pickup booster

[Grenade]

Anybody use the Duncan sfx-1? I'm thinking I could use this quite often,not just for a boost but to help the sound of my Squier I use for slide. What do you think?

[Hellion]

Re: pickup booster

The best boost pedal that I've ever used was an acoustic preamp pedal by DOD. It's not terribly clean, but if you're running a Squier into it, it shouldn't make a difference. I used to use it for my "lead" channel, which was a separate amplifier than my "clean" channel. They've gotten a lot better in the 20 years since I was using mine. So, I should think that the Duncan model would work very well.

[briggleman]

Re: pickup booster

One of the first pedals I ever purchased, and one of the best and most used. It is a super clean boost, does not color my tone, and can slam the front of an amp that is just on the verge of break up even at its lowest setting. I rarely move it from that position. It even helps with my acoustic guitars. Great pedal.

[Grenade]

Re: pickup booster

I guess that's my new gear fix.Next will be a pedalboard so I don't have to keep changing batteries.

[JeffB]

Re: pickup booster

I've had 2 over the years. I love them with Vintage style strat single coils, but it seems to not get along as well with my Tele or humbucker guitars. I can't speak for everyone's rig , but they certainly do color the tone somewhat in all my rigs- a slight "muddiness"..or murkiness would perhaps be more accurate- nothing major, but it's there.

[IanBallard]

Re: pickup booster

Personally I'd go with a good 10-band EQ to juice the front end a bit.

[GuitarDoc]

Re: pickup booster

Or the MXR Micro Amp. This is a great booster used in front of the amp. Very clean and gives more than enough boost, and can be dialed down to only give a subtle boost when you want. The problem I have with the SD Pickup Booster is that you can't adjust it below 6db boost, so even at its lowest setting, when you turn it on it gives quite a bit of boost

[tone4days]

Re: pickup booster

i have the sfx-01 and really like it

it wont make your squier sound better - it'll sound the same, just hit the amp harder .. whether that improves the amps performance in a way that you find agreeable is up to you to decide

t4d

[SJ318]

Re: pickup booster

I bought one in 1999 and forgot about it after I got my sparkle drive.
Now, on the rare occasion I play live, I was using my sp. dr. for giving me a nice amount of soft grit (oxymoron). So I went all commando looking for a 2 switch pedal-V/S double trouble, jeckle/hyde and then remembered I had a booster-a nice clean S. Duncan pickup booster.
Went to friends house and did a live sim (he has a big brick basement) and got the sound I liked for hard blues/rock w/my Sp.Dr. and hit the Pickup Booster set (if you use the clock reference) at 8-9 o'clock, which is barely turning it past "on". Perfect. It made my nice crunchy rhythm sound jump way up and was perfect to use for leads. Plus, it is narrow and the in/out + power supply is all on the front so I could get it very close to my DD-3 which I like to use on leads only.
Hope that helps somewhat.
Steve Buffing...

[jeremy]

Re: pickup booster

i have one and it does exactly what its supposed to do, a clean boost. very little coloration and lots of boost available.

[briggleman]

Re: pickup booster

IanBallard has a good point. I also use a MXR 10 band EQ and it has a nice gain and volume boost feature built in. With that in mind, you could, for around the same funds, get a clean boost but also have the ability to shape your sound if you desire. I have not used mine live much, mostly in the music room recording little bits here and there and it works great. I use it more for a mid hump boost and it gives the impression of a volume boost for leads, but if strictly going for clean, the 12db of gain it provides plus an additional 12 db of volume should work well.