Gave them a quick 45 minute workout/overview.
I'll hold off on everythign else, but I gotta say this...I am not a compressor guy, have tried maybe 3 good ones and just never really got it. Wel, I wasn't even going to try this compressor, but thought might as well..The thing KILLS! Whozas! Nice fatty warm sustain! I have no clue how to dial the things in, but I was able to hold notes even longer and fatter. I have to spend some more time, but I think I am gonna need one of these!

Chorus: Always liked my old 9 series Ibanez for straight chorus. Latley been using the AM mini to cover chorus and pseudo leslie, the AM has a highend thing that sometimes makes it tinny and leaves me wanting more, thus been thinking of incorporating a phaser instead. The RS chorus doesn't have that highend thing going on! Really warm! I just don't think it is for me. Too much happening. I prefer the fewer knobs to make on the fly changes so much easier. I am liking the chours, but have yet to try and get the leslie I am seeking.
At this point I will stop. I do want to ask RS if they could make and modify a phase and chorus dual pedal though? Less knobs fo reach, enclosed in one dual unit enclosure, with a few tweaks per suggestion? Not sure if you have the custom thing happening, but if you do I want something built.

Ok, more time...
The Delay. I can see why people like this. However, it just isn't for me. I don't need all the knobs (again), or the ability to do the wacked out effects stuff. I just dig a nice smooth delay around 475ms on occasion. Nice and warm delay, headroom was not quite working for me how I would of liked.

OD pedal: Everyone else's review summed it up nicely. Nice TS sorta thing w/o the mid thing happening, more gain on tap as well. It was a "tighter" feel than others. Would be nice for someone looking into more of the ODS type sing possibly. Solid OD for sure.

Phaser: All I have to compare it to is a block logo. The block does indeed have more grit. The RS phaser is super smooth and warm! I hate using iconic descriptors, but organic comes to mind here. Had a little more hair on it it would be perfect for me.

Great tourbox, solid and well-thought out pedals. The BIG suprise for me was the compressor, whoo hoo I found one finally!
So, odds are old JB is gonns be ordering a few RS pedals from Teddy here in the next few weeks.
Thanks for the fun RS and Cubba, appreciate it.
I am going to play them another few days, then send off. So if anyone needs something specific, let me know.

Got them all packed and ready to go tomorrow already! I will miss the compressor and the phaser! I started a thread on what are other compressors molded after the Ross, but then deleted it after playing this one some more! I don't think I could ever find a better comp than this for what I wanna hear!
The phaser will be mine as well!
Thanks so much and you've earned a bew customer, I'm easy and a GAS freak, but ones I actually keep are worth mentioning, and the above two will be MINE!

Thx so much JB for the honest and detailed reviews.



Coming your way now Headshot.....

Cubba, you know it is true if I wrote it with typos intact!
Again, no clue who the builder is personally, but all of his products are just super solid tonewise!

BTW, I now know most of your real names and addys from the mangled USPS box! In true Willie B fashion...Mwuuuuuuahhhhaaaaaaa! Man am I gonna spam your snail mail with Erectile dysfunction mail. I made the list and and am going to stay up until 3AM calling into all the infomercials
Nah, I'm too lazy!

Ok, a little late but here's my take on the tour box.

Assuming that RetroSonic's intentions were to duplicate the original versions of these effects. I have to say in my honest opinion that they have failed miserably. But they HAVE surpassed them in every instance. I have either owned or played through all the effects that were duplicated in these, so I do have a little experience with them.

Delay
I remember when the DM-2's first came out. Ran out and bought one just to not have to carry around that noisy (and big) EP-3. Well, it was cool to have a small box replace that big old thing, but the noise was terrible and well the sound was no where near the Echoplex it replaced.
The RetroSonic is far more usable in my opinion.
Quiet, longer delay time and MUCH less noise. I'm not a fan of analog delays but I could be happy with this one no problem. Much better than the original.

Chorus
Again I had an original CE-1, a great sounding unit but very noisy. And BIG! I have no idea if the same chips are used as the originals but this one is much quieter than the original I had. I don't think the vibrato mode is as strong as my original but as long as you're not doing any Steve Hackett I don't think you'll mind. Overall I think a nice improvement over the original.

Phaser
Very nice!! I have an original here (Script Bud box) and it kept up with it just fine. Nice watery sound that the newer reissues just don't capture. And the depth and level controls really add to the usability. Very nice job.

Compressor
I used an original Ross compressor for years, back when they were new (as a boost). And this one is just as nice as that one was. And the recovery knob is a welcome addition.

Overdrive
I'm no fan of TS circuits, so I'm not the best person to judge this one and is in no way a reflection on RetroSonic. As far as TS's go this one keeps up with the best of them, it's just not my cup of tea. Although I do think this one has a little less mid hump than some, which to me is a good thing. I could gig with it and be happy (but I'd prefer less mids).

I could gig with any or all of these pedals and be happy with them. And I think Retrosonic has some of the best sounding pedals out there that I have tried. Also they are built really well with professionally made circuit boards.

Good Stuff!!!

quote:

Originally posted by JackButler:

BTW, I now know most of your real names and addys from the mangled USPS box! In true Willie B fashion...Mwuuuuuuahhhhaaaaaaa! Man am I gonna spam your snail mail with Erectile dysfunction mail. I made the list and and am going to stay up until 3AM calling into all the infomercials
Nah, I'm too lazy!

Huh oh...I knew I should have used a new box!

Thanks Bob for taking the time to write these fine reviews. I know you're quite the busy felluh, so we're very fortunate to get your opinions in this tourbox.

OK, back to making them fine swirly things that folks get seem to get enough of!

The box arrived today. I'll try it out over the next few days and send it on it's way.

H

Hi guys,

Sorry for not replying earlier to the thread, been working on new builds and getting the Boost ready for release. Finally have 5 mins to get in here...

Jack, Glad you liked the comp, you had a question about the chorus and phaser in one box, I'm afraid I don't do custom work like that, keeping up with the regular builds has been challenging enough lately and a custom job like that would take some time to do properly... sorry.

Bob,

"Assuming that RetroSonic's intentions were to duplicate the original versions of these effects. I have to say in my honest opinion that they have failed miserably"

You got me on that one... til I read the next line.. Appreciate your views especially since you've owned most of the originals. My goal on each pedal is to improve the original and retain the integrity of the tone, as a fellow builder I’m sure you can appreciate that sometimes the issues of the originals ARE part of their mojo/tone, and you have to be careful with circuit corrections, so good to hear that you felt they provide authentic reproduction of the original sounds.

Thanks for the reviews.

Headshot, How are you getting along with the gear?

Cheers,
Tim

quote:

Originally posted by Retro-Sonic:
Based on the current line up, what do you think would be another good pedal top add to the herd?

Cheers,
Tim

I've been dying for someone to make a smaller, quieter clone of the original (or Deluxe) Electric Mistress. I've not found a mod pedal that I like as much for flanger, chorus, even some decent Leslie sounds but they are big and noisy....seems like a good flanger would complete the modulation lineup...anyway thanks, and if you built one I'd buy it in a heartbeat!

Hey all,

Here are my reviews. First off, thanks to Tim at Retro Sonic for offering the tourbox to the Toyz forum. It’s always great to try out new stuff! All of the pedals are well built.

Comp: I had tried the comp awhile back on loan from a friend. I like it as much now as I did then. I’ve tried most of the Ross types, and have built and modded several for myself. This might be the best pedal out there in the Ross camp. Very clear and quiet, but can really squish when you want. I prefer the older toggle over the pot for the attack, but that’s just me. Great for clean funk and also for pushing an overdrive.

Phaser: I’m not the biggest phaser guy. I like a little now and then but I never keep one on my board. I lean more towards the vibe thing. This one does a great job though. The volume control is a nice addition. The speed goes from real slow to super fast. A great pedal for the phase guys.

Analog Delay: For some reason the controls on this one took me awhile to figure out. It wasn’t very apparent what controlled the delay time or the amount of repeats. I would prefer some more obvious names for the controls. Once I got it figured out everything was fine. I’m not into slapback so I stuck with the longer delay times. This is a darker pedal, and the long delays sounded great. I can see the guys who like to leave an Echoplex on all the time really liking this pedal. Not many others are making an analog delay with this much time.

Chorus: The flagship of the RS line. I was really excited to try this one out. I was interested in having a pedal that does a regular chorus and then could do the faster Leslie type sounds too. I have never played an original CE-1, so I can’t compare. The chorus side was nice. It was a good sound, but not flexible enough for me. Just a depth control is too limiting for me. The vibrato side was a pleasant surprise. I really liked the tones. I’m not a SRV fan, but I NAILED the Cold Shot sound. I haven’t heard any pedal do that before. Great sounding pedal, but just a hair too limited for me.

Overdrive: This was the big surprise of the group for me. I tried it last since I wasn’t really interested in another TS type clone. I’ve got about 5 TS circuits I’ve built and modded for myself, and am very familiar with the sound. This pedal had the familiar TS type drive, but there was something very good about it that I can’t really put my finger on. I just kept wanting to play it more. The high end was very clear, yet not harsh at all. It was smooth, yet had a very open sound at the same time. It also sounded very full and not nasally like a stock TS can. I’m not sure just how different this pedal is from a TS, since I didn’t have time to look inside it, but whatever it is, it sounds REALLY good. I don’t need a TS pedal but this one I just might have to purchase.

H

Great reviews Dan. It made me glad I'm next on the list. Woohoo!!

quote:

Originally posted by Retro-Sonic:
Bob,

"Assuming that RetroSonic's intentions were to duplicate the original versions of these effects. I have to say in my honest opinion that they have failed miserably"

You got me on that one... til I read the next line.. Appreciate your views especially since you've owned most of the originals. My goal on each pedal is to improve the original and retain the integrity of the tone, as a fellow builder I’m sure you can appreciate that sometimes the issues of the originals ARE part of their mojo/tone, and you have to be careful with circuit corrections, so good to hear that you felt they provide authentic reproduction of the original sounds.

Thanks for the reviews.
Cheers,
Tim

Got your attention didn't it?

Really if I didn't think they were exceptional I would have just said nothing. And thank you for the opportunity to check them out.
I do understand what you said about the issues sometimes being part of the tone of the originals, it's a fine line we walk.

Thanks again and continued success!

Yesterday I received the fantastic assortment of Retro-Sonic pedals. I tried each pedal using my Suhr Classic, going stereo through a Victoria 35-210 and a TopHat Emplexador. The Emplexador was setup to get kind of a 72 Plexi sound, with just a touch of dirt.

I’m always enjoying exploring dirt, so I’ve been looking forward to the Eight-O-Eight. I was able to pair it up next to an original TS-808 and do some head-to-head comparisons. With both pedals set the same, with the Gain at 11:00, they both had about the same drive and output. The tone of the R-S Overdrive was definitely in the vintage 808 camp, but with perhaps a wee bit clearer top end. At this Gain setting, I noticed the original has a little more sag, whereas the note’s attack in the R-S was a tad sharper. The original had a little more of the feel of an old, well worn Fender. The R-S felt newer. But with both units’ gain past 2:00, the refinements of the R-S might be a benefit to help keep the notes a little more distinct and stand out a little more in the mix. Likewise, similar results with the Gain set to minimum. Overall: An excellent alternative to the classic, for those who don’t want refinements which take away too much from the personality of the original.

Next up was the Analog Delay. The first thing I noticed was its Tone Knob. I really like the way this feature affects the sound of the repeats. With this feature, one can make the repeats standout, or just be subtle. In fact, all the adjustable parameters allow for a great range of control. I was able to easily dial in the perfect setting for me. It’s capable of a wide range of effects, from subtle slapback, to echoplex type runaway echo sounds. For the last few years, my main echo unit has been the DLS Echotap. The Echotap, however, imposes a little hardness to the sound. The R-S, however, retains the guitar’s natural character. Also, the R-S does not change the feel of a distortion pedal run before it. Compared to my old AD-9, the R-S is cleaner and more dynamic sounding. This pedal is definitely a standout. Like most of the R-S pedals, I found it easy to dial in “my” sound, plus I didn’t want to turn it off.

The R-S Phaser was impressive sounding too. I don’t have a Phase 90 to compare it to, but I compared it with an old Block logo Phase 100 and found the R-S to have a more open quality. The old MXR sounded more pedally and flat. If memory serves, this Phaser would make an excellent choice for that “Dear Mr. Fantasy” sound. It’s a perfectly soothing phasing sound, which doesn’t take over your overall sound. The Boss PH-1 gets into a similar zone, but has more throb and thus more apparent. The R-S is more lush and smooth. It doesn’t assault the senses. Side-by-side with my old fave, the Mutron Phasor II, the Mutron can get a great dimensional organic resonance thanks to its Feedback control. But overall, for an all-around great phaser, I wouldn’t hesitate to pick one of these up.

I was pleased to see that the Chorus unit was the stereo version. I usually utilize the Echotap’s stereo outs to feed the two amps. So I swapped the Echotap with the R-S Chorus and was greeted with a very full warm natural sound. The main thing I didn’t like about the original CE-1 was that it always felt like it was sucking some life from the guitar’s sound, whether it was on or off. But the R-S Chorus is perfect in that it doesn’t take away anything but just feels like an extension of the guitar and amp. Compared to a couple of other analog choruses around here, the R-S made the others seem flat. The Vibrato feature is cool when I wanted to accent certain phrases, and the footswitch allowed a seamless transition between the slower chorus and the faster vibrato. A couple of times I was wishing the vibrato speed could be set a little slower, so I could get a VB-2 type of an effect going. But in the big picture, this is a Chorus pedal, and as such, is just about perfect.

This was my second time around with the Compressor and I found my opinions haven’t changed. It offers a more quality overall sound than an original old school Ross Comp or script logo Dyna Comp. Plus with the Recovery knob, it makes it easy to dial in for different guitars or different styles of music. I found I was able to dial in a great rhythm sound that wasn’t too squishy. It also makes an excellent companion with the Chorus. My old time gigging rig used to include either a Boss CS-2 or Dyna-Comp, and I think if I’d add a comp back to the board, the R-S Compressor would be a top choice.

A Big thanks to Tim for offering us these fine devices, and for Paul for managing and organizing this Tourbox.

Big thanks to Headshot & Rollo Timbre for the detailed and honest reviews!



Box keeps a-rollin'... Donner, you still up for it my good man?

I got it!

First impressions? VERY COOL STUFF!

Full report, soon.

Okay, who do I send this Tour Box to? It was a blast! Great pedals. I'll try to get this in the mail tomorrow, if I get the address.

And I'll try to get my review in, tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks guys! I appreciate being included.

quote:

Originally posted by Swain:
Okay, who do I send this Tour Box to? It was a blast! Great pedals. I'll try to get this in the mail tomorrow, if I get the address.

And I'll try to get my review in, tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks guys! I appreciate being included.

Looking forward to the reviews! Check your Pm's, I sent you my address.

D

Well, this Tourbox I wanted to do something a little differently. Since I have (in the past) reviewed each pedal seperately, without reading any other reviews, I decided on a different approach.

I had read the first page or two of the reviews, just before I received the box. Just the very first review of Twanger's was so EXCELLENT and "complete" sounding (It was so good, it could have been written by a professional music journalist, I think.), I thought "What can I add"?

So, I set all 5 pedals up, and just played with them, for awhile. When I got some good tones happening, I just played. I had all 5 pedals set up, like I probably would have them on a pedalboard. And, I tried them with a bunch of different amps. So, this review is based on an overall impression. Sure, some pedals worked differently with different styled amps. But, others have kind of covered the specifics of this. So, I am averaging my opinions out, over a variety of configurations.

First impressions of this? Well, I could play this as my only pedalboard, and be totally happy! Excellence, all the way around. Not one bad thing to say.

Also, every combination of pedals, in any order, sounded great. You could easily re-arrange the order of the 5 pedals, and have a whole new pedalboard. Quite a versatile feature in it's own right, I think.

The PHASER was really sweet. It immediately sent me to "Pink Floyd Land" where long, slow, extended jams, could just keep me lost and in my own world, for hours. Pretty cool! Especially, since I never really use a Phaser. So, that was a pleasant surprise. It just "caught my ear".

The O.D.? Definately a "familiar" type of tone. Smoother than I remember from straight Tube Screamers. I could be happy with this OD, easily. Responded well to my volume, and tone knob manipulations. A key ingredient, for me.

The COMPRESSOR is definately nice. I have a Keeley compressor, that works really well. But, I think I prefer the RS. It seemed to be more versatile, as far as keeping it from being too s