Doug Aldrich Majik Box Rocket Fuel RF-1 --- Arrived!!!

[amiller]

The RF-1 arrived yesterday so I had a chance to play with it for about 2 hours last night. Here are my thoughts:

I guess the best way to describe a pedal is to compare it with other known pedals. To that end here's a list of my existing pedals preceded with my 1 - 10 rating (10 being the best

6: Keeley Boss SD-1
7: Keeley TS-9
5: Maxon OD808
7: Maxon OD9 pro+
4: Boss SD-1
4: Boss DS-1
8: Xotic BB preamp
3: Vox Satchurator

With enough tweaking all of these pedals can be made to sound half way decent.

My rating for the RF-1 - Off the bleeding scale! Yep, this thing is beyond a 10...by alot!

I was looking for a pedal that would kick my XTC in the butt but not step on the tone...this is the box that gets that done...in spades! It's very seldom that I feel a product lives up to the manufacturer's claims...this one does.

Will this box make your rig sound like Aldrich's rig? Probably not because you probably don't have his modded Marshalls, exact guitars and pups, cabs and of course tone that he's able to add by way of his playing style...damn he's good. Having said that, if you've got a decent "hot rod" Marshall type of amp like an XTC, this pedal will sound amazing. In addition, the pedal is very versatile...lots of different tones can be had from this box. The boost is very transparent and the OD is killer. Both keep the original tone of the amp in tact. It may seem a little pricey at $269.00, however, keep in mind it's like having three pedals in one. You have the boost switch, OD switch and you can combine them both for a third. When you think about it that's a pretty good deal.

I've always been a little disappointed in all of the other pedals I've purchased. They all sort of do what they claim to do, however, they also always detract from the tone is some way...this box does NOT detract from the tone in any way.

Now for my criticism:

This is purely cosmetic and most will see this as nit-picking...I suppose it is. The box lacks easy access to the battery compartment...you have to remove 4 screws to change the battery. The box is unpainted/unfinished looking. The labeling is a bit difficult to see...poor color choice. I don't know, for something that sounds so damn good I was expecting a more polished looking product. Again, this is just trivial nit-picking 'cause the functionality far out weighs the, IMHO, cosmetic short comings.

Dave Simson, HAT'S OFF TO YOU FOR DELIVERING A GREAT PRODUCT. The RF-1 has replaced ALL off my other pedals of this type!

 

[Gainzilla]

The RF-1 arrived yesterday so I had a chance to play with it for about 2 hours last night. Here are my thoughts:

I guess the best way to describe a pedal is to compare it with other know pedals. To that end here's a list of my existing pedals preceded with my 1 - 10 rating (10 being the best

6: Keeley Boss SD-1
7: Keeley TS-9
5: Maxon OD808
7: Maxon OD9 pro+
4: Boss SD-1
4: Boss DS-1
8: Xotic BB preamp
3: Vox Satchurator

With enough tweaking all of these pedals can be made to sound half way decent.

My rating for the RF-1 - Off the bleeding scale! Yep, this thing is beyond a 10...by alot!

I was looking for a pedal that would kick my XTC in the butt but not step on the tone...this is the box that gets that done...in spades! It's very seldom that I feel a product lives up to the manufacturer's claims...this one does.

Will this box make your rig sound like Aldrich's rig? Probably not because you probably don't have his modded Marshalls, exact guitars and pups, cabs and of course tone that he's able to add by way of his playing style...damn he's good. Having said that, if you've got a decent "hot rod" Marshall type of amp like an XTC, this pedal will sound amazing. In addition, the pedal is very versatile...lots of different tones can be had from this box. The boost is very transparent and the OD is killer. Both keep the original tone of the amp in tact. It may seem a little pricey at $269.00, however, keep in mind it's like having three pedals in one. You have the boost switch, OD switch and you can combine them both for a third. When you think about it that's a pretty good deal.

I've always been a little disappointed in all of the other pedals I've purchased. They all sort of do what they claim to do, however, they also always distract from the tone is some way...this box does NOT distract from the tone in any way.

Now for my criticism:

This is purely cosmetic and most will see this as nit-picking...I suppose it is. The box lacks easy access to the battery compartment...you have to remove 4 screws to change the battery. The box is unpainted/unfinished looking. The labeling is a bit difficult to see...poor color choice. I don't know, for something that sounds so damn good I was expecting a more polished looking product. Again, this is just trivial nit-picking 'cause the functionality far out weighs the, IMHO, cosmetic short comings.

Dave Simson, HAT'S OFF TO YOU FOR DELIVERING A GREAT PRODUCT. The RF-1 has replaced ALL off my other pedals of this type!

I had a really strong feeling that youd dig it and Im so happy that you do after taking a chance and spending some coin. I speak with Doug probably once a month and hes always been really particular about his tone and what he puts his name on. Admittedly,I havent tried this Pedal yet but knowing Doug the way that I do, deep down, I knew that it wasnt going to disappoint

I cant wait to get one of these puppies!!!

 

[amiller]

Yeah man, your positive comments in an earlier thread are partially the reason I decided to pull the trigger on this bad boy...I'm VERY glad I did!

If you get one I'm sure you're going to love it!

 

[Wayniac]

Hmmm - may look into this... replace my PQ3 !

 

[AmpliFIRE]

Damn...thanks for the GAS!!! How would this pedal sound through a clean amp?

 

[blackba]

Damn...thanks for the GAS!!! How would this pedal sound through a clean amp?

I am curious as well. How much gain does it have? Are we talking tubescreamer, DS-1, or MI audio crunchbox gain?

 

[amiller]

Damn...thanks for the GAS!!! How would this pedal sound through a clean amp?

From my conversation with Dave Simpson, the pedal is really aimed at "hot rod" Marshall type amps. I don't think it will work as well with a clean amp. Having said that, Dave told me he's open to making mods if necessary, however, I will defer to him on that. Dave monitors this forum so I'm sure he'll chime in.

By the way, I forgot to mention that it was a real pleasure dealing with Dave. He answered all of my questions promptly and was very helpful. He promised the pedal would take around 5 weeks to arrive. I put my order in on 2/18/09 and got the pedal yesterday 3/19/09...a man of his word, VERY COOL!

 

[Dave Simpson]

Alex, thanks for the kind words! Good to hear the RF is working with your rig.

I hear you on the cosmetics. We ended up going with the raw enclosures for two reasons.

1) speeding up production.


2) the painted pedals looked pretty bad after a few weeks of gigging. Aluminum is a bitch to get paint to stick to. You have to do a bunch of primer coats and multiple coats of paint which always seems to chip away in the end. Powder coating might be an option down the line, can't do it in house because of the mess involved in doing powder coating.

I can do a mod that would add a little more gain to make the RF overdrive section more like a standard overdrive pedal. You lose some of the over all volume and it doesn't sound as good as the stock pedal in my opinion.

With a clean amp the RF will get you into the Stevie Ray Vaughn territory, definitely not a Metallica in box pedal for sure. It's definitely tuned for an amp with a lot of gain all ready happening, being transparent to the original tone of the guitar and amp as possible was the main concern in the design.

 

[thegame]

Does it have a mid bump, ala a Tube screamer ?

 

[amiller]

Alex, thanks for the kind words! Good to hear the RF is working with your rig.

I hear you on the cosmetics. We ended up going with the raw enclosures for two reasons.

1) speeding up production.


2) the painted pedals looked pretty bad after a few weeks of gigging. Aluminum is a bitch to get paint to stick to. You have to do a bunch of primer coats and multiple coats of paint which always seems to chip away in the end. Powder coating might be an option down the line, can't do it in house because of the mess involved in doing powder coating.

I can do a mod that would add a little more gain to make the RF overdrive section more like a standard overdrive pedal. You lose some of the over all volume and it doesn't sound as good as the stock pedal in my opinion.

With a clean amp the RF will get you into the Stevie Ray Vaughn territory, definitely not a Metallica in box pedal for sure. It's definitely tuned for an amp with a lot of gain all ready happening, being transparent to the original tone of the guitar and amp as possible was the main concern in the design.

Dave, I'm good to go with this pedal as is...no mods needed at all!

As for the cosmetics, I have another pedal manufactured by a big name company and endorsed by a big name guitar player and it looks like a million bucks...very slick...but, it sucks! I'll take your pedal over that one any day... and so far all others!

Again, hats off to you man!

 

[amiller]

Does it have a mid bump, ala a Tube screamer ?

No, not to my ears. The pedal is "transparent"...that's why I wanted it.

 

[Dave Simpson]

Alex, the finish is definitely Milspec looking. It won't get any uglier over time, that's for sure. I'm sure down the line when some of the build gets out sourced the pedal will get a little slicker looking. But right now it's a one man shop, so it's going to be butt ugly for now!

 

[Hollywood]

Hey Dave, I don't want no pedal that's BUTT UGLY! I am SOO glad you are happy Amiller.. Kinda like when you are walking up to a place to eat. If people are coming out happy and smiling and you are hungry and your money is mentally already spent.... Well hell! let's eat! But if people are coming out holding their guts/colon. Throwing up leaning over the bushes, You are still hungry, but you start thinking the meal may be a mistake.. Worried you go on in to see for yourself. So it sounds like you got the pedal stock. That's the way I ordered mine. This pedal is supposed to be an amp pusher listening to Dave talk, not a color unit. If I am not mistaken Dave has another pedal that does that?? Body Blow I think is the name of it? Dave will come along and read this and answer. Glad you like the pedal amiller!

 

[fearhk213]

Hey Dave, I don't want no pedal that's BUTT UGLY! I am SOO glad you are happy Amiller.. Kinda like when you are walking up to a place to eat. If people are coming out happy and smiling and you are hungry and your money is mentally already spent.... Well hell! let's eat! But if people are coming out holding their guts/colon. Throwing up leaning over the bushes, You are still hungry, but you start thinking the meal may be a mistake.. Worried you go on in to see for yourself. So it sounds like you got the pedal stock. That's the way I ordered mine. This pedal is supposed to be an amp pusher listening to Dave talk, not a color unit. If I am not mistaken Dave has another pedal that does that?? Body Blow I think is the name of it? Dave will come along and read this and answer. Glad you like the pedal amiller!

I think that's more smile thingies in a single post than I've ever seen before

 

[Hollywood]

Hey Dave, I don't want no pedal that's BUTT UGLY! I am SOO glad you are happy Amiller.. Kinda like when you are walking up to a place to eat. If people are coming out happy and smiling and you are hungry and your money is mentally already spent.... Well hell! let's eat! But if people are coming out holding their guts/colon. Throwing up leaning over the bushes, You are still hungry, but you start thinking the meal may be a mistake.. Worried you go on in to see for yourself. So it sounds like you got the pedal stock. That's the way I ordered mine. This pedal is supposed to be an amp pusher listening to Dave talk, not a color unit. If I am not mistaken Dave has another pedal that does that?? Body Blow I think is the name of it? Dave will come along and read this and answer. Glad you like the pedal amiller!

I think that's more smile thingies in a single post than I've ever seen before

Then you have not read alot of the posts here. Dude sometimes guys just run them in lines with no words. I use them to add color and some relief from the duldrums of the black and white. It's all good, hell I kinda like the little fellows doing their thing. But I guess I should check to see if my zipper is down?

 

[fearhk213]

Hey Dave, I don't want no pedal that's BUTT UGLY! I am SOO glad you are happy Amiller.. Kinda like when you are walking up to a place to eat. If people are coming out happy and smiling and you are hungry and your money is mentally already spent.... Well hell! let's eat! But if people are coming out holding their guts/colon. Throwing up leaning over the bushes, You are still hungry, but you start thinking the meal may be a mistake.. Worried you go on in to see for yourself. So it sounds like you got the pedal stock. That's the way I ordered mine. This pedal is supposed to be an amp pusher listening to Dave talk, not a color unit. If I am not mistaken Dave has another pedal that does that?? Body Blow I think is the name of it? Dave will come along and read this and answer. Glad you like the pedal amiller!

I think that's more smile thingies in a single post than I've ever seen before

Then you have not read alot of the posts here. Dude sometimes guys just run them in lines with no words. I use them to add color and some relief from the duldrums of the black and white. It's all good, hell I kinda like the little fellows doing their thing. But I guess I should check to see if my zipper is down?

Just ya man . Ya I've seen the long lines of them with no words. I guess I meant I've never seen an actual paragraph with so many through out. By all mean though let those buggers do their thing

 

[Hollywood]

I'm feelin kinda expressive tonite and a touch colorfull. I was talking to Paul at Indie guitars in Canda today and I was telling him how little time I get to myself and that the Forum, Rig-talk does me a hell of alot of good. I get to hang and conversate with guys that love what I love and DO what I DO. Told Paul he should stop in here and check things out for himself. Those guys make a great guitar for the money. OOPS! Sorry, that one leaked out. There it goes again. ????? I Also want to get back on topic and Stamp approval on the file for Dave Simpson and Majik box. Don't even have my rocket fuel yet, but I have definately met another cool guy. Point of fact, since becoming a member here...I have met and become friends with a whole bunch of cool guys. I never met Carl though. OOPS! Sorry that one slipped too. [smiley face]

 

[Hollywood]

Dude there you go with the stoned thing again. That's twice. HE HE HE see? No smileys? Believe it or not I do not do drugs, I am just pretty happy to be feelin half decent what with the F'd up economy and life's everyday tragedies. The high IQ mixed with the biker/musician/street wise businessman package just leaves some behind. LMAO! Sorry, can't help it! [smiley] but hey Chris, I am good with you too. I like the bikes in the pics a touch back. See, if I was stoned I would not have a lucid memory. EHHH???

 

[JTyson]

Great to get somthing new that actually performs as advertised Was wondering if it compresses much?? or any? Thanks for posting this, I have been wondering about these

 

[ejecta]

Dude there you go with the stoned thing again. That's twice. HE HE HE see? No smileys? Believe it or not I do not do drugs, I am just pretty happy to be feelin half decent what with the F'd up economy and life's everyday tragedies. The high IQ mixed with the biker/musician/street wise businessman package just leaves some behind. LMAO! Sorry, can't help it! [smiley] but hey Chris, I am good with you too. I like the bikes in the pics a touch back. See, if I was stoned I would not have a lucid memory. EHHH???

OK now thats funny.