Mhmmm a new pedal... = a new flavor!

[Pierre]

I entered this guitar shop in Amsterdam where I rarely go, Dijkman music. And I saw some really cool pedals, reasonably priced (eh it's Europe) so I figured... gonna get one.

One caught my eyes first. But I thought it was a bit too much...So I asked if they could do me the MI Audio Boost N Buff for 100 instead of 110. They said yes... But I wanted that first pedal so bad. I could afford it so I went to get the money and decided to try it. You can never be so sure. And wow... good did it sound. Very harmonically rich, great low end crunch and well...As much as I like the Guvnor because it sounds Marshally, it still sounds like a Marshall in a pedal. This sounds like you added a 12AX7 and 2EL34s to your amp. Yum. But which is this mystery pedal?

Looks like an MI Audio...

A Crunch Box!

Aww the shop even threw in a new battery. For 125 euros they better :headbang: !

And because no pedal porn is complete without some nakedness...

I love it. But I only have one guitar cable here :laugh2: So full review later one when I bring it back to the Burgh tomorrow or if I get to solder my broken cable back together.

This will go right after the Plexitone on my pedal board, so I can boost the pedal too. I'd have about 4 different Marshall inspired sounds... PLUS my amp which is Marshall inspired already. Overkill? No!

 

[Pierre]

Re: Mhmmm a new pedal... = a new flavor!

Ok I repaired the cable. First impressions.



This pedal MORE than replaces your distortion channel :| It's quieter than most valve amps I tried. And there is enough gain for true high gain Marshally sounds. I'm VERY impressed. The harmonics fly out. Pinching is easy. The pedal sounds thick and there is no mistaking its origins. Right now I have the gain dimed, the tone at 5. Unity gain is at about 11 oclock. Which I like. That's a lot of boosting or extra level.
The tone control is useful ALL THE WAY. And there's a presence trim pot inside.

The Opamp is socketed. Which is real cool. Though this is one pedal I won't mod. No need.

Tone achieved.


Oh and even with a Bolt On Super Strat... this pedal nails the old Whitesnake Walking in the Shadow of the Blues sound. Ok not nail, it's a bit more aggressive... But you're 90% there.

Also, since I plugged in today, I never played so good My bends are better, I'm more melodic, more aggressive too but more accurate. This pedal makes me WANT to wail even more. ^_^

 

[LooseCannon]

Re: Mhmmm a new pedal... = a new flavor!

Hey Pierre congrats one the crunch box. How would you compare it to the plexitone? And what other distortions pedals and amp are you using?
I've heared some crunch box clips and it does sound great probably one of the closest pedals to the marshall sound, but it sounds more like plexi marshalls to me, will it do the hot rodded jcm 800 thing as well?

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Mhmmm a new pedal... = a new flavor!

He can't compare it, as the drive he will get one day I hope...lol
It will not be very much like any standart plexi.....
Damn it is a sweet little thing Pierre

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Mhmmm a new pedal... = a new flavor!

A JCM 800 is no highgainer on its own...not the old ones that is...eventhough we thought that they where thin and buzzy amp back then

 

[XSSIVE]

Re: Mhmmm a new pedal... = a new flavor!

hmmmm LED clipping...should have known it would have that since that seems to be a good starting point to get a "marshall in a box" type of gain sound from most OD and distortion pedals.

i still want to try a crunch box, i liked my MI tube zone but my Monroe Drive i built kicked that off my board real quick as an OD. the crunch box could be cool to run into my mesa to get marshal-ish tones.

enjoy it man, MI makes some good quality stuff that's for sure!

-Mike

 

[Pierre]

Re: Mhmmm a new pedal... = a new flavor!

Well the CB IS like a hot rodded 800 hehe... it's got more gain than any 800s I played, enough for metal for sure! It's also VERY, VERY Marshall like in character. Don't expect No More Tears level of course.

Based on what I heard of the Plexitone, I say it basically takes off where the Plexi leaves. So I'll have 2 drive levels on the CM and then my metal sound on the Crunchbox.

And if I want something VERY crunchy... Plexitone lower drive + CB... I can't wait to mix and match!

The CB is more aggressive sounding than the ideal Plexi tone I can think of. But I haven't tried much in the lower gain yet. I'll try tonight though it's getting late.

 

[Pierre]

Re: Mhmmm a new pedal... = a new flavor!

Ok... low gain, decent impression of the Beano sound. Obviously not THAT close but... close enough real nice at low gain for that matter!

Playing some Faith No More with it right now.
This pedal doesn't sound as much as a pedal as others. It's really organic.

 

[Pierre]

Re: Mhmmm a new pedal... = a new flavor!

Ok... I'll write my first impressions after having tried a bunch of settings. I didn't alter the presence control though.

Basically... With the gain past 12 the pedal does a GREAT old Lizzy/Whitesnake ish tone. That whole Marshall sound of the 70s and 80s. The vibe is truly there.

With the gain all the way... The pedal gets VERY, VERY heavy. I wasn't expecting it.
The tone control seems to be interactive with the gain. Right now I have it at about 12.5. All the way down It's very bassy. All the way up it just gets brighter. It's useable. But it sounds so good around noon hehe...
Level... well there's a lot of boost should you need it.
The gain in the lower section can do most Marshall vibes. But you'll have this kind of harsh ish treble. Not harsh in a bad way. But I don't really know what other word to use. It's not harsh to the ear. The midrange is absolutely gorgeous.
The pedal is tough sounding and pretty thick. Even through my Ibanez Valbee with a 6'' hehe.
Harmonics really JUMP out of it. The Distortion (pickup used) is pretty good for that and does push the whole thing a lot more. But man... this pedal can scream AND sing. Whack the gain and she'll scream... but soften your touch and use a lot of dyamics and they'd all be through.
I LOVE this pedal. Totally worth the price and more. I don't have much experience with boutique stuff of course. So if there's better, do tell. But I doubt it's cheaper muahaha...

This one will go right after the Plexitone. Probably just in front of the amp or before the phaser. I'll put the route 66 in first. The Muff will be in between the wah and Plexitone.
So

Route 66
Wah
Big Muff
Plexitone
CB
Phaser

I don't think I'll keep the Guvnor in. It has less gain, is a lot more plastic sounding. It's not a bad pedal mind you. Worth the money. I'd mod it but it's my flatmate's

I'll try to get a GE7 or a BD2 at some time. A friend may give me an old SD1 which I'll mod for a cleaner boost or a smoother OD and use that somewhere too.

The Plexitone will do low gain Crunch and med gain Plexi styles. The CB will take care of the higher gain. Though it'd depend on the context a bit.

I'm happy

 

[wahwah]

Re: Mhmmm a new pedal... = a new flavor!

Welcome to the Crunch Box Club Pierre! Have you messed around with the internal pot yet? There are many more Marshally options available in there to enhance the overall tone of the pedal and to match it to the tone of your amp. I am fortunate enough to be an MI Audio endorsee here in Australia, and I can tell you that Michael Ibrahim is a great guy and quite a design and tone genius. I now use three of his pedals, one of his first production run of the original Blue Boy, the Crunch Box and the Blues Pro. I can strongly recommend trying a Blues Pro, and definitely recommend trying the Blues Pro and Crunch Box together! These are some of the best sounding and best priced pedals on the market, and we Aussies are very proud of Mike and his team, they are creating modern classics.....enjoy!


Cheers..................wahwah

 

[tubeman87]

Re: Mhmmm a new pedal... = a new flavor!

I've hear a lot of great stuff from the MI Audio pedals, the clips they have posted on thier website are pretty good too.

Any chances of posting some of your own clips Pierre?

 

[Animal]

Re: Mhmmm a new pedal... = a new flavor!

Ah awesome, I remember recommending you the Crunch Box. Kinda funny considering I've never actually used the pedal before. I'm definitely gonna have to get my hands on one myself right after I upgrade all of the tubes in all THREE of my tube amps, buy a rack case, buy a new speaker cabinet, buy new cables........

 

[bungalowbill]

Re: Mhmmm a new pedal... = a new flavor!

I have recommended the CB for over a year to anyone who wants a mid to high gain Marshall tone....Its a great unit and it is inexpensive. Rockon Pierre!

 

[dani]

Re: Mhmmm a new pedal... = a new flavor!

pierre,

how tight is it for stop/start riffing? does it fair better for tight chunky rhythm or smooth lead?

i am considering knocking off my tri-metal in favor of the cb on my pedalboard.

 

[Pierre]

Re: Mhmmm a new pedal... = a new flavor!

Sounds GREAT through the VC15...The amp is set for clean, all controls to noon and even with a single bucker neck through shredder it's BEAUTIFUL. Then I stop on the CB Review of the amp coming soon

It's not amazingly tight but I didn't even notice or care. So it means it's tight enough Your amp + Pickup will do a lot of the work there too.

 

[LesStrat]

Re: Mhmmm a new pedal... = a new flavor!

Congrats, Pierre.

Do you know anything about the other MI Audio pedals? I'm thinking of getting another distortion/overdrive type pedal, but I'm not a high gain kinda guy.

I've been seriously considering getting a Bad Monkey. I've never tried the real deal, but I really like the Chandler Tube Driver patches on my POD.

I tend to like tighter distortions (I have discovered).

 

[Pierre]

Re: Mhmmm a new pedal... = a new flavor!

You can set up the CB for low gain. Then it gets into Bluesbreaker/Plexi sounds. It's equally as nice. And more silent I just set it for high because I have no high gain distortions for the moment.

I got advised by wahwah on here the Blues Pro.

The MI audio website is GREAT and has loads of clips. Check them out! Their pedals are very attractively priced, especially in the US and if they're all as good as the CB, way worth it.

 

[LesStrat]

Re: Mhmmm a new pedal... = a new flavor!

The Blues Pro clips are DEFINITELY appealing. I need to find a retailer...