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Rusty Box Replacement?

JonnyAngle

JonnyAngle

Dropping Acid Pedal Etching .com
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Nov 24, 2008
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#1
I'm really digging my RB as my OD tone. The only thing is, I am bumming about the power supply. Is there any other "OneSpottable" OD that has that grindy, mid cranking tone? I've tried the VT, but there is too much coloration/ compression/ modeling going on. Thanks

Edit: my settings are bass and treble at noon, mids at 2:00, and gain at 5:00
 
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#2
There are tons. But will they be as sassifyin' to you as the Rusty Box? Who knows? That's sort of like picking out a girlfriend...sometimes an imperfection can be overlooked if the total of what she brings to your life grossly outweighs the imperfection, you know?
 
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#3
Wow- you really crank the Gain to 5:00 (as in nearly all the way up)? Crazy! For what its worth, the Rusty can be run at 18 volts as well. You could try one of the Godlyke Power Pump attachments for your 1 spot that give you 18 volts from one connection- you would also have to get a reverse polarity adaptor (as the Rusty is center positive, and possibly also a different sized barrel attachment than standard- I picked up a polarity adaptor for mine at the local guitar shop without trouble). I have tried mine with different power, and it definitely sounds more clear and authoritative with the original power supply, but can be tweaked to sound pretty close with a lower voltage, especially at higher Gain settings like yours.

I haven't heard another pedal that sounds like the Rusty Box personally- its beauty is that it is a full-blown preamp rather than an effect, which means it has a whole lot of headroom and "oomph" that a standard effect pedal generally will not. I imagine the higher power requirements are part of what really set it apart tonally and dynamically, though the EQ and general character are also pretty unique.

As far as replacements- I haven't tried either, but I could see the Tech 21 Bass XXL and Darkglass B7K getting in the ballpark and both are 9 volt compatible. Maybe even a Fuzzrocious Rat Tail or Rat King...
 
#5
octaverazor said:
I would say Fultone Bass Driver at 18v. Most people try it at 9v. Completely different beast at 18v.
Click to expand...

He is specifically looking for a pedal to run at 9 volts, that is his whole reason for wanting to ditch the Rusty Box...if he were to get a Pedal Pump as I mentioned for 18 volts along with a reverse polarity adaptor with the correct barrel size, then he could still use the Rusty with his 1 Spot.
 
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#6
So you are using the RB specifically as an OD and not a preamp? I hear good things of the B3K.

I used my Rusty as a preamp and really liked it. I have spoken to some fellow RB owners (behndy) and as sunbeast has said here as well, 18v is cool for it too. I was looking into the Godlyke Power Pump as well when I had the RB but stuck to using the adapter it came with.

and btw, the Rat Tail is pretty harsh sounding compared to the RB imo. An OCD set a a low drive setting comes a tiny bit closer.
 
#7
The power pump sounds like a great idea, but I'm a little skeptical. My board is a grey stache, RB, and m5. So I need 3 power plugs anyhow. Not ideal, but I think that's life.

I checked out the full tone bass drive and that sounds boss, but what's up with the price tag? I've got a guv'nor coming as well, so we'll see how it plays out.

Btw, thanks for the help all, and no one else dimes the gain, eh? Btw again, I use it as an od, but I never really turn it off
 
#8
You can still use the Power Pump on a daisy chain. It effectively isolates the pedal it is powering. The mechanism does eat up some amperage, but if you are only powering those three pedals that shouldn't be an issue given the high output of the 1-Spot. I haven't personally used one, but I've read plenty of success stories (and actually haven't read of any instances where they didn't work as intended) from people that have used them. There are many pedals that employ the same power boosting technology internally to raise their headroom and still be compatible with a 9 volt power supply, so it isn't snake oil or anything!
 
#14
vegas532 said:
Setting 1
Level - to taste
High - 10:30-11:00
Low - 1:00
Drive - 11:00
Center - Hot Wired - British

Setting 2
Level - to taste
High - Noon
Low - 11:00
Drive - 9:30
Center - Hi Gain - California
Click to expand...

Awesome! Thanks ill have to try these out.

And just for fun, my personal favorite settings have been

Level: to taste
High: 10:30
Low: 2:00
Drive: 9:00 for tube-like amp break up, and 12:00 for pure grindy distortion

Classic - Clean - California
 
#16
JonnyAngle said:
I'm really digging my RB as my OD tone. The only thing is, I am bumming about the power supply. Is there any other "OneSpottable" OD that has that grindy, mid cranking tone? I've tried the VT, but there is too much coloration/ compression/ modeling going on. Thanks
Click to expand...

AmpedSilence said:
So you are using the RB specifically as an OD and not a preamp? I hear good things of the B3K.
Click to expand...

I may come under fire for this, but I never actually considered the Rusty Box a preamp for one simple reason: (EDIT: No XLR out.) I know that's semantics, of course, but I considered it an overdrive on steroids... An overdrive with an EQ and a boost.

I bought into the Rusty Box hype when it was the trendy hotness pedal on TB and owned it for about a week before flipping it to a fellow TB'er. It just didn't do it for me for a number of reasons, and I ended up replacing it with an Aguilar Tone Hammer. The TH has a great EQ section and the AGS circuit has a similar grindy crunchy tone like the Rusty. I'm not sure it'd be quite what you're looking for though, since it's an18V pedal but I run it on a Dunlop Power Brick, so it's not an issue for me.

Amped's suggestion of the B3K is a good one... It's a killer overdrive and is in the same general range as the Rusty in terms of a more aggressive overdrive sound. It does "subtle" better than the Rusty did, but has lot of juice on tap for higher-gain applications too. It also adds a tough-to-put-into-words fatness to your tone which is cool, and sounds remarkably like an actual overdriven tube amp (my 1974 Ampeg V4B) to boot. It also has a pedalboard friendly size and runs on standard 9V power. For me, the B3K easily smoked the Rusty, and I won't be getting rid of mine.

5sg.
 
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#20
skulletwhip said:
I coulda swore that one of the outputs on the Rusty served as a DI.
Click to expand...

Sorry, my mistake... No XLR out. Saying you have a 1/4" balanced out confuses most sound guys. At least the ones I'VE worked with anyway. Lol The ones I've worked with hands me an XLR and usually just plugs me into some form of snake, and I didn't want to have to carry a special cable just for my Rusty.

Other reasons I got rid of my Rusty pretty quick were that 1) the overdrive sound wasn't quite what I wanted and 2) the boost switch was something I'd never use... I'm OCD about keeping my signal at unity, having a volume boost was pointless for me.

5sg.
 

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