clean boost pedals, what is good?

[ErikH]

Re: clean boost pedals, what is good?

You can take almost any of the OD pedals out there with gain/volume controls and do the same to them to get a boost, level all the way up/gain all the way down. They're not clean boosts though. A good option nonetheless. I've used an SD-1 the same way before.

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: clean boost pedals, what is good?

You can take almost any of the OD pedals out there with gain/volume controls and do the same to them to get a boost, level all the way up/gain all the way down. They're not clean boosts though. A good option nonetheless. I've used an SD-1 the same way before.

Very true, and often with some very cool results, but The Dug's looking for something with true bypass and no tone coloration.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: clean boost pedals, what is good?

The new religion..true bypass.

 

[ErikH]

Re: clean boost pedals, what is good?

The new religion..true bypass.

:laugh2: So true.

Having a couple true bypass pedals is fine. However, too many that are true bypass is actually worse for your signal than having a couple with bypass buffers in them, such as Boss. A lot of players leave out the cords between pedals, let alone the pedals themselves, when calculating how many feet of cable they use. Buffers are your friend.

 

[drpietrzak]

Re: clean boost pedals, what is good?

For a clean boost the Boos OD-3 works great as well. Not much color in it at all.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: clean boost pedals, what is good?

Or the new CAE/MXR booster, the Booster Overdrive.

 

[B Bent]

Re: clean boost pedals, what is good?

IMO true bypass is overrated, i run 2 ibanez pedals infront of my amp, a TS and a AD-9, and it sounds great, whether they're on or off

Get a hold of a bad pedal and you'll know it!! Some non T-B pedals are OK others are just horrible though!!

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: clean boost pedals, what is good?

It is not the bypass that is bad...it is usually the impedance that is whacky.
And a lowimpedance signal is more clear than a normal signal with a cable only, there is often alot of signal loss in cables, so buffered(high to low impedance) is often heard as thin and bright, mostly is just because the usual muffled sound of the cable only is what most are used to, redial the amp, it also cuts down the noise and static in the signal line, it is just not something one can add without rethinking the setup and eq-ing.
TB is just a passive system, it too will take current away from the signal.

 

[Kelsey]

Re: clean boost pedals, what is good?

The boosters based on Orman's JFET mini-booster are really nice -- they are pretty true to the base tone, and may add a very slight touch of very musical grit. These would include the RGW Electronics Bad Bob Booster, the Burriss Boostier, the Luxury Drive, The Fulltone Fat Boost, the Pedalworx McBoost, and perhaps the Keeley Katana and modern channel of the TMB. Of these, I own the Bad Bob and have tested the Fat Boost over a couple of days. The Bad Bob adds more sparkle and operates with less noise than the Fat Boost, so I returned the Fat Boost and kept the Bad Bob.

The Catalinbread SCP and SPP boosts are based on Orman's MOSFET booster, and the ZVEX SHO and Super Duper are similar.

A number of other boosters are based on the old E-H LPB circuit, including the Nick Greer Sonic Boom and the Sweet booster. These add a lot of thickness to the tone and are darker than the JFET or MOSFET boosts.

I'm not sure what design is used in the SD Pickup Booster, but I thought it was kind of flat and dull sounding compared to the Bad Bob or a good LPB clone. I liked the resonance switch, but it lacked presence overall to my ears.

And then there are all of the treble boosters out there, but they are far from transparent.

 

[Steel]

Re: clean boost pedals, what is good?

Try a Prescription Electronics GERM -- totally clean boost, true bypass, takes your current tone and boosts it up -- also adds some nice sustain. Also has two sides to it -- one for mild boost and one for a bigger boost. It's the only thing I use between my amp (Top Hat Club Royal) and the Les Paul or Strat. It was a real find for me. By the way, I also do like the BD-2 too. Here's a link:

http://www.fuzzbox.com/

 

[THE DUG]

Re: clean boost pedals, what is good?

very cool stuff guys,thanks again!

 

[Aceman]

Re: clean boost pedals, what is good?

I'm a fan of the old MXR Micro-amp. +20 db of pure whoop-up-side-the-pre-amp. They vary a bit -but good ones are great. SD pup booster is probably cleaner/more reliable. +1 also on an eq pedal. +1 on true bypass overated. Compressor is also a cool option if slight gain boost but big sustain is your goal. There are so many ways to do this!!!!