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Another Rusty Box Question :(

AmpedSilence

AmpedSilence

Feb 2, 2012
837
68
L'ville, GA
#1
At this point, I'm thinking I must be real unlucky or SUCK at using pedal correctly :scowl:

I noticed today at rehearsal that when all my pedals were off/disengaged and I turned on/engaged the rusty box, a VERY audible hiss could be heard. I would turn down the gain and it would lessen the hiss but then what is the point of the gain!!
now correct me if I am wrong but hissing is inherent to pedals while humming is due to lousy power sources correct?I have the RB running on its own AC adapter either way.
and none of my other pedals produce any hiss, they are all daisy chained and powered by a one spot.

I don't know much about buffers and all that but could adding a Boss eq after the RB help?

:help:
 
#2
AmpedSilence said:
I noticed today at rehearsal that when all my pedals were off/disengaged and I turned on/engaged the rusty box, a VERY audible hiss could be heard.
Click to expand...
Yep. It does hiss a bit.
AmpedSilence said:
I would turn down the gain and it would lessen the hiss but then what is the point of the gain!
Click to expand...
In fairness to the RB, this is a common problem with distortion pedals at all price points.
AmpedSilence said:
now correct me if I am wrong but hissing is inherent to pedals while humming is due to lousy power sources correct?
Click to expand...
Nope. There are a thousand possible causes of noise. Power supplies are often a factor, but usually not because of a supply being "lousy" but rather because of subtle electronic incompatibilities that require a longer explanation (found in other threads).
AmpedSilence said:
I have the RB running on its own AC adapter either way.
Click to expand...
The stock power supply is almost certainly not the problem (unless it has "gone bad" somehow).
AmpedSilence said:
I don't know much about buffers and all that but could adding a Boss eq after the RB help?
Click to expand...
Nope, a buffer is a gain stage similar to the one that's causing the problem. It would be like adding a snake to solve a snake bite.

Now, I realize this post is lacking in constructive solutions; there are two reasons for that. One, the RB hisses a bit inherently, so it may just be a question of whether you mind it. Many RB users don't use tweeters in their cabs, or they play loud rock, so either way they don't hear any hiss. The other reason is that if there is MORE hiss than the RB naturally would have, like a loud hiss greater than you'd expect from a distortion pedal, then that is not an easy thing to diagnose remotely.

Does it hiss noticeably even if you remove all other pedals from the chain? I.e. bass --> RB --> amp --> cab, nothing else?
 
#3
I've yet to try the RB by itself.. :hiding:

is it possible then that some patch cables are the culprit?

I will definitely try that this weekend.
I just don't know why I suddenly just noticed the hiss after all this time playing with the pedals. I didn't change anything really.
And your posts are very helpful Bongo!
 
#5
Using the EQ to boost highs would make it worse; using EQ to cut highs would make it better; using it with no EQ of the highs would not help, but there is a chance it might not hurt--just as in my example of adding another snake: it might bite, it might not, but either way it's not a cure for snakes. :)
 
#7
It's all relative. In a loud band where there's hiss from the PA, the guitar rig, my fuzz still on...I don't notice any hiss from RB unless I were to put the drive past noon & switch up (which I don't do because I use RB to add fidelity and character to other pedals before it) and it was a very quiet section...
but at 9 am at home using headphones, sure, RB has drive and bright upper mids so it's Gonna Add hiss, but the cure for that is to play a note. I seem to remember tape hiss being an issue pre-digital, and I don''t remember it getting in the way of recording music... When your plucked note is softer than the ambient hiss, then there is a problem mission control.
 
#8
Ok, perhaps I was just freaking out, I don't know. but I'll most likely get an eq pedal to tame the hissing and boost the bottom end a bit (I feel the RB lacks the lows necessary to be amble to bypass an amp's preamp section, which I don't like to go through cause it colors the tone of the RB).
 
#10
bongomania said:
??? Lacks lows? That's one criticism I don't have about it. Maybe yours is having technical problwms after all.
Click to expand...

DO NOT SCARE ME :eek:

it seems like when I bump up the bass knob on the RB, all it really does is get "wider" sounding? I don't know how to describe it but it just doesn't have the low end thump that the head's preamp section can produce. The other eq knobs work wonderful...
I tried going into a power amp once before and got similar results :(

I guess its time to get in touch with Tronographic?
 
#12
AmpedSilence said:
DO NOT SCARE ME :eek:

it seems like when I bump up the bass knob on the RB, all it really does is get "wider" sounding? I don't know how to describe it but it just doesn't have the low end thump that the head's preamp section can produce. The other eq knobs work wonderful...
I tried going into a power amp once before and got similar results :(

I guess its time to get in touch with Tronographic?
Click to expand...

When I first got a Rusty Box at home I thought that too. Compared to the VT, which has a ton of low end, the low of the RB seemed lacking. THEN I tried it in the loud band. Not only was the low end more than adequate, the mids shone through like some kind of hi-fi switch had been thrown. JUST like the VT bass, there is a learning curve (first dissapointment turning to amazement) and you need to forget about where it seems the knobs should be set, noon is not flat etc. At low volume I now have the high knob about 10am or lower! At higher volume it's about noon to cut through. Lows no more than about 2pm.
RB has so much high and mid that it can get in the way of perceiving the low end. Highs and mids get to your ear faster than lows, you know. I believe the real strength of the RB is it's high voltage. It has headroom and stability because of that. .
 
#13
The RustyBox is great imho.
Is it that you don't dig the Traynor sound with your Bass/Speakers ?
Just because it's a popular pedal doesn't mean it will always work for you and your rig.
Have you tried any other pedals which are similar in function, but centerted around acheiving a different flavour of colouration (i.e. More of an Ampeg, or HiWatt or Orange...........)
 
#14
Wud said:
The RustyBox is great imho.
Is it that you don't dig the Traynor sound with your Bass/Speakers ?
Just because it's a popular pedal doesn't mean it will always work for you and your rig.
Have you tried any other pedals which are similar in function, but centerted around acheiving a different flavour of colouration (i.e. More of an Ampeg, or HiWatt or Orange...........)
Click to expand...

dont get me wrong, I LOVE the tone the RB gives me!

I just can't get punchy lows from it :(

I have a Yorkville 4x10 cab and a peavy firebass 700 for the head. I can get the low punch I'm talking about but only if I go into the amp's preamp, which I feel defeats the purpose of having the RB as my main tone because doing this makes it lose alot of the RB's "character".
I want to keep the RB and I am seriously considering getting a Boss GEB-7...
 
#15
I've not used a GEB-7 myself.
Honsetly, I'm not sure if adding one to your signal chain will help to give you punchy Lows, but as I say I've not used one (so what do I know?)
You might be better served with a Parametric EQ to focus on what you feel is the problem area, as opposed to the broad brush approach of the GEB-7 Graphic EQ.
Or something like the FEA Growler ?

I dunno, I'm sure more learned people like bongomania could suggest a winning solution.
 
#16
Wud said:
I've not used a GEB-7 myself.
Honsetly, I'm not sure if adding one to your signal chain will help to give you punchy Lows, but as I say I've not used one (so what do I know?)
You might be better served with a Parametric EQ to focus on what you feel is the problem area, as opposed to the broad brush approach of the GEB-7 Graphic EQ.
Or something like the FEA Growler ?

I dunno, I'm sure more learned people like bongomania could suggest a winning solution.
Click to expand...

thats what I need

Link Removed
 
#19
hurm. i don't really get any hiss with my Rusty. i use it as a pre for a power amp, not as a distortion pedal, and i get a big bump in lows if i turn up the low knob. i keep mine pretty much 50% across the eq knobs, gain at 40%-50%, volume all the way up.

i get staticky hiss if i mess with the gain knob while it's going into an amp, but that's inherent in the design.
 
#20
Not Overkill no.
I just dont think the GEB-7 will add any real "punch" to the lows.
Probably just more woollyness.
That's not to say that an EQ pedal is a waste of space, and they can still have a use in the situation you mention regarding different locations etc.
 

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