Pricing and availability
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Average Price: $210
High-end/Boutique
$80
$181+
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Budget
Standard
High-end
Price History
Based on price data from 2 merchants for "ZVEX Vexter Box of Rock". Prices shown reflect NEW condition. Tracking began Apr 2, 2026.
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Description
Unleash the raw power of vintage British rock tones with the ZVEX Vexter Box of Rock. This versatile pedal captures the essence of a cranked-up Marshall JTM 45, delivering that coveted "everything on 10" sound. Designed for both purists and experimenters, the Box of Rock features the renowned Distortron engine, offering lush, dynamic distortion that responds beautifully to your guitar's volume control. Whether you're looking for a clean boost or searing distortion, this pedal provides both with its dual footswitches, giving you the flexibility of two effects in one compact unit.
The user-friendly four-knob interface allows precise control over Drive, Tone, Volume, and Boost, making it easy to shape your sound. With its high-headroom, unity-to-50X gain booster, this pedal ensures your solos cut through the mix with ease. Built for robust performance, the Vexter Box of Rock is powered by a 9V battery or adapter, keeping you rocking on stage or in the studio.
Key Features:
- Emulates the classic Marshall JTM 45 "British setting" sound
- Features the Distortron engine for dynamic, responsive distortion
- Dual footswitches for independent clean boost and distortion control
- Four-knob interface: Drive, Tone, Volume, and Boost
- High-headroom, unity-to-50X gain booster
- Operates with 9V battery or 9V adapter (adapter not included)
- Silkscreened design for durability and visual flair
Product specs
| Available since | June 2007 |
| Overdrive | No |
| Distortion | Yes |
| Fuzz | No |
| Metal | No |
FAQs
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What type of tones can I expect from the ZVEX Vexter Box of Rock?
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The ZVEX Vexter Box of Rock delivers classic blues-rock crunch tones, similar to a gain channel on an amp. It excels in producing sounds reminiscent of the Rolling Stones to ACDC, making it ideal for rhythm playing and riffs.
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Does the ZVEX Vexter Box of Rock include a clean boost feature?
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Yes, the ZVEX Vexter Box of Rock features a clean boost circuit in addition to its distortion capabilities, allowing for increased volume without altering your tone.
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Is the ZVEX Vexter Box of Rock suitable for high-gain metal tones?
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The ZVEX Vexter Box of Rock is not designed for high-gain metal tones. It is best suited for classic rock and blues-rock sounds, providing a crunchy, overdriven tone rather than an aggressive metal distortion.
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What power supply does the ZVEX Vexter Box of Rock require?
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The ZVEX Vexter Box of Rock requires a 9V DC power adapter with a standard Boss-style center-negative configuration. It has a current draw of approximately 3mA.
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How does the ZVEX Vexter Box of Rock differ from other distortion pedals?
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The ZVEX Vexter Box of Rock is unique for its combination of a distortion circuit and a clean boost in one pedal, tailored specifically for classic rock tones. It offers a distinctive amp-like overdrive that sets it apart from typical distortion pedals.
Videos
ProGuitarShopDemos
ZVex Vexter Box of Rock Distortion
ZVex Vexter Box of Rock Distortion
ProGuitarShopDemos
ZVEX Box of Rock vs Fulltone OCD Pedal Shootout
intheblues
Zvex Effects Box Of Rock (Vexter Series)
Grégory Leroy
ZVEX Box of Rock
Z VEX
WHY Do People Love the BOX OF ROCK?! | Gear Corner
Kris Barocsi
Pedal vs. Original - JTM45 vs. ZVEX Box of Rock - Comparison (no talking)
Guitar Bonedo
5 Bands I Use This For! | Zvex Effects Box Of Rock Pedal Demo
Let's Play All
ZVEX Effects Box of Rock Distortion Vexter Series 25th Anniversary
Pedal of the Day
Comparison! Zvex Box of Rock VS '59 Sound!
Sasha Ivantic
ZVEX Effects Box Of Rock - After Many Years, Does It Still Rock?
Buddy Blues
Zvex Box Of ROCK Vexter - Pedal Empire
Pedal Empire
ZVEX BOX OF ROCK Demo // Vexter 25th Anniversary Series // Huge Marshall JTM45 Sounds
Philip Czarnecki
Reviews
PROS
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Captures the iconic British Marshall sound effectively
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Versatile, offering both distortion and boost in one pedal
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Durable build quality, adding to its reliability
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Intuitive controls that mimic an amp's responsiveness
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Boost function respects the original signal without altering tone
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Can achieve a wide range of tones, from subtle drive to heavy distortion
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Transparent sound quality, preserving the guitar's natural voice
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Works well with various amplifiers, enhancing versatility
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Unique aesthetic design with collector appeal
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Described as a long-term, valuable addition to pedalboards
CONS
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May sound artificial in some settings, lacking organic quality
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Signal dropout issues reported with the boost function
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Can sound too compressed/mushy at higher gain settings
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Some users desire the boost function before the drive for more versatility
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Might produce too much low end for some tastes, lacking a low cut feature
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Sound may disintegrate at higher volumes or within a band setting
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about ZVEX Vexter Box of Rock.
Features and functionality
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The Box of Rock tends to have excess bass at higher gain, leading to a "flabby" sound, which might be a concern for those looking for tight distortion.
Source -
The Box of Rock Vexter series includes a built-in Super Hard-On (SHO) boost, which enhances its versatility and allows for additional tonal shaping.
Source -
The pedal's artwork has received updates in the Vexter edition, with users appreciating the improved design over older versions.
Source
Comparisons
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The Double Rock offers adjustable sub frequencies, a feature lacking in the original Box of Rock, helping to eliminate the flubby bass tones and improve note definition.
Source -
Owners suggest the Box of Rock is more of an overdrive than a distortion pedal, unlike the more versatile Fulltone OCD.
Source -
The pedal is often associated with a Marshall JTM45 sound, providing a Marshally quality rather than being an exact clone.
Source -
The Distortron offers a SUBS switch for bass control and a gain increase option, making it a versatile low to mid-gain choice compared to the Box of Rock.
Source -
The Crowther Hotcake is frequently recommended over the Box of Rock for use with Vox amps, as it pairs better with their inherent tonal characteristics.
Source
Use cases and applications
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Works well for achieving a gritty edge-of-breakup sound, especially when paired with a Fender Blues Deluxe at low gain settings.
Source -
Users have successfully replicated the distorted tones from early Death Cab for Cutie records, particularly on tracks like "We Laugh Indoors" and "Tiny Vessels."
Source -
The Double Rock's two drive channels allow for flexible stacking options, providing unique mid-gain tones not replicated by the Distortron.
Source
User experience
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Positive user experiences highlight the pedal's ability to maintain good note definition and dynamic response when used with appropriate amp settings.
Source -
Owners report longevity and satisfaction, with some using the pedal as their main sound for over 7 years, often leaving it on continuously.
Source -
Some owners report the Box of Rock performs poorly with Vox AC30 amps, thinning out the tone, especially compared to Fender amps which enhance its sound.
Source
Critic Reviews
4.5 out of 5
Based on 7 Reviews and 45 Ratings
102
Cool Marshall-Sound and really neutral Boost
This pedal is a permanent resident on my pedalboard. Almost Bluesbreaker sound.
365
Marshall JTM45 in a box
This pedal is as outstanding as fulltone ocd and pro co rat. It's just a versatile pedal that can go from subtle drive to huge crunchy distorted sound and has transparency to it. it cleans up really well. love it every bits.
41029
its also completely different in design from all of the pedals you mentioned, 2 of which are very similar and one of which is a juiced up SD1/TS9
365
Nah I've just seen reviews and a lot of people have compared to those were mention. it's pretty subjective :)
41029
get a distortron if you can live without the boost, its got 3 different low-frequency responses controlled via the 'subs' toggle... I genuinely prefer it to the BoR, though that didn't stop me from selling it recently because there's just something amiss with the top end of this circuit
150
I think I'm gonna try a JHS superbolt and see if thats more what I'm looking for
41029
agreed, I had one of these as well as a distorton and enver managed to get them to behave with my rig at the time. More of a bedroom pedal. It did really great with the little tweed Gibson I owned at the time getting a tweedy tone at night-time levels. Otherwise a cool sound that still seems wrong no matter how you twist the knobs.
207
@jimmarchi1I actually use it with an Ibanez TS9. I can control hight-medium frequency and i finaly found what i want !
41029
I've never made dirt-stacking work for me, but my clean sound is probably way more compressed and way closer to overdriving the power amp than most people's
209
Artist usage
Add artist
According to Premier Guitar in Nov 2015, in Desaparecidos: 'Conor only uses a few stompboxes for his core live tone—a Boss TU-3 Tuner, ZVEX Box of Rock, EarthQuaker Devices Monarch and Organizer, and a disengaged Ibanez AD9 Analog Delay. His main dirtbox is the ZVEX Box of Rock, the Organizer is used for one part in a song during the set, and the Monarch is another drive, specifically-EQ’d for when he plays the baritones. Everything on the board is powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus power supply.'
On September 8, 2020, she posted a picture on her Instagram story and you can see part of her personal pedalboard.
On this photo you can see something that looks like a ZVEX box of rock pedal on Blake's pedalboard.
In the photo titled "mollo02.jpg" on PhotoBucket, Ricardo Mollo's main distortion pedals, including the ZVEX Vexter Box of Rock, are visible.
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Visible in this Instagram photo.
Seen on Alan Sparhawk's pedalboard at their April 4th 2022 show at the Axis Club in Toronto, on the Hey What tour.
ZVex Box Of Rock was featured in his "gear list" during the 2015 Premier Guitar rig rundown.
In this photo, which actually comes from Vertex Effects website, which are the builders of his pedalboard, one of the pedals that can be seen in the board is the rehoused ZVex Box Of Rock.
I asked Cory about pedals on Instagram and this is what he said about dirt pedals on Ganglion Reef and Plum:
"There's no fuzzes on Plum! Not a single one. I used a box of rock for most of it... and a Ross compressor always on. On ganglion Reef I used one of those little silicon fuzz face minis. They rule! Need to pick one up again. I love them"
Sharon uses a ZVEX Box Of Rock Distortion as seen here at 2:47.
Around 18:26 in this video, Dave mentions his Zvex Box of Rock, saying, "Of non-sampling pedals it's probably my favorite pedal. I just love the clean boost. It adds sparkle to both my amps."
Album Usage
The ZVEX Vexter Box of Rock has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use ZVEX Vexter Box of Rock, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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Community setups
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