As a staunch proponent of analog, Andrew Barta has never had the desire to venture into digital designs. The inventor of the SansAmp tube amplifier emulation technology, which debuted in 1989, Barta has remained loyal to the analog domain. That is, until now.
According to Barta, “To me, the main drawback of a digital modeler is the feel and the sound quality. It lacks dynamics and responsiveness. It sounds one-dimensional and it isn’t touch-sensitive, so the nuances of your playing style get lost. It limits your ability to change the tone by using your volume knob, picking lighter or harder. No matter how hard you hit the strings, the result is mostly the same. There’s no headroom and it doesn’t breathe. You are forced go to a different patch for a different tone. Ultimately, you have to conform to the device and play in a different way. So your artistic expression suffers. Artists have told me it’s like being in a cage. You have to wrestle harder to squeeze out the results and their fingers get really tired.
“Whatever device you’re using, be it an amp or SansAmp or modeler, it’s really a part of your instrument. Your instrument actually consists of the entire signal chain, not just the guitar. Digital is just a numeric translation and isn’t capable of preserving the individual personality of the guitar you use. The output is pretty much the same whether it’s a Fender or Gibson or Ric.”
Just as the original SansAmp was a personal mission to encapsulate tube amplifier sounds in a compact, portable pedal, Barta has long been on a quest to do the same in the digital domain. Never one to jump on a bandwagon, Barta wouldn’t “go digital” until he found a way to replicate the dynamics, responsiveness, and fluidity of its analog counterpart.
After many years, Barta “cracked the code.” This happened to coincide with the opportunity to collaborate with Marty Friedman. The result is the Marty Friedman Signature SansAmp.
An iconic guitarist who eloquently serves up enchanting and tearful melodies, as well as complicated notes that make your head spin, Marty Friedman surprisingly likes to keep his arsenal quite simple. The goal for Tech 21 was to embody his tone in a neat, compact, plug-and-play footprint. Marty’s focus is always on the music taking the spotlight rather than complex gear with distracting bells and whistles or requiring a cumbersome learning curve.
The Marty Friedman programmable Signature SansAmp comes preset with his main clean, dirty, and lead tones. Operationally similar to the SansAmp PSA 2.0, there are two modes: Performance mode to have your 3 main presets at the ready and Studio mode for up to 128 locations for custom presets.
Says Marty, “This is it! This pedal has been in the works for a long time and only an exceptional design engineer like Andrew Barta could make something with these beautiful tones so incredibly simple to use. Such bonehead easy-to-use effects haven’t been known to have world class sounds in them until now. I’m proud to put my name on the first one."
Controls include Reverb, 3-band active EQ, Drive, and Level. There’s also an adjustable Gate that dynamically and smoothly cleans up the signal, rather than cutting it off abruptly. Filteralters the tonality by manipulating the mid-range and is specifically voiced for Marty’s unique sound.
Other features include a MIDI interface to control the SansAmp externally, a chromatic tuner, an effect loop, 1/4-inch and XLR Outputs, and rugged all-metal housing and knobs. Utilizes included 9V DC auto-switching power supply with interchangeable international plugs for use anywhere in the world. Measures 7.5”l x 5.25”w x 2.0”h.
For more information, please visit tech21nyc.com.
