NPD: Idiotbox Blower Box DELUXE

I've been kicking the tires on one of these, but I shouldn't spend the money. Or should I? Or should I get another Tremond? Or...?
Just wrote this up on the S/D thread. I debated putting it here too, but since you specifically mention the Tremond which is another of my absolute favorite "Rats", I felt I needed to put this here too.

Blower Box Deluxe Update - again all at 18v:

I spent time comparing ALL of my Rats today. The BBD definitely holds its own with its own unique flavor. It's definitely grainier than most, and I'm not a fan of that solo - but it completely disappears in the mix and just sounds aggressive. It's certainly the easiest "Rat" to get a nasty and cutting tone from - it comes naturally, even at 18v. This pedal is incredibly present in the mix with no effort. But it doesn't have the "heft" that some of the other "Rats" do.

Overall, I'd say this is tied for #2 with my Tremond. It really comes down to what I'm looking for. If I want aggressive, tight tones, this has it in spades. It's hard to make this as thick as my Tremond or Bass Mountain, though. But it clanks easier than they do, and there's no shortage of great, punchy bass. So if you want something for faster riffs that will pop out of the mix, this will do nicely. If you're wanting a thicker, doomier, tone, get a Tremond or Bass Mountain. They (Tremond and Bass Mountain) can both be punchier or more in your face, but are the inverse of the BBD - it takes some effort to get less thick distortion from them. Or if you want everything available (with some tweaking to get there!), get a Volt Thrower. I can get each of their distortion tones to get pretty darn close to each other, but the way they handle the lows is really the biggest difference between each of these pedals.

So my current Rat ranking is, in order, Volt Thrower, Tremond/Blower Box Deluxe (tied for #2 based on tonal need), and Bass Mountain. After that would be my Iron Pig, and then the Cat Tail (stock).
 
This applies to all pedals, but sharing here. I see that the BB Deluxe is available in purple and black.... do I want a second to go with my green one??
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These face melting temperatures down here in Texas have me going crazy for a flash sale so you can rip face melting riffs at a killer price!
😎

25% off everything in stock through Monday 8/5!
Use checkout code:
HOTAF2024
at
www.IdiotBoxEffects.com
-------
Spread the word and stay cool!!!
-Matt.​

 
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This applies to all pedals, but sharing here. I see that the BB Deluxe is available in purple and black.... do I want a second to go with my green one??
-------------------------------------------

These face melting temperatures down here in Texas have me going crazy for a flash sale so you can rip face melting riffs at a killer price!
😎

25% off everything in stock through Monday 8/5!​

Use checkout code:​

HOTAF2024​

at​

www.IdiotBoxEffects.com

-------​

Spread the word and stay cool!!!​

-Matt.​

...yes? No, no, sorry. I meant - YES! If I needed one of his circuits, you bet I'd be getting it now!
 
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So my current Rat ranking is, in order, Volt Thrower, Tremond/Blower Box Deluxe (tied for #2 based on tonal need), and Bass Mountain. After that would be my Iron Pig, and then the Cat Tail (stock).

Belated appreciation for your comments. A friend recommended the Tremond to me awhile back. I'm glad you rate the BBD equal -- it has a more compact size and price. That said, the Tremond remains on my wish list. I'm intrigued by the LPF boost and diode options.
 
Belated appreciation for your comments. A friend recommended the Tremond to me awhile back. I'm glad you rate the BBD equal -- it has a more compact size and price. That said, the Tremond remains on my wish list. I'm intrigued by the LPF boost and diode options.
For me, it came down to what I needed from the Rat. The Tremond is easier to get a lower gain tone from, whereas the BBD does high gain more easily. Both can do either, it just comes down to what you prefer. Ultimately, the BBD was slightly fizzier than I liked, so I went with the Tremond, as there is plenty of overlap between the two. Fizziness is also a "pet peeve" of mine, so take that with a grain of salt. It's the same reason I preferred the standard DG offerings over their Deluxe/Ultra counterparts, but most people would never notice the difference.
 
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For me, it came down to what I needed from the Rat. The Tremond is easier to get a lower gain tone from, whereas the BBD does high gain more easily. Both can do either, it just comes down to what you prefer. Ultimately, the BBD was slightly fizzier than I liked, so I went with the Tremond, as there is plenty of overlap between the two. Fizziness is also a "pet peeve" of mine, so take that with a grain of salt. It's the same reason I preferred the standard DG offerings over their Deluxe/Ultra counterparts, but most people would never notice the difference.

Nice points. I have a love/hate relationship with the Darkglass X7 specifically because of fizz: I can get it to sound great in the mix, but often hear fizz when my bass is soloed. The Tech21 dUg Pinnick pedal has a similar feature set but without fizz, so that's my go-to for biamp distortion. I don't hear fizz with my B7K and VMTD v1, so it isn't an overall Darkglass thing (some say there's a "Darkglass tone", but that was only true for their promo videos, and not the pedals themselves).

Anyway: I'm still enjoying my BB Deluxe for RAT tone. :thumbsup:
 
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Nice points. I have a love/hate relationship with the Darkglass X7 specifically because of fizz: I can get it to sound great in the mix, but often hear fizz when my bass is soloed. The Tech21 dUg Pinnick pedal has a similar feature set but without fizz, so that's my go-to for biamp distortion. I don't hear fizz with my B7K and VMTD v1, so it isn't an overall Darkglass thing (some say there's a "Darkglass tone", but that was only true for their promo videos, and not the pedals themselves).

Anyway: I'm still enjoying my BB Deluxe for RAT tone. :thumbsup:
True - I was too broad in my description. I had the BxK family of effects in their various versions. I only ever had the standard Vintage. And the people that say DG only has a single tone need to start tweaking knobs!
 
True - I was too broad in my description. I had the BxK family of effects in their various versions. I only ever had the standard Vintage. And the people that say DG only has a single tone need to start tweaking knobs!
Sorry, I should have stated that it was clear to me that you hear differences between DG pedals; I was addressing that unfortunate stereotype propagated by others.


Back on topic: I recently spent a bunch of money on other music gear so I will not buy a second Blower Box Deluxe. But again I really love the one I have! I'm hanging on to my original BB, but the Deluxe is More Better. :)
 
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Back on topic: I recently spent a bunch of money on other music gear so I will not buy a second Blower Box Deluxe. But again I really love the one I have! I'm hanging on to my original BB, but the Deluxe is More Better. :)
I recently made a purchase that is actually saving me money in the long run (was going to upgrade a used item I bought, but unbeknownst to me, it came upgraded and I LOVE it!), so I'm continuing to spend that money on other, boring, things that will help me focus and reach music goals. It's a different kind of exciting.

And I concur - after having had both Blower Box and the Deluxe, the Deluxe is the superior option. It really competed with a number of my gain pedals, but ultimately couldn't quite unseat any of them. But it's ridiculously versatile and did plenty of tones that those boxes individually couldn't. If I HAD to have only one of them and make do, it would be a contender.
 
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