ShortScale.org

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

EHX Soul Food is a great clean boost.

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

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.

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.

made by mike THRAWN





its got external volume control and internal volume control.

SICK

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.

robroe wrote:made by mike THRAWN


/

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

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

SICK

That sounds cool, but what does it mean?

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

Matamp time?

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.

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