FX64 Ice Box

All three cosmetic variants of the FX64 Ice Box, from 1996 (left), 1997, and 1998

The FX64 Ice Box debuted at Winter NAMM 1996 as one of the five new "final series" FX pedals. Its design was at least loosely derived from the FX65 Stereo Chorus, but with a high EQ tone control (a feature that Boss had introduced with their CH-1 in 1989). The FX64 Ice Box was apparently marketed as the "flagship" pedal of their new chassis design/final series of pedals, as it was the only pedal of the five to be advertised at first (see Ad copy, below). In 1998, the FX64 was one of the pedals given a cosmetic "facelift" before production moved to China with the VFX series.

• Controls (1996-98): Ice (Chorus level), Cold (speed), Deep (width), Freeze (high end EQ)
  
  
• Controls (1998-VFX): Level, Speed, Depth, Doppler, HL EQ
  
  
• From the manual: "The FX64 Ice box is a specially designed chorus with a crystal clear high end. The Ice Box has been finely tuned for guitar to add dimension and width to your sound. Extra time has been taken to make the correct LFO type that sounds great at all speeds. So change your guitar's sound from blah and "clinky" and give it breathtaking crystal clear images."
  
  
• Ad copy: Chill. The new FX64
  
  
• Mini-review: Guitar World, May 1996
  
  
• Technical info:
  
  
  • Notable IC chips: one MN3007 BBD chip driven by a MN3101 clock generator/driver CMOS chip, four 4558-type op-amps
    
    
  • Internal trim pots: none
    
    
  • Component-side circuitboard images:February 1996 May 1997 January 1998
    
    
  • Related circuit: FX63, GFX64
  
  
• FX heritage: FX67 FX68 FX64
  
  
• External links:
  • @ ftp.dod.com - instruction manual (1996), .pdf format
  • @ discofreq's FX site
  • @ harmony-central.com
  • @ noiseguide.com
  • @ ultimate-guitar.com
  
  

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