Sushi Box Elementary

The Sushi Box Elementary is a tube preamp pedal from Sushi Box FX, built in a 9v pedalboard format and based on the early 70s Hiwatt DR103 amp head. It runs a 12AX7 tube, and the maker's design intent was to simplify the preamp and make it cleaner, more flexible, and more friendly for bass than the circuit it comes from¹. Bass Musician Magazine's reviewer, Jake Wolf, described it as the clean version of the company's popular big brother, the Dr. Wattson².

Controls and hardware

The control layout is relatively simple, with a Gain, Master, and 3-band EQ². That is the whole panel: no presets, no menus, just the gain and master stages plus bass, middle and treble.

The hardware follows the same straightforward approach:

• Top-mounted jacks for cables and power supply connectors²
• A vented chassis that shows the 12AX7 tube inside²

What it sounds like

Because the Elementary is a preamp, what a player hears depends heavily on where the gain and master are set. Jake Wolf's review for Bass Musician Magazine found that with gain around 9 or 10 o'clock and master at 2 or 3 o'clock, "the Elementary delivered fat, clean, dynamic tones that certainly felt like I was hearing the bounce and depth of the gl"². That setting keeps the Hiwatt-style circuit on its clean side, which is where the pedal is designed to live.

Elementary versus Dr. Wattson

Sushi Box FX also makes the Dr. Wattson, a larger tube preamp based on the same Hiwatt DR103 territory. The Elementary is the clean version of that pedal², with the maker stating the design intent was to simplify the preamp and make it cleaner, more flexible, and more friendly for bass¹. Players who want the Hiwatt character with more drive on tap have the Dr. Wattson; players who want the clean preamp in a standard pedalboard enclosure have the Elementary.

Using it in a rig

RockBoard's PedalPedia describes the Elementary as a compact one machine suitable for bass or guitar¹. The review also notes it works for playing direct to front of house², which makes it usable as a preamp into a PA or a power amp without a traditional guitar amp in the chain. For players comparing tube preamp pedals, Sushi Box FX's range also includes the Sushi Box Venus X, a signature tube preamp with an active 4-band EQ, D.I. output and switchable cabinet simulator.

Price

Sushi Box FX currently lists the Elementary at a price range of $210.00 through $223.00 USD, as of 2026-10-25³. When Bass Musician Magazine reviewed it in November 2023, the reviewer noted "All that for $180"², so the listed price has gone up since the original review.

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