The Sushi Box Venus X is a tube preamp pedal, announced in June 2023 as a signature design developed with input from veteran bassist Tony Puleo, whose credits include Blue Man Group, Carly Simon and Gary Hoey. It is built around two channels, a clean channel and a boost channel, sharing an active 4-band EQ, and it carries a D.I. output for running straight into a desk.1
What it does
The Venus X gives a player a tube preamp on the pedalboard with two voices to choose between. Sushi Box describes the clean channel as exactly what you would expect, clean, while the boost channel can push the tone over the top when more grind is wanted. The active 4-band EQ is shared between the two channels, and it is the first Sushi Box pedal to include that arrangement.1
The D.I. output uses a high-quality transformer from Lightning Boy Audio, the same approach as the company's popular Finally D.I., which the Venus X is related to by that output design. For a bass player, that means the preamp can double as the front end of a direct recording or live rig, with the EQ and tube gain shaping the signal before it reaches the desk.1
"Venus X is a uniquely flexible tube preamp"
That flexibility comes from an active 4-band EQ, the first on a Sushi Box pedal, shared between a clean channel and a boost channel. The clean channel is exactly what you expect, clean, and the boost channel can get you over the top when you want more grind in your tone1.
Where it sits in the Sushi Box range
Sushi Box builds a range of tube-based pedals, and the Venus X sits among the company's preamp designs. Players comparing it with other Sushi Box tube preamps may also come across the Sushi Box Elementary, and the company's wider preamp line sits within the broader field of preamp pedals. For players mainly after grit rather than a preamp platform, the boost channel's grind places the Venus X near the territory covered by overdrive pedals and boost pedals, though it is designed as a full preamp with EQ and D.I. rather than a single-purpose drive.1
Videos
Rodney McG
Tony Puleo
Questions
Who is the Venus X a signature pedal for?
It was developed with input from veteran bassist Tony Puleo, whose playing credits include Blue Man Group, Carly Simon and Gary Hoey. The pedal was announced as his signature tube preamp in June 2023.
Does the Venus X have a D.I. output?
Yes. Like the Sushi Box Finally D.I., the Venus X has a D.I. output that uses a high-quality transformer from Lightning Boy Audio, so it can feed a mixing desk or audio interface directly.
Sources (1)
- Tony Puleo Gear News: Venus X Signature Sushi Box Tube Preamp Pedal, Bass Musician Magazine, 2023-06-01
