Tech 21 SansAmp Street Driver 48 review – a new Frank Bello signature amp pedal that delivers the full range of the Anthrax bassist's tones, and then some

Yes, the monstrous drive tones are unmistakable, but this impressively versatile SansAmp unit is not only about unhinged distortion that will terrify your neighbour’s cat

Frank Bello of Anthrax performs at Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre on May 27, 2018 in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
(Image: © Getty Images)

Guitar World Verdict

Monstrous drive tones abound from this beast of a SansAmp: fortunately, it also supplies plenty of warm cleans for the more timid among us.

Pros

  • +

    Huge range of clean and driven tones, from friendly to fiendish.

  • +

    Rugged construction.

  • +

    Stripped-down controls layout.

Cons

  • -

    None. Just be cautious when you roll on the drive...

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Full transparency: Frank Bello of Anthrax is a good friend of mine and we worked on his autobiography, Fathers, Brothers, And Sons, together. I’m doubly pleased, then, that the signature SansAmp pedal that he’s been developing with the Tech 21 team has turned out to be such a triumph. At only $249, it should be accessible for anybody who can afford a bass guitar.

The goal with the Street Driver 48 – named after the music stores on New York’s 48th Street where Bello hung out as a teenager – was to make a simple-to-use amp emulation pedal that gets you the full range of clean and driven tones. This goal has been achieved thanks to a four-knob interface that couldn’t be easier to manage, with Drive and Level controlling the gain/overdrive and output. An active two-band EQ cuts and boosts Low and High frequencies, and two push buttons – labelled Dirt and Filth – add different kinds of distortion.  

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