The Sushi Box FX Secret Society

[One Two]

I've been reading about the Chase Tone Secret preamp lately, it's a clone of the famous Echoplex preamp stage. The way guitarists and bassist talk about it is a clean boost with sweetening. In my mind that sounds like what the MORE does for me, and that's actually keeping me from pulling the trigger. I don't want to stack dozens of clean tone better-makers just because, maybe simpler is better, maybe not? I'm curious if any Sushi heads have experience with this?

Hi VGP,
I tried the Secret Pre for a few gigs and then sold it on.
For me it was quite different to MORE. MORE seems very clean across the EQ range, and just makes other pedals that already sound good sound even better when they go into MORE. The Secret Pre seemed to make things thicker and sweeter with just solo Bass, but on stage I preferred the clarity and depth of MORE.

 

[mikeGJ]

I assumed you meant that it was designed more for bass guitar than upright bass, which would be correct, but it's certainly designed for bass, not guitar. It doesn't sound bad on guitar, it's usable, but it's 100% designed as a bass preamp.


The Venus X is more or less designed to be Tony's signature pedal. I nudged it this way and that every now and then (it was originally going to be a solid-state preamp, then a solid-state preamp with a tube boost section, then finally a tube preamp with active EQ), but it's true it was designed to suit Tony's needs. As I mentioned above though, I'm a very different player than Tony. I'm nowhere near as established or experienced, but my ears prefer a very different sound to Tony's, and with the flexibility of the design I am able to get the sound I want. This is not a one-trick pony.

That being said as I mentioned it was designed more toward electric bass than acoustic or upright, so it doesn't include a 10MΩ input impedance option or a phase inversion. Frankly I would prefer to do a completely separate preamp that catered specifically to acoustic and upright as they are different enough and tend to have different enough goals that designing one unit that's 100% perfect for every single use case is going to be impractical.

Yes, I was thinking bass guitar and guitar oriented, rather than acoustic and upright oriented. Upright players wants and “needs” are different from those who are primarily electric players. Guitar players like bass amps.

 

[TonyP-]

I'd think Tony might have something to say about this^

I’m assuming that they meant to say “bass guitar” vs “upright”

 

[TonyP-]

SB seems to making the initial Venus to suit one player's particular taste preference so, in that regard, it will have limited appeal to people wanting that sound... I wish them luck.

If I may, I respectfully say this.

It’s not really a an esoteric piece of equipment. In fact you will have similar tones on platinum records and arenas .

Sushibox has the vintage thing down in spades, this is just another option for the players.

 

[TonyP-]

Also in general, to echo Nathan’s statement. No preamp can have everything and to be honest, nor do it want it to.

I hope those interested with enjoy a preamp that is less then half price of a Noble.

I come in peace.

 

[TsunamiCables]

Hi everyone.
thanks @Sushi Box FX for the nice comments. It was great having you at the booth and I hope to see you next week at NAMM. Not to put out a shameless plug but we just launched a IndieGoGo page to move our preamp into production.
There is a bunch of videos and info on the preamp please let me know what you guys think?
Thanks
Here is the link.
Invalid Link Removed

 

[Mr_McBride]

First off Thank You @Hasty

You are correct, my first thought was to cater to the modern tone and something that reacts quickly, BUT could be mellowed out either with the second channel or EQ options. There are times when I actually do need more of a pseudo SVT type tone and the Venus can cop that.
I might be a bit repetitive here, but for people that might have not read my post from months back I just want to point out a feature that you pointed out that is a must for me and that is the "dry" signal. The cheapest DIs have a pass through and yet so many amp companies that make a preamp pedals do not do it. For example Nordstrand, Trickfish Minnow and I believe (not a %100 sure) but the new Bergantino. In my mind I'm like "Why ?". On that note alone, I could not use any of those other preamps live if I have my own backline.

A week from tonight, there will be several bassists getting together for a 'Bass Hang' pre NAMM with some very respectable names in the industry. The focus being the "Venus X". A couple of these guys will be doing future videos on it.

It will be a night of Tacos, Tequila, Coffee, the latest basses from Devon and a bunch of geekdom.

Online or in-person only?

 

[TonyP-]

Oh this is just a little get together with friends…It’s just so happens that some of those friends are known players.

 

[Mr_McBride]

@TonyP-

I am a fan of your modern, tight, punchy tone. For a long time, this was associated with and/or somewhat associated with 4x10 cabs. I love the punch from 10s. However, I see a trend for a lot of artists moving to 12s.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. By this I mean your personal opinion on 12s, not necessarily why others have moved to 12s.

 

[kcducttaper]

So, I'm having some issues with my Sushi Box pedals. The weird thing is, I don't know which pedal is the culprit because it seems to be any time I have 2 or more Sushi pedals in my chain. The symptom is just general 'whining' and almost a slow oscillating 'siren' type sound. It changes based on weather any of the pedals are on or off, but it's always there whenever I have 2 or more pedals in the chain.

The pedals I have are the Space Heater (TB Classifieds), Detective (new this week), and Slampegg (TB Classifieds)

Things I've tried to no avail:
- Hooking up each pedal individually to try to pinpointing a specific pedal it's coming from, but they all work perfectly fine by themselves in the chain.
- Putting 2 pedals in my chain, but using completely different power supplies for one of the pedals to try to isolate a power issue. Still made the noises
- Tried every combination of 2 pedals I could think of to see if 2 pedals just weren't playing well together, but every combinations of 2 Sushi Box pedals made the noise.
- Unplugged the input to the front of the first Sushi Box pedal to see if it was coming from upstream somewhere, but it persisted.
- Plugged them into the 250mA and 500mA ports on my power supply, but no dice there either.

I thought I'd gotten a defective Slampegg from the classifieds and was gonna go complain to the guy when I took this (unlisted) video that captures the sound, so that's why I only focused on the Slampegg in the clip. After taking that video, I just ran the Space Heater -> Detective and the noise was still there (although slightly different behavior). There just doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason that I can think of other than just 2 or more Sushi Box pedals. Thoughts?

 

[TonyP-]

@TonyP-

I am a fan of your modern, tight, punchy tone. For a long time, this was associated with and/or somewhat associated with 4x10 cabs. I love the punch from 10s. However, I see a trend for a lot of artists moving to 12s.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. By this I mean your personal opinion on 12s, not necessarily why others have moved to 12s.

Oh cool…Thank you

That is an interesting topic actually.
I am one of those guys who moved to 12s from 10s. I still love 10s, but I think for a lot of players it was ‘form factor’ more then anything else.
As long as the design of the cabinet and drivers delivers a tight tone with fullish (I don’t think that is a word) then I’m good.

I tired some of that greenboy full range stuff and for me, (I’m only speaking for me, I’m not putting it down) I never liked one I have tried.

Like anything, not all 12’s are created equally.
I’m not a fan of 112 boxes, I prefer a larger cabinet then a 112. (I don’t care how many you have).

For a solid venue, I will use (2) 212s.

If I had a arena tour and the tour manager sad transportation was not really an issue. Well my next call would be calling GK asking for (4) 410 CXs .

 

[eeyorebass]

So, I'm having some issues with my Sushi Box pedals. The weird thing is, I don't know which pedal is the culprit because it seems to be any time I have 2 or more Sushi pedals in my chain. The symptom is just general 'whining' and almost a slow oscillating 'siren' type sound. It changes based on weather any of the pedals are on or off, but it's always there whenever I have 2 or more pedals in the chain.

The pedals I have are the Space Heater (TB Classifieds), Detective (new this week), and Slampegg (TB Classifieds)

Things I've tried to no avail:
- Hooking up each pedal individually to try to pinpointing a specific pedal it's coming from, but they all work perfectly fine by themselves in the chain.
- Putting 2 pedals in my chain, but using completely different power supplies for one of the pedals to try to isolate a power issue. Still made the noises
- Tried every combination of 2 pedals I could think of to see if 2 pedals just weren't playing well together, but every combinations of 2 Sushi Box pedals made the noise.
- Unplugged the input to the front of the first Sushi Box pedal to see if it was coming from upstream somewhere, but it persisted.
- Plugged them into the 250mA and 500mA ports on my power supply, but no dice there either.

I thought I'd gotten a defective Slampegg from the classifieds and was gonna go complain to the guy when I took this (unlisted) video that captures the sound, so that's why I only focused on the Slampegg in the clip. After taking that video, I just ran the Space Heater -> Detective and the noise was still there (although slightly different behavior). There just doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason that I can think of other than just 2 or more Sushi Box pedals. Thoughts?

Have you checked all your pedals have "the fix?" See here: The Sushi Box FX Secret Society

 

[Sushi Box FX]

So, I'm having some issues with my Sushi Box pedals. The weird thing is, I don't know which pedal is the culprit because it seems to be any time I have 2 or more Sushi pedals in my chain. The symptom is just general 'whining' and almost a slow oscillating 'siren' type sound. It changes based on weather any of the pedals are on or off, but it's always there whenever I have 2 or more pedals in the chain.

The pedals I have are the Space Heater (TB Classifieds), Detective (new this week), and Slampegg (TB Classifieds)

Things I've tried to no avail:
- Hooking up each pedal individually to try to pinpointing a specific pedal it's coming from, but they all work perfectly fine by themselves in the chain.
- Putting 2 pedals in my chain, but using completely different power supplies for one of the pedals to try to isolate a power issue. Still made the noises
- Tried every combination of 2 pedals I could think of to see if 2 pedals just weren't playing well together, but every combinations of 2 Sushi Box pedals made the noise.
- Unplugged the input to the front of the first Sushi Box pedal to see if it was coming from upstream somewhere, but it persisted.
- Plugged them into the 250mA and 500mA ports on my power supply, but no dice there either.

I thought I'd gotten a defective Slampegg from the classifieds and was gonna go complain to the guy when I took this (unlisted) video that captures the sound, so that's why I only focused on the Slampegg in the clip. After taking that video, I just ran the Space Heater -> Detective and the noise was still there (although slightly different behavior). There just doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason that I can think of other than just 2 or more Sushi Box pedals. Thoughts?

Shoot me a PM or email with pictures of the circuit boards on your Slampegg and Space Heater. If they're older they may not have the polarity protection fix, causing ground loop issues that result in noise, squealing, etc.

If they do have the fix it may be something else wrong that I should take a look at.

 

[Mr_McBride]

Oh cool…Thank you

That is an interesting topic actually.
I am one of those guys who moved to 12s from 10s. I still love 10s, but I think for a lot of players it was ‘form factor’ more then anything else.
As long as the design of the cabinet and drivers delivers a tight tone with fullish (I don’t think that is a word) then I’m good.

I tired some of that greenboy full range stuff and for me, (I’m only speaking for me, I’m not putting it down) I never liked one I have tried.

Like anything, not all 12’s are created equally.
I’m not a fan of 112 boxes, I prefer a larger cabinet then a 112. (I don’t care how many you have).

For a solid venue, I will use (2) 212s.

If I had a arena tour and the tour manager sad transportation was not really an issue. Well my next call would be calling GK asking for (4) 410 CXs .

Thank you for sharing your opinion.

On the rare occasion when I do get to play through an amp, I have a 2x10 and a 4x10. I much prefer the deeper voice of the 4x10.

I mostly play direct these days, so the journey/search for the amp/cab tone in a pedal is real.

 

[kcducttaper]

Appreciate the quick responses! I gotta practice for rehearsal right now, but I'll def check that out!

 

[bassbrad]

Tube rolling experiment: Several months ago I purchased several variations of 12A*7 pedals to see what the results were in various pedals in an attempt to tame them a bit. One variant purchased a JJ ECC83MG or 12AX7MG that is a mid range extended tube. "ECC83 MG is 12AX7 with Mid-gain, which means fuller and richer mids achieved by medium long plate. It provides a milder sound than the regular ECC83. Very low noise and microphonics." I finally got around to trying it and I'm glad I did.

I put in in my 1st issue UA and what a change in response. The voicing of the TMB tone stack is changed as well as the gain being lowered. Mids are broadened and boosted while both the treble and bass were reduced. On fretted bass it was not a welcome change but for guitar it really sings.

But the real sweetness happened on my Seymour Duncan Jazz Stack V equipped Squier VMFJ the enhanced mids and dampened highs are perfection and the reduced gain allowed more variance on the saturation and the added depth really grounds the tone. Win!

 

[Bassgeer]

Hey Sushi Society,

I recently picked up a 3Leaf Octabvre. I currently use a Finally first in my chain and feed the Pre Out signal into my pedalboard. I've been experiencing issues where even when there is no signal coming from my bass, the Octabvre seems to be getting pulses of signal that cause glitch artifacts, and I've narrowed it down to the Finally being the culprit. When I switch it to Dry Pass, the issue totally disappears. So there appears to be something in the Pre Out signal that is triggering the Octabvre to try and track a note, even though there is no audible sound.

Any ideas or thoughts? Or is it just generally bad practice to run tubes before an octaver?

 

[eeyorebass]

Hey Sushi Society,

I recently picked up a 3Leaf Octabvre. I currently use a Finally first in my chain and feed the Pre Out signal into my pedalboard. I've been experiencing issues where even when there is no signal coming from my bass, the Octabvre seems to be getting pulses of signal that cause glitch artifacts, and I've narrowed it down to the Finally being the culprit. When I switch it to Dry Pass, the issue totally disappears. So there appears to be something in the Pre Out signal that is triggering the Octabvre to try and track a note, even though there is no audible sound.

Any ideas or thoughts? Or is it just generally bad practice to run tubes before an octaver?

I'm curious why you run the Finally at the beginning. If you use the XLR, none of your effects will be in the signal. Do you run two lines, clean and affected?

 

[chiphaleonbass]

Hey Sushi Society,

I recently picked up a 3Leaf Octabvre. I currently use a Finally first in my chain and feed the Pre Out signal into my pedalboard. I've been experiencing issues where even when there is no signal coming from my bass, the Octabvre seems to be getting pulses of signal that cause glitch artifacts, and I've narrowed it down to the Finally being the culprit. When I switch it to Dry Pass, the issue totally disappears. So there appears to be something in the Pre Out signal that is triggering the Octabvre to try and track a note, even though there is no audible sound.

Any ideas or thoughts? Or is it just generally bad practice to run tubes before an octaver?

I typically run the Octaver as early in the chain as possible so that no noise or artifacts trip its ability to track. Compression is about the only thing I put before it and I find that it helps the tracking as the signal I'm sending is well.. compressed. SO I'm sure you're going to get the question of, how are you powering everything, are you using a bass with single coils or one that has an inherit noise, how driven are you running the finally and how loud? I recently picked up a Finally and it's practically silent in all applications, but I'm usually using pickups that are in a humbucking configuration or using split coils

 

[KPopOnBass]

I recently picked up a used Space Heater and a Finally... do I qualify for the Secret Society now? I ran out of power cables (poor pedalboard planning, LOL) so I haven't used them together yet, but one at a time, at low gain, they're giving me exactly the warm, full tone I've been seeking for a long time. Big fan, total convert.

But... I'm having an issue with the Space Heater that makes it unusable, and I'm looking for advice on what to troubleshoot. It keeps "cutting out", not completely, but like with an ~80% reduction in volume. This happens for maybe 5-10 seconds at a time, then it'll be good for another minute or two, then another few seconds out. It happens long after any warmup period. Where do I look for causes? Am I underpowering it? It's in a 200 mA @ 9V plug in a OneSpot power supply, so it "should" be able to get the recommended 250 mA. Do I need "the fix" for polarity or something? Could the tube itself be going bad? It is not that old (August 2022), the previous owner seems very trustworthy and says they did not have a problem with it. When I use the Finally in the same position, just as a gain and ignoring the DI, it works great. Any troubleshooting advice appreciated.