Author Topic: Distortion booster? Updated Crunch box (Read 11423 times)

Henk · « **on:** November 20, 2007, 09:43:29 AM »

Hey guys,

Im looking for a distortion booster to use with my mules. Allready have overdrive boosters but for some new stuff im doing i think a distortion based sound would work out better.

As im going to use it as a booster it has to be unusually low noise, VERY TIGHT and SMOOTH. No grit, no crunch just smooth tone otherwise its totally unusable for what i have in mind. It should have a good volume boost, it doen not need high gain since i just need the tone of it. Reliability is also very important, cr@p switches and pots annoy me very much.

I have been listening to samples and pretty much figure the vintage rat from proco should work out fine, but thats only from listening to the clips.

I have to order this one so i cant check it out in RL, so if anyone has tried it i would be glad to hear their opinion.

Also i would like to know if there are alternatives to be considered, the classic rat sounds nice also, but the vintage one is allready true bypass i have read so that would be great.

Another option could be modding some boss(which i use mostly) pedal, i can solder very well, but dont have any experience with modding stompboxes.

Thanks in advance for your interest,

Kindest regards, Henk

EDIT: Link to vintage rat clips

http://www.zzounds.com/item--PRCVINTRAT

badgermark · « **Reply #1 on:** November 20, 2007, 09:47:37 AM »

I bought a cheap DS-1 and done the Keeley Ultra mod on it. Gives a nice range of sounds and is pretty quiet. Really responsive to picking too, strum lightly and it is almost clean, got some excellent string definition using Country Boys in my tele.

Done the mod myself using this guide: http://www.geocities.com/overdrivespider/DS1/keeleyds1.htm

Easy to do and components are cheap.

Twinfan · « **Reply #2 on:** November 20, 2007, 10:07:45 AM »

The MI Audio Crunch Box might suit you. It's a Van Halen type gain sound in a box and it's VERY smooth. It's the first pedal that sprang to mind when I read your post and I think it would suit you very well.

http://www.miaudio.com/CB2.htm

They're cheap too, which is nice.

gwEm · « **Reply #3 on:** November 20, 2007, 10:10:21 AM »

Quote from: Twinfan

The MI Audio Crunch Box might suit you. It's a Van Halen type gain sound in a box and it's VERY smooth. It's the first pedal that sprang to mind when I read your post and I think it would suit you very well.

http://www.miaudio.com/CB2.htm

They're cheap too, which is nice.

twinfan is right!

that pedal is a classic and you should certainly give it a go! as well as a van halen type distortion you can turn the gain down and it gets crunchy and gritty. its a really good design... (a bit of professional jealousy there ;) )

Henk · « **Reply #4 on:** November 20, 2007, 10:10:26 AM »

@ Badgermark: Ow wow great that would be doable, but i would need something exeptionally smooth and the keeley modded DS-1 does not have the sound im looking for in a booster.

If i run into a cheap DS-1 ill give this a try, sounds really good for a distortion pedal.

gwEm · « **Reply #5 on:** November 20, 2007, 10:11:51 AM »

Quote from: Henk

Ow wow great that would be doable, but i would need something exeptionally smooth and the keeley modded DS-1 does not have the sound im looking for in a booster.

If i run into a cheap DS-1 ill give this a try, sounds really good for a distortion pedal.

i have a modded DS-1 which i never use. interested?

g

badgermark · « **Reply #6 on:** November 20, 2007, 10:26:37 AM »

One thing about the Crunchbox, I found it really small and compact. TOO small and compact actually. Hitting the switch without wrecking the knobs would be a challenge for me. I have big feet.

Henk · « **Reply #7 on:** November 20, 2007, 10:37:24 AM »

Quote from: Twinfan

The MI Audio Crunch Box might suit you. It's a Van Halen type gain sound in a box and it's VERY smooth. It's the first pedal that sprang to mind when I read your post and I think it would suit you very well.

http://www.miaudio.com/CB2.htm

They're cheap too, which is nice.

DAYM!!!!

It pretty much sounds like my JCM800 which was not exactly what i was looking for initially.

However i MUST have this kind of sound to put trough my Bluesbreaker RI combo which sounds really nasty with an OD based booster!

Just cheacking some more MI stomboxes...

PS. ill keep it in mind gwEm

gwEm · « **Reply #8 on:** November 20, 2007, 10:38:47 AM »

Quote from: Henk

Quote from: Twinfan
The MI Audio Crunch Box might suit you. It's a Van Halen type gain sound in a box and it's VERY smooth. It's the first pedal that sprang to mind when I read your post and I think it would suit you very well.

http://www.miaudio.com/CB2.htm

They're cheap too, which is nice.

DAYM!!!!

It pretty much sounds like my JCM800 which was not exactly what i was looking for initially.

However i MUST have this kind of sound to put trough my Bluesbreaker RI combo which sounds really nasty with an OD based booster!

Just cheacking some more MI stomboxes...

it goes to more gain than a JCM800... after about 12 o'clock, it gets super smooth and saturated (regarding the MI CrunchBox here)

Henk · « **Reply #9 on:** November 20, 2007, 10:58:11 AM »

Quote from: gwEm

it goes to more gain than a JCM800... after about 12 o'clock, it gets super smooth and saturated (regarding the MI CrunchBox here)

I never use my boosters as a clean booster, and i think allmost all turn crunchy/gritty below noon settings so thats fine with me.

I have the 2205 JCM800 which is a 50 watter, it has two channels and i set the gain channel to a nice and thick drive, then use the booster on clean and drive channel to get leads or power cords etc, very complete setup for me.

Still wondering if someone used the vintage rat before, it sound alot more organic then the crunch box, would love that too since im playing alot of really old rock atm, and LOVING IT!!!!!

indysmith · « **Reply #10 on:** November 20, 2007, 11:02:31 AM »

I know _tom_ has a Keeley rat that he bought off of HJM (a name that you super old-skool BKPers will recognise). Hopefully he'll chime in soon

Henk · « **Reply #11 on:** November 20, 2007, 03:54:13 PM »

Listened to more keeley clips, the keeley rat sound like an overthe top fuzz distortion, sounds great but not what i need.

The SD-1 5-star modded is simply the best of the keeley's IMHO, it really kicks in just the right spot. Shame there is only the DS-1 mod online......

gwEm · « **Reply #12 on:** November 20, 2007, 04:41:58 PM »

Quote from: Henk

Listened to more keeley clips, the keeley rat sound like an overthe top fuzz distortion, sounds great but not what i need.

The SD-1 5-star modded is simply the best of the keeley's IMHO, it really kicks in just the right spot. Shame there is only the DS-1 mod online......

actually it is:
http://www.geocities.com/overdrivespider/SD1/stepfour.htm

but even the standard SD-1 is pretty good i think... even more considering the price. i would work with the standard one a couple of weeks first to see if you like it just the way it is.

theres also these kits:
http://www.monteallums.com/pedal_mods.html#bosssd1

which i can recommend.

i tried the standard monte allums kit and then tweaked it with some of the Keeley stuff, and added a couple of ideas of my own.

gwEm · « **Reply #13 on:** November 20, 2007, 04:52:57 PM »

heres the famous indyguitarist bleed fix

Henk · « **Reply #14 on:** November 20, 2007, 04:56:09 PM »

Quote from: gwEm

Quote from: Henk
Listened to more keeley clips, the keeley rat sound like an overthe top fuzz distortion, sounds great but not what i need.

The SD-1 5-star modded is simply the best of the keeley's IMHO, it really kicks in just the right spot. Shame there is only the DS-1 mod online......

actually it is:
http://www.geocities.com/overdrivespider/SD1/stepfour.htm

but even the standard SD-1 is pretty good i think... even more considering the price. i would work with the standard one a couple of weeks first to see if you like it just the way it is.

theres also these kits:
http://www.monteallums.com/pedal_mods.html#bosssd1

which i can recommend.

i tried the standard monte allums kit and then tweaked it with some of the Keeley stuff, and added a couple of ideas of my own.

Man.... my SD-1 will get modded, definately.

Its not that i dont like the SD-1 as it is, the OD-1 is smoother which is what i need in my setup.

Maybe you can understand if i put it like this, i set my jcm800 to a moderate gain level, you know that unbeatable oldskool rock sound, then i boost certain frequencies, usually the high mids (which the OD-1 does without tone control), this way you can switch from rythm to lead without changing the actual sound much and thus retaining as much as possible of the original amp sound. Still an overdrive pretty much covers the high spectrum, but i also need a destortion to cover the lower spectrum.

The booster you use HAS to be as neutral as possible otherwise it will destroy the amp sound, with the SD-1 the boosted tone get just noticably grittier and harsher, which is not what im looking for. Probably really puristic, but anyway.

Thnx for the info