JHS Pedals Colour Box v2

Okay, the JHS Colour Box is meant to emulate the sound of a vintage Neve console, and most of the knob layout reflects that. You get a parametric three band EQ (fixed Q, but selectable frequencies for all three bands), a high pass filter that is, sadly, useless for bass because the corner frequency is much too high – and you get a weird amount of options to influence the gain.

You have a gain knob that lets you add gain.
Then you have a stage knob, which lets you add gain.
And you have a Hi/Lo switch which … you guessed it.
I needed to play around with these to really make out the differences, but you can make that thing sound pretty kaputt when you max out all the gain options and dime the EQ.
The EQ is my Achilles Elbow. Three bands, all of them parametric. If you’re giving me that many options, please let me have four bands. I’d love to push the lower bass, but then have a dip in the early hundreds to push back the mud – and then a bit of a boost around the 550-600 area for a firmer seat in the mix and a bit of 1k on top for definition. Only you have to choose between the 120Hz push back and the 575Hz boost, you won’t get both.

Right now, I’d say you can milk a sizzle from the unit that is nothing much to pamper the educated ear when played solo, but is very sweet once the drums join in and the sonic space fills up a bit.

One thing that I really miss when playing through the Box is, ironically, colour.
It’s one of these units that basically do nothing when the EQ is at noon and the gain in pre-breakup levels.
I much prefer fewer knobs with fewer options and a baked in sound that does what I want.

Usually, when I play one of those pedals that I really like, the first impression gives me an idea and a direction.
You listen to the pedal, and get a sense of where this could be headed, then you start tuning that flavor you’re getting to suit your tongue.

The Colour Box is not inspiring me at all and I don’t even get a rough sense of direction. Whenever I increase one of the gain options so I reach breakup, it feels unnatural and unpleasant – from there, I try and EQ my way out of misery, and I get somewhere doing that, but I don’t feel like I’m using a $550 sound goodener. I feel like I’m abusing a piece of gear that was not cut out to do what I want and now I have to work my way around the whole thing to make it at least approximate that.