bongomania
Commercial User
I'm honestly unclear on whether you were trying to prove or disprove my points. Perhaps you can clarify how that post does or doesn't support what I said.
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Limited Edition TRONOGRAPHIC Rusty Box
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The Rusty is a beast- I loved mine but it was never quite the thick mid flavor I needed in my bands at the time (and I disliked the odd power requirements of the old one). I always loved the Shellac and Jesus Lizard (Albini-produced) TS-50B bass tones, and the Rusty does those in spades (minus the Albini production of course, but the grit and tone are spot on). It has a pretty strong inherent tone, but it's definitely a different flavor than the majority of bass preamps out there- tight on the bottom and with lots of added edge and clarity, with an inherent scoop in the mids (which makes the high and low- mid/upper-bass extra prominent). I remember when the B3K hit the scene originally that it seemed to hit a similar tonal universe, but the Rusty has a more pleasing vintagey grit character and punch to it and much more headroom IMO.
I don't know for sure, but based on my experience with it I believe that the TS-50B/Rusty use a passive EQ similar to the Fender TMB-style stack but with a very clear non-flat voicing built-in around it. Definitely Mids maxed is the closest to "flat", and also with Bass and Treble cut somewhat (IIRC). There is no actual flat setting though, and always a notch in the mids.
It is definitely high-passed a bit high compared to modern bass amps, which is pretty typical of vintage solid-state gear (probably to protect speakers of the time)- I picked up my Rusty back before the whole HPF thing really caught on, and it is what really turned me on to experimenting with HPFs. I actually prefer that the Bass control is (effectively) centered higher and there isn't much sub-bass going on, which makes it punch really nicely. It is one of the punchiest stand-alone bass pres I've ever used when set just on the edge of breakup- it has a lot of useable headroom and aggressiveness that complements my other gear really nicely when that tone is what I'm looking for.
I need to pick up one of the newer 9V ones soon! I've still not found anything else that does what it does so well.
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Thanks Sunbeast. That was certainly one helpful post. I am loving the Rusty Box, but am still trying to wrap my head around the eq section. Even though it seems like it chops off a lot of the sub bass, weirdly I find myself backing the bass knob off at noon and not anywhere near maxed. That makes the sound fit better into the mix. The Eq is weird and non intuitive, but sounds so good I just have to deal with it as it is and not try to compare it to the way other eq's work on other pedals. Your post helped clarify that for me.
The pedal was already shipped out... normally a great thing, but signature is required and I'm on vacay. Tronographic said if it was returned then they would just send it right back to me. So that's cool... I'll get it when I get it.
Really digging the new look. Still getting used to the feel of brand new switches, didn't realize my old one was so broken in! Also, they stack well when tastefully gain-staged, like having an extra pair of BOOST switches on hand. Probably gonna stick with running just the one, though.
On Monday, USPS tracking logged a failed delivery attempt. No updates at all since then, which was mildly disconcerting, but I got home from vacay today and the pedal was there waiting for me in the lobby of my condo building. So hooray, that was the best possible result.
I've now tried it with five different basses, three active and two passive, and in short, it's a keeper.
It's pretty much what I expected: plenty of grit, with harmonically rich sparkle on top. It didn't make me forget that my '58-style P5 has dead strings, but still made it sound better.It didn't become my favorite distortion, but I didn't expect it would (I remain partial to my multi-band dirt pedals that keep lows completely clean). I prefer running the RB at low-ish gain, and will probably never use the boost. But all that's perfectly fine: if I get one killer tone from a pedal then I'm happy (and I'm not yet saying that the RB is a one-trick pony for me).
Here's my one and only nitpick: I wish the small lettering for the knobs was neon orange (like the bottom plate) rather than steel gray. Not a big deal... it ain't that complicated!
I loved the Rusty and quite low Gain (so I was just getting a bit of hair) run into a darker drive like a DG Vintage. My RB did have a kinda high noise floor (high freq hiss), but not surprising given the amount of high boosting I generally used and it wasn't nearly as bad as some other pedals I've had.On Monday, USPS tracking logged a failed delivery attempt. No updates at all since then, which was mildly disconcerting, but I got home from vacay today and the pedal was there waiting for me in the lobby of my condo building. So hooray, that was the best possible result.
I've now tried it with five different basses, three active and two passive, and in short, it's a keeper.
It didn't become my favorite distortion, but I didn't expect it would (I remain partial to my multi-band dirt pedals that keep lows completely clean). I prefer running the RB at low-ish gain, and will probably never use the boost. But all that's perfectly fine: if I get one killer tone from a pedal then I'm happy (and I'm not yet saying that the RB is a one-trick pony for me).
Here's my one and only nitpick: I wish the small lettering for the knobs was neon orange (like the bottom plate) rather than steel gray. Not a big deal... it ain't that complicated!
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I neglected to mention: I haven't yet tried stacking the RB, but definitely plan to!
Yeah it's weird to me that I prefered it before other pedals since it is a full-on preamp, but I usually did!
I classify the RB as a "sizzle machine" (doesn't have to, just sayin' it can), and I usually run those last in the chain, but I'll definitely try it first as well as last.
It is that! I love that sizzle, and honestly can't remember the specifics of why I usually preferred it early in my chain. A lot of pedals do like to be pushed with some extra high harmonics and a bit of scoop so that was probably part of it (similar usage to a DG Harmonic Booster)- it can make a muddy drive tone really pop. I used it for a few years in one band paired with some variety of Darkglass pre at the end of the chain (usually one of the Vintage pedals), but then got an amp with the sizzle and ended up taking it off and eventually selling. I do want one again!!
I am digging my R' Box so far! Using it as a full preamp into my ISA-One for monitoring and recording. Addind on occasion a touch of tube with my Summit TLA-50 on the insert. Such bloody great tone! Works well with all of my basses, especially with my T-Bird and even my finicky MM Stingray 5 Classic. Now I am treating the EQ more like a Fender stack, with 2-10-2 as a starting point for dialing it in. Been able to get a good warm grunt so far. Reminds me a bit of my old grey solid state amps back in the early 90's. Cheers.
Rusty Box has been on my radar for a long time. This thread rekindled my interest/ awareness which resulted in a RB (standard color) in my Reverb watch list.
Lately I've been following the SushiBox Fx saga, and thought about taking a plunge into that pool. But I was struck down by "option paralysis". So I wandered back to Reverb only to find that the new Rusty Box in my watched list was on sale for 15% off! Done. RB incoming.
But yeah, sale happening til the end of the year, for those of us who were on the fence.
I should add that I was specifically looking for something outside the Fender or Ampeg tonal arena. I'm guessing this will fit that desire.
Lately I've been following the SushiBox Fx saga, and thought about taking a plunge into that pool. But I was struck down by "option paralysis". So I wandered back to Reverb only to find that the new Rusty Box in my watched list was on sale for 15% off! Done. RB incoming.
But yeah, sale happening til the end of the year, for those of us who were on the fence.
I should add that I was specifically looking for something outside the Fender or Ampeg tonal arena. I'm guessing this will fit that desire.
I had one a long time ago and thought it was noisy. I liked the sound but I sadly sold it. Then years after that I found out I broke the bridge ground wire in my Ric when I first bought it and removed the bridge pickup cover!
Thanks to @Fuzzbass, @cataract, and now you saying it's on sale...I got pushed over the edge and bought one as well.
I can only imagine the clank and grind this will achieve with my JohnK Bill Gould-flavored Peavey preamps.
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Well yeah, you'll be getting the Traynor tonal arena.
Sorry, couldn't help it. I have almost no experience with Traynor; I just think the RB sounds great.
I LOVE Traynor. I've had a YBA-1/1A since 1977. Traynor has been my tube tone. I know the Rusty Box is based on the Solid State Traynor (TS-50B??) So I'm excited for something new, at least new to me.Well yeah, you'll be getting the Traynor tonal arena.
Sorry, couldn't help it. I have almost no experience with Traynor; I just think the RB sounds great.
How many of you have a significant problem with the mega output of the RB? I loved the sound but damn I always so frustrated having to dial down the volume to just before the pot cuts out.
Rusty Box Life Hack: use Main Out into front of amp & set Vol & Gain pots to 9 o'clock (literally pointing the the left) and adjust gain on the pedal to taste.
Set overall "Master Volume" using your amp's EQ. It's nice having that extra headroom in a pinch!
