# Rockbox Boiling Point



## jmarquis (Jan 15, 2011)

Hello,

I currently use a Fulltone OCD as an overdrive (clean) and to tight my amp (Stevenson GTA-100) dirty channel. I'm shopping for another one to expand my possibilites and I heard the Rockbox Boiling Point was a good one. Anyone has one or tried one ?? What is your opinion about it ?


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

That's an awful lot of money for what is very likely to not be all that different from a great many other much cheaper units on the market. The paint job is nice, and I'm glad they use decent components, but honestly, there aren't many differences between many units on the market that can't be mimicked by turning the EQ on the amp a little this way or that. Or for that matter, sticking a simple little "clean" booster pedal like an MXR Microamp or EHX LPB-1 in front of your OCD.

When you say "expand my possibilities", what do you mean by that? Perhaps that might identify a more desirable or less costly candidate.


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## jmarquis (Jan 15, 2011)

Well basically I'd like to use my ocd mainly to give my clean channel some grit when needed and tight my dirty channel when I need that little extra mojo. I'm looking for a great overdrive/distortion that i'd like to use as a second "dirty channel". I used to have a framus dragon head. While being too metal for me, i loved the fact of having 3 channels for different drive sounds. That's the way I would like to use another great box. I was thinking of getting another ocd and to set it as a distortion because it's clear even with hi gain settings but I would like something different but as clear.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

I believe the RB BP is a modified Tube Screamer.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

keto said:


> I believe the RB BP is a modified Tube Screamer.


Sure looks like it to me. A lot of coin for a TS pedal. For that cash, you can get a Keeley or Analogman TS pedal or a vintage TS9 and still have cash left over. No thanks. 

If you like the OCD, why not get another one? Between the 4 versions of the OCD so far, there are some pretty significant tonal differences. Maybe try two different versions? Or keep the OCD as the pedal to grit up your clean and get a Timmy or something to tighten up your dirt (or vice versa). There's lots of pedals out there, no one needs to spend $400 on a Tubescreamer with some fancy paint.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

jmarquis said:


> Well basically I'd like to use my ocd mainly to give my clean channel some grit when needed and tight my dirty channel when I need that little extra mojo. I'm looking for a great overdrive/distortion that i'd like to use as a second "dirty channel". I used to have a framus dragon head. While being too metal for me, i loved the fact of having 3 channels for different drive sounds. That's the way I would like to use another great box. I was thinking of getting another ocd and to set it as a distortion because it's clear even with hi gain settings but I would like something different but as clear.


I'm still not clear.

Do you want the additional pedal to provide the tone fed to an otherwise clean channel, or do you want it to elicit dirt from the amp in a particular way?


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## jmarquis (Jan 15, 2011)

well the ocd does put some grit on my clean and tights my dirty channel. I just want another pedal to use as a distortion pedal. Like a second distortion channel (new pedal used on the clean channel of my amp).


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Okay, I'm a little clearer now. One remaining piece, though. What do you mean by "tightening up" your dirty channel? "Tighten" means many things to many people. What does it mean to you?


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## jmarquis (Jan 15, 2011)

well the ocd does it already. For some parts in my band's songs I need a little more gain and tighness to the sound. When I'm on the dirty channel and need that extra push, the ocd is used mainly for that purpose. It gives me a more focused sound. the new one will be used only for distortion.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I know you're trying, and I appreciate the effort, but it's that word "tightness" that is throwing me off. I honestly don't know what you, and about a thousand other people, mean by it. Some folks use it to mean a bass end that does not include too much content at the deep bottom. Other folks use the term to refer to a better alignment of fundamental and harmonic content. There is really no broad consensus as to what it is supposed to mean or consist of.


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## Ti-Ron (Mar 21, 2007)

Don't worry, mhammer's just trying to help you. He knows his tuff and can be really helpful!


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Merci de votre aide, monsieur!

"Gain" is another one that is often confusing and confused. Some people use "gain" to mean more distorted, where others use it to mean simply a hotter (louder) output from the pedal at maximum volume.

Mark

P.S.: Is Pierre-Luc Dusseault your MP now?


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## jmarquis (Jan 15, 2011)

Ti-Ron said:


> Don't worry, mhammer's just trying to help you. He knows his tuff and can be really helpful!


I know


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## jmarquis (Jan 15, 2011)

mhammer said:


> Merci de votre aide, monsieur!
> 
> "Gain" is another one that is often confusing and confused. Some people use "gain" to mean more distorted, where others use it to mean simply a hotter (louder) output from the pedal at maximum volume.
> 
> ...




I guess the OCD does bring out the harmonics and the signal is hotter when I use it with my dirty channel. However I'm looking for a pedal like the OCD but with more distortion on tap to use it as "another distortion channel". There is a bunch out there and i's hard to choose.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Then why not try making an PCD yourself, using this information - http://www.madbeanpedals.com/projects/EgoDriver/docs/EgoDriver_ver4.pdf - and a board from here: http://www.madbeanpedals.com/projects/index.html

I can talk you through modding it to get more distortion but the same basic OCD "sound".


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## jmarquis (Jan 15, 2011)

mhammer said:


> Then why not try making an PCD yourself, using this information - http://www.madbeanpedals.com/projects/EgoDriver/docs/EgoDriver_ver4.pdf - and a board from here: http://www.madbeanpedals.com/projects/index.html
> 
> I can talk you through modding it to get more distortion but the same basic OCD "sound".



I wish I was somebody good to make stuff like pedals, guitars ...


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

It's not that hard, really. And if you have a printed circuit board that shows you what part goes where, its even easier.

L'autre chose, si tu trouves un pédale avec un toneur que t'aimes, je peux t'enseigner comment améliorer le pédale. So on commence du point zéro, je suis d'accord, c'est un défi. Mais si on commence avec un PCB, des instructions, pi un "sensai", tous qu'il exige est un petit peu de courage, de l'espoir, des composants, et quelques outils.


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## jmarquis (Jan 15, 2011)

Interessant. Un clone d'OCD avec des composantes de qualité peut couter combien en matériel ?


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Je pourrais t'envoyer un paquet avec tout les composants (sauf le PCB, les boutons, la boite, "stompswitch") pour probablement $20 au maximum (frais postale inclu), et probablement beaucoup moins.

D'habitude, les composants représentent environs 10-40% du prix totale, dépendant de la complexité du circuit, les traits qu'on voudraient, taille ou type de boite, etcetera.

Actuellement, un grand pourcentage des frais vien des frais "shipping and handling", quand on achete des composants d'ici et la. Si je faisais un OCD pour moi-même, je pourais le faire pour $20 ou $25, en totale, parce j'ai tous les outils, tous les composants, des boites, et je peux faire mes propres PCB. Quand on commence du "point zéro", ça coute plus.


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## jmarquis (Jan 15, 2011)

mhammer said:


> Je pourrais t'envoyer un paquet avec tout les composants (sauf le PCB, les boutons, la boite, "stompswitch") pour probablement $20 au maximum (frais postale inclu), et probablement beaucoup moins.
> 
> D'habitude, les composants représentent environs 10-40% du prix totale, dépendant de la complexité du circuit, les traits qu'on voudraient, taille ou type de boite, etcetera.
> 
> Actuellement, un grand pourcentage des frais vien des frais "shipping and handling", quand on achete des composants d'ici et la. Si je faisais un OCD pour moi-même, je pourais le faire pour $20 ou $25, en totale, parce j'ai tous les outils, tous les composants, des boites, et je peux faire mes propres PCB. Quand on commence du "point zéro", ça coute plus.


Et quels seraient les outils de base a avoir ?


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## bduguay (Jul 15, 2009)

I don't know what you guys are saying even though my last name is Duguay and I should but I do know I can build that pedal for you should you decide to go that route.
B.


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Please keep in mind the forum is english only.


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

Hey Jmariquis,

Glad to see another Sherbrooker here!

A pedal that doesn't get a lot of press but is HIGHLY underrated is the Visual Sound Open Road overdrive. It goes from a great transparent low gain od, to a nice, articulate higher gain pedal for leads.

At this risk of spamming, I have one I am not using and could give you a local "deal" on it. OTOH, I know at least local music store that stocks one if you prefer to buy a new one instead. Even though it isn't on my board, I am not actively trying to move mine because it has a very wide range of good tones. Since you are local, I thought I would mention it since it Open Road sounds very much like something you want.

TG


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

bduguay said:


> I don't know what you guys are saying even though my last name is Duguay and I should but I do know I can build that pedal for you should you decide to go that route.
> B.


The short version is that it can be made cheaply, if a person already has the parts, or can source them all from one place (e.g., in kit form) and only pay shipping *once*. A person can get parts cheaply from various sources, but the postage/shipping can add up, if you have to go here for the board, there for the box, and there for the components.

I understand that it is important to have threads that everybody can follow. But I also understand that there are many francophone players who have more than enough English to be sociable, and can benefit from something a little more familiar when the talk gets technical It is, after all, a *Canadian* Guitar Forum, not an English Canada Guitar Forum. Your tax dollars paid for me to get language training. I figure if the language gap needs to be crossed now and then, so that a person feels welcome and supported, I'll cross it as needed. It's the hospitable and courteous thing to do. I'm all for courtesy.

jmarquis,
The minimum tools would depend on how much you want to do yourself. A soldering iron (outil de brassage), at least. If more than that, a drill press ( perceuse à colonne ), drill bits ( trépans ). If more than THAT, copper board, etching solution, and a plastic tank.

The Open Road, like many of the Visual Sound pedals, is designed by my long-time (20 years and counting) buddy, RG Keen. He always aims for maximum utility and lifespan. The switches on those things were several years in development.


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

mhammer said:


> The Open Road, like many of the Visual Sound pedals, is designed by my long-time (20 years and counting) buddy, RG Keen. He always aims for maximum utility and lifespan. The switches on those things were several years in development.


Cool! It really is a great pedal and I am not sure why it doesn't get more discussion. I think it slays the OCD and a few other "boutiques."

As for the other aspect of this thread, as an Anglo-only Quebecer (recently transplanted here), I was having fun practicing my French while trying to read your post. Much of it, however, was lost but I DID get some of it.

I may be the only person around who will learn French through Kijjiji! 

TG


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## bduguay (Jul 15, 2009)

Believe me, I'm kinda disappointed my Dad didn't push his bilingual abilities on us kids when we were growing up.
B.


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## Ti-Ron (Mar 21, 2007)

traynor_garnet said:


> As for the other aspect of this thread, as an Anglo-only Quebecer (recently transplanted here), I was having fun practicing my French while trying to read your post. Much of it, however, was lost but I DID get some of it.
> 
> I may be the only person around who will learn French through Kijjiji!
> 
> TG


I've met a guy inMexico who learn french via cheesy love novels! There's no bad way to get thru your goals.

Thanks mhammer for you open mind and courtesy!


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