Zvex Box of Rock

This little unit is based off the Marshall JTM45 unit from the 60's. And I think they have done quite well on this thing. It has a great classic rock tone that sounds fantastic in front of a clean amp or even in front of a dirty amp on a clean boost. The circuit is a boost and an overdrive in one unit. So it is like having two boxes in one.

UTILIZATION

The Controls:
Drive: Sets the amount of distortion. Start around 1:00 o'clock.
Tone: Adjust for treble content. Start around 2:00 o'clock.
Vol: Adjust for distortron engine volume level. Start around 9:00 o'clock.
Boost: Sets the boost level, which is engaged with the left stomp switch. Start around 11:00 o'clock.

The Drive and Boost controls are based on the original Super Hard-On gain control, so they may crackle when turned. This is perfectly normal. The super hard on is a great pedal as well.

Operation:
Plug your guitar (or any effect’s output) into the right hand input jack. Plug the output into an amp or other effect’s input. Rock out. Careful with the Boost setting when using a high-powered amp with lots of headroom... you may be shocked at how loud it can get!

The best way to complete this pedal is to run it through a Marshall amplifier on a warm clean setting (try strapping the channels, setting the volumes below 3, and setting all other controls to 6 as a start point), which has the proper voicing to reveal the "rock" in the Box of Rock.

Battery Change:
If the performance of your pedal seems diminished or the LEDs become very dim, it's time to change your battery. Remove the four screws on the bottom of the pedal and carefully remove and replace the old battery, putting it back exactly in the center of the pedal on edge so that it is gripped tightly by the lid when it is screwed back in place.

Specifications:
Uses 1 9V battery (preferably alkaline, but the unit is shipped with a carbon-zinc battery.) The low current operation of this pedal's circuit will give you a long battery life. Current draw is approximately 3mA. A DC power jack (standard Boss configuration with center negative) is provided on the side of the pedal. Use a high- quality 9V adaptor for all high-gain effects!

Warranty:
All hand painted Z.Vex pedals have a lifetime warranty.

SOUND QUALITY

The sound quality is remarkable! I am not a fan of distortion boxes, but this thing has a sweet warm tone than is very reminiscent of the classic rock albums from the 60's and 70's. Slap a Gibson SG in front of it and you;ll get a solid AC/DC tone for days. Or try a Les Paul and back off the drive to about noon and great a great Pete Townsend or Jimmy Paige tones.

OVERALL OPINION

I am a big fan of this pedal. I like most pedals from Zvex with a few exceptions. This is must own for anyone who needs a solid overdrive pedal that can do a boost and distortion. There are a few different versions of this pedal but all of them have the same circuit inside. At new these units come in at around $330 for the hand painted. A bit higher than some of the other hand painted pedals from Zvex. I am exactly sure why that is the case, but they are great pedals, but it might have something to do with having the Super Hard On circuit inside as well. I highly recommend this pedal to any guitar player.

The Zvex Box of Rock is a great little distortion pedal that is designed for electric guitar. I haven't used it for anything other than guitar, so this review will be focused on the application of the pedal only, which is indeed it's intended use anyway. There is a Vexter Series version of this pedal, but this review is for the original. It's an analog pedal consisting of 1/4" connections for input and output, and a nine volt battery compartment. It isn't rackable since it's a foot pedal.

UTILIZATION

You don't need to have all that much experience in order to operate the Zvex Box of Rock. The parameters should be familiar to most users who have used distortion pedals before, which is somewhat strange for a Zvex pedal since usually they have some wacky parameters. I guess that since this was their first distortion pedal they decided to keep it nice and simple. The setting controls that it has are for boost, volume, tone, and drive. It has a separate boost switch for engaging that feature of the pedal, which is separate from the main distortion section. I didn't need help from a manual to use this, and don't think anyone will unless you're just starting out.

SOUND QUALITY

In general, the sound of the Zvex Box of Rock can be described as being a full and transparent distortion effect. It's definitely a traditional distortion/clean booster at heart, great for all types of rock music and behind. I'd say it's best for getting a classic rock sort of distortion sound, but it's versatile and can certainly be used across the board. The clean boost is also a great addition to the Box of Rock, as it sounds great for giving your lead parts a little extra something.

OVERALL OPINION

The Zvex Box of Rock is pretty much the perfect distortion pedal for getting classic distortion sounds. It's not reinventing the wheel or anything like that, but it's got a super transparent and thick sounding distortion effect that almost any guitarist will love. While definitely a bit expensive, if you take a listen to this pedal you'll understand why it is, and it's because it's simply a very well made pedal with a professional distortion sound. I've got no real complainants here, as I'd use the Box of Rock for all my classic distortion sounds if I owned one...

This is a distortion/fuzz pedal for guitars. It is an analog pedal made by Zvex, a lesser-known company with an excellent reputation amongst those in the know. There are two 1/4" connections, input and output. There are no midi or computer editing capabilities and the pedal is not rackable.

UTILIZATION

This pedal has four knobs (drive, volume, tone, and boost) and has two switches (one for the effect itself, the other for the boost feature). Utilizing this pedal is really easy, and in fact, it is probably one of more awesome pedals to use live that I've encountered. This mainly has to do with the boost feature, which, combined with a fantastic sounding distortion, is quite useful in a live scenario. I often find myself wishing for a boost of some type when using my big muff, as it's loud but doesn't always ring out over the sound of the instruments. This pedal solves that problem quite nicely.

SOUND QUALITY

This pedal has a fantastic sound. There is a phenomenal amount of distortion with this box. The levels range from a reasonably heavy, classic-rock type sound, to a full on sonic assault. Combine that with the boost feature and you have a fantastically capable pedal. This pedal is capable of heavy distortions for ringing out chords, blistering leads, as well as lighter distortions as well. I wouldn't recommend it as an overdrive as it tends to usually be just too heavy for that. The distortion is comparable to the big muff, but with more flexibility and an added boost feature.

OVERALL OPINION

I like the great sound of the distortion this box provides, as well as the boost feature. At $200 it's really pricey, but it will probably be able to replace one, if not two of the pedals in your board. This is a truly fantastic pedal that will hold up well over the years. I'd recommend using it with some humbucking guitars like a Les Paul or a PRS. It also tends to sound better with a Marshall-style tube amp than a brighter Fender one.

The Box of Rock is an overdrive pedals mulant the grain of the Marshall JTM 45 "pushed back".

This amp is the prfr Zack Vex. The JTM 45 was released in 1963. In the era Jim Marshall and his son Terry (o JTM) are based on the Fender Tweed Bassman 5F6A 1959 dcident they offer simply a copy. Indeed, following the embargo amricain, instruments from the United States are difficult to import and trs trs expensive. The first Marshall amp silent team of 5881 power tubes, alternative classic 6L6, KT66 and then, the European equivalents. The head office was based on a 4x12 "closed back with Celestion HP. The combo 2x12" open back and two HP Celestion Blues Breaker ft nicknamed as used and popularized by Eric Clapton at within the Blues Breakers by John Mayall. These amps are closer to the Fender (including the Bassman) in their design and sound and high gain Marshall sound that everyone at the top. It comes with a new circuit and the adoption of English EL34 power tubes in the JTM 50 Plexi.

The choice of Zack Vex is a bit unusual: it is a transition from amp Fender and Marshall, Marshall more than a typical high gain. We must know.

- Manufactures and hand painted in the United States Zvex
- Fully analog
- Volume, tone, drive, boost
- Switch on / bypass and boost
- 9V battery powered, consuming little trs (typical Zvex) or sector (growing at frquent Zvex)

As usual, quality manufacturing and finishing irrprochable. Ecrin cloth box with red and fantasy ds welcome the pedals. No one is more original and chic. We really feel that the Zvex pedals have t factories specially for us.

UTILIZATION

The use is very simple. No need to book. Even when the Read (Zvex available on the site), it is, as usual, trs drle.
Typical home Zvex, the Drive control "cracks" when it is running: it's normal.
For the rest, not rocket science. Most.

SOUND QUALITY

Prcis as in the introduction, the JTM 45 is an amp plutt blues-rock R'nB ', that big rock mtal like modern Marshall.
It's actually more than an overdrive distortion. The CONTRL gain is gradual and the sound palette tense. Tone of the CONTRL content mdium correct if necessary. The boost can be used for parts Lead.
Here we find the heat of an overdriven amp lamps: superb! And once will not hurt, no oddity ZVexienne type buzz, squeeze, or other curiosities grsillement sound CHRE Zack Vex.
The noise made crmeuses are warm and go from crunch to overdrive lightweight type supported AC / DC, but not beyond.
Perfect for the blues-rock and vintage rock. For the high gain modern rock, the pedals, as its inspiration, a fair bit, especially with single coil pickups (low output).

OVERALL OPINION

An overdrive of high quality that reproduces the sound very warm and Fidler crmeuses the legendary JTM 45 (personally, I have a '59 Fender Bassman 5F6A Tweed Deluxe, Fender Twin Amp Tweed a 57 'and Marshall JVM 410, so I can get a fairly accurate ide). Magnificent.

Remains the choice of the name of the pedals and the choice of amp REFERENCE: plutt Box of Blues and Rock Box of R'nB 'as Box of Rock. For the big rock, it is indeed pushing the drive up. It loses the fabulous sounds of ventail overdrive perfect for blues and R'n'B '.

The price? That of excellence. Otherwise Zvex now offers the most variety Vexter democracies.