Re: Clean Boost Suggestions
Ok.... I ran home at lunch to try boosting the Quickrod with a few different pedals. Unfortunately, I couldn't get my hands on the Katana, it's not where I thought it was.
I setup a pretty hot sound, 2nd Gear, Gain just under noon, treble and midrange up, bass back and presence barely on. I used a C5 loaded Floyd equipped super Strat (sorry I don't have a SD or JB right now)
I tried:
-EP Booster
-Wampler Clarksdale
-JRad Archer Ikon
-Timmy
All were setup with level above unity to boost, gain just under a quarter if applicable, treble ranging from 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock to get a tone I'd think is good. The Splawn is already a modded Marshall style amp, so for me a boost is good for altering the attack, overall EQ and feel. Not too much of an increase as far as saturation and volume are concerned. Also, all of them gave me the "boosted Marshall" sound and feel, with different EQ and attack. That extra compression that makes it feel easier to play, more liquid sustain and an extra punch.
From darkest to brightest:
EP Booster: Rolled off treble and increased lower mids. Super chunky on palm mutes and a really "full" tone. I had to be careful with the bass on the amp. To my ears it added "bass".
Wampler Clarksdale: (modded Tube Screamer) Even with the mids dialed back, I got a very "parked wah" style thing going on. Lots of thick mids that I'd like for soloing but would get old for rhythm. I think I had the midrange pretty high on the amp so the tube screamer's natural mids kind of kick it over the top. To my ears it added "Midrange".
Archer Ikon: (Klon style) Nice Boost. It was darker than I was expecting so I added some treble. It really pushed the treble frequencies forward, almost into the presence range. Nice cut and attack on palm mutes and chords. Single notes cut through. To my ears (the way I had it set) it added "treble".
Timmy: This uses the "backward" style tone controls where turning them up removes treble or bass. I reduced the bass a little to tighten up the attack a bit and kept the treble at full for the most "sparkle". I think this is what you are looking for. It still had the boosted Marshall sound and feel, but more high end zing than the others. To my ears it added "presence".
I bet an RC Boost or Timmy would work for you.
Again it was quick and dirty, I could have setup the amp to works well with any of the pedals depending on what I was going for.
I don't know why I boxed it up, I guess I've been using the EP a lot lately.
