rockbox

Rockbox’s 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 designs—most notably with his successful Boiling Point Overdrive—which have found their way onto the pedalboards of Elliot Easton, Richie Sambora, Jimmy Vivino, and other pros. Campbell’s newest creation, the Baby Blues Distortion/Boost, is his attempt at crafting a highly versatile distortion.

Sonic Options
The Baby Blues is one of Rockbox’s more feature-laden pedals. There’s 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 Rockbox’s 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.