Clean boosts?

Concretebadger · Post by **Concretebadger** » Fri Jun 27, 2014 4:37 pm

That NAD I've been promising myself for goodness knows how long is only a month or two away now, so I'm sort of reassessing the dirtboxes on my board...a frequently-changing combination of ODs, Muffs, a RAT and various fuzzes. My preference seems to depend on which amp I'm using at the time, so that's still something I'm toying around with. The one thing I think will be really useful, regardless of amp, is a clean boost.

I've discounted a SHO because the amount of gain seems needlessly high and it's an awkward shape for my pedalboard, which leaves - at last count - around a zillion to choose from. I'm not even sure I'd use a tone knob, so a standard-size box that runs off a daisy-chained 9V supply and simply makes everything a bit louder while being completely tonally transparent.

Or is there more to it than that? Is transparency a bad thing with clean boosts? Is there some magic to the more expensive ones that justifies the price over, say, an LPB-1 or Micro Amp? I've grown conscious of marketing BS, so just want something affordable that works.

71Smallbox · Post by **71Smallbox** » Fri Jun 27, 2014 5:20 pm

This works really well for kicking things up cleanly. Fuck an boutique pedals. This pedal worked great for my 70's Marshall or Twin Reverb.

Benmurray85 · Post by **Benmurray85** » Fri Jun 27, 2014 5:34 pm

I've never heard a clean boost which didn't sound the same as a LPB or Micro Amp. Both of which I love.

I also LOVE my SHO clone but I agree it's not a "clean" boost and yeah fuck that shape!

honeyiscool · Post by **honeyiscool** » Fri Jun 27, 2014 5:52 pm

I had the LPB for the longest time. It's an OK pedal for the price, but it introduced a lot of noise and I don't like true bypass pedals for clean gain because they have that awful switching sound.

Today, I use a Visual Sound Route 66 pedal. It's actually a compressor/overdrive combination, but if you set the compression to be zero, then it's a clean gain pedal on the right, and it's actually clean because it's a Visual Sound and they have great buffers. The overdrive isn't the best in the world, I prefer a Boss OD-3, but I love that Route 66 for convenience. It has a noise gate which you can disable, and I do that. So what I'm saying, I guess, is that don't go and spend too much money on a Keeley or anything, but if you want clean, you might think about just using a transparent compressor or something like that because I find that the circuits on those low end clean boosts are anything but clean.

othomas2 · Post by **othomas2** » Fri Jun 27, 2014 6:08 pm

Love my LPB1, not the most transparent but adds a slight flavour which I personally like.

A lot of folk seem to be going for the EP Booster at the moment. Might be worth a look.

Benmurray85 · Post by **Benmurray85** » Fri Jun 27, 2014 6:12 pm

othomas2 wrote:Love my LPB1, not the most transparent but adds a slight flavour which I personally like.

A lot of folk seem to be going for the EP Booster at the moment. Might be worth a look.

I'd love an ep but no way I'm paying so much. Worth noting that it adds gain as well as per the old echo circuit it's based on

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Fri Jun 27, 2014 6:52 pm

Always been impressed with the LPB-1, it does seem to make the sound big and full. Through an already cranked Orange amp you can get your Tony Iommiz on.

timhulio · Post by **timhulio** » Fri Jun 27, 2014 7:31 pm

I like to use a Klone for clean boost. It's a bit warmer than the Micro Amp (which was my previous favourite, because it really is clean) and not as aggressive as the LPB-1.

Bacchus · Post by **Bacchus** » Fri Jun 27, 2014 8:27 pm

What amp are you getting?

I've always liked the saltbooster for this sort of thing. Cleanish, or dirtyish, and adds a bit of lower mid clout.

taylornutt · Post by **taylornutt** » Fri Jun 27, 2014 8:37 pm

EHX Soul Food is a great clean boost.

theshadowofseattle · Post by **theshadowofseattle** » Fri Jun 27, 2014 8:48 pm

Yo it costs $20 to build an LPB from scratch and half of that is the enclosure.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Fri Jun 27, 2014 9:41 pm

taylornutt wrote:EHX Soul Food is a great clean boost.

I also own one of these and had an whole night trying to figure out if this was a better boost than the LPB1, it works better for some stuff but for me the LPB1 was more natural.
Good call though.

Ro S · Post by **Ro S** » Sun Jul 06, 2014 10:41 pm

For a transparent clean boost, the BBE Boosta Grande. or Visual Sound True Tone.

For something more versatile, consider: TC Spark; Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive; Mi Audio Buff n Boost; Catalinbread Naga Vipa.

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Sun Jul 06, 2014 11:46 pm

made by mike THRAWN

its got external volume control and internal volume control.

SICK

ultratwin · Post by **ultratwin** » Mon Jul 07, 2014 3:34 am

CHISSBOOSTER!

Micro Amps are great pedals, would recommend.

Over here I still use Aen's PLANE TICKET for the sheer LPB-1 simplicity and predictable expected tone (tasty on bass, too) and the locally-made STOMPLEAGUE Mini Boost for even more grittier business, it being a "95% copy of the SHO" and imparting a good amount of anger into the boost, and so much fun for $50 that I bought two. The Moollon Signal Boost is as transparent as can be, and goes great in front amps for nothing more than simply moar...I may be a company employee, but I've never heard a boost sound as clean and uncolored.

Of course, to each his peach.

BillClay · Post by **BillClay** » Mon Jul 07, 2014 4:00 pm

robroe wrote:made by mike THRAWN

/

Only get a Thrawn if you wanna sound like a "Bloosze" Grand Admiral.

moogmusic · Post by **moogmusic** » Tue Jul 08, 2014 7:49 am

robroe wrote:its got external volume control and internal volume control.

SICK

That sounds cool, but what does it mean?

dub · Post by **dub** » Tue Jul 08, 2014 8:43 am

Concretebadger wrote:That NAD I've been promising myself for goodness knows how long is only a month or two away now,

Matamp time?

CrashThumpKapow · Post by **CrashThumpKapow** » Wed Jul 23, 2014 5:26 pm

Poultone Devices make a really amazing, totally clean boost called the Trooper Boost. They're inexpensive and the best one I've heard. They're just starting out but great, great stuff.

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Tue Aug 26, 2014 7:26 pm

moogmusic wrote:
robroe wrote:its got external volume control and internal volume control.

SICK
That sounds cool, but what does it mean?

i have no fucking idea. ask mike