Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman took time out of his busy schedule to chat about his signature SansAmp and demo some of his distinctive tones. Check out the video below.
An iconic guitarist who eloquently serves up enchanting and tearful melodies, as well as complicated notes that make your head spin, 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 three main presets at the ready and Studio mode for up to 128 locations for custom presets.
Storing and recalling programs is simple. You don’t need any special training or a degree in physics to operate your unit. The rotation of each control increases and decreases in a smooth, gradual, linear fashion, so when you turn a knob, you hear the difference immediately — in real time. You just set your tones and push the Save button. Yeah, it’s that easy.
In the studio, you can record direct, enhance existing tracks in mixdowns, as well as add interesting touches to any instrument. Live, the Marty Friedman signature SansAmp can be used as a pre-amp direct into a power amp with speaker cabinets, as a “monster direct box” to a P.A. system (or both simultaneously),and as an outboard processor.
Controls include Reverb, three-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. Filter alters the tonality by manipulating the mid-range and is specifically voiced for Marty‘s unique sound.
As is the case with all of our signature artist gear, the Marty Friedman signature SansAmp offers Marty’s core sounds and the versatility for many different styles.
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.”
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Friedman‘s latest solo album, “Drama”, came out in May 2024 via Frontiers Music Srl.
Recorded in Italy, “Drama” showcases Marty‘s unique touch, for the first time using both vintage and modern guitars, delivering a pure delight for lovers of music everywhere. From the captivating first single “Illumination”, to the album’s breathtaking “Mirage” and 10 other emotionally charged mini-symphonies, Marty paints atmospheric elements with a modern and exotic flair, promising an unforgettable musical experience.
Marty‘s presence in the world of music, the world of guitar and Japanese pop culture is mystifying, bizarre, and nothing short of inspiring. His first major impact in music was in the game-changing guitar duo CACOPHONY, which he founded with equally enigmatic and now-legendary guitarist Jason Becker. He then spent 10 years as lead guitarist in the genre-defining thrash metal act MEGADETH before moving to Tokyo due to his love for Japanese music, language, and culture.
Following his move, he landed a starring role for a new TV comedy “Hebimeta-san” (“Mr. Heavy Metal”) and its spinoff, “Rock Fujiyama”, which ran for six seasons and propelled him into the living rooms of Japan’s mainstream. He has since appeared in over 800 TV shows, movies and commercials, including a two-year campaign with Coca-Cola for Fanta, authored two best-selling novels and was the first-ever foreigner to be appointed as an ambassador of Japan heritage and perform at the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Marathon.
At the same time, Marty has continued his career in music with several solo albums in addition to writing and performing with the top artists in Japanese music, racking up countless chart hits, including a No. 1 with SMAP, two No. 2 songs with MOMOIRO CLOVER, a No. 2 with SOUND HORIZON — just to name a few.
Friedman‘s autobiography, “Dreaming Japanese”, arrived on December 3, 2024 via Permuted Press.
