Cons
- Lacks a footswitch.
- Cannot easily toggle the preamp on and off.
Pros
- Delivers excellent bass tones, even without bulky amps.
- Compact and Lightweight, making it very portable.
- Allows for different tones beyond Geddy Lee’s style.
- Reliable and durable build quality.
- A hit amongst many Rush fans for achieving Geddy Lee’s tone.
The Tech 21 SansAmp DI-2112 is a bass preamp and Di box, based on the popular GED-2112 rackmount that’s also part of the Geddy Lee line of signature bass preamps.
It comes with the same 2-preamp design that can be run parallel with dedicated outputs. First of which is the Deep section which enhances the low end, while Drive is based on the SansAmp RPM preamp that covers a lot of voicings from clean to overdriven.
Tone shaping is provided by a semi-parametric 2-band EQ with Mid-Shift control that meets Geddy’s specifications.
The Tight button is another noteworthy feature, it is meant to “tighten” up your sound by improving clarity when using clean voicing, it also adds punch to overdriven tones.
Compared to the Tech 21 SansAmp YYZ, this pedal takes it up a notch with its Di Box functionality, but it doesn’t have a footswitch – which means it is in an “always-on” state.
If you are looking for a versatile always-on compact preamp and Di box – then definitely check this out.
Specifications
- Preamp: SansAmp Drive, Deep
- Controls: Drive, Level1, Saturation, Level 2, On/Off
- EQ: Mid, Mid Shift, Blend, Bass, Treble
- DI Function: 2 XLR Balanced Out
- Frequency Response: 10Hz – 20kHz
- Input: 1 x 1/4″
- Output: 2 x XLR (Deep, Drive), 2 x 1/4″ (Deep, Drive), 1 x 1/4″ (tuner)
- Power: 9-18V DC power supply (Optional)
- Dimensions: 1.75″ x 4″ x 6.37″
- Weight: 1.18 lbs