EDIT: If you're reading this, I am already working on a new batch. I erroneously did not have a consistent volume throughout the gain stages. Upon hearing them here, I was unsatisfied with the distinction between gain stages and T2. I'm going to try adding some mids and redoing it. I'll post some files soon at my preferred settings for all gain and tone and if it sounds good I'll redo them all.
The Rusty Box. A pedal that needs no introduction, yet we always give it one. Immortalized during the 90s by bands such as The Jesus Lizard and Shellac and kept alive by contemporary acts like Idles and Kowloon Walled City, this pedal rusted in place forever claiming a seat in the throne room of legendary bass tones. I once saw in a description for a DIY version of this pedal that the circuit is designed to apply the gain stage to each EQ frequency independently, the combine them all before sending it to pedal output, which I'm sure is the same behavior of the Traynor TS-50B, the inspiration for this pedal. I'm no electrician but I have a feeling this design is what lends the Rusty Box its signature clang and grit.
I set out to make THE definitive Rusty Box NAM. My first plan of attack was going to have 90+, and after quick consideration I decided to scale it back and provide and even 24. In these files are two distinct tone settings, one bass focused and the other with the bass dialed back for a trebley, middy feel. These are designated as T1 and T2 respectively. I decided on three gain stages: one clean, one on the edge of breakup, and one saturated. The lack of boost and lo/hi switch captures on here is initially what prompted me to capture my own. The lo/hi isn't just a -15db pad. Mimicking the original lo and hi inputs on the TS-50B, HI offers full input level, a brighter response, and higher gain while LO gets you a reduced input signal via attenuation for softer highs and a cleaner low-end. The status of the switch in the files are denoted in binary.
I love this pedal. I hope I did it some justice with these profiles. Please leave me some feedback to make this better.
My preferred setup: G1orG2, T1, B0, L1
These captures used a 3rd Gen Scarlett 2i2, Saturnworks Reamp Box, v2 Rusty Box, George L cables, and Reaper.
Knob positions are in clock face notation:
Gain 1 (G1) = 9
Gain 2 (G2) = 12-1
Gain 3 (G3) = 4
Tone 1 (T1) = Treble_0-11, Bass_3, Mid_1-2
Tone 2 (T2) = Treble_1-2, Bass_10-11, Mid_1-2
Boost Off = B0
Boost On = B1
Lo On = L0
Hi On = L1
