The IdiotBox Blower Box Bass Distortion is a bass overdrive/distortion pedal from IdiotBox Effects, built around one very specific target sound: the bass tone of Blacky, Voivod's original bassist, on the Nothing Face album. The maker describes it as an attempt to capture that classic sound, and the graphics were done by Away, Voivod's drummer1. An independent technical analysis of the traced circuit, published on Guitar FX Layouts in 2014, describes the same design intent and characterizes its range as running from a mild grind to full-on massive distortion2.
The pedal is not bass-only in practice. IdiotBox says it also works on guitar and synths1, and the independent analysis found it produced wild distortion/fuzz tones for both guitar and bass2. For players shopping by effect type, it sits in the distortion family with a fuzz edge, rather than being a transparent overdrive.
Where the sound comes from
The Blower Box started as the maker's own project. In the product page's words, "At first the Blower Box was my attempt to capture the classic Voivod Blacky sound on the Nothing Face album"1. The connection to Voivod goes beyond the circuit: the maker got Away of Voivod to do the pedal's graphics, and the first very limited run of 15 units was signed by the whole band1.
The Guitar FX Layouts writeup, based on a schematic traced by p.eat and later corrected with johnk's help, describes the design goal the same way: "The Idiotbox Blower Box Bass Distortion was designed with recreating the classic tone of Blacky from the early Voivod albums"2. The same analysis notes the circuit's wide range: "It does everything from a mild grind to full-on massive distortion."2
The controls
The current smaller version puts all four knobs on top of the enclosure. The original layout placed the volume knob on the top edge by the output jack1.
| Knob | Position | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | Top left | Sets the output level |
| Distortion | Bottom left | Sets the amount of distortion |
| High cut/boost | Top right | Cuts or boosts the high end of the distorted signal |
| Low cut/boost | Bottom right | Cuts or boosts the low end of the distorted signal |
IdiotBox describes the tone shaping in practical terms: "The low boost brings tons of beef and the high boost adds the snap"1. Because the low and high controls cut as well as boost, the pedal can be dialed from thick and woolly to tight and cutting without touching the distortion knob.
Power and connections
The Blower Box runs on common 9 to 18VDC, center negative, through a 2.1mm BOSS style power input, and it also has a battery snap1. Current draw is just 5mA1, which means it is a light load on any pedalboard supply and easy to run alongside other pedals. A power supply is not included with the pedal1.
The power input is center negative, the standard BOSS style convention. A center positive supply will not work, and since the draw is only 5mA, the pedal is a safe candidate for a daisy chain alongside other low draw analog pedals.
The circuit, as traced
For players interested in what is under the hood, the Guitar FX Layouts analysis from July 2014 traced the circuit and published a stripboard (vero) layout. The build uses an LM308 op amp, and the site confirmed that an OP07 can substitute for it2. The layout also replaced the 10K JFET drain resistor with a 20K trimmer for biasing the J201 transistor2. After corrections, including added decoupling after the IC output and an extra 10u cap to fix an error in the original schematic, the layout was verified working and reported to sound identical to the original2.
The same builder later gave a verdict on the finished pedal: "Built one today. Yup. Definitely better with a bass. As a bass rat, a winner."2
Versions and related pedals
The Blower Box has appeared in a few forms:
- Original: larger enclosure, volume knob on the top edge by the output jack1
- Smaller green and black version: same circuit, smaller 125B enclosure (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.5") with all knobs up top1
- Blower Box Deluxe: a separate variant of the original, a bass distortion with a parallel clean blend, a tighter and more mids focused sound, and five controls: VOL, DIST, HIGH, LOW, and PASS, a direct signal low pass filter with a range of 150Hz to 10kHz3
The Deluxe runs on 9, 12 or 18VDC depending on headroom preference, also through a center negative 2.1mm input, and also does not include a power supply3. Players comparing the two can read more on the Blower Box Deluxe page.
Who uses it
The player most closely associated with the pedal is Jeff Matz of High On Fire. Quoted on the product page: "It's been on my board since I got it! It's always on, sounds awesome!"1
Videos
MrExcane
atarimatt
bassfuzzcom
Questions
Does the IdiotBox Blower Box take a battery?
Yes. The pedal has a battery snap as well as a 2.1mm BOSS style power input, so you can run it from a 9V battery or a standard center negative power supply. A power supply is not included with the pedal, but the battery snap is part of the build.
Is the IdiotBox Blower Box true bypass?
Yes. IdiotBox Effects lists true bypass switching for the Blower Box Bass Distortion, so the pedal passes your signal unaltered when it is switched off. The Blower Box Deluxe, the larger variant with a clean blend, also uses true bypass switching.
What voltage does the IdiotBox Blower Box need?
The pedal runs on common 9 to 18VDC, center negative, through a 2.1mm BOSS style power input. It draws only 5mA, so it is easy on a pedalboard power supply. The Deluxe version lists 9, 12 or 18VDC depending on your headroom preference.
Can the Blower Box be used on guitar?
Yes. Although it is sold as a bass overdrive/distortion, IdiotBox says it also works on guitar and synths. An independent builder who built the circuit from a stripboard layout found it worked especially well on bass, calling it a winner as a bass Rat build.
Does the Blower Box come with a power supply?
No. IdiotBox Effects states plainly that a power supply is not included. The pedal does have a battery snap, so a 9V battery is an option, and any standard center negative 2.1mm supply in the 9 to 18V range will power it.
What is the difference between the original and the smaller Blower Box?
The smaller green and black version uses the same circuit as the demo videos but in a smaller 125B enclosure, 4.7 by 2.6 by 1.5 inches, with all the knobs up top. The original had the volume knob on the top edge by the output jack. The Blower Box Deluxe is a separate variant with a parallel clean blend.
Sources (3)
- Blower Box Bass Distortion, IdiotBox Effects
- Guitar FX Layouts: Idiotbox Blowerbox, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2014-07-13
- Blower Box Deluxe, IdiotBox Effects
