New pedal day - MI Super Crunch Box

firepaulmusic

Just thought I'd share my thoughts on a new drive Pedal I've just bought. The MI Super Crunch Box now sits on my pedal board with a BB Preamp and Suhr Riot feeding a Carr Slant 6V combo. I'd never sell the BB as it does the low gain crunch thing so well. However the SCB is giving the Suhr a run for it's money already. It can do everything the Riot can easily but just with so much more versatility and 'life' in the sound. For a start the 3-position comp switch takes it from Riot style heavy crunch through to super saturated gain laden OD, fab! It has a tone knob, fair enough, but the presence control is what turns it into a Marshall-in-a-box. £99 from Andertons for this (smaller than expected) box of overdrive fun is IMO a steal.

Lew

Sounds like a decent price :-)

shuikit

I have one too and am very happy with it, the only thing that's annoying is the volume difference when you change the 3 way switch meaning, for me at least, it doesn't get changed unless I'm at home noodling.

Dave_Mc

Nice. Been hmmming and hahing (as usual) about one of these for a while... I don't use pedals that much. )

firepaulmusic

If it had the option to change between all three comp settings with three foot switches and no volume differences it would be bloody brilliant (MI Audio are you listening?)

Dave_Mc

I think changing the volume is going to happen if it's doing what I think it's doing, that's sort of unavoidable (or at least unavoidable without making the circuitry a lot more involved and expensive).

monquixote

I've had a Super Crunchbox and I think it's very good value for an excellent pedal. There are a few things I didn't like about it:

The different comp modes are so massively different in level and the output level of the low comp mode is completely insane and hair trigger so it would be much better if they'd attenuated it a bit because I don't think anyone is going to use it on full beans unless they are insane.

I didn't really like the high compression mode, it sounded very dull, but the standard and "plexi" modes were really very nice though slightly lacking in bass end chug.

I also found the tone and presence were very interactive to the degree that it was a bit tricker than it should be to dial in. 

It's a fairly similar pedal to the Riot in terms of gain levels and sounds, but I prefered the tones available from the Riot even though the Crunchbox was more versatile. It's perhaps not surprising that they are similar as I believe they are both derived from the Guv'nor pedal.

Dave_Mc

^ Yeah I think they both are, though I think they're (maybe) a fair bit different, too. The cheapo joyo clones I have of each don't sound a million miles apart either.

monquixote

Dave_Mc;285689" said:

^ Yeah I think they both are, though I think they're (maybe) a fair bit different, too. The cheapo joyo clones I have of each don't sound a million miles apart either.

The us dream sounds quite different to the riot.

The super crunch box is also a good improvement to Mooer cruncher I had

Dave_Mc

yeah i think the US dream is meant to be smoother (right?), though i haven't tried the riot

and yeah the supercrunchbox has a fair few extra switches etc. over the bog standard crunch box

xSkarloey

I have the Joyo deluxe crunch, which is their basic Crunchbox clone with a presence control.

I like it on lower gain. I have to be careful if I turn the gain up though: it's the kind of pedal where I'm liable to pick up Heathrow Air Traffic Control or Beijing Drivetime.

monquixote

Skarloey said:

I have the Joyo deluxe crunch, which is their basic Crunchbox clone with a presence control.

I like it on lower gain. I have to be careful if I turn the gain up though: it's the kind of pedal where I'm liable to pick up Heathrow Air Traffic Control or Beijing Drivetime.

The Deluxe Crunch is a Plimsoul clone. 

The "Crunch Distortion" is the Crunchbox clone.

xSkarloey

@monquixote

Really? Either way I'm thinking of getting rid (and getting a radio scanner to eavesdrop on ATC instead).

Dave_Mc

^ Yeah that's what I've always heard too (haven't tried the deluxe crunch).