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  • #1

    BOx of rock first impressions

    Ive been playing thru it for an hour thru the worlds most unforgiving amp - a non master fender twin.
    It sounds very natural and amp like which is great.
    It responds to your guitar knobs really well too.
    i like it.
    So then i ran it next to my regularly used pedals, namely a fulldrive and a GT500.
    It is much more 'amp like" and less compressed than the fulldrive - even when the fulldrive is on mosfet mode.
    The fulldrive does sound superb for single note lines tho.
    The BOR is very clear and articulate. Nice.
    It does not have the gain or sustain of the GT tho.
    Damn. Its a really good pedal that does what its meant to. The best thing is that it does not have some weird set frequency that a lot of dirt boxes have. It seems to follow the harmonic structure of the notes you are playing , which is really excellent.
    Does it replace the fulldrive?
    Dunno yet.
    Give me a few more weeks of working with it. But it definitely is a very good and natural sounding pedal.
    "Technique is really the elimination of the unneccessary ... it is a constant effort to avoid any personal impediment or obstacle to acheive the smooth flow of energy and intent"
    Yehudi Menuhin
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  • #2
    Re: BOx of rock first impressions

    Originally posted by gibson175 View Post
    I
    It sounds very natural and amp like which is great.
    Thats half the battle right ther IMO. Don't try to take in too much ont he first day. A good nights sleep, and a new perspective can really do wonders.
    The Box of Rock is , as far as I know, one of the best Plexi-in-a-box pedals.
    I was actually amazed by the new Wampler that Ratherdashing made me aware about, but thats only the clips..it sounds really dynamic and touch responsive , and very true to early JTM-45's sound. 'That said, I have also heardrstriaght up later 70's stock JMP's dialed in to an excellent old Plexi ( Superlead?)AC/DC tone . Aside from that, the HAO rust driver is supposed to be very touch responsive amp like pedal and from the clips I've heard, t can get a great Plexi overdrive.

    Not sure the difference between a Superlead and a Plexi, but theres a new 'Supelead 'Pedal by Love(?) , available only at Guitar Centaur that heralded as "Superlead in a box"- npw THAts a first!.
    Last edited by MetalManiac; 08-18-2011, 09:31 PM.
    "Anyone who understands Jazz knows that you can't understand it. It's too complicated. That's what's so simple about it." - Yogi Berra

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    • #3
      Re: BOx of rock first impressions

      i dont really care if it sounds like this amp or that amp. But i like it so far....but if i had a gig tonight id still take the fulldrive. Ill need a few days/weeks before i have a really firm opinion on the BOR.
      I like to keep my rig down to only one pedal as much as possible.
      "Technique is really the elimination of the unneccessary ... it is a constant effort to avoid any personal impediment or obstacle to acheive the smooth flow of energy and intent"
      Yehudi Menuhin

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      • #4
        Re: BOx of rock first impressions

        Originally posted by gibson175 View Post
        i dont really care if it sounds like this amp or that amp. But i like it so far....but if i had a gig tonight id still take the fulldrive. Ill need a few days/weeks before i have a really firm opinion on the BOR.
        I like to keep my rig down to only one pedal as much as possible.
        Is your fulldrive the Mosfet version? I wasnt very impressed with the GT-od. sounded a little flat( not touch sensditive/dynamic /responsive ) and wasn't as transparent as the OCD on a clean Boost setting.
        I've listned to clips of the Fulldrive 2 ( used to have one, but can't remeber).
        The Fulldrive 2 'Compcut' doesnt seem as transparent or neutral as a good clean boost like the ocd,or a great Clean Boost like the Xotic effect RC boost.
        Honestly, For the gain I hear you describe,I'd be more than happy wiht the Duncan Lava Box, because to me, I don't hear anything that a TS couldnt do better than the FDII, except maybe a touch more gain, so the Lava would handle that.
        I'm sure you could flip the Box of Rock Down under without great difficulty if you decide to go that route?
        Bear in mind that even though you aren't concerned about it, the Box Of Rock IS first and foremost a 'Plexi in a Box' pedal. There are only a few others in its league- The Wampler, The Lovedrive ,The Hao..an a couple of others. You *are going to get that voicing..
        Last edited by MetalManiac; 08-18-2011, 09:50 PM.
        "Anyone who understands Jazz knows that you can't understand it. It's too complicated. That's what's so simple about it." - Yogi Berra

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        • #5
          Re: BOx of rock first impressions

          NAh man the fulldrive is way better than any TS or ts type pedal that ive tried (and i have tried and/or owned a heap!) . I love it.
          Ive tried the wampler hot wired too. I dont really use compcut or FM mode, i just run it on mosfet with the gain at 10 o clock and do most of my tone shading with my guitar knobs.
          ANd yes you are right about the GT, but i only have that for hard clipping (which i almost never use). As far as that kind of thing goes its really excellent. The OCD is defintiely more touch responsive, but they both have a lot to offer i guess.
          FOr gigs tho, all i really use is the fulldrive. Im just always on the lookout for something better i guess, so i keep trying different things. I wont compromise on killer clean tone, so trying different pedals to add a little amp like compression is what i like to do.
          I should mention that i mostly play jazz, but sometimes i like a little extra sustain and bite. Kinda like a bassman or a jtm wound up, or even an old Gibson EH150 - obviously a fulldrive is not the same, but you get the idea about ballpark gain and saturation levels.

          ...i have not tried the BOR thru my master volume marshall yet...which i know is what it is designed to do best...
          Last edited by Chickenwings; 08-18-2011, 10:08 PM.
          "Technique is really the elimination of the unneccessary ... it is a constant effort to avoid any personal impediment or obstacle to acheive the smooth flow of energy and intent"
          Yehudi Menuhin

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: BOx of rock first impressions

            The "super hard on" circuit rocks. I have the Distortron (BOR with a bit more tweakability) and it is by far the best "amp simulation" pedal I have ever owned or tried. Other pedals work better as a goose through an already hard driven amp, but the Distortron is amazing as a sole or primary source of gain.And it's not just the tone- it's the amp like dynamics, feel, the way it cleans up, etc. When mine got trashed when my amp fell over, I was absolutely sick. I don't get that way about too many pieces of gear.

            Its actually the only reason I keep the amp I have now, as it works like a charm for a early 70s Marshall type tone whether I have the amp barely cracked or running it full blast (when the wife is not around!). I will be replacing my amp at some point, and my new rig will likely be based around this pedal- it's that freaking good- it does the exact tones I want.
            I'm an internet person. All we do is waste time evaluating things that have next-to-zero real world significance.

            Remember, it's just a plank of wood. YOU have to find the music in it - The Telecaster Handbook

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            • #7
              Re: BOx of rock first impressions

              I havent had a chance to REALLY sit down with my BOR. I think my amp needs new tubes first though. However, the boost section is AMAZING.
              Originally posted by grumptruck
              No I think James and Dave have that covered. You are obviously rocking way to hard.
              Originally posted by Gear Used
              PRS CE 22 (Custom 5 / 59)
              Gibson Les Paul (Screaming Demon / Pearly Gates)
              Mesa Stiletto Ace
              Gurus 5015
              Mesa Widebody 1X12
              Pedalboard

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              • #8
                Re: BOx of rock first impressions

                Originally posted by gibson175 View Post
                ...i have not tried the BOR thru my master volume marshall yet...which i know is what it is designed to do best...
                I will be very interested to hear how that works out!

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                • #9
                  Re: BOx of rock first impressions

                  Originally posted by Simon_F View Post
                  I will be very interested to hear how that works out!
                  hmmm....so i spent a little while with the BOR running into my JCM900 MKIII master volume 100watter.
                  Its superb! It turns my one channel mv amp into a 2 channel amp with a screaming boost on top.
                  I can definitely see what Mr. Vex had in mind when he made this little box. I could say it seems like it was made for dirtying up mv marshalls, and boosting the preamps but that a silly thing to say - cos it WAS made for dirtying up mv marshalls and boosting the preamps.
                  Im keeping the pedal on the virtue of how well it blends with the marshall.
                  In comparison to regular pedals (such as TS types, rats or hardclippers) it just sounds so much more like its actually part of the amp. Its less compressed and more dynamic. So as far as doing what its designed to do, ill give it 5 stars.
                  Im not sure it will be my desert island pedal with the twin, because the boost section comes after the dirt section, so all it does with a twin is make it ear splittingly loud, but kicking V1 of a marshall, it works an absolute treat.
                  So at this stage im going to most likely stay with the fulldrive into fender amps, and ill keep the BOR for my (rarely used) marshall.


                  .....there are 2 more pedals id like to try out soon tho.....1 is the lovepedal les Lius to hopefully make a non master twin reverb morph into an overdriven tweed twin, and the other is the Xotic AC boost (especially the new one with the 3 clipping options).
                  Last edited by Chickenwings; 08-19-2011, 07:27 AM.
                  "Technique is really the elimination of the unneccessary ... it is a constant effort to avoid any personal impediment or obstacle to acheive the smooth flow of energy and intent"
                  Yehudi Menuhin

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                  • #10
                    Re: BOx of rock first impressions

                    I think the pedal was actually designed around NON master volumes, but yeah it works super awesome with the MVs too.
                    I'm an internet person. All we do is waste time evaluating things that have next-to-zero real world significance.

                    Remember, it's just a plank of wood. YOU have to find the music in it - The Telecaster Handbook

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: BOx of rock first impressions

                      yeah sure it does.
                      i just got home from a gig where all i do is play clean solo stuff for 4 hours. God its exhausting!
                      Anyway, i plugged into the twin again for a few minutes. It definitely responsive and dynamic.
                      But i reckon it sits more comfortably in the "dirty boost" category in my book rather than as a pure overdrive type pedal. So even tho it sounds so responsive and great, i think it just might make the twin too loud for the contexts in which id use it.
                      Might have to see how it works into a 22watt fender (when that comes back from the tech).
                      i did run it thru a 5w blackheart for a while and it definitely was an excellent addition to that amp. Im not a huge fan of 5watt amps (as you prolly read in another thread), but the BOR fattened and juiced it up considerably.
                      "Technique is really the elimination of the unneccessary ... it is a constant effort to avoid any personal impediment or obstacle to acheive the smooth flow of energy and intent"
                      Yehudi Menuhin

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: BOx of rock first impressions

                        It most certainly works best with a british flavor amp to begin with..marshall...vox..hi-watt, laney etc. as it was designed around a Marshall. It will not turn a twin or tweed deluxe or anything else super Fendery into a Marshall stack nor does it sound optimal there. Though I'd bet through a tweed Bassman it would be much better than typical blackface and 6V6 tweeds.
                        I'm an internet person. All we do is waste time evaluating things that have next-to-zero real world significance.

                        Remember, it's just a plank of wood. YOU have to find the music in it - The Telecaster Handbook

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: BOx of rock first impressions

                          no it did not turn the twin into a marshall, and i would not expect it to. it does sound good tho...but given that the twin needs to be running at at least 2 (preferably 3) and the volume control on the dist side of the pedal seems to sound better at 10 o clock, i think the pairing of this pedal with this amp is just too loud!
                          Perhaps if i was playing stadiums with the twin it would be just the ticket!

                          but to be fair to the BOR - thru a marshall its absolutely top shelf.
                          "Technique is really the elimination of the unneccessary ... it is a constant effort to avoid any personal impediment or obstacle to acheive the smooth flow of energy and intent"
                          Yehudi Menuhin

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: BOx of rock first impressions

                            Originally posted by gibson175 View Post
                            no it did not turn the twin into a marshall, and i would not expect it to. it does sound good tho...but given that the twin needs to be running at at least 7 (preferably 8) and the volume control on the dist side of the pedal seems to sound better at 10 o clock...
                            Srsly
                            Originally posted by gibson175
                            metal zones are for pussies.

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                            • #15
                              Re: BOx of rock first impressions

                              7? lol.
                              "Technique is really the elimination of the unneccessary ... it is a constant effort to avoid any personal impediment or obstacle to acheive the smooth flow of energy and intent"
                              Yehudi Menuhin

                              Comment

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