The Tech 21 U.S. Steel is a high-gain distortion pedal from Tech 21, part of the SansAmp Character Series. Premier Guitar's review says it "clearly borrows its inspiration from a Mesa/Boogie Dual or Triple Rectifier," putting Rectifier-style high-gain amp tone in a compact stompbox1.
What it does
The U.S. Steel is aimed squarely at heavy music. Premier Guitar found that "Much like the Recto series, the U.S. Steel's real strength lies in heavier music," noting that it excels in the rhythm department and covers the Recto metal tone in spades1.
The pedal's controls:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Drive | Sets the amount of gain |
| Character | Adds thickness to the Drive settings and brightens the sound, more pronounced as you turn it clockwise1 |
| Low | EQ voiced at 125 Hz, boost or cut by 12 dB1 |
| Mid | EQ voiced at 450 Hz, boost or cut by 12 dB1 |
| High | EQ voiced at around 3.2 kHz, boost or cut by 12 dB1 |
| Speaker Simulation | Mimics a Celestion-loaded speaker cabinet; the reviewer's ears suggest Vintage 30s or 75s1 |
The Character knob is the series' signature control: rather than a fixed voicing, it shifts the pedal's midrange thickness and brightness, so the same Drive setting can sit very differently in a mix depending on where it is set1.
The Speaker Simulation button mimics a Celestion-loaded cabinet, which the reviewer's ears suggest is modeled on Vintage 30s or 75s. This matters most when running the pedal straight into a mixer, interface or power amp rather than through a real guitar speaker1.
Who it suits
Premier Guitar's verdict framed it as a buy-or-skip choice: buy it if "you want hulking, Recto-like muscle in a pipsqueak-sized box," and skip it if you prefer a high-gain option that lets your guitar's own voice shine through. In other words, it is built for players who want the pedal to define the tone, in the mold of the Mesa/Boogie Rectifier sound, rather than to color what the guitar already does1.
Videos
Brett Kingman
pinta1979
pinta1979
Sources (1)
- Tech 21 SansAmp Oxford & U.S. Steel Pedal Review, Premier Guitar, 2010-08-17
