Black Box

Morton Kellas · Post by **Morton Kellas** » 31 Jul 2004 8:10 am

I received my Black Box from Brad Sarno and tried it last night. What an improvement it made in the tone quality of my steel. I played it through a Nashville 400 without the mod kit. It cleaned up the sound in a very pleasing way. I noticed much better string separation, sustain and warmth. The high's are clean and not harsh and the bass and mids are very definate and smooth. I recommend that you check it out at Brads web page and read the reviews. If you have not yet heard the Black Box, you should give it a listen. It arrived packaged extremely well and I am very pleased with the rugged construction of this unit. Thank's Brad for building such a usefull quality product.

Bill Findlay · Post by **Bill Findlay** » 31 Jul 2004 9:21 am

Morton what type of volumbe pedal are you using with your Black Box???

Brad Sarno · Post by **Brad Sarno** » 1 Aug 2004 9:25 am

Hey Thanks Mort! I appreciate the nice feedback.

Thanks,
Brad Sarno
www.steelguitarblackbox.com

Morton Kellas · Post by **Morton Kellas** » 1 Aug 2004 3:56 pm

Hi! Bill:
I am using a Hilton pedal. I also tried it with my Goodrich and noticed a dramatic improvement. It is definitely worth the money

Morton Kellas · Post by **Morton Kellas** » 1 Aug 2004 4:00 pm

Hi! Brad:
No need to thank me, I am the one who should be thanking you. The truth is the truth. You have created a devise that enhances the tone of any steel in a very positive manner.

Willis Vanderberg · Post by **Willis Vanderberg** » 3 Aug 2004 8:07 am

I also received my BlackBox yesterday...what a great piece of work. This along with my Hilton pedal has vastly improved the sound coming out of my SE 200 Evans amp. Now , if Brad will come up with a bionic right hand for me.....hmmm

Old Bud
PS.I really like the little purple light. Reminds me of the tailights light on my old 34 ford roadster, that I wish I still had.

[This message was edited by Willis Vanderberg on 03 August 2004 at 09:08 AM.]

Bill cole · Post by **Bill cole** » 3 Aug 2004 6:45 pm

But will this box make me play Emmons I been looking for something that will make me sound just like him for 40 years, To look like Tommy White, get all the women like Bobbe S., and play like Emmons all I can say is what a way to live.

Dave Boothroyd · Post by **Dave Boothroyd** » 3 Aug 2004 11:20 pm

You need a much bigger box for that - one with brass handles!
They put you in the box, put the box in the ground, then if you have been a good boy all your life, you meet an old chap with some keys, he shows you through some gates made of pearl, and after that you'll sound like Buddy Emmons, look like Tommy White, but you'll only get all the women like Bobbe S if you were a Muslim!
(No offence meant to anyone, of any religion)

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Cheers!
Dave

Bill cole · Post by **Bill cole** » 4 Aug 2004 7:52 am

Dave I do think you may have something there

Bob Snelgrove · Post by **Bob Snelgrove** » 5 Aug 2004 9:39 pm

Guys,

Does the BB add any gain or increase in volume like a pre-amp? Are there any controls on it?

thx

bob

Brad Sarno · Post by **Brad Sarno** » 7 Aug 2004 6:50 am

Bob, the Black Box adds about 1.5dB of gain. That's pretty little so I'd say it's close to unity (zero) gain. There are no controls on it. It's got no pot's or switches to go bad or get dirty. It very simply drives the pickup with two stages of a tube and a very clean audio path. It's a minimalist design.

Brad Sarno

Brad Sarno · Post by **Brad Sarno** » 7 Aug 2004 7:09 am

www.steelguitarblackbox.com

Brad Sarno

KENNY KRUPNICK · Post by **KENNY KRUPNICK** » 7 Aug 2004 9:56 pm

Sounds like I need one of these. Are these comparable to the ART tube pre-amps that Musicians Friend,and others carry?

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 8 Aug 2004 7:45 am

Kenny, one main difference is the placement.
The ART is after your pedal, and then y to your power amp.

But the Black Box is before the pedal and directly linking the tube stages with the pickup.
This is what causes a better sound.

The pedals have been blocking a good interaction between tube and pickup.

Afterwards your pedal has a much nice signal to work with.
The pedals have been mucking with our sound for years.
Brad has created a topshelf component cure for this.[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 08 August 2004 at 11:05 AM.]

Brad Sarno · Post by **Brad Sarno** » 8 Aug 2004 8:55 am

Kenny, the ART tube preamp isn't actually a tube preamp. It is a solid state device with a tube stage in it. The tube in that model is run at what many consider starved voltages. It also is designed to create gain, boost the signal. The ART also uses cheap components.

The Black Box is handmade and has a pure tube path and uses only audiophile quality resistors and capacitors. It's quite a different mentality. The Black Box is both impedance and gain optimized to go directly after the pickup and before the volume pedal. It also runs the tube at its appropriate voltages, unlike the ART. It's really in a whole different league to be quite honest.

Thanks,
Brad Sarno

Chuck S. Lettes · Post by **Chuck S. Lettes** » 13 Aug 2004 5:33 am

I also have been using the Black Box for about a year. It has replaced the Goodrich Steel Driver that I had used for so many years. The Black Box has now become a part of my sound, especially when I record my steel. Brad, I look forward to seeing you in St. Louis.
Chuck

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 13 Aug 2004 7:38 am

Brad- :

what differences might be expected in the improvement comparing Humbuckers to single coils?
same question with potentiometer pedals vs other technology (Hilton)?

is that clear enough a question?

kbdrost · Post by **kbdrost** » 13 Aug 2004 7:26 pm

Dave, I've tried it with many combinations and find it to work best with humbucker pickups, solid state amp and Hilton-type pedal. With the EQ properly adjusted, this gives a very warm tone with bright, crisp overtones--just the way I like it.

On a related subject, those of you who use a tuner, do you place it before or after the Box?

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Ken Drost
steelcrazy after all these years

Leon Roberts · Post by **Leon Roberts** » 14 Aug 2004 11:54 am

Dave Boothroyd, You post above is, by far, the funniest post I’ve read on this forum. You covered all the bases that Mr. Cole is striving for.