Express series : Best Booster Pedal Answered!!

[EXPRESSLOVER]

Ok Im gonna let everybody in on a little secret of mine.


Ok so people are looking for the best Pedal to Drive their amp into more sustain and distortion?


You want something thats true bypass and something that doesnt mess up you tone?


Then if so....



Look no further than this.



...


http://www.blackstaramps.co.uk/products/ht/htboost.html




This is the pedal you seek which features an additional pre-amp stage to drive the express into molten metal fuzz!!!



Whats so great is you can add more bass/treble if required but leaving the e.q flat preserves the tone.



Its the best pedal for what Ive been looking for.


I've searched for months tryin different things and nearly both a bb xotic preamp but instead found this.


Blackstar are basically the UK's boutique all hand wired guitar amps and truly sound amazing.




Im currently saving for one for that classic british break up....that no matter what people say...


a boogie cannot replicate.



So i will have the best of the best regarding american flavoured tones and british tones.


Let me know when you get that blackstar booster pedal. It is designed to add extra gain into an already overdrivin amp, or when applied to a clean channel provides a massive volume boost too..

 

[soundchaser59]

At $300 bucks a pop, I think it might be quite awhile before you hear from anyone with a new Blackstar.....

 

[gezza]

Hey EXPRESSLOVER,

Did you try the BB Plus, that gives you so many options?

Plus you can add a to b or b to a, gives you a third sound.
Channel A is the clean Boost, channel B is more distorted, then you can pre-select if Channel a drives Channel b or vise verse.

Plus the BB has 2 separate Eq's, Plus I really like the layout of the pedal.

Man, they are all expansive, the BB plus in Oz is $450.00.

But it would turn the 2 channel 5:25 into a multi channel amp. (8 sounds)

But i really need to hear one, does anyone use one, or even the BB Preamp??

Check out the demo,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKdjQsGD754

And then the quest begins again.

Gezza.

 

[floaty83]

i just got one of the new Digitech Hardwire SC-2 Valve Distortion pedals. Wow. What a great pedal.

All of the new Hardwire pedals are high-voltage, true bypass.

I've got the SC-2 in front of my Express 5:50 1x12 and it works great as a boost to the Burn channel, or as a medium gain overdrive for the clean channel.

The tone of this pedal is amazing. I've tweaked it to where it sounds almost exactly like the amp's Crunch setting at full gain. It almost sounds a little Marshally which I love because it gives me just that many more tonal options.

Great Pedal!

 

[EXPRESSLOVER]

wow thats a shame as the blackstar cost like a hundred bucks in ireland cuz they're made next door to us in the u.k..



I think it retains clarity and only adds punch when engaged..


Search ebay..


But I have not tried the bb...8 sounds wow!!


I must look into that..


they cost a bit more here like 250 bucks....



i know andy timmons uses one...


best of luck dude i highly recommend the blackstar..

its so weird its almost like turning the gain up further on the amp as it retains all the sounds of the express..


its an amazing pedal it has a preamp so its basically adding an extra gain stage..


i use it live and its awesome.

i also bought an mxr distortion 3 which is also good but you slightly loose bottom end thump although it does add a very natural musical tone.

 

[Newysurfer]

yeah I've heard good things about the Blackstar.
an MI Audio Crunchbox will do similar for less than half the price.
So will a Maxon OD-9 Tubescreamer stacked into the 5:50's Burn channel.

 

[iFreedom]

What about the timmy or the tim, at least half the price. And seems fairly tranpserent, although never presonally played one...yet 8)

 

[Newysurfer]

What about the timmy or the tim, at least half the price. And seems fairly tranpserent, although never presonally played one...yet 8)

it's worth a test run.
I've never heard one but lots of guys on www.thegearpage.com rave about it

 

[Sing4LTS]

Blackstar is freaking great! My rig consists of the following:

Express 5:50 2x12
X2 wireless
TC G-System
Blackstar HT-DUAL
Blackstar HT-DISTX

Best setup ever!!!! Tone for days. Seriously there is not a sound out there, that I can't get. Everything from the most pristine cleans, to down right death metal. I'm in a coverband, and have to be able to play any style, at any given moment. Between the G-system and my two blackstar pedals, I've essentialy turned my Express into a 5 channel amp. I'll see if I can get up some pics tonight.

 

[MrMason]

My answer for boost is Boss SD-1 going into an MXR 10-band EQ :mrgreen:...I know a lot of people don't like the SD-1, but I tell ya what: the thin-ness of the SD-1 creates a certain "bite" and then the EQ pedal thickens it up and gives me a lead sound to die for. And I'm using a Radial Loopbone, so the active buffer pretty much eliminates the bleed through the SD-1 suffers from.

 

[bobby wasabi]

I just tried my Boss BD-2 in front of my 5:25 head. I maxed the level and put the gain on minimum on the BD-2. Holy sh!t! This is what the burn channel has been missing!

 

[gezza]

Pedal GAS!!! Help.

I have never looked at so many pedals.

I have decided to start the Pedal Board.

I have narrowed it down to a couple of pedals.

1. Xotic - BB Plus.
2. BYOC - Overdrive 2.

Plus, then a more natural boost the CMATMODS - Buttah.

This should cover everything from a little clean boost to screaming solo's.

I will get to try the BB Plus and Buttah this week-end.

Man it is so hard buying off the net, not being able to hear you tone.

I let you all know how it goes,

Thanks,

Gezza.

 

[soundchaser59]

My answer for boost is Boss SD-1 going into an MXR 10-band EQ :mrgreen:...I know a lot of people don't like the SD-1, but I tell ya what: the thin-ness of the SD-1 creates a certain "bite" and then the EQ pedal thickens it up and gives me a lead sound to die for. And I'm using a Radial Loopbone, so the active buffer pretty much eliminates the bleed through the SD-1 suffers from.

Try installing the Monte Allums mod on your SD-1. You'll like it even more.....

 

[soundchaser59]

I just tried my Boss BD-2 in front of my 5:25 head. I maxed the level and put the gain on minimum on the BD-2. Holy sh!t! This is what the burn channel has been missing!

Modded BD-2 is nice, my ticket turned out to be the TS-9 Tube Screamer. Just a bit smoother and darker than the BD2.

 

[EXPRESSLOVER]

I bought an mxr 3 and that really sounds sweet. There is bass reduction though. I use it for crunch tones while playing on clean mode. I then set up BURN mode about 2.30 for heavy rock tone and engage the BLACKSTAR boost for heavier thicker drive.

To be honest the Black Star is the best..you can add more treble or bass with the EQ within the pedal. It has a preamp gain in there too so you are not loosing ANY WARMTH...

There are plenty of stockists in the uk who ship worldwide so you can buy online for cheap.

I nearly bought the bb xotic preamp but when I tried the BlackStar boost I knew this is want I wanted...


NO MESSING WITH MY TONE....ONLY TO ADD EXTRA SATURATION AND TO ADD MORE CLARITY IF NEEDED. Its almost turning the gain up 5 times without messing with eq.

 

[Newysurfer]

My answer for boost is Boss SD-1 going into an MXR 10-band EQ :mrgreen:...I know a lot of people don't like the SD-1, but I tell ya what: the thin-ness of the SD-1 creates a certain "bite" and then the EQ pedal thickens it up and gives me a lead sound to die for. And I'm using a Radial Loopbone, so the active buffer pretty much eliminates the bleed through the SD-1 suffers from.

Mr Mason - my main issue with these Boss OD and distortion pedals is not so much their tones when turned on. THat's quite subjective. Some people like em. The big problem is how they sound when turned off. If you don't have tone sucking pedals you don't need a separate TB loop like the Loopbone.

If you like the tone of those Boss pedals why not get a Keeley mod. Turns it into a decent pedal with true bypass.

 

[MrMason]

My answer for boost is Boss SD-1 going into an MXR 10-band EQ :mrgreen:...I know a lot of people don't like the SD-1, but I tell ya what: the thin-ness of the SD-1 creates a certain "bite" and then the EQ pedal thickens it up and gives me a lead sound to die for. And I'm using a Radial Loopbone, so the active buffer pretty much eliminates the bleed through the SD-1 suffers from.

Mr Mason - my main issue with these Boss OD and distortion pedals is not so much their tones when turned on. THat's quite subjective. Some people like em. The big problem is how they sound when turned off. If you don't have tone sucking pedals you don't need a separate TB loop like the Loopbone.

If you like the tone of those Boss pedals why not get a Keeley mod. Turns it into a decent pedal with true bypass.

The reason I use the Loopbone is so I can switch from clean to dirty with the sd-1 and mxr eq engaged simultaneously. The Loopbone actually isn't true bypass; it has a really good buffer though. It definitely changes the tone, but to my ear it seems to sound BETTER than it did without it (once you dial it in). I ended up taking soundchaser's advice on the monte allums GT mod on the SD-1. Sounds really nice, really articulate (maybe a little too many highs for my taste, but the EQ can compensate for that). It's impossible to find any good sound clips of OD pedals on the lead channel, because it seems no one uses it like that; call me crazy, I prefer an OD pedal in front of the lead channel.

 

[Newysurfer]

My answer for boost is Boss SD-1 going into an MXR 10-band EQ :mrgreen:...I know a lot of people don't like the SD-1, but I tell ya what: the thin-ness of the SD-1 creates a certain "bite" and then the EQ pedal thickens it up and gives me a lead sound to die for. And I'm using a Radial Loopbone, so the active buffer pretty much eliminates the bleed through the SD-1 suffers from.

Mr Mason - my main issue with these Boss OD and distortion pedals is not so much their tones when turned on. THat's quite subjective. Some people like em. The big problem is how they sound when turned off. If you don't have tone sucking pedals you don't need a separate TB loop like the Loopbone.

If you like the tone of those Boss pedals why not get a Keeley mod. Turns it into a decent pedal with true bypass.

The reason I use the Loopbone is so I can switch from clean to dirty with the sd-1 and mxr eq engaged simultaneously. The Loopbone actually isn't true bypass; it has a really good buffer though. It definitely changes the tone, but to my ear it seems to sound BETTER than it did without it (once you dial it in). I ended up taking soundchaser's advice on the monte allums GT mod on the SD-1. Sounds really nice, really articulate (maybe a little too many highs for my taste, but the EQ can compensate for that). It's impossible to find any good sound clips of OD pedals on the lead channel, because it seems no one uses it like that; call me crazy, I prefer an OD pedal in front of the lead channel.

so you already got that SD-1 mod'ed - that explains everything. I really don't like the stock one's but the mod'ed one's are virtually a different pedal. I sometimes boost the 5:50's burn channel with my Maxon TS-808. Works well if keep the gain low and the volume high on the pedal.