Jad Freer Capo vs JHS Colour Box v2

[Onomatopoetikon]

Alright, so I'm looking for a DI/ Preamp/ end of chain EQ that can be used live, but also in a studio situation. I've done my regular Youtube search and have narrowed it down to these two. Pros and cons by first hand experience is what I'm looking for. Help!

 

[Bass Ape]

Never used the Capo, but I just received a Colourbox V2 yesterday and it totally met my expectations. I'm still playing with it but would probably run my Comp after the Colourbox. But stand alone direct into my amp or DI into my audio interface, i could not be happier with the purchase.

I was originally looking at the Magellen Bass DI becuase it has a HP filter and sweepable EQ points, it was also less expensive New and probably sounds amazing, I went with the Colourbox because I love vintage consoles and this pedal hit the spot.

 

[Onomatopoetikon]

Thanks! Yeah theres a lot of arguments for the CB. The vintage console reproduction being the biggest one. Where I live its also cheaper then the Capo, which comes with shipping from Italy and VAT. They both seem versatile in their own way, CB can be used with more instruments too, and the Capo can run parallel DI-signals out. The CB doesn’t seem to have a ground switch, though, for live use.

 

[Bass Ape]

The ground switch issue is moot because the CB has independent transformers on the input and the output. CB can also run parallel DI and 1/4".

 

[gtirard]

I only have the Capo, which I absolutely love, so I can't compare, but they seem to be completely different animals. Even if you can get beautiful clean tones with the capo, it is mainly made for dirt. More than the 2 DIs the main advantage is to be able to dial in 2 independant channels and select A or B or A+B with the footswitches

 

[Onomatopoetikon]

The ground switch issue is moot because the CB has independent transformers on the input and the output. CB can also run parallel DI and 1/4".

Great More points for the CB.

 

[Omri]

I only have the Capo, which I absolutely love, so I can't compare, but they seem to be completely different animals. Even if you can get beautiful clean tones with the capo, it is mainly made for dirt. More than the 2 DIs the main advantage is to be able to dial in 2 independant channels and select A or B or A+B with the footswitches

Also a capo owner (never had enough time with the CB)

I must say I don’t think the capo is mostly for dirt, i use the B side for dirt but the A side for sound shaping and character.
But of course to each their own.

Someone once wrote and I agree that the capo is very hard to pigeonhole. For me it’s excels in versatility: subtle to hard, vintage to modern and everything in between.
I don’t know specifically about the CB but most preamps I tried are much less versatile.

 

[aglide]

How far down the frequency range does the HPF on the Colour Box go?

 

[Bass Ape]

How far down the frequency range does the HPF on the Colour Box go?

Website says 160 Hz, Internal documentation says 60HZ. I have not measured it yet in the DAW. Real work takes priority.


"The EQ section in blue has three new Shift controls correlating to its standard Treble, Middle and Bass controls. The classically labeled EQ knobs adjust the amount of frequencies that get boosted and cut, while the Shift knobs adjust the range of frequencies that the Treble, Middle, and Bass knobs control.

EQ Functions

• Treble Knob - Cut/Boost Control +/-15dB flat at noon. CCW cuts, CW boosts.
  
  
• Middle Knob - Cut/Boost Control +/- 10dB flat at noon. CCW cuts, CW boosts.
  
  
• Bass Knob - Cut/Boost Control +/-15dB flat at noon. CCW cuts, CW boosts.
  

Frequencies controlled by EQ Shift Knobs:

• Treble Shift - 2kHz to 30kHz – CCW lowers the center Freq, CW raises the center Freq.
  
  
• Middle Shift - 150Hz to 2.4kHz – CCW lowers the center Freq, CW raises the center Freq.
  
  
• Bass Shift - 20Hz to 440Hz – CCW lowers the center Freq, CW raises the center Freq.
  

The Hi-Pass section is enabled by the toggle switch below the Hi-Pass knob. Just flip it up to engage the Hi-Pass knob. The HPF is a 2nd order 6dB per octave highpass filter. The -3dB cutoff freq (the frequency at which the filter starts to act) can be adjusted from 160Hz to 650Hz."

 

[Bass Ape]

There is a lot of dirt in the CB if you want it because of the 3 gain stages. The EQ is where it's at for me and besides its name, it's pretty transparent clean.

 

[Onomatopoetikon]

I really liked Robin Mullarkeys comparison between the Capo and the Bassrig 64. In that one I preferred the Capo which definitely comes out SS the most versatile.

Initially I’m mostly interested in clean sounds. Everything else is extra.

 

[Bass Ape]

Here’s the doc from the box…

 

[Onomatopoetikon]

Here’s the doc from the box…
View attachment 5236862

Wonderful! Thank you!

 

[Bass Ape]

The CB bonus for me is I can use it for VO work as well.

 

[Bass Ape]

The CB a big boy pedal though...

 

[Onomatopoetikon]

The CB a big boy pedal though...View attachment 5236864

Looks cool, though

 

[Bass Ape]

Sounds cool

 

[Jeremy Darrow]

I’ve used both and they’re both good. The Colourbox CAN be used as a micpre; not a great one, just okay. That flexibility is cool, but it doesn’t really hit the 1073 mark for me sonically. I sold mine after a few months.

The CAPO is a fantastic preamp and DI as long as you like how it sounds. Its routing options can’t be beat, it can be the heart of a pedalboard in a way that not much else can. It’s a bit much for me for tracking, but if you’re good at recreating settings it does that job really well too. You might want to consider taping the controls down once you have the settings right.

 

[krispn]

A friend gave me a loan of the Capo and it is versatile. He was selling it so it was a try before you buy but no pressure type thing. Had I not just bought a great od pedal I may have been interested as the B side of the capo was a great low gain sound but I didn’t really find the capo’s sound that much far removed from the likes aDG while not sounding like a DG pedal. I had a few drive pedals and while the Capo could cover similar ground it wasn’t worth the high asking price compared to what I had.

I own a v.2 Colourbox and I really like it but it’s a different type of unit to the capo and it’s not a fair comparison. The CB will give you that transformer weight in the signal path which some folk really value and the eq is more ‘tuneable’. The filter is at 160Hz but I’ve noticed when you engage it you can just set the bass frequency and boost it - it’s not quite the “Pultec trick” but the low end doesn’t suffer it’s just different to what is bass players would reach for in the traditional sense - speaker efficiency ‘cleaning the subs’ etc. If you go in know this then it’s not an issue.

I’m selling my Colourbox v.2 as I have a couple of passive LBA transformers I now use in conjunction with my Simone preamp so dm me if interested. I’m in the U.K. but we can talk

 

[Onomatopoetikon]

Forgot to follow up on this, a bit rude when you guys were so generous to contribute opinions. I've thought long and hard over Christmas, and looked further into it all, and I'm going with the Capo. It really seems like a fantastically versatile preamp/ drive/ pedal/ DI. The Loop-functions, plus that you can run two DI-signals out of it, is what is winning me over. It might even make my ParaEq and DCX Bass-pedals obsolete ... help!

Now I might have a chance of trying out the Colour Box, as I have two friends that have bought it, so the last word might not be said, but I've 90% made up my mind.