Which Xotic Pedal?

[creekhed]

So I'm gonna get an Xotic Pedal but the Question is WHICH ONE?
RC-AC-BB????

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Octavarius]

Depends on what you're after. The RC is a completely clean transparent boost. Works very well as an extension of your current tone and feel. The BB has tons of gain on tap, is very warm and smooth (check out their site for clips and "tone charts"). You should check out some of Andy Timmons videos on how he uses it. I've got them both, but I haven't had the opportunity to test them out quite extensively yet, so I'm sure others might have some more valuable input. No experience with the AC.

 

[madryan]

Lenny my buddy whom I built the Road King rig for has all 3.

Here's my take. They all overlap a bit. The BB is the one I'd get for a Lonestar because it's nice to be able to push alot. The BB can stay pretty clean should you want it to. I'd score a Keeley Katana if you want a clean boost. The Xotic stuff is great but the Katana is more transparent and sounds incredible. You can't lose either way.

 

[pmtrub]

I have the RC and the BB, and I'm very happy with both of them. If I had to go with one, I'd choose the BB, it's very versatile. I haven't tried the AC, and I also heard about a BB+, but I have no experience with that either.

 

[mdortona]

+1 for the BB Preamp. It's been quite handy with my LSC, DC10, and JCM 800. Lots of gain, smoothness, and versatility.

Matt

 

[Quetapasao]

I've got both the RC and the BB , and they're great with the LSC . The RC it's a great clean boost , but you can get a nice crunch it you set the gain and level all the way up . As a clean boost it really opens up the amp ( I bring it with me when i have a rehearsal and don't take my amp , even with a Roland Jazz Chorus it sounded great !! ) . The BB it's a great gain box , smooth and tons of gain , and the best thing it's the bass pot . What I hate about tubescreamer type of pedals it's the lost of bass , and with this one no problem . Also all the positions withe the gain pot works well , never harsh or muddy . The AC was too compress to me , but it's a great pedal if you're looking for that type of tone .

PS : I'm new to this forum and , and thanks to all the guys here for their post , that really help me choosing my LSC.Could not be more happy with it , all the tones I was looking for are there . Thanks guys !!

 

[creekhed]

I ended up getting a Barber Small Fry.
Go figure!
hahahahahaaaa
Love that small fry by the way!

 

[nemesys]

I ended up getting a Barber Small Fry.
Go figure!
hahahahahaaaa
Love that small fry by the way!

I have one of those, too -- I love mine.

 

[Ralfirocks]

I totally agree with Quetapasao.
Personally I keep the RC always on and running into the BB+. The RC reall opens up the guitar sound for transparency without adding colour.
And it kicks the BB+ nicely.
I run them into the clean channel to get that "Tube-Screamer-into-Fender" Sound without loosing the bass. It's just another nice sound option and also available at bedroom levels.

 

[attikawarren]

I have the RC Booster running into a LSC.

I tend to use it as more of a solo boost as I run my LSC in true by-pass. With a reasonably gritty second channel (say gain about 6) I found there was plenty of gain to be had.

The only thing I felt it did (which is either good or bad depending on how you like things) was pull a little mid out of the guitar tone if I left it on all the time for rythm playing.

Anyone else feel this?

 

[GSVBagpuss]

Not an entirely on topic post, but I use both currently and plan to do so once I get an LSC. The RC is always on for me, really nice thickening to the sound without messing with the original signal. And the BB is on my board for that Andy Timmons video alone(!), it's got plenty of gain on tap and the tone controls on both allow some good control on the EQ. The AC sits between them in gain terms, but I cover that territory with my TS808

 

[BobL]

Not an entirely on topic post, but I use both currently and plan to do so once I get an LSC. The RC is always on for me, really nice thickening to the sound without messing with the original signal. And the BB is on my board for that Andy Timmons video alone(!), it's got plenty of gain on tap and the tone controls on both allow some good control on the EQ. The AC sits between them in gain terms, but I cover that territory with my TS808

I use both as well, RC => BB preamp and leave the RC on all the time. The tone is really fat with these pedals. One thing to mention is that once you've moved to a Lonestar you'll really hear a difference between the Xotic pedals and any form of TS-808. I have 2 original 808's, 1 re-issue, and 1 Keely modded. Guess what? They all sound like **** compared to the RC => BB preamp pushed into channel 2 of a Lonestar.

 

[pmtrub]

I've also got an RC running into a BB, and love it. It sounds like a lot of people are leaving their RC on all the time, I tend to turn mine on and off, not really sure how I like it yet. What are you guys doing as far as settings on the RC when it's on all the time?

 

[lonestarpaul]

Hi all, I'm new to the board...glad to be here! ;-)

Talking about Xotic pedals, I use the BB Preamp with my LSC and it sounds absolutely awesome...very dynamic and responsive to the specific guitar you put in. Right now I use it to add a little dirt in the clean channel in order to achieve a crunchy tone, but I guess it can be used to push your amp even further...it has a much more gain reserve than tubescreamers (808 for example).

I'll probably change this combination as soon as I have the chance, using a TS808 (Keeley mod possibly) on the clean channel for crunch and the BB Preamp after this to achieve a higher gain sound. Think I'll be able to tell how the BB works in the "overdrive" territory then.

Bye.

 

[pmtrub]

Welcome to the board!

I actually replaced my keeley modded tubescreamer with the BB, and having run them side by side, the TS sounded brittle and it didn't transfer the character of the guitar like the BB does. My TS was a TS9, with the mod+. I don't know how different the 808 sounds though...

 

[lonestarpaul]

Welcome to the board!

Thanks! :wink:

I actually replaced my keeley modded tubescreamer with the BB, and having run them side by side, the TS sounded brittle and it didn't transfer the character of the guitar like the BB does. My TS was a TS9, with the mod+. I don't know how different the 808 sounds though...

Very interesting point...listening to some samples (video) seems like the sound is pretty cool. Anyway your direct experience with this specific amp is surely more trustworthy than a YouTube video for sure! A question: have you ever tried to use TS to add a little dirt on the clean channel and then the BB after it to achieve an overdriven sound?

Right now I use a homemade pedal to push the BB, a "strange" hybrid pedal with some features both from TS808 and Fulltone. I like the sound but I was searching for a "definitive" solution, usable with my guitars (this combination seems to work pretty good with my Gibson SG but not as well with my Tele Custom '72), that's why I thought about the Keeley TS808...

 

[pmtrub]

Welcome to the board!

Thanks! :wink:

I actually replaced my keeley modded tubescreamer with the BB, and having run them side by side, the TS sounded brittle and it didn't transfer the character of the guitar like the BB does. My TS was a TS9, with the mod+. I don't know how different the 808 sounds though...

Very interesting point...listening to some samples (video) seems like the sound is pretty cool. Anyway your direct experience with this specific amp is surely more trustworthy than a YouTube video for sure! A question: have you ever tried to use TS to add a little dirt on the clean channel and then the BB after it to achieve an overdriven sound?

Right now I use a homemade pedal to push the BB, a "strange" hybrid pedal with some features both from TS808 and Fulltone. I like the sound but I was searching for a "definitive" solution, usable with my guitars (this combination seems to work pretty good with my Gibson SG but not as well with my Tele Custom '72), that's why I thought about the Keeley TS808...

I have a lonestar classic, so there is are some sonic differences between the amps. These are just my experiences between the two pedals. I didn't try to stack the TS9 and the BB, but I do get good results with the BB on both channels of the amp. I'm pushing the BB with an xcotic RC booster, which is a popular thing to do in this forum.