SD Pickup Booster Questions

[aestus]

Has anybody played with this pedal yet? I wondering what are your thoughts on the tone and reliability of this pedal. I'm looking for a good booster pedal.

How does the SD pickup booster pedal compare against the fulltone fat boost and Xotic RC boost pedals. The fact that musicians friend has the pickup booster for only $79 compared to $179 for the fulltone fat boost makes this pedal seem like a steal.

I've heard about reliabilty issues with the SD pickup booster, however. People online and a friend here in town has had issues with the pedal crapping out. Mainly the switch. The switch seems to be a really cheap switch that will start to pop. It will also get to the point where it sometimes doesn't want to switch. I've also heard that theres shielding problems with the pedal and will pick up radio stations. Some have even mentioned that the pedal is not true bypass as advertised. The pedal will still color your tone even when switched off. That along with the plastic input and output jacks have people talking. Anybody else experience these problems or have any comments about the pedal??


Tom

 

[Artie]

Re: SD Pickup Booster Questions

Its interesting to hear these comments about its reliability. Mine has that exact problem. Sometimes, you punch the switch, and the LED comes on, but no sound. You have to punch it on and off again. And I use mine, in a more or less, "table-top" mode, activating it with only my fingers. I never actually "stomp" on it.

Having said that, I still love the thing. It has great sound, and it definitely adds some character to the tone of any of my guitars. The resonance switch is icing on the cake.

 

[Kac]

Re: SD Pickup Booster Questions

I love the pedal and what it does to my tone, without a doubt an awesome boost pedal.
That being said, I will also add that the first one I bought had to be sent back to Duncan because of a faulty switch... Evan said the new ones are being made with a different kind of switch so that that problem should be gone now.
I would say get one, and try to get one of the new ones, you might have to wait a little while though, I'm not sure.
Rock On :smoker:

 

[Evan Skopp]

Re: SD Pickup Booster Questions

I ran this past one of our engineers, and here's what he said:

Funky Switch:

Yes, we had some percentage of bad switches in early runs of this unit. These early switches had been working well until the switch vendor (whose products we had been using for years without any problems) "changed the recipe" without telling us. These same switches also got into products from several other music equipment manufacturers (I don't know which ones) before the problem was recognized. We stopped using these switches many months ago, and we are now installing top shelf Carling-brand switches to make absolutely sure that our customers are buying a high quality product. Boosters currently in stores should not have any switch problems. I understand that we also have a replacement policy in place to make things right for anyone experiencing switch problems with our Pickup Boosters.


True Bypass:

The Pickup Booster has always had true "hard wire" bypass. Anyone who doubts this can check for himself in any one of three ways:
1) Remove the battery and verify that the sound goes through the unit - with absolutely no changes - when in bypass mode (and doesn't go through when out of bypass with no battery).
2) Open the unit (like you were changing the battery) and trace the wiring from input tip, to the switch, and back to the output tip. This can be done visually without removing the circuit board.
3) Check for continuity input tip to output tip when in bypass mode using an ohmmeter or a continuity tester and two guitar cables.


Radio Stations:

We have not been able to duplicate this problem, and we have an AM radio transmitter in our back yard. Some factors that can contribute to radio station pickup with the Pickup Booster:
1) Poorly shielded guitar cables. Try a different *premium* cable or two.
2) The very high gain of the Booster can push a marginal guitar amplifier "over the edge" and cause it to pickup radio stations that didn't affect it before. See if another amplifier has the same problem.
3) Poor grounding in the guitar. Does this happen with other guitars?
4) In some locations the radio station signal can be unusually strong. This is caused by the direct signal from the radio station being reinforced by one or more concentrated reflections from hills, buildings, or other large objects. This can cause the Booster itself (and other electronics as well) to pick up the station directly. Does the problem go away if you go down the street a few hundred yards? Is the station you hear on your guitar also unusually strong on an AM radio?

I hope that helps.

 

[aestus]

Re: SD Pickup Booster Questions

Cool! Thanks. I will definately be getting one now that I know the switching problem has been addressed.

Tom

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: SD Pickup Booster Questions

Cool! Thanks. I will definately be getting one now that I know the switching problem has been addressed.

Tom

One of our forum buddies is sending me his to play and evaluate...You know I'll post my findings..I've read only good things tonewise about the pedal and it's not surprising..

John