Sushi box Black Eye

[Mentaltossflycoon]

Build Rating

5.00 star(s)

I picked this up immediately upon release and built it up pretty quickly but set it aside when all the talk of screechy times was going around. Figured I could show restraint and see how that played out. After what sounded like a giant headache, @vigilante398 was kind enough to send me a Cornish buffer 3pdt twitch so I bashed this up just now. Fired up first time, no squeals to be found on my rig. I've only tested with my pbass through my bass rig so I don't have a lot to say about the sound. Gains up my bass with unsurprisingly, a fair amount of low end loss. I expect it to slay with my guitar when I get a chance to be loud loud. Props to you on a great diy project. This was my first tube build so I'm feeling . Now there's a Space Heater in my sights.

I considered drilling a pattern into the enclosure to show the tubes but I decided that I don't need to be a show off. Secret tubage. Also, yep you guessed it, it's a Max Ernst collage. I should start branding these Art Thief Audio or something.

 

[Dan0h]

Awesome. Glad you got your tube badge.

 

[Mentaltossflycoon]

Ooooeeee I got to play my tele a bit, low volume through a blues deluxe. This thing sounds amazing. I've honestly never plugged it a big gainy amp like a soldano, my previous was an early 70s twin reverb so.... very very not at all similar. I've been considering acquiring something with humbuckers to test gear like this. An sg would feel more appropriate than a Charlie Christian neck pickup.

I hooked it up to my cheapo bench power supply as I was curious to hear the difference with a 9v 100mah output and yes, definitely necessary to have 500mah.

 

[vigilante398]

I picked this up immediately upon release and built it up pretty quickly but set it aside when all the talk of screechy times was going around. Figured I could show restraint and see how that played out. After what sounded like a giant headache, @vigilante398 was kind enough to send me a Cornish buffer 3pdt twitch so I bashed this up just now. Fired up first time, no squeals to be found on my rig. I've only tested with my pbass through my bass rig so I don't have a lot to say about the sound. Gains up my bass with unsurprisingly, a fair amount of low end loss. I expect it to slay with my guitar when I get a chance to be loud loud. Props to you on a great diy project. This was my first tube build so I'm feeling . Now there's a Space Heater in my sights.

I considered drilling a pattern into the enclosure to show the tubes but I decided thatI don't need to be a show off. Secret tubage. Also, yep you guessed it, it's a Max Ernst collage. I should start branding these Art Thief Audio or something.

View attachment 34493View attachment 34494

Excellent, looks great and glad you like it I placed the order for a lot more Cornish buffer boards as they seem to do the trick, I'm hoping to have them in hand by the end of next week, at which point they will go out to EVERYONE that ordered a Black Eye PCB. I can also open ordering back up for the boards as I've had a few people ask me when they would be available again.

 

[Mentaltossflycoon]

I decided I've been overusing those black and metal slim knobs. I figure since the first one of these I ever saw was the one @vigilante398 posted, I might as well go with burgundy also.

 

[Mentaltossflycoon]

Update: I now know why I thought my pickups might be too weak to fully appreciate this pedal... Sadly the buffer board was flawed so there's a new one happening soon, @vigilante398 your efforts are appreciated.

The good news is that this pedal sounds better than I originally thought. I rewired it without the buffer, threw my behringer uv300 in front and went to town. I haven't been getting much done on projects because I'm chugging out over here on my jazz tele. Sounds a LOT better on bass than I thought too. I'll be taking it and my space heater to a rehearsal tomorrow so that'll be super duper.

 

[Quirkey]

Excellent, looks great and glad you like it I placed the order for a lot more Cornish buffer boards as they seem to do the trick, I'm hoping to have them in hand by the end of next week, at which point they will go out to EVERYONE that ordered a Black Eye PCB. I can also open ordering back up for the boards as I've had a few people ask me when they would be available again.

Definitely looking forward to ordering one!

 

[Mentaltossflycoon]

I bought a black eye board set for a friend and in return he 3d printed a few window screens/ grill insert things when he made his own. Figured I should fancy up the box a little while adding the buffered daughterboard (which works flawlessly, thanks @vigilante398). However, that extra effort pushed it back in my queue a bit but.... finally I present The Pink Eye.



I didn't like the pink of the plastic next to the "raspberry sparkle" I had on hand so I hit it with the krylon metallic dark metal to darken it up before a light spritz of the razzz.

 

[Harry Klippton]

WEDGE WEDGE WEDGE

 

[Mentaltossflycoon]

WEDGE WEDGE WEDGE

I swear, it sounded better after I put on the knobs.

 

[Harry Klippton]

Also good to know that only 3 wedges fit in a landscape 1590bb or whatever

 

[benny_profane]

Also good to know that only 3 wedges fit in a landscape 1590bb or whatever

Just make sure they don’t go

 

[Mentaltossflycoon]

Quick update:

I changed both of the 1uf out for 47uf as @Betty Wont mentioned elsewhere. Not sure how I went this long without hearing about this mod but it sure sounds better on bass now. I wasn't really thinking about using this pedal for bass when I built it but now it's absolutely coming to my next rehearsal for further low end decimation. To think I almost mailed it to a buddy on the east coast...

 

[jimilee]

Quick update:

I changed the 1uf out for 47uf as @Betty Wont mentioned elsewhere. Not sure how I went this long without hearing about this mod but it sure sounds better on bass now. I wasn't really thinking about using this pedal for bass when I built it but now it's absolutely coming to my next rehearsal for further low end decimation. To think I almost mailed it to a buddy on the east coast...

Everything is a bass pedal for us 4 stringers.

 

[vigilante398]

Everything is a bass pedal for us 4 stringers.

It's true, but there are certainly things we can do to make them better for us four stringers, including improving the low frequency response of the gainstages.

 

[Feral Feline]

What I'm curious about is the HUGE difference between the 1µF and 47µF.

Would 2µ2 or 4µ7 not suffice?

 

[vigilante398]

What I'm curious about is the HUGE difference between the 1µF and 47µF.

Would 2µ2 or 4µ7 not suffice?

Depends on how low you want your frequency response to get. 2.2uF still gives you a low end roll off around 100Hz, 4.7uF puts it around 60Hz, but 47uF puts it at like 5Hz. 47uF is what I typically use for bass preamps. The stock 1uF value Soldano uses rolls off around 120Hz which is great for preventing a chuggy guitar from getting muddy, but doesn't do us four-stringers any favors.

 

[Mentaltossflycoon]

I figured I'd add some further thoughts here. I recently got a krivo magnetic upright pickup and haven't gotten much building done since I installed it. I gots blisties on me fingies. Anyway, I've been enjoying the more even response string to string. With the adjustable poles, it's more even than it is acoustically (1954 Kay C-1 plywood wonder bass) but also my electric upright with a Schatten piezo. This means it interfaces much better with my pedals, especially bass heavy dirt boxes. While the EUB is less prone to feedback, it also sounds like shit with most of my dirts. It's actually why I bought a sodameiser waaay back because it was like, demolish the signal or go home.



So I've been going through all my filth and I really like the modded black eye on upright. Honestly, this actually irritates me as it'll force me to upgrade my power supply. Can't complain about thick dirty upright without filling my basement with terrible feedback, though. Also, no surprises that my favorite fuzz, the moonn lofran is the other standout.

Did another quick and dirty. Even with the amp off it rattles the room a bit. So I'm just playing a little acoustic, then I turn on the amp, then the black eye.

Upright w krivo > Tonebone Bassbone > Black Eye > Equilux > ampeg pf500 with barefaced super twin cab. Recorded on crap Samsung.

Listen to upright through modified sushibox black eye. by Mentaltossflycoon on #SoundCloud

upright through modified sushibox black eye.

demo, just a quick taste of a 1954 Kay upright bass acoustically, then through a krivo magnetic pickup into a clean ampeg pf500, lastly I turn on a sushibox black eye modified for bass. recorded on

on.soundcloud.com

The settings.

 

[Feral Feline]

I figured I'd add some further thoughts here. I recently got a krivo magnetic upright pickup and haven't gotten much building done since I installed it. I gots blisties on me fingies. Anyway, I've been enjoying the more even response string to string. With the adjustable poles, it's more even than it is acoustically (1954 Kay C-1 plywood wonder bass) but also my electric upright with a Schatten piezo. This means it interfaces much better with my pedals, especially bass heavy dirt boxes. While the EUB is less prone to feedback, it also sounds like shit with most of my dirts. It's actually why I bought a sodameiser waaay back because it was like, demolish the signal or go home.

View attachment 50463

So I've been going through all my filth and I really like the modded black eye on upright. Honestly, this actually irritates me as it'll force me to upgrade my power supply. Can't complain about thick dirty upright without filling my basement with terrible feedback, though. Also, no surprises that my favorite fuzz, the moonn lofran is the other standout.

Did another quick and dirty. Even with the amp off it rattles the room a bit. So I'm just playing a little acoustic, then I turn on the amp, then the black eye.

Upright w krivo > Tonebone Bassbone > Black Eye > Equilux > ampeg pf500 with barefaced super twin cab. Recorded on crap Samsung.

Listen to upright through modified sushibox black eye. by Mentaltossflycoon on #SoundCloud

upright through modified sushibox black eye.

demo, just a quick taste of a 1954 Kay upright bass acoustically, then through a krivo magnetic pickup into a clean ampeg pf500, lastly I turn on a sushibox black eye modified for bass. recorded on

on.soundcloud.com

The settings.

View attachment 50464

HOW DID I MISS THIS POST!?!



Whew, did it just get haught in here, lyke rillayrillay HAWT!?

I need a smoke, wait I don't smoke — tobacco... I gotta smoke something...
Hmm wonder if I go over to Mom's whether she still has some Jazz Cabbage...?

Could you show off more of that fingerboard? (ie the rest of the bass)


Sorry NOT sorry for this year old bump and grind... LISTEN TO THAT CLIP!

 

[Mentaltossflycoon]

HOW DID I MISS THIS POST!?!



Whew, did it just get haught in here, lyke rillayrillay HAWT!?

I need a smoke, wait I don't smoke — tobacco... I gotta smoke something...
Hmm wonder if I go over to Mom's whether she still has some Jazz Cabbage...?

Could you show off more of that fingerboard? (ie the rest of the bass)


Sorry NOT sorry for this year old bump and grind... LISTEN TO THAT CLIP!

Many jazz cabbages were harmed in the process of building this pedal.

Here's a few more pics. So, my mother bought this for me from a family friend who's father was principal bass for the portland opera and her brother a bassist for the Chicago Lyric Opera, she herself a violin and violist/educator. I'm not sure whether either of those bassists played it much but I like to think it was the family back up/student loaner. Could just as easily be something she bought more recently but it definitely shows signs of handling by many many noobs. Certainly been through hell, lol. I had it set up well but I've kept the aesthetic as received because it's funny to me.

Firstly, the dots are not placed "in tune." The further from the nut, the bigger the lie. I have referred to the permagunk on this side quadrant as "custom frappucino wood figuring."




Another favorite detail, the tuners are labeled incorrectly in pencil. Also, here's Svenson on the Steiny 'cause it and he are more handsome than my beloved crusty bass. I need better lighting, damn....