blonde would be a good choice. Also the English Muffy as well as the Mop Top Liverpool for your application. We always encourage trying before buying. That's the only way to know for sure.

[@secretjourney4815]

This is what they should have put out back in 2008.

[@aaronfrazier524]

Man I'd love one of those sansamp shirts

[@Tech21nyc]

Thanks for asking. We have t-shirts available on Reverb: reverb.com/marketplace?query=tech%2021%20T-shirts%20

[@josephlamere3507]

Same same.

[@woodygranger2126]

A video about the best FRFR match with all of these pedals would be fantastic! See my comments below: I bought a Joyo American sound and found out it was a knock off of one of your circuits. Sorry about that. But that made me realize how great the SansAmp Character series is. It sounds better through my Headrush FRFR112 than Axe Fx2, Kemper, or Helix IMHO. The full signal chain matters. Sometimes I forget that. It is like buying a great tube amp and putting it through a terrible speaker. The sound won't be good at all. These pedals through my particular FRFR is a match made in heaven. The character of this FRFR and your pedal circuits are fantastic. (I push the volume up pretty good on the FRFR and dial in the volume on the pedal from there.) I am playing and creating way more just because it is so inspiring to play! My wife just ordered the Mop Top Liverpool Character Plus and as a birthday present and I will be ordering the other three in the series! Thank you for all of your hard work! Tech 21 is an AMAZING company doing fantastic work.

[@Tech21nyc]

Many thanks for all the kind words!

[@tungtobak]

No Oxford variety in the works?

[@Doodlebug1996]

I want that English muffy. I wonder if it will do the Roger Waters sound from live in pompei.

[@JohnnyMegabyteCanada]

can you plug one of these pedals only into a Power Engine?

[@Tech21nyc]

Yes, absolutely.

[@elianmusic7452]

Andrew. Listen man. You gotta bring back the oxford. You gotta. Please

[@ryanmelvey8764]

really cool stuff. i wish it had reverb!

[@Klaus80804]

I hope there will be a V2 with a tuner.

[@vladimird5280]

Recommend you to send these to Leo Gibson for a review...

[@camhaines5482]

Direct to headphones for practicing at work?

[@Tech21nyc]

The Character Plus series does not have a headphone option. We usually suggest an inexpensive mixer. This way you can also play along with other sources like an mp3 player, drum machine or backing tracks etc.

[@michaelbevins2405]

looks good ,Im tempted ,I have the old british and blond on my board ,Goin in to power amp in ,So they are great preamps i,I switch between them ,Useing A T plus for brit. And 5f6 on the blond ,I really got two amps in one ,But i like sands amp better than the actual amps,So this new sands amp is tempting.

[@justinpruett8674]

Is there an app simulator coming out of the quarter inch Or do I need a cab sim if I'm gonna run quarter inch out?

[@Tech21nyc]

The signals are the same at both outputs, amp and speaker emulation.

[@justinpruett8674]

@@Tech21nyc thanks. Cool pedal.

[@JosePineda-jn8jk]

How would you use just the drive portion as it stated starting around 4:25?

[@Tech21nyc]

The SansAmp section works independently. The left hand footswitch engages the SansAmp section and the right hand footswitch toggles between the two channels. The middle footswitch turns on or off the Scream, Muff, Fuzz, Boost of the respective pedal.

[@richardlynch5632]

BRILLIANT...!!!😃😎👍

[@Virtual_Gains]

Will there be any new ones for 2024

[@Tech21nyc]

We have many things in the works, but no immediate plans right now. What did you have in mind?

[@loganknapp8905]

Imagine all four on a pedalboard 😮

[@slayabouts]

Do these have a built in cabinet sim and can they be bypassed like the smaller versions?

[@Tech21nyc]

Yes they do have cab sim (as do all SansAmps) and each are tailored specifically for each amp style. There is no defeat switch, but again, as with all SansAmps, it is compatible and amp-friendly.

[@slayabouts]

@@Tech21nyc not sure if i agree with that decision

[@Psztyk236]

@@slayabouts I agree that's a baffling decision. It seems they forgot the amount of complaints on forums when Character series V1 came out without the defeat switch as well and they added it in V2. Why take the step backwards @Tech21nyc ? When connected to a speaker my Liverpool V2 sounds much better when cab simulation is turned off

[@slayabouts]

@@Psztyk236 a lot of the sound of an amp is actually from the matched speaker it comes with so it kind of makes sense they’d want to keep the speaker emulation. The problem is that running a speaker sim into a speaker is like running a maxed out distortion pedal into a maxed out distorted amp. It might sound good in its own way if you’re lucky, but it’s magnifying what’s already going on and likely is going to sound pretty nasty. Speaker sims should only be used when you’re not running into a guitar speaker, ie going straight through the PA or directly into an audio interface. Even then, I’d rather have the option to use my own IR/cab sim than be locked into one that I probably don’t even like

[@chenjunhao]

Why not include the speaker sim defeat button 😩

[@Tech21nyc]

Contrary to popular belief, there's no need to defeat the speaker sim in order to use a SansAmp with an amp. Digital modellers with IRs have steep peaks and valleys that are generally not amp-friendly, so it is necessary to turn the cab sim off. The SansAmp technology is all-analog with smooth peaks and valleys, so there is no adverse conflict when plugged into an amp. In fact, most players find it actually improves the sound of their amp. And because it's analog, you are able to layer it with digital IRs, whereas you can't layer with IRs alone. Hope this helps!

[@chenjunhao]

@@Tech21nyc I believe thats all true. However I had great experience using the Leeds pedal for over 10 years now and I have always loved how useful defeat button is for running the pedal in front of any amp as a amp in box distortion when I can’t turn up the amp loud, because not all amps have effects return input. And I have been waiting for this version with 2 channels or more for years. Will Tech 21 consider making a version2 of this series?

[@Tech21nyc]

@@chenjunhao No plans for a v2 at the present time, and without asking, not sure there's room to add anything without taking something else away. But back to your situation, suggest emailing us directly: [e-mail]. Include details of the gear you're using, signal chain & the order in which it's connected. We should be able to find the right balance of settings to get to where you're trying to go.

[@chenjunhao]

Thanks for the informative replies, like I said I have been a proud owner of one of the old V2 character series pedals for over 10 years now, it just seem to work perfectly for me in any gig situations, plugging straight to amp input or poweramp or running through PA. I am a fairly younger guy with old school mindset so I can’t really use any modern digital units, I just wish the pedal had more than 1 channel. Looks I have have to look into the used market for one of those character deluxe models

[@Tech21nyc]

@@chenjunhao Gotcha. We very much appreciate old-school mindsets! Note, we only made the Blonde, Liverpool and VT Bass in Deluxe versions. The 2-channel English Muffy is actually the Leeds pedal "plus" a Big Muff-style distortion. Can't hurt to give it a shot. 🙃

[@francoishtzl157]

Those work with bass ?? 🧐

[@HandOfDoom9349]

The original Leeds has been my main bass preamp for years!

[@Tech21nyc]

While the English Muffy (Hi-Watt-style/Leeds) plays extremely well with bass, any of these can be utilized with virtually any instrument depending on what you're looking to do with it.

[@francoishtzl157]

@@Tech21nyc but it is me or it sound like not that much bass on the bass ? Or thin🤔 or maybe it is different settings

[@Tech21nyc]

@@francoishtzl157 Could be your device. Phones & iPads are notorious for lacking in bass output. 🤷‍♀️

[@francoishtzl157]

@@Tech21nyc oh no i use an audio technica athm50x headphone ahah, but maybe it is just that it is not a "modern tone with those heavy bass af"

[@derekmerrell3658]

what about hard rock metal guys?

[@Tech21nyc]

The Fuzzy Brit would be a good choice, as well as the Paul Landers PL1 Fly Rig and the Fly Rig 5 v2. They’re all capable of achieving that. It’s just a matter of how you set the controls.

[@aladinhellchicken7994]

I use the Richie Kotzen Flyrig rk5 v2 for crushing metal tones into a cleanish Marshall type amp or an old Roland Cube with jc120 cleans. You can achieve so many different tones when stacking the sansampsection with the drive and the boost. And oh my.. it feels truly amazing under the fingers. Even with the transistor amp. I'm still suprised how responsive the drive is. I got nothing but praise for this unit. ;)

[@Tech21nyc]

@@aladinhellchicken7994 Wow, thank you so much for the amazing report!

[@TooOldFor]

I would buy a Screaming Blonde - if it had phantom power/ground lift. Too bad.

[@sumithramachandranwatchyou5045]

Great sounding pedals. I own many of them.. But Tech21’s support for their buyers isn’t good at all..

[@Tech21nyc]

Very pleased to know you own and are happy with our pedals. Regarding our support, we almost never hear anything negative. Kindly email us directly about your experience: [e-mail]

[@ricklachaine5406]

I guess everyone’s allowed their opinion but I have an old Tech 21 Trademark 10 and a number of times I’ve contacted Tech 21 support with questions and they’ve ALWAYS responded quickly and have been helpful. I have nothing but good to say about them.

[@doscheid]

HEAR ME OUT! pleeeease. Tech21, have a look at the DM Humbolt Simplifier DLX, the walrus ACS1... and give us your stereo analog version of two amps in a box! No need for bypass switches, etc. The smaller the better. No need for memory and stuff. The cheaper the better. Give us 3 circuits per side - blonde, british and liverpool. Keep it simple - the original series: independet EQ, voice and gain. Maybe a cab bypass. If you want to add footswitches, make it a boost, no need for bypass. If you cold make it like the 1st simplifier size wise, that would be perfect, including XLR outs and a headphone out. But that's secondary. I bet this would be the best analog direct rig.

[@Tech21nyc]

We hear you & thank you for taking the time to give us your suggestions!

[@brooklynboy1000]

HiWatt = Pete Townshend