Xotic EP Booster...MXR Echoplex preamp......

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Xotic EP Booster...MXR Echoplex preamp......

Thanks for the Nocturne Brain recco ... those pedals look very unique and sound great.

 

[superpete]

Re: Xotic EP Booster...MXR Echoplex preamp......

i a/b'ed the xotic and the ep boost today. first and foremost the xotic has way more volume on tap. the mxr on 10 was the xotic at around 4-5. the ep was also much fuller sounding into a clean amp. into a semi distorted amp both sounded good, but i though the ep was a little nicer sounding. the mxr was a little crisper, the ep fatter.

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Xotic EP Booster...MXR Echoplex preamp......

i a/b'ed the xotic and the ep boost today. first and foremost the xotic has way more volume on tap. the mxr on 10 was the xotic at around 4-5. the ep was also much fuller sounding into a clean amp. into a semi distorted amp both sounded good, but i though the ep was a little nicer sounding. the mxr was a little crisper, the ep fatter.

Thanx for the great info

 

[JeffB]

Re: Xotic EP Booster...MXR Echoplex preamp......

Have not had a chance to plug it in, but my EP Booster came today :bigthumb:

Stil waiting on a 18v power supply , and a new speaker to arrive. Hopefully a clip in a week or so.

 

[jimijames]

Re: Xotic EP Booster...MXR Echoplex preamp......

FWIW this thread gave me the ep boost bug.

I went and played one at GC, and it was good. I really loved the pedal but couldn't justify spending nearly $120 on a clean boost, and eventually decided though that for $50 I could build one using a madbean fatpants pcb, which sold out as I was getting everything ordered.

Fortunately I had some perfboard laying around so I ordered their charge pump and built just the EP part of the circuit on the perfboard.

I read on a forum somewhere that the MPF102 transistor is a good substitute for the TIS58 that's so hard to find, so I'm using that in Q1. I asked on the madbean forum about it and apparently for q2 you want the j201 if you prefer your preamp to have any boost at all haha.

I thought I ordered the right capacitors from Mouser but I didn't get enough of the 1 uf caps, and I forgot entirely the 3.3 nf cap. So I'm waiting on those to arrive.

When it's all said and done I should have a work-alike running at 24v (using a 12v power supply). But, it isn't all said and done yet haha. So, yeah. I'm pretty pumped to get it all done.

 

[hermetico]

Re: Xotic EP Booster...MXR Echoplex preamp......

I just want to share that I bought the Bagderplex Trilogy.
IMHO, not a good pedal, in any sense.
While the Xotic does a clean booster with some i-dunno-what-magic, the Trilogy saturates the first tube and cuts the tails of sound.
I was highly disappointed with the sound, not to say that it comes WITHOUT any kind of box.
Stay away this pedal.

 

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: Xotic EP Booster...MXR Echoplex preamp......

I just want to share that I bought the Bagderplex Trilogy.
IMHO, not a good pedal, in any sense.
While the Xotic does a clean booster with some i-dunno-what-magic, the Trilogy saturates the first tube and cuts the tails of sound.
I was highly disappointed with the sound, not to say that it comes WITHOUT any kind of box.
Stay away this pedal.

Really? I love my Badgerplex AC so much I have two for when I do a stereo rig. It works magic for my rig.

You really couldn't get any useable sound out of it and didn't like any of the three settings?

 

[JeffB]

Re: Xotic EP Booster...MXR Echoplex preamp......

I got to fiddle around with it for 1/2 hour this morning before I left for work. Even at 9v I was impressed. It adds that magic mojo to the midrange, along with a bit of low end pop, and secret high end sauce....

rainman/

EP booster...Sparkley.......very very sparkley.......


/rainman


Very cool. Frankly Im kinda miffed, as I just bought a set of a5 mag PAF types to try and add just what the EP booster did this morning to my existing rig....gahhhhh.

 

[hermetico]

Re: Xotic EP Booster...MXR Echoplex preamp......

Really? I love my Badgerplex AC so much I have two for when I do a stereo rig. It works magic for my rig.

You really couldn't get any useable sound out of it and didn't like any of the three settings?

Absolutely not.
Even the Mesa Boogie Tone Burster does a better job, hands down.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Xotic EP Booster...MXR Echoplex preamp......

I forgot to update the thread again. 18v adapter on backorder, so been using it at 9v. I put the 61s in the guitar, and then set up EP booster in vintage mode, no db boost,no extra brightness.

It has answered the questions I have re: many of my heros and how they got that extra mojo in their stock marshall rigs way back when.whether the circuit is that authentic or not, it mimics very well that smooth gain and pop/punch that is not quite there in those old amps.

It is on all the time now, set at minimum gain, just to do it's mojo. So I have to still find an actual OD/DIS pedal to replace the BA78 as a goose.

Once I get the new g12mEVH installed and broken in, will post up somethin short.

 

[jimijames]

Re: Xotic EP Booster...MXR Echoplex preamp......

I know this is a sort of necro-bump, but I've finally gotten 95% of the DIY ep together (madbean fatpants).

Even running at 10v (hence why it's 95%, the charge pump for some mysterious reason has decided to die on me) it's such a good addition to everything I put it in front of.

The madbean variant has external switches (a "soft" switch and a "body" switch) and instead of the "gain" DIP it has a potentiometer labeled "fat". The body switch increases the low mids substantially, and the soft switch is barely detectable unless you're playing a seriously bright pickup/guitar (ex. telecaster).

At 10v there's no volume boost though, actually at full up there's a slight drop in output compared with bypassed (This was after all designed to work on 18-24v), but the sound is very rich and open, lots of clarity. Sounds great after my MBB.

But, if you're looking for an ep-style boost, the madbean fatpants is a great alternative to the Dunlop and the Xotic and if you're handy with a soldering iron less than half the price.

 

[jon the art guy]

Re: Xotic EP Booster...MXR Echoplex preamp......

Tagboardeffects has a couple voltage doubler projects on stripboard. Is the madbean one on a daughter board? If so, you could hack something together that way.

off u see did MRSAge, I m on tapa talk and auto correct is hating on me

 

[JeffB]

Re: Xotic EP Booster...MXR Echoplex preamp......

I finally got my 18v adapter for the EP booster. I liked the pedal a bunch at 9v, but 18v is like I got another brand new improved pedal. Thicker, more complex, punchier, but more clarity (in a warm, good sort of way) than at 9v. Anytime I leave it off, I wonder for a second WTF is wrong with my amp.

 

[El Dunco]

Re: Xotic EP Booster...MXR Echoplex preamp......

I have a tube tape echo (with the tube preamp and all) if posting something using that would help any.

 

[jimijames]

Re: Xotic EP Booster...MXR Echoplex preamp......

Tagboardeffects has a couple voltage doubler projects on stripboard. Is the madbean one on a daughter board? If so, you could hack something together that way.

off u see did MRSAge, I m on tapa talk and auto correct is hating on me

Madbean makes a charge pump that I used, after asking at their forum apparently I have a short somewhere.

When everything is mended I'm going to run it on 12v which =24v internal. I didn't use the tis 58 but people say the mpf102 is very nearly as good and costs 20 cents at radioshack so I went with that.

Now I just need to find that pesky short.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

 

[ken361]

Re: Xotic EP Booster...MXR Echoplex preamp......

Just got a MXR Echoplex this week with some old pedal trade in. I did read on the Gear Page some didnt care for it they said it sucked some treble and dynamics out. Playing low i thought they were right I was running it after the OD pedals,Wednesday I turned up loud on my twin and I had the pedal moved up front at the time and it seemed to take some high end off so I moved it back behind the OD pedals and sounded better. It added more low end and spank to the highs! Yes it does work good! Last night i moved it last so maybe it will buffer the signal too like it says and im using the Soul Food for a buffer up front. I use the pedal for cleans and my Bogner pedals dirt, it has more body then the Soul Food as a clean boost.

 

[B2D]

Re: Xotic EP Booster...MXR Echoplex preamp......

Addressing the original post. I've tried both and overall I prefer the Xotic. It sounds a little more lively and the controls seem to yield a wider range of sounds, especially with the internal toggle switches adjusted to your liking (I prefer the bright switch off).