barbarianbrute
New member
which one would you prefer and why? please discuss
MI Audio - Tube Zone or Crunch Box?
- Thread starter barbarianbrute
- Start date
Iron Horse
New member
Re: MI Audio - Tube Zone or Crunch Box?
Well, it depends on what you want. For crunch, i suggest the CB
Well, it depends on what you want. For crunch, i suggest the CB
Rainmaker
Bee Bee King
Re: MI Audio - Tube Zone or Crunch Box?
Dude, get the Boost and Buff! Through my rig it's more than a booster, it gives me some thick drive. After exams I'll get a clip organised.
Dude, get the Boost and Buff! Through my rig it's more than a booster, it gives me some thick drive. After exams I'll get a clip organised.
Hot _Grits
Buttery Toneologist
Re: MI Audio - Tube Zone or Crunch Box?
I've tried the entire range, thanks to my friend being the local importer.
The boost'n'buff is cool.
The Crunchbox is ok, but does nothing for me really, especially compared to my G2D classic or the Catalinbread hyperpak dirty channel. Those two pedals do reflect my interest in lower gain pedals, though. The crunchbox will get dirtier, so it's more flexible in that sense.
The Tubezone is interesting. Very tweakable, and it does a cool 'big muff with tight bottom' tone that is quite unique. But overall it didn't thrill me into buying it. Points for distinctiveness.
Overall, the MI pedals sound good and are really good value, but there's nothing in the range that truly blows me away. To me the MIs are in that mid-market point: better than large manufacturer gear, but generally not as good as more expensive boutique pedals.
Incidentally, there's an MI Audio amp in the works...
I've tried the entire range, thanks to my friend being the local importer.
The boost'n'buff is cool.
The Crunchbox is ok, but does nothing for me really, especially compared to my G2D classic or the Catalinbread hyperpak dirty channel. Those two pedals do reflect my interest in lower gain pedals, though. The crunchbox will get dirtier, so it's more flexible in that sense.
The Tubezone is interesting. Very tweakable, and it does a cool 'big muff with tight bottom' tone that is quite unique. But overall it didn't thrill me into buying it. Points for distinctiveness.
Overall, the MI pedals sound good and are really good value, but there's nothing in the range that truly blows me away. To me the MIs are in that mid-market point: better than large manufacturer gear, but generally not as good as more expensive boutique pedals.
Incidentally, there's an MI Audio amp in the works...
barbarianbrute
New member
Re: MI Audio - Tube Zone or Crunch Box?
thanks for the help. i've read about using a boost and i think a few people posted some info for me on that before. i'd like to go from a thick sounding mild overdrive to a thick and saturated overdrive or crunch. how can a boost help me do this?
HOLY FRIGGIN COW MAN! that g2d stuff is fantastic. the morpheus and the custom overdrive sound like a killer pair to have. the little strat clip of the custom overdrive was cool too. do you have any of your own clips of the g2d stuff?
thanks for the help. i've read about using a boost and i think a few people posted some info for me on that before. i'd like to go from a thick sounding mild overdrive to a thick and saturated overdrive or crunch. how can a boost help me do this?
HOLY FRIGGIN COW MAN! that g2d stuff is fantastic. the morpheus and the custom overdrive sound like a killer pair to have. the little strat clip of the custom overdrive was cool too. do you have any of your own clips of the g2d stuff?
Rainmaker
Bee Bee King
Re: MI Audio - Tube Zone or Crunch Box?
I'm not too familar with the mechanics of it... but I bought it fully expecting a clean boost - meaning "the same tone, but louder."
But what it did, when turning the one knob up, is give me both more gain and more drive. It's not something you'd use to turn a clean channel into a gain channel. It does do the mild to saturated thing.
Before 12 o clock it boosts all frequencies, but after 12 o clock it acts as a treble booster. It can also act as a buffer... but I can't tell you about that, because I don't have a huge line of pedals strung up together.
Hot_Grits will be able to tell you more.
I'm not too familar with the mechanics of it... but I bought it fully expecting a clean boost - meaning "the same tone, but louder."
But what it did, when turning the one knob up, is give me both more gain and more drive. It's not something you'd use to turn a clean channel into a gain channel. It does do the mild to saturated thing.
Before 12 o clock it boosts all frequencies, but after 12 o clock it acts as a treble booster. It can also act as a buffer... but I can't tell you about that, because I don't have a huge line of pedals strung up together.
Hot_Grits will be able to tell you more.
barbarianbrute
New member
Re: MI Audio - Tube Zone or Crunch Box?
is it useful for getting better tone at low volumes?
I'm not too familar with the mechanics of it... but I bought it fully expecting a clean boost - meaning "the same tone, but louder."
But what it did, when turning the one knob up, is give me both more gain and more drive. It's not something you'd use to turn a clean channel into a gain channel. It does do the mild to saturated thing.
Before 12 o clock it boosts all frequencies, but after 12 o clock it acts as a treble booster. It can also act as a buffer... but I can't tell you about that, because I don't have a huge line of pedals strung up together.
Hot_Grits will be able to tell you more.
is it useful for getting better tone at low volumes?
Rainmaker
Bee Bee King
Re: MI Audio - Tube Zone or Crunch Box?
Sorry bro, I've only played it at low volumes. I have no frame of comparison to high volumes.
I haven't spent much quality time with it so I'm afraid I won't be too helpful on this one.
What are you planning to get?
Sorry bro, I've only played it at low volumes. I have no frame of comparison to high volumes.
I haven't spent much quality time with it so I'm afraid I won't be too helpful on this one.
What are you planning to get?
Iron Horse
New member
Re: MI Audio - Tube Zone or Crunch Box?
Yeah, I too am going to buy one. When in treble boost range, how much does it add high end to the sound?
Yeah, I too am going to buy one. When in treble boost range, how much does it add high end to the sound?
fenderiarhs
New member
Re: MI Audio - Tube Zone or Crunch Box?
I voted for the tube zone for versatility alone. You can get a crunch box sound out of the tube zone (well, not EXACTLY the same but pretty close) and also a lot more useful sounds (among them very nice overdrive low gain sounds)....The crunch box has really only one sound.....
I voted for the tube zone for versatility alone. You can get a crunch box sound out of the tube zone (well, not EXACTLY the same but pretty close) and also a lot more useful sounds (among them very nice overdrive low gain sounds)....The crunch box has really only one sound.....
Hot _Grits
Buttery Toneologist
Re: MI Audio - Tube Zone or Crunch Box?
About the boost'n'buff:
It's a boost pedal which, as rainmaker points out, is a transparent booster up until 12 o'clock and a treble booster after that.
The idea behind the pedal is you'll be hitting a tube amp with it, and as gain increases, the amp compresses more, losing some treble clarity in the process. So the treble boost is there to help combat the muddiness of some amps' natural power stage overdrive.
It's not a pedal I'd really recommend as a standalone overdrive, but it does work for solo level and gain boosts, and for taking a crunch tone over the edge. However it does this simply by boosting level, so it doesn't really make sense to me as a 'bedroom' pedal. I guess anything is possible if your amp levels are low enough, though...
About the G2D stuff:
I've owned three of the them: custom, classic and cream-tone.
The creamtone is the 'blues' overdrive of the range, and the one I owned was quite thick sounding, leaning toward the Robben ford/larry Carlton sound more than the SRV sound. I believe they make this pedal a bit brighter these days.
The Custom is the swiss army knife pedal. It has the most transparent low gain tone of the range, and can do a great blues tone if your amp sounds good. The boost channel will do up to 80s metal, maybe just a tad shy of the gain many shredders would need, and there's a bit of a fuzz character to the sound at high gain. It's not my favorite sounding pedal in the range, but it is the most 'playable' and versatile.
The Classic is basically a plexi marshall emulator. My favorite G2D by far. Very natural sounding mid gain overdrive, with mid and treble knobs that are useful in any setting.
As far as clips go, I have live stuff with the G2Ds in the chain, but everything I have is much more dependent on a lot of amp power stage overdrive rather than the work the pedals do, so you'd be hearing mostly amp rather than the sound of the pedal doing the work by itself. And in the studio I just wind my amps up, unless I'm using a fuzz for a distinct sound.
I'll talk to my importer friend about doing some more clips with him (sofar he's only had me doing amp demos) and see if I can get a G2D clip done. If not, then I may be able to do something come late November when I head back to the studio.
Perhaps email Grant and Dave at G2D, they may have some more clips available...
About the boost'n'buff:
It's a boost pedal which, as rainmaker points out, is a transparent booster up until 12 o'clock and a treble booster after that.
The idea behind the pedal is you'll be hitting a tube amp with it, and as gain increases, the amp compresses more, losing some treble clarity in the process. So the treble boost is there to help combat the muddiness of some amps' natural power stage overdrive.
It's not a pedal I'd really recommend as a standalone overdrive, but it does work for solo level and gain boosts, and for taking a crunch tone over the edge. However it does this simply by boosting level, so it doesn't really make sense to me as a 'bedroom' pedal. I guess anything is possible if your amp levels are low enough, though...
About the G2D stuff:
I've owned three of the them: custom, classic and cream-tone.
The creamtone is the 'blues' overdrive of the range, and the one I owned was quite thick sounding, leaning toward the Robben ford/larry Carlton sound more than the SRV sound. I believe they make this pedal a bit brighter these days.
The Custom is the swiss army knife pedal. It has the most transparent low gain tone of the range, and can do a great blues tone if your amp sounds good. The boost channel will do up to 80s metal, maybe just a tad shy of the gain many shredders would need, and there's a bit of a fuzz character to the sound at high gain. It's not my favorite sounding pedal in the range, but it is the most 'playable' and versatile.
The Classic is basically a plexi marshall emulator. My favorite G2D by far. Very natural sounding mid gain overdrive, with mid and treble knobs that are useful in any setting.
As far as clips go, I have live stuff with the G2Ds in the chain, but everything I have is much more dependent on a lot of amp power stage overdrive rather than the work the pedals do, so you'd be hearing mostly amp rather than the sound of the pedal doing the work by itself. And in the studio I just wind my amps up, unless I'm using a fuzz for a distinct sound.
I'll talk to my importer friend about doing some more clips with him (sofar he's only had me doing amp demos) and see if I can get a G2D clip done. If not, then I may be able to do something come late November when I head back to the studio.
Perhaps email Grant and Dave at G2D, they may have some more clips available...
barbarianbrute
New member
Re: MI Audio - Tube Zone or Crunch Box?
that morpheus sounds like the shyt! i got rid of my metal muff and metal zone, so now i'm looking for a good distortion pedal. i have a nice sounding brit overdrive, but i need something that goes a bit further than that, so the crunch box sounds like a good idea.
i'm thinking of making my pedal board as follows:
morpheus, crunch box, british steel overdrive, silverstone overdrive, boss digital delay, boss super chorus, morley bad horsie wah
i got the way, silverstone, and brit steel. the rest i'll be buying on pay day. any suggestions on a good delay, chorus, or distortion that can beat the g2d?
that morpheus sounds like the shyt! i got rid of my metal muff and metal zone, so now i'm looking for a good distortion pedal. i have a nice sounding brit overdrive, but i need something that goes a bit further than that, so the crunch box sounds like a good idea.
i'm thinking of making my pedal board as follows:
morpheus, crunch box, british steel overdrive, silverstone overdrive, boss digital delay, boss super chorus, morley bad horsie wah
i got the way, silverstone, and brit steel. the rest i'll be buying on pay day. any suggestions on a good delay, chorus, or distortion that can beat the g2d?
Hot _Grits
Buttery Toneologist
Re: MI Audio - Tube Zone or Crunch Box?
delay: line 6 echo park, T rex replica, Line 6 DL4, Boss DD series. All are good, with the Trex perhaps being the best.
Chorus: I'm really not a chorus fan. The only one I can stand is the voodoo labs analog chorus.
Distortion: I can tell you I like my G2Ds better than the keeley modded stuff, the tonebone stuff and the OCD. OD pedals I've liked recently have been the Telenaydia (sp?) range, the Catalinbread dirty channel (buying one of those) and the Durham sex drive. None of that stuff is high gain, though. I really don't even bother trying high gain distortion pedals, though I'm told the tonebone Hot British is a good time. Perhaps try the Carl Martin stuff? -they have a good rep, but I haven't tried them.
delay: line 6 echo park, T rex replica, Line 6 DL4, Boss DD series. All are good, with the Trex perhaps being the best.
Chorus: I'm really not a chorus fan. The only one I can stand is the voodoo labs analog chorus.
Distortion: I can tell you I like my G2Ds better than the keeley modded stuff, the tonebone stuff and the OCD. OD pedals I've liked recently have been the Telenaydia (sp?) range, the Catalinbread dirty channel (buying one of those) and the Durham sex drive. None of that stuff is high gain, though. I really don't even bother trying high gain distortion pedals, though I'm told the tonebone Hot British is a good time. Perhaps try the Carl Martin stuff? -they have a good rep, but I haven't tried them.