The Baby Blues Distortion/Boost, is Rockbox founder Chris Campbellās attempt at crafting a highly versatile distortion.
Rockboxās head honcho Chris Campbell has certainly seen his fair share of industry success. As the former Marketing Director for Dean Markley, Campbell has been in the music industry since 1971. While working with artists throughout the years, he received a ton of input from guitarists about tone. Since starting Rockbox, Campbell has taken those decades of input and poured them into his own designsāmost notably with his successful Boiling Point Overdriveāwhich have found their way onto the pedalboards of Elliot Easton, Richie Sambora, Jimmy Vivino, and other pros. Campbellās newest creation, the Baby Blues Distortion/Boost, is his attempt at crafting a highly versatile distortion.
Sonic OptionsThe Baby Blues is one of Rockboxās more feature-laden pedals. Thereās a ton of versatility on hand, with three knobs for Gain, Tone, and Volume, as well as switches for Overall Boost and Treble Boost, and two independent Drive settings, plus an internal variable resistor, which can further fine tune the tone.
The two Drive switches engage drastically different distortions. The first is more compressed with a noticeable scoop in the midrange. The second is less compressed and more mid-laden, giving it considerably more volume. The tone can be shaped further with the two Boost switches, making the Baby Blues one of the most versatile pedals in Rockboxās lineup. The uses for the pedal are stretched even further with its clean boost possibilities, which can be dialed in when both of the Drive switches are off. Yet even in that mode, monstrous amounts of distortion are available, if the situation calls for it.
With a name like Baby Blues, youād think Rockboxās newest distortion would be a prime tool for classic, low-gain playing. While thatās correct with some settings, the pedal is capable of so much more. Thereās an unreal amount of distortion buried within its circuit, with some settings putting the box with its swirly blue paint job into heavy metal territory.
Inserted between a 2011 Fender Blacktop Stratocaster and a Mesa/Boogie Multi-Watt Dual Rectifierās clean channel, the Baby Blues stung, sang, and soared with an incredible bite and powerful presence. I was able to coax some rather convincing Vox-ish tones out of it with the second Drive stage and Treble Boost switched on, plus a slight amount of gain thrown in for good measure.
Some of the pedalās best tones came from driving my ampās clean channel slightly with the pedal pushing at max volume, with only the Overall Boost and first Drive stage switched in. With the right rig and these simple settings, you can produce some very rich, heavenly single-note tones, Ć la Terry Kath.
After grabbing a 1978 Gibson Les Paul Custom, I dove into the highly compressed first Drive stage, cranked the Gain knob and flipped on both Boost switches. Some seriously heavy tones emerged from the depths of the Mesaās clean channel, with a grind reminiscent of early Alice in Chains dirges. Having a switch to boost the mids in this mode would have been great, as higher drive settings caused the tone to muddy up a bit.
The VerdictThereās certainly nothing babyish about the Rockbox Baby Blues. It can go from clean, chimey boosting to howling distortions with easeāand then some. The first Drive stageās compressed gain could use a little more midrange for harder riff rock, but thatās a small quibble in comparison to the rest of the tones the pedal has to offer.
Buy if...
youāre after a versatile, organic distortion pedal thatās not afraid to hang with soulful blues and hard rockers alike.
Skip if...
a simple, single-gain overdrive or boost is all you need.
Rating...
Street $349 - Rockbox Electronics - rockbox.com |
Our November Pedal Roundup doesn''t stop with the 37 pedal reviews from our print issue! We''ve got 12 more bass and guitar pedal reviews for your enjoyment online-only!
Our November Pedal Roundup doesn't stop with the 37 pedal reviews from our print issue! We've got 12 more bass and guitar pedal reviews for your enjoyment online-only!
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Catalinbread CB30
Creepy Fingers Effects Fuzzbud
Daring Audio Edge Activator (Bass)
DigiTech Whammy DT
Earthquaker Devices Dispatch Master
Levana Bunker Booster (Bass)
Line 6 M5 Stompbox Modeler
Quinnamp Dirt & Ernie
Rockbox Electronics Baby Blues
T-Rex Gull Wah
Whirlwind Perfect Ten
PG's Brett Petrusek is On Location at the 2011 NAMM Show where he visits the Rockbox Effects booth. In this segment, we get to see and hear a demo of their newest stompbox--the Baby Blues Overdrive.
PG's Brett Petrusek is On Location at the 2011 NAMM Show where he visits the Rockbox Effects booth. In this segment, we get to see and hear a demo of their newest stompbox--the Baby Blues Overdrive.