Xotic AC Booster? (compare to RC)

D

doveman

New member
I might use both ...

I have the RC Boost and love what it does to the front end of my signal ... especially at live volumes. I understand the AC is a bit more colored but not a lot ... maybe a Vox-ish tone. I might like to use them both as options on the front end.

Seeing that I'm pretty satisifed with the RC, what can anyone tell me about the AC? What can I expect? OK to directly compare to the RC since I have one ... will help make some sense of it all.
 
Re: Xotic AC Booster? (compare to RC)

Update: I tried the RC AC and BB together today. I decided to take the BB home.

This might work. Both the RC and BB can run on the OD channel. The treble and bass controls on the RC (I already have and love the RC) are about midway ... it's just a cool sound that fattens everything up while remaining clear ... real transparent. The BB requires added treble and bass with a higher gain but it gives a tight distortion on top of the OD ... also transparent though not as much as RC. Both pedals and the raw Brown Note signal can be balanced with the level control.

I won't be able to test it with the band this week but my tests have gone well today. But this might work!

I have an active loop coming shortly and will run both Digitech Hardwire Delay and Reverb units in the loop.

This rig will be able to do what I love about the Brown Note PLUS get the sounds I need for some covers in the new band I'm working on. Always seems like the internet research gets me there eventually.
 
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Re: Xotic AC Booster? (compare to RC)

kjrocks said:
What did you think of the AC in comparison to the BB?
Click to expand...

I actually think the AC is a pretty good pedal too. The sound is colored a bit whereas the RC (for sure) and the BB (to my ears) don't color the sound. The BB is a harder Marshall-like (again to my ears) distortion.

The AC had a slightly darker Vox-ish tone to me. If I was looking for a more bluesy Vox type sound, I think it would be fine.

However, what I needed was another pedal that would give me the ability to do some '80s covers with a Marshall-like edgy distortion but run in front of my Brown Note's OD channel. I also wanted to be able to have the natural tone come through when I backed off the guitar volume. This seems like a perfect solution.

I think all 3 of these pedals are really at their best running in front of a tube OD pre-amp. But that's just me.

By the way, the RC well that's just the best pedal on the planet ... you could leave it on all the time and improve just about any rig. If you got a nice rig with a good sound, it just gets better.

But the BB filled the specific need I was looking for ... I was intending to buy the AC when I left for the music store.
 
Re: Xotic AC Booster? (compare to RC)

doveman said:
The AC had a slightly darker Vox-ish tone to me. If I was looking for a more bluesy Vox type sound, I think it would be fine.
Click to expand...

I find it to be this way too.Very nice pedal indeed but not what I need. I do think either the RC or more probably the BB would do what I was after better. which was essentially the same thing you're after. Goose your OD channel :)
 
Re: Xotic AC Booster? (compare to RC)

If you're looking for just a bit more lush tone, then the RC. It's not for distortion. But an overdriven tone that you just want to make thicker ... better. I heard about the pedal and most guys just leave it on all the time. I had to try it to believe it.

Now the BB is a different animal. It can give the edgy distortion ... still not metal ... still depending on the OD channel for some of it. My Brown Note's sweetness ... just notched up ... a bit of edge. Covers a lot of distortion that way.

If you're doing metal ... you'll need something else. I don't think this is what I'd want running through the clean channel of a Fender ... you might need something more agressive.

But Stones, Whitesnake, GunsNRoses, etc. ... easy. I was having trouble doing some covers with the new rig. A bit too nice. But then ... back off the guitar tones and you're still in the realm of clean although slightly pushed Brown Note. It's a fine place to be.

:D
 
Re: Xotic AC Booster? (compare to RC)

I have a BB. Liked it over the AC. It's slightly more compressed. The voicing is more EL34 Marshall over the AC's more open voicing.

The only thing with both the BB and AC is that they don't like being pushed by another pedal in front of them, unless that pedal is really low gain. Do you guys run your RC's after the BB/AC?
 
Re: Xotic AC Booster? (compare to RC)

I've been running my RC before the BB and they can chain together. But I'm really running either (not both) since I'm running into an OD channel. Both is a bit more than I need. I have heard of people running the BB first though. Many people do chain the two pedals. The BB is Marshall-like as you say ... the RC is just everything thickened up a bit ... then there's the regular Brown Note amp tone that's nice on it's own.

Welcome to the forum. :D
 
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