overdriven-board pedals: JHS Colour Box, Jext Telez white...

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overdriven-board pedals: JHS Colour Box, Jext Telez white...

Post by preservation » Wed Aug 02, 2017 6:02 pm

so far the only pedals i'm aware of that can make that Beatles "Revolution"/"Helter Skelter" sound
is the Jext White & the Colour box.

are there any alternatives ? any clones ?
i adore the sound but they cost a pretty penny !

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Re: overdriven-board pedals: JHS Colour Box, Jext Telez whit

Post by fuzzjunkie » Wed Aug 02, 2017 7:10 pm

The one I chose will also cost a pretty penny, the Throbak Overdrive/Boost, based on the Colorsound Overdriver. There are other overdriver clones, but it is the most versatile. I'm not sure that the others can get those Beatles tones. It can and a whole lot more.

The cheaper choice, and a really good one if you just want those tones is the Lumpy Lemon Drop. AKA Lumpy ZII and Electrik Majik 7 (or something like that). It does all those papery fuzz to fuzzy overdrive tones. Specifically designed to mimic the preamp on those hybrid Vox amps used by the Beatles and Jimmy Page. I considered it until I got the ODB.

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Re: overdriven-board pedals: JHS Colour Box, Jext Telez whit

Post by bubba899 » Thu Aug 03, 2017 8:11 am

Pretty sure the JHS crayon is just the overdrive section of the colour box, so should get the sound you're after. Still pretty expensive, but not as much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OOsukp7K7o" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I mean... reverb seem to think so anyway.

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Re: overdriven-board pedals: JHS Colour Box, Jext Telez whit

Post by preservation » Thu Aug 03, 2017 8:22 am

i just love how these boxes have that attack/sputter/decay over 99.9% of other overdrives i've tried.

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Re: overdriven-board pedals: JHS Colour Box, Jext Telez whit

Post by preservation » Thu Aug 03, 2017 8:28 am

hrm... even that MXR Badass Variac fuzz gets pretty close in some ways...

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Re: overdriven-board pedals: JHS Colour Box, Jext Telez whit

Post by MechaBulletBill » Thu Aug 03, 2017 10:19 am

I've never tried a demo tape fuzz but your description made me think of it? might be worth a look

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Re: overdriven-board pedals: JHS Colour Box, Jext Telez whit

Post by somanytoys » Fri Aug 04, 2017 10:24 am

fuzzjunkie wrote:The one I chose will also cost a pretty penny, the Throbak Overdrive/Boost, based on the Colorsound Overdriver. There are other overdriver clones, but it is the most versatile. I'm not sure that the others can get those Beatles tones. It can and a whole lot more.

The cheaper choice, and a really good one if you just want those tones is the Lumpy Lemon Drop. AKA Lumpy ZII and Electrik Majik 7 (or something like that). It does all those papery fuzz to fuzzy overdrive tones. Specifically designed to mimic the preamp on those hybrid Vox amps used by the Beatles and Jimmy Page. I considered it until I got the ODB.
I've seen you post about that Throback O/B a few times before, and it's really got me interested, to the point that it's not just on my wish list but one on my "next" list.

I've got the Colourbox, and I like it, and I have some of Keeley's Black Glass mk iii pedals for fuzz, but I still think that the Throback will be something nice and different, it seems to have much more of a range to it. I also have a Catalinbread Galileo, which is supposed to mimic Brian May's Vox with a treble booster slamming it, and maybe it's just because I'm not opening up the tubes on my amp enough, but it always seems a little too trebly to me to really enjoy, even with the treble fully down.

What were the hybrid Vox amps, what exactly was it that was hybrid about them?
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: overdriven-board pedals: JHS Colour Box, Jext Telez whit

Post by somanytoys » Fri Aug 04, 2017 11:15 am

I think I just found something about those hybrid AC30s - they had a JFET (solid state) preamp going into a tube power amp? Interesting.
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: overdriven-board pedals: JHS Colour Box, Jext Telez whit

Post by marqueemoon » Fri Aug 04, 2017 11:28 am

There's the API TranZformer. It has an input gain and a master, so theoretically you'd be able to push it a little, but it's not really marketed as a dirt box. Also huge and expensive.

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Re: overdriven-board pedals: JHS Colour Box, Jext Telez whit

Post by takeittothemall » Fri Aug 04, 2017 11:45 am

somanytoys wrote:
fuzzjunkie wrote:The one I chose will also cost a pretty penny, the Throbak Overdrive/Boost, based on the Colorsound Overdriver. There are other overdriver clones, but it is the most versatile. I'm not sure that the others can get those Beatles tones. It can and a whole lot more.

The cheaper choice, and a really good one if you just want those tones is the Lumpy Lemon Drop. AKA Lumpy ZII and Electrik Majik 7 (or something like that). It does all those papery fuzz to fuzzy overdrive tones. Specifically designed to mimic the preamp on those hybrid Vox amps used by the Beatles and Jimmy Page. I considered it until I got the ODB.
I've seen you post about that Throback O/B a few times before, and it's really got me interested, to the point that it's not just on my wish list but one on my "next" list.

I've got the Colourbox, and I like it, and I have some of Keeley's Black Glass mk iii pedals for fuzz, but I still think that the Throback will be something nice and different, it seems to have much more of a range to it. I also have a Catalinbread Galileo, which is supposed to mimic Brian May's Vox with a treble booster slamming it, and maybe it's just because I'm not opening up the tubes on my amp enough, but it always seems a little too trebly to me to really enjoy, even with the treble fully down.

What were the hybrid Vox amps, what exactly was it that was hybrid about them?
+1 on the Throbak Overdrive Boost. It's the most versatile pedal I've owned. I had the one-switch version years ago, sold it for no reason except a desire to try something new, and recently bought a new two-switch version after realizing that I needed at least three pedals to replace it.

It can be preamp, EQ, clean boost, dirty boost, overdrive, and tone-bender-like fuzz. And it does each one really well. Because it does so much so well, it's a great at-home pedal. It's a little less useful in a band setting, only because you can only use one to two settings at a time. If you're looking, I'd suggest the newer version with two switches. Keep an eye out for a used one, because the new price will set you back a ways.
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Re: overdriven-board pedals: JHS Colour Box, Jext Telez whit

Post by somanytoys » Fri Aug 04, 2017 1:30 pm

Thank you, after looking at it, that's the one I was thinking of going with. I don't buy too many pedals used, unless they're discontinued, and I'll gladly pay new price for that if it's worth it. I have other pedals that have a lot of possibilities, but unless they're really easily switched, I tend to find one unique tone and go with it, and use other things for the other sounds - that's why I like that this one is more unique. I appreciate the additional info, it helps pour fire on the GAS. Now, just to get the money lined up...
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: overdriven-board pedals: JHS Colour Box, Jext Telez whit

Post by preservation » Fri Aug 04, 2017 3:53 pm

went with the Crayon, but if it doesn't "work" i'll try the Throbak

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Re: overdriven-board pedals: JHS Colour Box, Jext Telez whit

Post by fuzzjunkie » Fri Aug 04, 2017 4:32 pm

+1 on the Throbak Overdrive Boost. It's the most versatile pedal I've owned. I had the one-switch version years ago, sold it for no reason except a desire to try something new, and recently bought a new two-switch version after realizing that I needed at least three pedals to replace it.

It can be preamp, EQ, clean boost, dirty boost, overdrive, and tone-bender-like fuzz. And it does each one really well. Because it does so much so well, it's a great at-home pedal. It's a little less useful in a band setting, only because you can only use one to two settings at a time. If you're looking, I'd suggest the newer version with two switches. Keep an eye out for a used one, because the new price will set you back a ways.
Before I bought mine I read posts where guys liked it so much that they wanted to buy a second one, to have one set dirty and the other clean, and stack them as well. Mine did replace 3 pedals (SHO, vintage Rat, 3 knob Tone Bender). You can put it anywhere in your chain, depending on what your use is, and it stays dynamic. It runs just fine off battery or power supply. Note that I have had it oscillate after an unbuffered wah when set to germanium, but not silicon.

I'm able to get 3 settings out of it without tweaking knobs. Pre-gain on in silicon mode/ pre-gain off in silicon mode/ and pre-gain off in germanium mode. That gives me a vintage sounding boost, a fuzzy edged overdrive, and a MK-1 tone benderish fuzz that I can roll back my volume knob to clean up.

The bass and treble controls are very musical and interactive. While my settings are a bit of a compromise for 3-1 live use, I would tweak each a little in the studio to get something perfect, but it's close as is. My settings add a bit of Marshall crunch to my Vox by adding some bottom end all the way up to a Beck in the Yardbirds/Mick Ronson type tone. It can, as I've read on TGP, do something akin to a Klon or Timmy at clean settings, Fender BF with a bit more gain and Rust Never Sleeps tweed tones with things cranked on the germanium side. It's very amp like but not an amp sim pedal.

I've found all those tones with mine and many others. I don't usually stack fuzz, but this thing takes other pedals really well or can boost going into them. It works equally well with my AC-30 and Bassman.

So this is not a total thread derail, set to a fuzzy overdrive on the silicon setting and adjusting the two tone controls to give a thinner sound, I can get Hey Bulldog and What is Life fuzz tones as well as some early Zeppelin depending on the guitar .

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Re: overdriven-board pedals: JHS Colour Box, Jext Telez whit

Post by somanytoys » Mon Aug 07, 2017 8:33 am

Nice, nice info, it's all very much appreciated. The Throbak O/B has definitely moved up to be one of my next pedals. You don't find that the Throbak has to go first with the germanium? All of my fuzzes seem to need to be first in line that are germanium, which are most of them - even the Catalinbread Karma Suture ge version that I have seems to get wonky if there's a buffer or almost anything pushing anywhere in front of it. Not a big deal, it is what it is, and I am very partial to the germanium sound and willing to let it be the first pedal.

After reading/posting on this thread, I pulled out my Colour Box over the weekend to check it out. I intended to try it out in one of my guitar chains again, but instead plugged it into my current home bass chain, after my Rusty Box and into a looper, to see the differences between the 2. It's pretty amazing. The Rusty Box gets that very nice Traynor sound, but the Colour Box gives a distinctly different sound that I really like on the bass. I recorded a bass loop to drums, and played a few guitar loops and parts along with it, it sounded great (the other, older bass loops were all done through the Rusty Box). Next I want to split the dry signal, send one through the Colour Box to the clean amp, and send the other to my Traynor, and see how those 2 sounds blend. I'm thinking that they will be very complimentary to each other.

Just in case anyone's interested, on the Colourbox, I think I had the step either all the way up or 1 step below max, and the pre-vol (gain) most of the way, maybe at 3:00 or more. The Rusty Box was set to a pretty high pre-gain and low volume - I can't remember if I had the switch set to hi or lo, but it's all about taste anyway.

One day I'll have have to give the Colour Box another run with guitar, but it'll have to be very impressive to come off the bass.
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: overdriven-board pedals: JHS Colour Box, Jext Telez whit

Post by jorri » Mon Aug 07, 2017 2:38 pm

Has the Bogner pedals been mentioned? I found them a bit more intriguing than the JHS for use as standard pedals at least. The 'oxford' 'wessex' and 'burnley' pedals as fuzz, overdrive and distortion involving Neve designed transformers. I think there's a few more options like a boost and compression too.

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