Black Box

William Griffith · Post by **William Griffith** » 18 Dec 2004 6:28 pm

Hello, Could someone tellme what is and what it does.Thanks Bill

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 18 Dec 2004 6:40 pm

It's a preamp/buffer unit that uses a tube to get a "tube sound".

Pat Carlson · Post by **Pat Carlson** » 18 Dec 2004 7:16 pm

Is the Black Box available for a rack mount set up ?

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 18 Dec 2004 8:37 pm

I don't think so.

Moved to 'Electronics' section.

Bobby Boggs · Post by **Bobby Boggs** » 18 Dec 2004 10:47 pm

Patrick the black Box can of course be used with a rack set-up but it's not available as a rack mount unit.Wish it was. Maybe Brad could work on that idea this winter.Hint Hint,

Grayson Joe · Post by **Grayson Joe** » 19 Dec 2004 12:22 pm

Mike Johnson was useing one of those black boxes at the Magee,Ms. Steel guitar jam the 11th of this month, and i must say his tone was very sweet and clean, he ran from his foot vol.to the black box and then to one Nashville 400 amp. no effects, mabe some amp reverb? anyway, it made a steel sound like it suppose to. i were told it give,s the tube sound, plus keeping the strings even on on tone and out-put.

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Joe Grayson,Monticello ms

Brad Sarno · Post by **Brad Sarno** » 19 Dec 2004 3:30 pm

Lots of info at:
www.steelguitarblackbox.com

I don't make a rackmount unit for it because it has no controls on it and doesn't really need to hog that space up. There are a few guys who have mounted it inside the back of their racks, behind the mounted gear. I think they strap it in there somehow. Mine sits on the floor a few inches to the right of my volume pedal. I wish it could be smaller, but the beefy power supply is kind of bulky and it needs to be that big because of its layout.

Thanks,
Brad Sarno

Jackie Anderson · Post by **Jackie Anderson** » 19 Dec 2004 7:26 pm

I like mine on the floor beside my volume pedal so I can see that cool little blue light!

William Griffith · Post by **William Griffith** » 20 Dec 2004 1:58 pm

Thanks very much for your replys. Bill

Bill Llewellyn · Post by **Bill Llewellyn** » 20 Dec 2004 6:14 pm

Ah, for the love of that little 12AX7....

Brad Sarno · Post by **Brad Sarno** » 20 Dec 2004 7:29 pm

Or 12AU7....

Brad Sarno

William Griffith · Post by **William Griffith** » 20 Dec 2004 8:19 pm

Hello, Does this Black Box add power to your amp or just change the tone? Bill

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 20 Dec 2004 9:11 pm

William, it doesn't add gain to the signal to the amp, but I would put the effect of the Black Box as one of *not* changing your tone. So that the amp sees as close to the optimal tone from your steel as possible, minus the tone suck from your chords and effects.

I'll post a longer review when I have time to do more a/b testing, but what I have seen from my Black Box is a dramatic improvement in tone from the steel when played into a transistor amp (adds tube warmth), but the biggest improvement into my tube amps has been the reduction of tone suck (from effects, mainly).

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www.tyack.com

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 21 Dec 2004 2:42 am

In the old days guitars and lapsteel plugged right into amps, and sometimes had no potentiometers.

So the pick up connected right to a simple tube 1st stage.
This gave a pleasing tone, because the tube to pick-up interaction was unimpeded.

The BB gets pack to that early philosophy of direct interaction.

The BB does give a very slight gain increase over unity,
but negligable relative to your pick up or line sources output level.

Still with this pickup / tube interaction before all other devices,
the warmth is saved,
and then you can manipulate it as you wish later.

I use tube preamps in the studio when ever possibly for this same reason.
and especially when recording digitally.

Another reason to not have a rack mount unit, is you make a shorter wire connection between the BB and your pickup.
2 foot cable from steel to BB then 1 foot cable to volume pedal,
and right off to your amp or effects unit.

I have suggested a clip for the legs of the steel.
[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 21 December 2004 at 02:46 AM.]

Larry R · Post by **Larry R** » 21 Dec 2004 8:03 am

TONE SUCK
Now that's a new one I haven't heard. But I's gettin' smatter.