Ideally you'd want to try both a clean boost that doesn't color your tone, and an OD style boost that does. Yes, an overdrive pedal used as a boost will color the tone, but the manner in which it colors the tone can be a good thing indeed. With the way a tubescreamer-type pedal boosts mids and trims bass, it makes for a nice, tight, crunchy sound when pushing an amp that itself is starting to break up, and the added gain gives you a nice long sustain. But that might not be what your looking for, and thus just a straight up clean boost which hits the preamp harder without any tonal coloration by by itself may be in order.
What is a boost pedal for?
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The Magic Hoof
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Someone has been recommending for me to stay away from the Boss and the Tubescreamer and to go for an XMR class A Boost or a Creation Audio Labs mk 4.23. Anyone have any experience with those?
Now to be honest here, I'm not sure if a clean boost or something that may color my tone somewhat would be best for me. I'm honestly satisfied with my tone and kicking it up a notch is what I'm looking for. Giving it a bit more bite, attack, and sustain. However I honestly wouldn't mind coloring it a bit if I would be satisfied with the end result.
Now to be honest here, I'm not sure if a clean boost or something that may color my tone somewhat would be best for me. I'm honestly satisfied with my tone and kicking it up a notch is what I'm looking for. Giving it a bit more bite, attack, and sustain. However I honestly wouldn't mind coloring it a bit if I would be satisfied with the end result.
bobbyswamp
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jab said:
I totally agree with the AC+ suggestion. AMAZING, VERSATILE pedal. Hey man, the Boss or Tubescreamer: very good, solid pedals. But once I tried an Xotic AC+ Booster with my F-30, I NEVER looked back. Its that good, in my opinion. Give one a try before you jump to a distortion pedal. Or at least check out some youtube vids on the AC Booster. I think you will like the way they enrich the tone. You will be able to the get sustain and drive you want. I was like that other poster here, very "anti-stomp box." I wanted all the tone and overdrive/distortion to come from the amp not a pedal. And the F-30 is that amp. But the AC+ is like adding another overdrive channel to the amp. Its really fun...
The Magic Hoof
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Hm.. Well, as I said before, I really like the tone I'm getting from my amp, so using a really transparent boost doesn't seem so bad. But then again, I may not mind using a Tubescreamer or SD-1 either. The lowdown is that I'm a studio-only guitarist, I love the tone from my quad but want to kick it up a notch with more bite, attack, and sustain.
I'm not sure if I'm after a really transparent boost, or a boost that's an overdrive, for tightening up my amp.
I'm not sure if I'm after a really transparent boost, or a boost that's an overdrive, for tightening up my amp.
Chris McKinley
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Unfortunately, it's possible to discuss and theorize forever on what might or might not work for you. Bottom line is you are going to have to test this stuff in person with your own equipment. Most stores will let you try something out for a few days and bring it back to trade if it's not what you're wanting. At the very least, pick one of each basic type: a good clean boost and a good overdrive. See which one fits the bill the best and go for it. Or, you may want to try several of each.
Most of the guys who really know pedals and know exactly what they do and what they personally like in them have spent way too much money on the silly things over the years, and have usually traded or collected several of each type of pedal out there. Sometimes you have to just bite the bullet and take a chance on buying something you think will work. Like I said, these days, there's usually not much risk because return policies are so lenient. I'd take advantage of that and learn as much as I can about 'em. Good hunting.
Most of the guys who really know pedals and know exactly what they do and what they personally like in them have spent way too much money on the silly things over the years, and have usually traded or collected several of each type of pedal out there. Sometimes you have to just bite the bullet and take a chance on buying something you think will work. Like I said, these days, there's usually not much risk because return policies are so lenient. I'd take advantage of that and learn as much as I can about 'em. Good hunting.
The Magic Hoof
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Thanks for the reply. I have one simple question to ask you though before I'm off to get a pedal: if I want to achieve the results that I said earlier (tighten up the amp with more bite, attack, sustain, considering that I already like my tone), would a person generally want a transparent boost or an overdrive boost?
If the answer is overdrive, I'll go with the Boss or Tubescreamer. If transparent, I'm going with a Creation Audio mk.4.23. If worst comes to worst, I'll buy the Creation Audio pedal ($160) and sell it if I'm not satisfied and get a tubescreamer or SD-1.
If the answer is overdrive, I'll go with the Boss or Tubescreamer. If transparent, I'm going with a Creation Audio mk.4.23. If worst comes to worst, I'll buy the Creation Audio pedal ($160) and sell it if I'm not satisfied and get a tubescreamer or SD-1.
Chris McKinley
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You mean, which one to try first? Well, you should probably understand that wanting more bite and attack is about your tone. So it sounds like you basically like your tone, but would like more of the 1 to 3 kHz frequencies which add clarity and articulation to your picking, which can make your sound more aggressive when used judiciously.
Sustain will be improved by either a boost or an overdrive, but the overdrive will add noticeably more. OD's add in harmonics and light amounts of distortion to your sound which are an important part of overall sustain.
An OD will definitely tighten up your bottom end a lot more than a boost will, especially the Tubescreamer types of OD, since boosts will actually be providing more of the original signal of your guitar. If your guitar produces a lot of bass frequencies with the amp set the way it is, a boost is going to produce even more, since it boosts the entire frequency range of your guitar's signal. That means that boosts don't really do much to tighten up the bass directly. What they do is make it so that you don't have to run your amp's gain knob quite so high, which will reduce the bassy mud that the amp produces. OD's generally provide a slight cut in the bass frequencies directly, and depending on the model, will otherwise provide anything from a generally transparent to pronounced mid-hump signal.
Just FYI, treble boosters, which are yet a third category of front-end signal boosters, cut bottom end and really amp up the treble frequencies to provide a very creamy, high-sustain lead sound. Treble boosters can also be used in conjunction with OD's if you place them in front of the OD. I use this setup all the time and it can turn even a Triple Recto into a harmonically-rich, singing sustain monster for leads and solos.
Sustain will be improved by either a boost or an overdrive, but the overdrive will add noticeably more. OD's add in harmonics and light amounts of distortion to your sound which are an important part of overall sustain.
An OD will definitely tighten up your bottom end a lot more than a boost will, especially the Tubescreamer types of OD, since boosts will actually be providing more of the original signal of your guitar. If your guitar produces a lot of bass frequencies with the amp set the way it is, a boost is going to produce even more, since it boosts the entire frequency range of your guitar's signal. That means that boosts don't really do much to tighten up the bass directly. What they do is make it so that you don't have to run your amp's gain knob quite so high, which will reduce the bassy mud that the amp produces. OD's generally provide a slight cut in the bass frequencies directly, and depending on the model, will otherwise provide anything from a generally transparent to pronounced mid-hump signal.
Just FYI, treble boosters, which are yet a third category of front-end signal boosters, cut bottom end and really amp up the treble frequencies to provide a very creamy, high-sustain lead sound. Treble boosters can also be used in conjunction with OD's if you place them in front of the OD. I use this setup all the time and it can turn even a Triple Recto into a harmonically-rich, singing sustain monster for leads and solos.
