Lee_M.
Brockburst Toneologist
To all ~
At the expense of a few hundred dollars ($179 or so), I decided to splurge on a new pedal for my rig. I browsed through MusicToyz and picked up an XOTIC RC Booster.
Now, having read some varying reviews on the pedal, I decided that I'd try it with all of my electrics and various OD pedals. This isn't the most eloquent review I've written, but I wanted to get it on the web for those looking for a Clean Boost review:
Positive Results:
1. CLEAN: The pedal is the cleanest, non-coloring boost I've EVER HEARD with just the guitar and amp.
2. ENHANCING: If your amp sounds a smidge dull, this pedal breathes a bit of life into it. It doesn't color, it just adds a bit more life. Very cool.
3. COMBINATIONS: Ok; this is where the pedal was really fun to play...you know, when you smile at the opportunity to turn it on? With my Landgraff in the down toggle position, the RC Booster enhanced what was coming out of the pedal. VERY VERY COOL. What is even better is that should you need to adjust the EQ a bit, you can add more treble or bass.....the controls have a lot of power, so if you need EQ capabilities, this pedal will do it! It enhances the harmonics and everthing else that was going on before you turned on the pedal....and, again, with no color.
Negative Results:
1. You need to put his pedal BEFORE your OD's, Delays, Flanges, etc. It doesn't have the same boosting effect when you put it at the end of your signal chain. I guess that isn't really a negative, but you should be aware of it before you buy the pedal.
2. The gain knob doesn't do too much. If you are looking for a pedal that can add GAIN to the signal, this is the wrong pedal for you. It adds a SMIDGE, but not much. I think the AC Booster is what you need if you want more gain.
Overall:
1. With all the controls (volume, gain, treble and bass), you can use it with ANY PEDAL. That is the best part. It worked equally well with my Landgraff as it did with my Morley (which I use with my Strat). At first, I thought about buying another one for added flexibility, but have now decided against it. This will stay first in my chain from now on.
3. I'm going to buy the AC Booster so I can use it with weaker gain-type OD's, such as an 808 or Red Snapper SINCE the RC Booster doesn't add much gain. The RC Booster would really enhance the overall signal of the 808, but it won't be like piggy-backing 2 of them together (ala SRV).
4. If you want to avoid the Mid Hump of the Klon (and have 2 tone controls vs 1), this is ABSOLUTELY THE BEST BOOST PEDAL ON THE MARKET. It is so clean, clear and flexible for volume and EQ, it is scary. It has enough volume to blow your wall down.
5. For $179, the RC Booster is the best OD on the market if you are into high-end equipment. My days of using a Klon are LONG GONE and I'm happy. :jim
6. MusicToyz was a joy with which to deal. My pedal got to me in 2 days and ordering was a piece of cake. I highly recommend them if you want to pick up a good pedal. Although they don't have a 30 day return policy like Musician's Friend, they do offer a 5 day policy. Plus, they have a huge selection of boutique pedals, which allows you to try the new Menatone, Fulltone or anything else with NO obligation to keep. Doesn't get much better than that if you drop $500 on a pedal that you don't like.
Very Best Regards,
Lee Moore
At the expense of a few hundred dollars ($179 or so), I decided to splurge on a new pedal for my rig. I browsed through MusicToyz and picked up an XOTIC RC Booster.
Now, having read some varying reviews on the pedal, I decided that I'd try it with all of my electrics and various OD pedals. This isn't the most eloquent review I've written, but I wanted to get it on the web for those looking for a Clean Boost review:
Positive Results:
1. CLEAN: The pedal is the cleanest, non-coloring boost I've EVER HEARD with just the guitar and amp.
2. ENHANCING: If your amp sounds a smidge dull, this pedal breathes a bit of life into it. It doesn't color, it just adds a bit more life. Very cool.
3. COMBINATIONS: Ok; this is where the pedal was really fun to play...you know, when you smile at the opportunity to turn it on? With my Landgraff in the down toggle position, the RC Booster enhanced what was coming out of the pedal. VERY VERY COOL. What is even better is that should you need to adjust the EQ a bit, you can add more treble or bass.....the controls have a lot of power, so if you need EQ capabilities, this pedal will do it! It enhances the harmonics and everthing else that was going on before you turned on the pedal....and, again, with no color.
Negative Results:
1. You need to put his pedal BEFORE your OD's, Delays, Flanges, etc. It doesn't have the same boosting effect when you put it at the end of your signal chain. I guess that isn't really a negative, but you should be aware of it before you buy the pedal.
2. The gain knob doesn't do too much. If you are looking for a pedal that can add GAIN to the signal, this is the wrong pedal for you. It adds a SMIDGE, but not much. I think the AC Booster is what you need if you want more gain.
Overall:
1. With all the controls (volume, gain, treble and bass), you can use it with ANY PEDAL. That is the best part. It worked equally well with my Landgraff as it did with my Morley (which I use with my Strat). At first, I thought about buying another one for added flexibility, but have now decided against it. This will stay first in my chain from now on.
3. I'm going to buy the AC Booster so I can use it with weaker gain-type OD's, such as an 808 or Red Snapper SINCE the RC Booster doesn't add much gain. The RC Booster would really enhance the overall signal of the 808, but it won't be like piggy-backing 2 of them together (ala SRV).
4. If you want to avoid the Mid Hump of the Klon (and have 2 tone controls vs 1), this is ABSOLUTELY THE BEST BOOST PEDAL ON THE MARKET. It is so clean, clear and flexible for volume and EQ, it is scary. It has enough volume to blow your wall down.
5. For $179, the RC Booster is the best OD on the market if you are into high-end equipment. My days of using a Klon are LONG GONE and I'm happy. :jim
6. MusicToyz was a joy with which to deal. My pedal got to me in 2 days and ordering was a piece of cake. I highly recommend them if you want to pick up a good pedal. Although they don't have a 30 day return policy like Musician's Friend, they do offer a 5 day policy. Plus, they have a huge selection of boutique pedals, which allows you to try the new Menatone, Fulltone or anything else with NO obligation to keep. Doesn't get much better than that if you drop $500 on a pedal that you don't like.
Very Best Regards,
Lee Moore
