The Sushi Box FX Secret Society

[Kevin Hide Bass]

Ugh, got hit for an £83 customs fee on my Grand Slampegg coming into the UK. Pedal was already £354 after conversion fees so £437 total. Any future purchases would need to be very carefully considered.

Got this to look forward to with Neptunium then. Anyone else in the UK remember the prymaxe days? Back when there was almost $2 to every £1 and they always marked down the value for customs? Pedal like this would have been almost half the price landed

 

[lomo]

I have a couple of ideas to somewhat model the Clean > Vintage dirt on the 2 note.
1. UA > Finally
2. UA > Neptunium

Am i on the right track? or should i be considering maybe the other distortion pedals in the lineup (JC emerald) etc.

Appreciate any input!

My .02: (I currently have DC, UA, Elementary, Single Slice, Glass Butterfly and have had JCE and Detective in the past, as well as More. I have never heard or played Neptunium, Grand Slampegg or Venus X/Z).

Although there's plenty of overlap between the various Sushi preamps that can run clean through dirty, there are also some significant differences to consider. In terms of tone, the passive eq's are very different. UA and the Dreamcatcher use the Fender stack, JCE the Marshall, Elementary and Detective the HiWatt. Before deciding it's well worth using the online simulator to familiarize yourself with these.

TSC in the web

IME the JCE provides the least bass even with the bass boost engaged) and is the most predisposed to a scooped sound (I sold mine). The Detective's 2 channels and Elementary yield the sharpest/ best/grindiest upper mid & high end to my ear. The Fender stack (UA & Dreamcatcher) is the one that can be set closest to flat if desired.

Also-only the UA has the tone stack bypass toggle that effectively acts as a boost (because the eq in the circuit decreases output). None of these has the passive HPF. DC and Detective are large (5.7" wide), JCE is 4.7" wide. The 2 channel offerings need at least 500 mA to run and are cheaper than buying 2 single cannel boxes BUT having 2 single channel boxes side by side saves 1/2" of real estate and allows 3 tone flavours because they can be run in series whereas the 2 channel boxes permit running 1 channel at a time.

I hope that helps.

P.S. Canadian exchange rates and taxes make these boxes even more expensive than they are in Europe........and if that was the biggest problem around here these days the world would be a better place.

 

[900se]

Got this to look forward to with Neptunium then. Anyone else in the UK remember the prymaxe days? Back when there was almost $2 to every £1 and they always marked down the value for customs? Pedal like this would have been almost half the price landed

Just got it - an extra £76 (tax + fees)

 

[Kevin Hide Bass]

Just got it - an extra £76 (tax + fees)

Blimey, the delivery upgrade is quick. I went for standard first class, don't think mine has left Chicago!

 

[900se]

Blimey, the delivery upgrade is quick. I went for standard first class, don't think mine has left Chicago!

Ah, sorry - by 'just got it' I meant I just received the import duties bill. The pedal is still in the US - FRANKLIN PARK - Illinois. It says it's due here in two days time.

 

[Kevin Hide Bass]

Ah, sorry - by 'just got it' I meant I just received the import duties bill. The pedal is still in the US - FRANKLIN PARK - Illinois. It says it's due here in two days time.

Ah okay, it's been a while since I did this, how have you been notified of the tax charge??

 

[900se]

I received an email from DHL - linked to the standard type delivery page. From there I could update my email and phone details. I assumed I'd get an email or text, but the payment request came via whatsapp. This was from DHL - if you're using US Postal, then I guess it will be different. Possibly it will get held in the UK and you'll be contacted then?

 

[Kevin Hide Bass]

Ahh yeah, I'd imagine i have the joys of Royal Mail to handle mine, tax on arrival vs tax on export. Suppose I can cross the old fingers and see if it slips through...

 

[900se]

I think someone asked this question re the Neptunium and the Finally a while back - but I don't recall seeing an answer. I know these valve DIs can't be run on phantom power from the XLR, but what would happen if power was sent to them? Would there be a risk of damage?

Thanks

 

[OldShark]

I think someone asked this question re the Neptunium and the Finally a while back - but I don't recall seeing an answer. I know these valve DIs can't be run on phantom power from the XLR, but what would happen if power was sent to them? Would there be a risk of damage?

Thanks

See here (and the answer by Nathan few posts after)...

Post in thread 'The Sushi Box FX Secret Society'

Jan 23, 2022

@Sushi Box FX
I have a finally coming with the January build and plan to use it for my church IEM board. I believe they use phantom power for some mics. Does the finally have protection against phantom power, or do I need to get a phantom blocker for it?
Thanks

That's a solid question. I don't have anything specifically designed as protection against phantom power, but I don't expect any issue based on the way the circuit is designed. BUT NOBODY PLUG THEIRS INTO PHANTOM POWER YET I'm going to plug in my personal unit and see if phantom power damages it at all. I don't expect it...

• Sushi Box FX

• 

 

[warptheory]

That was easy. Confirmed. Zero damage sustained when running phantom power into my Finally.

 

[Sushi Box FX]

I think someone asked this question re the Neptunium and the Finally a while back - but I don't recall seeing an answer. I know these valve DIs can't be run on phantom power from the XLR, but what would happen if power was sent to them? Would there be a risk of damage?

Thanks

All versions of Finally and Neptunium were tested and were not damaged by phantom power, but a couple people have mentioned noise being introduced when phantom power was applied. A while ago (I honestly don't remember when) I added some extra stuff in to completely block phantom power from all of my D.I. pedals, so anything made remotely recently (I want to say 8 months ago or so?) will not only not be damaged by phantom power but will not be affected at all by phantom power.

 

[Tassieviking]

All versions of Finally and Neptunium were tested and were not damaged by phantom power, but a couple people have mentioned noise being introduced when phantom power was applied. A while ago (I honestly don't remember when) I added some extra stuff in to completely block phantom power from all of my D.I. pedals, so anything made remotely recently (I want to say 8 months ago or so?) will not only not be damaged by phantom power but will not be affected at all by phantom power.

Would it be possible to show this phantom power fix over in the C2CE thread in case anyone (me) might want to apply it to their Nobelium build ?
Thanks Nathan

 

[Sushi Box FX]

Would it be possible to show this phantom power fix over in the C2CE thread in case anyone (me) might want to apply it to their Nobelium build ?
Thanks Nathan

It would be a little bit of a hack job to add on to an existing build, but sure I can give some details over there.

 

[Snake101st]

Ended up ordering a Sushi/C2CE Nobelium via the classifieds here from a nice TBer after missing the last drop of the Neptunium (and thinking I'd rather have that anyways).

Hopefully FOMO doesn't kick in later if this next neptunium drop is the last one for a while

 

[JackFawkes]

Am i right in saying that the finally v3 and neptunium both fulfil the same role in a pedalboard? (DI etc.)
I love the ability to EQ with the neptunium, however the sound of the grit on the finally is something i really want on my board.

I have a couple of ideas to somewhat model the Clean > Vintage dirt on the 2 note.
1. UA > Finally
2. UA > Neptunium

Am i on the right track? or should i be considering maybe the other distortion pedals in the lineup (JC emerald) etc.

Correct, both the Finally and Neptunium are primarily DI boxes...
Finally has no EQ and can add grit with a higher-gain tube, but has no footswitch to toggle that grit on/off.
Neptunium has an EQ and is designed to always run clean (also no footswitch - no use for one).

Your second idea of a UA into a Neptunium is likely more what you're looking for.

If you want more of a distortion pedal, then consider the Black Eye II. It's one of the best tube-based distortion pedals out there and will likely disappear from the Sushi Box lineup in the near future because no one buys them... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Then there's also the Tarantula Fuzz if you want something really gnarly.

Jack

 

[JackFawkes]

Hopefully FOMO doesn't kick in later if this next neptunium drop is the last one for a while

Well the current drop is only like 21-25% complete... but it's likely to be the very last run after all 200-237 are built and sold.

 

[Sushi Box FX]

I'm hoping to have the next 50 Neptuniums done in 1-2 weeks, and I think 237 total for this last run is reasonable, so I have parts on order for the remaining 137 as well. If anyone emails me afterward asking me to do even more units, they will be ignored. Too much other stuff to do.

And now for something completely different.

 

[tidbits]

The often mentioned tube sandwich pedal? Everything you put inside (the loop) stays nice and warm?

The graphic is really killer

 

[Sushi Box FX]

The often mentioned tube sandwich pedal? Everything you put inside (the loop) stays nice and warm?

The graphic is really killer

Thanks That's the one. The idea of a greenhouse is that you surround something in glass to keep it warm, the Greenhouse pedal does the same thing. It's a tube FX loop to warm up whatever needs it. Have one pedal that doesn't play well with others or sound the way you want? Stick it in the Greenhouse. Have a digital modeler that has all the options but could use some warmth? Throw it in the Greenhouse. Have a set of pedals you really like but feel like they could use a little "something"? Throw the whole chain in the Greenhouse.

Greenhouse is finished and verified, and I have parts on hand to build 30 or so, just need to find the time to build them up so I can get it released. Probably not until Neptunium is done and Finally v3 has slowed down a bit.