The Sushi Box FX Deep Dish Compressor is a compressor pedal that puts real tubes in the signal path. Sushi Box FX describes it as inspired by "the legendary studio leveling amplifier, but with modern circuitry and in a more" pedal-friendly format, combining "the warmth of an all-tube signal path with a modern precision rectifier compression sidechain"1. In plain terms: the audio passes through tubes, while a modern control circuit decides when and how hard to compress, the same basic idea behind other designs in the compressor pedals family.
Controls and metering
The Deep Dish carries four knobs, giving access to the shape of the compression rather than a single squeeze control1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Attack | Sets how quickly the compressor responds to the signal |
| Gain | Sets the overall level |
| Knee | Shapes how the compression bends around the threshold |
| Peak | Sets the amount of compression |
A single footswitch handles bypass1. For metering, the pedal has a 10-segment LED bar as a gain reduction indicator, so you can see how much your signal is being compressed as you play1.
As for what it sounds like, Sushi Box FX says the Deep Dish "can give you anything from light smoothing to aggressive squishing, all with the exceptional clarity and warmth" of the tube path1.
Power: what a player must know
The Deep Dish is a tube pedal, and tubes need heater current. It draws 1A at 9VDC during warmup and 540mA at 9VDC after warmup1. That rules out a battery and most daisy-chain outputs: it needs its own supply rated for that draw.
Power requirements from the maker1:
- Voltage: 9 to 12 VDC1
- Polarity: Center-negative, like most guitar pedals1
- Current draw: 1A @ 9VDC warmup, 540mA @ 9VDC after warmup1
The high warmup draw is simply the tubes heating their filaments; once warm, the draw drops to 540mA1.
Tubes and swapping them
The Deep Dish ships with a 12AU7 and a 12AT71. Sushi Box FX notes that "anything in the same 12A*7 family can be plugged in without damaging it, it may just not sound as good"1, which gives players a way to voice the pedal with different tubes without risk to the circuit.
Availability
The Deep Dish Compressor is listed as Archived on the Sushi Box FX site, so it is no longer a current product in the maker's lineup1.
Questions
Does the Sushi Box FX Deep Dish Compressor use real tubes?
Yes. The Deep Dish Compressor runs an all-tube signal path with two real tubes, a 12AU7 and a 12AT7, combined with a modern precision rectifier compression sidechain. Because the tubes need to heat up, the pedal draws a heavy 1A at 9V during warmup before settling to 540mA after warmup, so it needs its own adequate power supply.
What tubes does the Deep Dish Compressor use?
The Deep Dish Compressor uses one 12AU7 and one 12AT7. Sushi Box FX notes that anything in the same 12A*7 family can be plugged in without damaging the pedal, though a substitute tube may not sound as good as the stock pair.
Why does the Deep Dish Compressor draw more current at startup?
The pedal's tubes need to warm up before they work. During that warmup it draws 1A at 9V, then drops to 540mA after warmup. That is far more than a typical pedal, so it should not be shared with a daisy-chain supply that cannot supply that current.
Is the Sushi Box FX Deep Dish Compressor still in production?
No. On the Sushi Box FX product page the Deep Dish Compressor is listed as Archived, meaning it is no longer a current product in the maker's lineup.
What polarity does the Deep Dish Compressor power supply need?
The Deep Dish Compressor needs a center-negative DC supply, like most guitar pedals, at between 9 and 12 volts. Because of its high current draw, especially the 1A warmup draw at 9V, it needs a supply that can deliver that current on its own.
Sources (1)
- Deep Dish Compressor, Sushi Box FX
