The Sushi Box FX Secret Society

[DrHooper]

Is there normally some high end loss with tubes? I have an Underground Accelerator & enjoy the tone I get from it but I notice that it does limit some of the higher frequencies from my instrument which in turn effects other pedals in my chain. Is this common?

In general, no, tubes do not reduce high end.
That said, the UA is a bit darker than other preamps I use. (I run three with a custom switcher; UA, DW, SVPre). The DW is extremely bright by comparison. I tend to use the UA where a darker, less modern, vintage, (insert fav descriptor of old school tone) is most appropriate. I let the skinny-stringers handle the high stuff; not my job. I've set it to give me a very touch sensitive breakup, that never gets 'grindy', just 'furry'.
The DW, by contrast, and in the manner in which I use it, gives me a modern, scooped tone with big big bottom, and glassy highs. I don't have much occasion to drive it into distortion, but it can do that well.
One last point: placement seems to matter quite a bit. In early experiments, it could sound very different, depending on what was in front of/behind it. I run all three very near the end of my chain, now, as I like being able to push the pre with various dirt/comp/boost pedals, rather than the other way 'round.
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[JBarz]

Pardon me if this has been discussed before, but Nathan @ Sushibox - have you ever considered selling your preamps as kits? I love building microphones and preamp kits - it's like adult legos if you have a little soldering chops. I only have your Slampegg now (and am very happy with it), but I would probably be ordering a new kit every other month if I could... Maybe you could brand them a little different (ala "Bentobox") to differentiate from the Sushibox line that you have quality control over... Just spitballin'. Thanks for what you do.

 

[CH Design]

Pardon me if this has been discussed before, but Nathan @ Sushibox - have you ever considered selling your preamps as kits? I love building microphones and preamp kits - it's like adult legos if you have a little soldering chops. I only have your Slampegg now (and am very happy with it), but I would probably be ordering a new kit every other month if I could... Maybe you could brand them a little different (ala "Bentobox") to differentiate from the Sushibox line that you have quality control over... Just spitballin'. Thanks for what you do.

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[JBarz]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Super cool - thank you!

 

[Sushi Box FX]

Pardon me if this has been discussed before, but Nathan @ Sushibox - have you ever considered selling your preamps as kits? I love building microphones and preamp kits - it's like adult legos if you have a little soldering chops. I only have your Slampegg now (and am very happy with it), but I would probably be ordering a new kit every other month if I could... Maybe you could brand them a little different (ala "Bentobox") to differentiate from the Sushibox line that you have quality control over... Just spitballin'. Thanks for what you do.

I got my start into pedal building with DIY forums, so I try to support the fellow DIY-ers out there. I won't offer anything that is currently available as a finished pedal, but I will try to continue offer cool tube things for people to build as there aren't a lot of DIY tube pedal projects out there. I don't offer full kits as it can be time consuming to put them together, but I do provide links to all the components you need as well as detailed instructions.

I eventually would like to have the DIY stuff a little more separate from the main Sushi Box "brand", and my eventual intention is to have my daughter run that side of the business when she's a little older. She already packages most of the circuit board orders and comes with me to the post office, but I think 9 years old is a little young to handle things by herself. But she's sharp and motivated, and she's already put together a couple pedals herself (a fuzz and a delay). I have cool kids.

 

[mrperkolator]

Anyone have any demos of the glass butterfly? Curiosity of a tube phaser/envelope filter has got my attention…

 

[lomo]

Anyone have any demos of the glass butterfly? Curiosity of a tube phaser/envelope filter has got my attention…

I don't have any samples but will say the GB is the best multimod pedal I have tried, by a wide margin...it's also the largest/ most power hungry and among the priciest. Note, however, that it does not include an envelope filter. It sounds superb and is highly tweakable. Its' phaser, flanger and delay are among my most favourite FX! Combined with a good envelope filter, it provides a whole sonic universe. I run it with a micro Q-Tron or Josh Wah. Since the Josh Was also has integrated fuzz.....the possibilities with just those 2 are vast.

 

[lomo]

Totally off topic, but I remember someone asking about dimensions for the various enclosures that Nathan is using. I meant to post this earlier. Hopefully whoever asked finds this before it gets buried.

View attachment 5031173

Sushi Box FX ....just a friendly reminder to get the above posted to the S-Box site.

 

[astoryarc]

Is there a demo of the tube bass anywhere?

 

[CH Design]

@Sushi Box FX @Ryan L. @bassbrad

How similar is this to the JCE?

 

[Heikki L.]

Is there a demo of the tube bass anywhere?

If you were referring to the tube pickup, here is a playlist with samples:

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1pbgUzEKLMq8lIXwC0gNhin8LaZ0wMfD

If not, sorry for the off topic answer.

 

[astoryarc]

If you were referring to the tube pickup, here is a playlist with samples:

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1pbgUzEKLMq8lIXwC0gNhin8LaZ0wMfD

If not, sorry for the off topic answer.

Yeah not the valvebucker, that's not particularly interesting at that obscene price, but the Sushi Bass!

 

[Sushi Box FX]

Sushi Box FX ....just a friendly reminder to get the above posted to the S-Box site.

Noted, thanks for the reminder. I'm going to be stuck at the airport for 3 hours before my flight, I'll sit down and do some administrative stuff on the site for a bit.

Is there a demo of the tube bass anywhere?

I don't think so, I could certainly do one though. I mean it's a P-bass through a Space Heater.

@Sushi Box FX @Ryan L. @bassbrad

How similar is this to the JCE?

It's hard to really compare a preamp to a full stack since it's not really apples to apples, but I would say the inherent tone is similar.

 

[Sushi Box FX]

Website has been updated for actual enclosure dimensions instead of enclosure names.

I still have a note to add in some demos that people have made and agreed to let me post, but I don't remember how to do that It will probably happen after I get home, I need to go stretch my legs before my flight boards.

 

[Jeff Kissell]

…The current version of Slampegg Bee Pre uses a 12AX7, whereas the original Ampeg B-15N used a 6SL7 tube. Grand Slampegg uses a 6SL7 like the original preamp to get a more accurate vintage tone. It's delicious. You can get part of the way there by using a lower gain tube like a 7025 in a Slampegg, but 6SL7 has an extra je ne sais quoi.

Could you elaborate on this? I put a NOS 12AT7 in my HW Slampegg and I love it, definitely a more useful gain stage… how close are we talking?

 

[bassbrad]

@CH Design and anyone else interested: The JC Emerald has the phat saturation and crunch of that Bass version of the JCM800, the Deep and Brite switches help to tune in the right bottom and clank. With an amp sim I was able to closely match what was on the recording. For the 15" tone I used an SVT810 model switches off; for the 12" I used a Fender 4x12 brite switch on using my Zoom GCE3 interface. There is plenty of booty and crunchy bite for a driving rock tone. Gain at 10:00, bass 1:00, mids 1:15 treble 11:55.

The inverter (rectifier) mod and master power mod he did to the amp adds a just a hint of octave harmonic especially when he is playing chords or double stops that is not a component of the JC Emerald.

FWIW I have tube rolled the 12AX7 in the V1 position with a 12AT7 as I preferred that gain/saturation profile for my needs.

 

[Sushi Box FX]

Could you elaborate on this? I put a NOS 12AT7 in my HW Slampegg and I love it, definitely a more useful gain stage… how close are we talking?

That will put you really close as far as gain. 12AT7 has a gain factor of 60, 6SL7 has a gain factor of 70.

 

[JBarz]

I just put a Tung-Sol 12at7 in my Slampegg to give it a little cleaner gain for upright at Nathan’s suggestion. Much more usable gain stage, just like Jeff says. So pleased am I with Sushi box that I just went ahead and ordered a DIY kit (so excited!) and a “More” pedal to add a little tube warmth to my vocals (through the effects loop). Thanks again!

 

[Mighty Thumb]

Can’t open it until this evening Have to get all the yard work done while the weather is nice.

 

[Parzival]