ZVEX Box of Rock - What's more betterer?

JDE

I've been using a BOR for a while now as a rhythm crunch pedal. In general, I really like it, there's a nice range of usable gain and volume, overall, it's a little bit dark for me but not awfully so, and since i've got a SHO before it in the chain which is always on it brightens it up a bit anyway. It stacks really well, sounds good with HB and singlecoil guitars, all good in the hood.... So why am I looking for something more betterer? I don't use the boost function - I love the SHO circuit, but since I have no more clean headroom left on my amps, I don't get a volume boost, and I prefer to run my boosts before my drives anyway, so a boost section isn't necessary for me. I don't particularly like the horizontal design (corksniffery there).
I have a Menatone Ms Foxy Brown on the way, which i'm keen to match against it, and i've tried an embarassingly large amount of drives, which all seem to be better for playing leads than rhythm, IMO. Due to the dirty nature of my amps, I don't want to add to much gain or compression, definitely not too much more midrange. Contemplating just going back to using boosts, which I think I prefer to OD's now, but I like the increased flexibility of drives - EQ, gain, volume etc.

The closest i've found to what i'm looking for is:
Red Llama - awesome, but a bit too dark.
Les Lius - awesome, but a bit too bright. Although I have another clone on the way.
Catalinbread Formula No. 5 - right saggy gain/crunch, but too bassy and too much output.
Menatone Workingman's Blue - too dark.
JHS Morning Glory - not enough gain and a bit too bright.

Basically, an early Marshall/Tweed kind of sag-filled crunch is the goal, which isn't too bassy. Anyone got any suggestions? I am mainly using a Tele, soon to be an Esquire. I sometimes use a Peerless 335-style guitar. I use two Blues Jr's in stereo these days.

Sorry for the long and boring ramble, but i'm at work waiting for a meeting to start...

lustycourtier

I use a Danelecrto V1 Transparent overdrive. Reminds me an awful lot of the BOR, but without the SHO. I got mine for £20 recently. In fact, I use it with a SHO lol.

DarnWeight

Red Llama or Tube Sound Fuzz drives do sound good for that tweedy-crunchy-with-just-a-hint-of-fuzz thing.  There're a couple of derivatives which are voiced a bit differently, which might get you what you're after with a little less bass heaviness.  The Catalinbread HyperPak is a RL tweaked for a brighter sound, but it's also a bit tighter and barkier, maybe a little bit Hiwatt-ish...also they clean up amazingly well, if that's your bag.  Think you can only buy this one as a DIY kit now though.  Also, on the cheap, you could try the EHX Hot Tubes (the new Nano one)...again a RL/TSF-based circuit, but more gain and a smidge brighter from the demos I've heard.  Switchable tone control looks useful on that one, too.

JDE

Lusty, I had a V1 TOD ages ago - a trade with Photek, IIRC. Apart from hating the design, I can remember nothing about other than it reminded me a bit of a Blues Driver at lower gain settings. Will have another butchers.

Will look into the Hot Tubes and Hyperpak, thanks Darn. The problem I have is a lot of the pedals I like sound absolutely dogshit on demos, but nice in real life. The official EHX demo of the Hot Tubes is awful for my ears. Same with the demos i've heard of the Fairfield Barbershop (which I loved when I had one), the BOR, the Llama - all pish on demos. I take most demos with a grain of salt anyway, but all these drives seem to favour dirty amps, I don't know why so many people play them on a clean amp?

monquixote

Try the Distortron. 

It doesn't have the SHO which I never used, but it does have the useful subs and high gain modes. 

JDE

Actually toyed with getting a Distortron before I got the BOR, but wanted the darker tone at the time. I actually suspect I'm going deaf and am craving treble.

photek

I haven't found much that bettered the BoR, Lovepedal amp11 kicked it of my board for a while then a CM plexitone then a wheebo JCM Drive but i always end up going back to the massive bass thump with the BoR.

ThePrettyDamned

It gets mixed reviews, but I genuinely feel it holds its own against boutique types.  

Marshall GV-2.  @Mike_l has my old one, and it sounds massive for medium gain Marshall sounds.  It's got that 70's - 80's style crunch nailed, very versatile eq, great mids and the resonance and bass controls help make it sound huge (or woofy and muddy, if you push them up too much).  

Defniitely worth a go.

JDE

A/B'd the Hot Tubes against my BOR today. BOR still the one to beat. In fact since I Esquire'd my Tele on Saturday, the BOR actually sounds better. Will see how I get on with the Mena Foxy Brown when I get it.

mark_jwedge

If you feel your heading more towards boosts but like the flexibility and eq potential of drives you could try an xotic rc boost or tc electronic spark boost but not the mini one. Very transparent boost but with eq controllable and capable of adding a nice bit if dirt

DarnWeight

JDE said:

A/B'd the Hot Tubes against my BOR today. BOR still the one to beat. In fact since I Esquire'd my Tele on Saturday, the BOR actually sounds better. Will see how I get on with the Mena Foxy Brown when I get it.

Love to hear your thoughts regarding the Hot Tubes...I'm a fan of Llama/TSF-ish drives, and the demos sound different enough from a RL to have me intrigued.

Also, maybe stacking an MXR Dist+ or DOD 250 in front of the BOR would help?  Neither has a ton of extra level available, but IMO they both excel at kicking things up a notch into a drive/amp that's already cooking.

photek

DarnWeight said:

Also, maybe stacking an MXR Dist+ or DOD 250 in front of the BOR would help?  Neither has a ton of extra level available, but IMO they both excel at kicking things up a notch into a drive/amp that's already cooking.

This is a good tip. I also love a TS9 in front to goose it a bit.

JDE

I have a grey 250 clone in pieces in a parts box somewhere, I think I cocked it up so I abandoned it - might have to have a dig. I have stacked the BOR with a couple of TS9/808 based pedals with good results, the Luther Drive being the best, but that stacks well with basically everything. I've been boosting the BOR with a treble boost lately and it's bloody ace, better than the SHO. Never tried the Xotics, will have a look. They all seem nice! The Hot Tubes wasn't really like I thought it would be. It actually sounds more like a Coloursound Overdriver type thing, more than the Llama. It was a bit brittle/splatty on its own, better as a boost. The one I tried was quite noisy, except when maxed, then it almost gated. Would be great with a dark, dirty amp. Again, sounded good boosting the BOR.

John_A

photek said:

I haven't found much that bettered the BoR, Lovepedal amp11 kicked it of my board for a while then a CM plexitone then a wheebo JCM Drive but i always end up going back to the massive bass thump with the BoR.

+1  Went through a phase of adding new drive pedals on a far too regular basis and the BOR is always the one I come back to

JDE

@DarnWeight I played a pedal I reckon you'll absolutely love today. A little Lovepedal Woodrow clone. Recommended.

photek

Damn you all. I am going to have to get another BoR now! I thought I was over it but this thread has brought the memories flooding back )

preston61

Lazy J cruiser. Versatile enough to get pretty much any mild overdrive you want. Fattens up single notes nicely and with the gain high gives a corking crunch for riffing or Keef style play.

JDE

@photek if I ever find anything better, you can buy mine. Its killing everything else at the moment though. Half an hour with my Peerless and the BOR made me no longer want to sell the guitar. It's the pepto bismol of gear - makes GAS disappear. @preston61 they look amaze but very expensive. Also, I'm yet to hear a decent demo or play one in the flesh.

smudge_lad

JDE said:

@DarnWeight I played a pedal I reckon you'll absolutely love today. A little Lovepedal Woodrow clone. Recommended.

I seen them on the bay recently, looked like a cool little pedal!

I have had 3 BOR's and like @photek, thought I was over them.......but now I really want another!

DarnWeight

JDE said:

@DarnWeight I played a pedal I reckon you'll absolutely love today. A little Lovepedal Woodrow clone. Recommended.

No!  Don't, I've got the DIY bug bad enough as it is!  I've looked at a few Electra-based circuits before (like the COT50) but haven't got round to building any yet.  The parts count is so low on these that I've probably got most of what I need already.  I was pretty much set on building a Fingerprint Fuzz clone, but I'm sorely tempted to bump a Woodrow ahead of it now.

JDE

If anyone reading this bought my COT50 off eBay (old handmade and gooped version with external psu socket fitted to the battery snap), i'll buy it off you - cheers for reminding me what a superb mother that pedal was, @DarnWeight.

@smudge_lad - i'm gonna send the Woodrow to Darn for a bit, when I get it back, i'll post it to you to have a bash on if you want? If you can get one on the bay for cheap, though, it's well worth it. Always handy to have something like that kicking about for overdubs. You still got the Plexitone? Would sound the bomb stacked with it.

Seeing as this thread has been a bit of a success (in my thread terms, anyway), I feel an update is in order. I got the Menatone Ms Foxy Brown from out good friend @swlabr today - hot shit, that drive is awesome. Pretty much exactly what I was looking for. Also sounds great with the BOR (damn you, Vex). The Mena is on the board straight away. And i've never said that about any drive. Makes me miss my old Workingman's Blue. I hate myself.