MXR Blue Box Questions

Swimming Bird · #1 04-08-2008, 04:00 PM

I'm GASing for one of these bad, but first I must know:

1) From someone who has one/tested this in a shop - how much does input impedance vary the effect?

b) When I tried one out the other day (still cursing myself for not having checked the impedance issue), I didn't notice any volume drop with output at noon, but almost every thing I've read about the pedal says you need to crank it to get back to unity. Is that a lucky function of using it with a bass amp (better frequency response perhaps) or am I a dolt who somehow managed to not hear a large volume drop?

iii) I have disagreeing sources, is the output knob a true volume control or is it gain?

As always, thanks all.

Bjazzman · #2 04-08-2008, 04:03 PM

OptimusPrime · #3 04-08-2008, 04:04 PM

I meant to ask a sound guy a question about the Blue Box today. Is 2 octaves below a low E inaudible? I had this idea for a 2 octave down 1 octave up fuzz. I found out that some company is coming out with one. I'm still gonna try and make one.

Deluge Of Sound · #4 04-08-2008, 04:27 PM

It's not inaudible, but you're going to need a cab that can handle it. With my 2x15" it's perfectly fine.

And the volume drop only occurs when the battery is starting to die... I haven't had the chance to get a power adapter for mine yet, so I don't know if the drop is present with one of them.

LungDisease · #5 04-08-2008, 04:32 PM

I don't hear a volume drop, but I don't use a battery.

The Output controls gain, and I don't know about the input impedance, though I don't think it should have any effect.

Swimming Bird · #6 04-11-2008, 11:16 AM

So now that I have a Blue Box, I have a couple of follow-up questions:

Does anybody here know the circuit well enough to be able to tell me where the gating function is happening? I'd like to put in a gate bypass option and I can't find anything specific to that on the web. (the schematic was easy enough to find though) Anyway, I tried comparing the MXR Noise Gate schematic to the Blue Box, but I'm simply not good enough at reading circuit diagrams to figure it out.

Also, any ideas on how to increase sustain? I've tried pairing it with my Bass Grunge, but just end up with terrifying feedback. I suppose putting a compressor before it would help, but that's a pain as I like my envelope filter after it.

**DosiYanarchy** · #7 10-03-2008, 03:06 AM

hi, i know this is a bit of a zombie thread, but im also thinking about the blue box, i got one off ebay, and long story short, it was broken and the sellers tried to blame me for using the wrong power supply. I have a Dunlop DC brick clone (its cheap and made of plastic, but i think essentially its a sort of Daisy chain in a box with 9v and 18v outputs, visually it looks like the DC Brick). I also used a Electro harmonix 9v adaptor, now the blue box does say 'regulated power supply' and I dont think the DC brick-clone is regulated, but my Blowtorch and 105q bass wah both work fine off it (as does every other pedal I own - except my Steel Leather). So really i was wondering If the Blue Box will take any 9v power, or if i was being mugged and sold a faulty pedal. It was only after receiving/trying to use the pedal and finding it not work that I contacted the seller and was told that It actually needed its own special MXR power supply or 9v batteries, altho this is the first it had been mentioned to me and no power supply had been supplied.

oh yeah the seller said she only used batteries coz other power supplies IE: daisy chains etc, degrade the signal. I was like ***!?

oh, and it was shipped to me with a broken jack tip in the input socket, so it had to take the pedal apart to actually get the tip out so i could even plug the input jack in!

im going to get another blue box, but if power is an issue, id rather not fry it b4 even hearing it.
thanks

TaySte_2000 · #8 10-03-2008, 03:31 AM

I maintain the Sinister Analog Soul Provider is a much better blue box than a blue box.

Though both are fun pedals

**DosiYanarchy** · #9 10-03-2008, 05:13 PM

ah maybe the Soul Provider IS awesome, but its almost double the price and hell i just want something that sounds pretty nuts for cheap, for just occasional use. something that i'd use more often id spend more on, but at the moment cash is too tight (just got a £30 import tax bill for my Pickle Pie B)

sucks to be me

does anyone know if im gonna ruin a blue box? (and not in a good way)