Guitar Tricks Insider November / December Issue | Page 62

GEAR REVIEWS
though rock players would be better
served by the grittier, Ampeg-inspired
tone of the classic Tech 21 SansAmp.
Keyboard players will find the Q\Strip
useful as a sophisticated DI box, too!
The tone-shaping features provided by
the parametric EQ can really clean up the
sound of vintage keys like a Rhodes or
Wurli. Stick a pair of these in your rig for
a nice stereo DI solution.
The Q\Strip is gig ready, housed in
a sturdy aluminum enclosure with a
custom, silent-switching footswitch. It
has a standard quarter-inch instrument
input as well as a quarter-inch parallel
output, so you can pass your completely
untouched signal straight to your existing
amp setup. Meanwhile, the primary
output can be sent to your choice of
a quarter-inch output jack or an XLR
output. One of our favorite features in
the Q\Strip pedal is that when used with
the XLR output jack, the pedal can be
powered directly from your PA system or
mixing board via 48V phantom power.
VERDICT
Truly, there’s something in the Tech 21
Q\Strip for everyone. It’s a great live D.I.
box for acoustic guitars and basses, and
it’s a great studio tool for recording either
instrument straight into an audio interface
or other mixing console. Considering that
you can also use it for keyboards, the
Q\Strip is one of those items that any
gigging or recording musician should have
in their gig bag. It’s one of those special
products that doesn’t draw any attention
to itself yet helps your other equipment to
sound better. ■
Visit Tech 21 Website
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GUITAR TRICKS INSIDER
DIGITAL EDITION
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER