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The Sushi Box FX Secret Society

#13,221
Sushi Box FX said:
Here's a quick run down of the common ones still in production:
  • Space Heater - In my opinion, the simplest 12AX7 preamp you can make. It's a single 12AX7, gain and volume controls. With the gain down it's a nice warm, punchy clean, with the gain up it can get into mid-overdrive territory. It has a nice wide frequency response so it's suitable for guitar or bass.
  • Finally - Exact same circuit as Space Heater, with a Lightning Boy Audio D.I. transformer and XLR out.
  • Underground Accelerator - Exact same circuit as Space Heater, with a Fender tone stack added. Due to tone stack loss it won't get as much drive as Space Heater, but can still get some nice grit.
  • Slampegg Bee Pre - Most bassists know what an Ampeg B15 preamp sounds like, but in my words I would put it as growly and punchy. It can get more drive than UA, but the overall output level isn't as hot due to some circuit stuff that's boring to explain. It has a Baxandall tonestack which I've always loved as pretty much any setting is usable. The Ultra-Lo switch kicks in more bass but drops the gain a little, Ultra-Hi is a little more subtle but seems to make the treble control more noticeable.
  • Dr. Wattson - A bit more bass-heavy than UA in my experience, but the tone stack is flexible enough that you can dial in a wide range of sounds. It has two tubes, and the extra stage gets it more gain than any of the single tube pedals, so it can drive heavier that SH, Finally, or UA. Also a nice wide frequency response that sounds excellent for guitar or bass.
  • JC Emerald - Similar gain level to Dr. Wattson but considerably brighter-voiced. In my opinion it's much more suited to guitar, but I've heard people on here say they enjoy it for bass in conjunction with other pedals as well. I've done a mod once to a JC Emerald to tune it for bass, and I'm considering putting both components in the board and putting in a Bass/Guitar switch to make both available.
  • More - definitely the hardest one to describe. It's big, it's warm, it's round, and it just makes everything sounds like More. Currently there aren't any out in the wild as August is the first batch they've been available, but there are 16(!) in this batch so there will be plenty of people to describe them in a few weeks.
  • Lab Rat - Most people know what a Rat sounds like, it's a nice chunky distortion, but the tube adds an extra dimension to it that I really enjoy. It takes some of the harshness out while leaving in the aggression, if that makes any sense. I also replaced the filter control with the same Baxandall tone stack used in the Slampegg Bee Pre.
I hope there's something in there that's helpful. I like talking about pedals, and I know more about my pedals that any other pedals :p
Click to expand...
Perfect, thanks, just what I needed!
 
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#13,226
Considering how much functional overlap there is on the current sushi menu, IMHO a box with an entirely different function makes a hekkuvaalotta sense in terms demand (if that’s a concern relevant to to the administration)……..a tube comp would be the new item most likely to get an « add to basket » click outta me….jus’ sayin’.
 
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#13,227
Got my Dr. Wattson yesterday. I had a chance to try it today. Only with headphones so far. Holy smokes! What a great sounding pedal! I bought it because I like the Hiwatt Emulation in the HX Stomp. This is even better to my ears. Running it through my Khan VTDI, it is about perfect. The DI I use makes a difference though. I like the DR. Wattson best with the Khan. I like my Underground Accelerator better with my Lightning Boy TI Box. The TI Box gives the Underground Accelerator better mids and the Khan gives the Dr. Wattson better sounding highs and deeper lows. I'll get a chance to try the Dr. Wattson with my PF50t tomorrow at band practice. Very happy!
 
Last edited:
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#13,228
Sushi Box FX said:
Here's a quick run down of the common ones still in production:
  • Space Heater - In my opinion, the simplest 12AX7 preamp you can make. It's a single 12AX7, gain and volume controls. With the gain down it's a nice warm, punchy clean, with the gain up it can get into mid-overdrive territory. It has a nice wide frequency response so it's suitable for guitar or bass.
  • Finally - Exact same circuit as Space Heater, with a Lightning Boy Audio D.I. transformer and XLR out.
  • Underground Accelerator - Exact same circuit as Space Heater, with a Fender tone stack added. Due to tone stack loss it won't get as much drive as Space Heater, but can still get some nice grit.
  • Slampegg Bee Pre - Most bassists know what an Ampeg B15 preamp sounds like, but in my words I would put it as growly and punchy. It can get more drive than UA, but the overall output level isn't as hot due to some circuit stuff that's boring to explain. It has a Baxandall tonestack which I've always loved as pretty much any setting is usable. The Ultra-Lo switch kicks in more bass but drops the gain a little, Ultra-Hi is a little more subtle but seems to make the treble control more noticeable.
  • Dr. Wattson - A bit more bass-heavy than UA in my experience, but the tone stack is flexible enough that you can dial in a wide range of sounds. It has two tubes, and the extra stage gets it more gain than any of the single tube pedals, so it can drive heavier that SH, Finally, or UA. Also a nice wide frequency response that sounds excellent for guitar or bass.
  • JC Emerald - Similar gain level to Dr. Wattson but considerably brighter-voiced. In my opinion it's much more suited to guitar, but I've heard people on here say they enjoy it for bass in conjunction with other pedals as well. I've done a mod once to a JC Emerald to tune it for bass, and I'm considering putting both components in the board and putting in a Bass/Guitar switch to make both available.
  • More - definitely the hardest one to describe. It's big, it's warm, it's round, and it just makes everything sounds like More. Currently there aren't any out in the wild as August is the first batch they've been available, but there are 16(!) in this batch so there will be plenty of people to describe them in a few weeks.
  • Lab Rat - Most people know what a Rat sounds like, it's a nice chunky distortion, but the tube adds an extra dimension to it that I really enjoy. It takes some of the harshness out while leaving in the aggression, if that makes any sense. I also replaced the filter control with the same Baxandall tone stack used in the Slampegg Bee Pre.
I hope there's something in there that's helpful. I like talking about pedals, and I know more about my pedals that any other pedals :p
Click to expand...

Great info. Thank you for writing it up.
Now I'm even More interested.
 
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#13,229
dedpool1052 said:
That would be interesting.



So, another bit of a derail.

Before the Westinghouse was discontinued, there were some talk of a dual pedal of it and the Space Heater.

Now, there's the "More", and I'm curious if it and the SH would sound great paired up.

Looking at the DW and SS, the DW is too small for 3 tubes, but the SS enclosure looks like the right size for it.
Click to expand...

I have a HWSH already, and an More coming in with the August batch... I'll let ya know :thumbsup:
 
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#13,231
Thumper said:
On the Finally can you use the XLR and the DI at the same time or is it one or the other?
Click to expand...
The XLR is the output from the DI, but you can use the 1/4" output at the same time. The "Dry Pass/Pre Out" switch lets you choose whether you want a preamp affected output on the 1/4" output or just a dry passthrough, like a parallel input jack.
 
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#13,234
So... um... wow?

Gigged with the UA today and it performed way better than I had thought it would (and my expectation were pretty high).

TLDR: The Underground Accelerator is an amazing addition to my setup and really increases the usability of my micro rig, even with no FOH support.

------------------------------
This was with my jazz trio. We've play a Sunday Brunch gig every week since last September. Typical jazz setup with no FOH support (we have an ultra compact PA that is only used for a vocal mic for chit chat between tunes). The closest thing we have to FOH support is when the audience claps at the end of the song. I say that only to preface that my rig is the only thing making noise for us and the audience in a pretty large covered patio.

Here's the tiny rig (including the tiny PA):

Micro Loadout.jpg


Pedalboard with the Straight Ahead packed into the bag with it:

Sushi Box Pedalboard.jpg


I ran the UA into the Straight Ahead Power Amp and that powered my MAS 1,6 cab... which only has a 6 inch woofer but it is insanely loud and handles my low B very well. That cab is a freak of nature and I love everything about it. Full disclosure, there is also an always-on Broughton HPF underneath the board which helps get the most out of that little MAS cab.

Sushi Box UA.jpg


All ready to go with the tiny MAS 16 and Straight Ahead amp in the back:

Micro Sushi Box Stage Presence.jpg



The UA responds so nicely and really adds a nice something... not really fuzz, not really wool... maybe girth or heft? Whatever it is it's really nice. It was super easy to dial in for the room. When I paired it with the Tumnus! Forget.About.It! I've wanted to get on board with the whole Klon thing forever, but it never really did it for me. Sure it was a nice clean boost when I needed it, but beyond that it just sounded thin and brittle to me. However when combined with the UA, the whole tone was just perfect for that space. I finally understand what is meant when they say "sparkle on the top end" because it was there and it was fabulous. It was also really great when digging in for a solo, especially up the fingerboard (remember I'm a jazz guy... they make us solo... even if we don't want to). Digging in just added beautiful glorious gritty fuzz, but in an incredibly musical way.

Basically I know I can bring out my tiny rig for just about any electric bass gig barring some huge space. Of course, my big rig is a MAS 28... which is still pretty small, but it's louder than my old 112x2 setup. I haven't played through that yet, but if today was any indicator it's gonna be a good time.

I generally don't care for Kool-Aid... but I'll drink this stuff up all day long.
 
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#13,235
i have a question abut the DIY Space heater.
i think that i'm going to put a relayed true bypass in mine but was wondering about one of the V+ pads. there's about 8K ohms between the two V+ pads.
here's a pic of what i'm talking about (although the actual oard i a little different.
Space heater wiring.jpg
 
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#13,236
johnk_10 said:
i have a question abut the DIY Space heater.
i think that i'm going to put a relayed true bypass in mine but was wondering about one of the V+ pads. there's about 8K ohms between the two V+ pads.
here's a pic of what i'm talking about (although the actual oard i a little different.
View attachment 4775638
Click to expand...

The one in the middle marked 'V+' is the raw input voltage coming from the power supply, the one on the side marked 'V' is after the polarity protection, so there should just be a 1N5817 between V+ and V.

Also good note on the build doc not reflecting the actual board, I made a couple changes to the board layout after the build doc was finished and forgot to update the build doc. Schematic is still accurate, but I made some tweaks to parts and pads placement, I need to get in and update that.
 
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#13,237
Sushi Box FX said:
The one in the middle marked 'V+' is the raw input voltage coming from the power supply, the one on the side marked 'V' is after the polarity protection, so there should just be a 1N5817 between V+ and V.

Also good note on the build doc not reflecting the actual board, I made a couple changes to the board layout after the build doc was finished and forgot to update the build doc. Schematic is still accurate, but I made some tweaks to parts and pads placement, I need to get in and update that.
Click to expand...
i appreciate it.
 
#13,239
johnk_10 said:
almost done (just waiting a couple of days for a few parts that i didn't have in stock). Acid etched enclosure with relayed true bypass:
View attachment 4775811
Click to expand...

Looks good!

Almost finished with mine too. Didn’t realize I ran out of Lumberg 1/4” jacks. So I threw in a quick order to BLMS, so I’ll probably get it finished Thursday or Friday.
To be honest, I almost feel like this pedal doesn’t really need an bypass switch because I can’t ever see myself bypassing this thing.
 
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