Re: xotic RC booster... and other clean boosts
i have heard good things about the fat boost 3. I guess they are all pretty good but my thinking is to get something that won't mess with my EQ or give me a mid hump like my tubescreamer. the tubescreamer is good but i'd like to leave it on all the time.
Ac, rc and fat boost all mess with your eq...but in this case its a good thing because your amp behaves differently at different levels going into V1. However they only mess with your eq insofar as you want them to. The eq knobs are really useful imo.
Having the separate treb and bass controls allows you to tailor the boosted sound to exactly how you want it. All three of these boosts offer a little of theirown grit (the AC has quite a lot) on offer too, which also is useful in shaping your own version of what a perfect boosetd sound should be like. Regular clean boosts like micro amps, LPB's and even the MI boost 'n' buff (up to about 5 on its dial*) are more or less flat, which seems like a good idea, but being able to trim makes a big difference for the better to compensate for how your amp behaves. In the real world there is no such thing as "flat" so if you just want what sounds like your regular tone but with more gain, its actually necessary to trim things a little.
* the MI is "flat" up to 5 where it can give 20db boost, after that it moves more into treble booster territory and can give you 35db from memory. Its a nice pedal, but definitely has a signature sound. Its dependant very much on how it interacts with your amp...good with dark amps. I liked it with my musicman, but not so much with a marshall. With a fender amp it was juts too bright and cutting for my preference.
The super hard on has a nice shape to its eq and also has a cool tube like feel to it. Again it has its own sound that can work really well, but if you want to change something, you are stuck with it. Having said that, it does not give too much brightness, but it really does push thru the mids nicely. Really nice, simple pedal. Very hard to beat.
The AC boost is really more in the overdrive realm and is voiced to sound somewhat like a vox amp. If you want transparent, the RC or the fatty are the best ive tried.
