This one has been a long time coming. A little over 5 years now. It all started back in 2005 when I was working at a club in Deep Ellum in Dallas, Texas. I spent hours talking with guitarists and bassists before and after their sets. Picking their brains about what they wanted in a piece of guitar hardware that didn't exist. All of that has led me to this unique piece of hardware.
The Multisonous Amalgamation Device aka. M.A.D. Box. It is by far the most ambitious device I have ever made. Enjoy.
CopperGear is proud to present the M.A.D. Box. The Multisonous Amalgamation Device. A unique handmade tube based guitar pedal mixer. Never before has a guitarist had such control over their sound, be it on stage or in your garage.
Simply plugin your guitar and up to six pedals into the M.A.D. Box then plug it into your amp or recording device and enjoy the freedom to mix, overlay, or layer to your hearts content. You will never need to record the same guitar track multiple times with different effects again. Side chain your pedals or mix down separate pedals independently. Layer your sounds like never before in realtime. Perfect for live gigs.
For example: use one pedal to create a solid distortion and send it to the mix, now setup a delay pedal to echo your clean guitar tone and side chain it to a flanger then mix it all down. The possibilities to fiddle around with are endless. ;)
With the tube, a 12AU7, being utilized as a pre amp and output stage amplifier you can get amazing warmth from your guitar. Use the pre amp stage to drive your pedals harder or even starve them to customize your sound even further. Even a 70's era signle coil pickup can sound like a powerhouse. The internal transistor based mixer is exceptionally quiet so all you hear is what you create.
Each channel from the bottom up consists of:
a pedal input and output (2 x nickle plated 1/4 inch jack)
a side chain input and output (2 x nickle plated 1/4 inch jack)
an input toggle (to change input from either main guitar or side chain)
an output toggle (to change output from pedal to side chain)
and a channel volume control so you don't have to affect the drive on some pedals by changing volume on the pedal.
Main controls are:
main input and output for connecting guitar and amp/recording device (2 x nickle plated 1/4 inch jack)
input volume controls the pre amp volume of the guitar signal
output volume controls the overall output volume of the device
CopperGear strives to blend the old with the new, and the M.A.D. Box is no exception. We have taken great pains to re-create old style circuitry and sound by not using any IC's (integrated circuits) in the audio path. And just like old synthesizers and telephone switch boards we have used the tactile experience of 1/4in TS jumper cables for side chaining different channels together. And, in sticking to tradition, there is no injection molded plastic to be found. The entire device is handmade from wood, copper, brass, and steel to hopefully bring you decades of dependable operation.
The M.A.D. Box is a culmination from years of suggestions, wishes, and dreams of hundreds of guitarists.
Thank you all.
The M.A.D. Box is finally here.
Included with purchase:
6 x 1' long 1/4" TS jumpers
1 x 12AU7 tube
1 x 15v center positive power supply
manual
Certificate of Authenticity
MSRP: $850.00
Available from:
Obsolete: New Version Coming Soon
could you run distortion or fuzz pedals in parallel with this device? it be awesome to also see a video of this with some one just noodling around with it! thanx
ReplyDeleteJoe
Hey Joe,
ReplyDeleteOf course you could run distortion or fuzz in parallel, up to six different pedals at one time. Or you could run four in parallel and side chain two of them down. Etc. etc. etc. I mean it's really up to you. If you can think it up a crazy mishmash of pedals this thing will probably let you do it. As for a video unfortunately everything I make I have to sell in order to continue building other things so I don't have one at the moment to make a vid. If someone orders one then I'll build it and make a nice vid. Sorry to dissapoint.
Steve G.
Is the tube actually running at plate voltage? And how long does it take to build?
ReplyDeleteThx!
Joe
The tube is running on a smidge over 12v. So it's not as big of a threat to human life as normal. A lot of people that run tubes at 18v or less seem to be stuck on using 12AX7's because that's what you typically find in a lot of full blown amps (with a gain of up to 100). To my ears a 12AX7 run at less than it's nominal sounds thin with a lot less of a low end. The MAD Box uses a 12AU7 (that tops out with a gain of about 20) which tends to handle the lower voltage without much thinning and a lot of low end. On top of that it's setup to run clean with as little internal distortion as possible. It's meant to add that smooth tube sound and give a boost to the volume.
ReplyDeleteI know this is probably more info than you were expecting, but when someone typically asks me the question about plate voltage this is the info that follows in the ensuing conversation. So I hope this covers it.
As for build time, it takes me about 3 weeks to make and test a MAD Box before I'll ship it out.
Any other questions don't hesitate to ask.
Steve G.
is it work at home and on how much voltage it need to run ?
ReplyDeleteIt comes with a power supply that connects to a 110v AC and outputs 18.5v DC the M.A.D. Box needs to run. And I'm sorry I don't understand what you mean by "is it work at home". Also wanted to let you know there is an updated M.A.D. Box coming out soon.
Delete