What's Your Favorite Boost Pedal ?

User avatar
PLX
Executive
Posts: 4147
Joined: Wed Jul 14, 2021 10:46 pm
Location: Bandera, TX
Has thanked: 1406 times
Been thanked: 1805 times

Re: What's Your Favorite Boost Pedal ?

Post by PLX »

harddriver wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 5:34 am I always found my EP-PRE's sounds better and more composed when either at or just barely above unity gain and then use the Boss or MXR EQ pedal to boost maybe 5/6DB with a kinda of flatter EQ curve cutting the low end seems to do a better Ed than 9-18DB of 800hz like you see in the tour pics.

The EP3 circuit wasn't designed to really boost alot IMHO, I always pretty much use them as if they were an actual EP3 echoplex mainly for the phase coloring of the tone. I think people got carried away with making it some kind of supreme boost pedal. :roll:

I'd like to hear that same clip set without the fat boost on. It's really emphasizing the low end and it's not really Ed like I think it's affecting the tone of the amp in a negative way even though you feel you are getting extra boost from it. I'd add an EQ pedal to the mix and see what you get. Actually that FW pickup is fat enough and the fat boost is only making things worse in the tubby zone. If you cut some lows and ran a flat mids slight boost you might find that serves you better than using the fat boost on the EP3 pedal.... :idea:
Only ever tried the Badgerplex and the Clinch clone that I made. Never tried the others, so I can't say.

My clone just engages a capacitor in the FAT position, and boosts 6dB above unity.. so you can't even define it as a "boost" per se.

But that capacitor is draining off highs to ground, so that's where the low-end is coming from.
User avatar
harddriver
Grand Poobah
Posts: 5310
Joined: Mon Jul 05, 2021 5:03 pm
Has thanked: 588 times
Been thanked: 1761 times

Re: What's Your Favorite Boost Pedal ?

Post by harddriver »

The early EP3 were brighter and the later EP3 were darker sounding, I can't remember what the cap values are/were.... Peter modded my two EP-PRE's with a two way switch to go from the (early)brighter or(later) darker EP-3. It is said Ed's echoplexes were the later serial number EP3 which would make them darker. My actual EP3 echoplex was a darker sounding one. I just prefer the darker EP-3 myself.

I also had Chase tone build me another EP3 preamp to the darker spec (before he used the switch in later models) in 2013 and that one sounds just like my EP3 echoplex, the Clinch is quite close as well. This newer Chasetone one I bought from him isn't a good as his earlier one. I wonder if he ran out of good JFET's??????????

My point is I think you have enough gain out of that FW pickup you should try it without the fat boost, your low end will tighten up on the amp side giving the effects of increased gain as well. Gaustad isn't using a fat boost o his EP3 is my point......... :idea: Ed actually was cutting lows to get rid of that tubby plexi low end with his EQ's.
Last edited by harddriver on Mon Nov 07, 2022 6:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
lll
Middle Manager
Posts: 1704
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2021 10:17 pm
Has thanked: 998 times
Been thanked: 936 times

Re: What's Your Favorite Boost Pedal ?

Post by lll »

When I think "boost" I think of an amp that's already cooking; thus contributing some clipping and compression already.

I have several favorites:

Catalinbread Naga Viper
ProCo RAT 2
BYOC Yellow Overdrive (BOSS OD-1)
MXR CBMOD
J Rockett Archer IKON
MXR 6 Band EQ


and for Strat single coils:

BadgerFX 1011

...

For a pedal into a clean amp, the Friedman BEODD.
The Democratic Party is a criminal organization and the enemy within of the United States of America.
User avatar
lll
Middle Manager
Posts: 1704
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2021 10:17 pm
Has thanked: 998 times
Been thanked: 936 times

Re: What's Your Favorite Boost Pedal ?

Post by lll »

PLX wrote: Sun Nov 06, 2022 3:24 pm What's another really good one I can try to boosts the front of this amp :?:
If it hasn't been stated already:

BOSS SD-1 or MXR CBMOD (which is based on the SD-1 with mods)
The Democratic Party is a criminal organization and the enemy within of the United States of America.
User avatar
PLX
Executive
Posts: 4147
Joined: Wed Jul 14, 2021 10:46 pm
Location: Bandera, TX
Has thanked: 1406 times
Been thanked: 1805 times

Re: What's Your Favorite Boost Pedal ?

Post by PLX »

lll wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 6:10 am If it hasn't been stated already:

BOSS SD-1 or MXR CBMOD (which is based on the SD-1 with mods)
You have any clips of that MXR ?
User avatar
PLX
Executive
Posts: 4147
Joined: Wed Jul 14, 2021 10:46 pm
Location: Bandera, TX
Has thanked: 1406 times
Been thanked: 1805 times

Re: What's Your Favorite Boost Pedal ?

Post by PLX »

harddriver wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 6:07 am The early EP3 were brighter and the later EP3 were darker sounding, I can't remember what the cap values are/were.... Peter modded my two EP-PRE's with a two way switch to go from the (early)brighter or(later) darker EP-3. It is said Ed's echoplexes were the later serial number EP3 which would make them darker. My actual EP3 echoplex was a darker sounding one. I just prefer the darker EP-3 myself.

I also had Chase tone build me another EP3 preamp to the darker spec (before he used the switch in later models) in 2013 and that one sounds just like my EP3 echoplex, the Clinch is quite close as well. This newer Chasetone one I bought from him isn't a good as his earlier one. I wonder if he ran out of good JFET's??????????

My point is I think you have enough gain out of that FW pickup you should try it without the fat boost, your low end will tighten up on the amp side giving the effects of increased gain as well. Gaustad isn't using a fat boost o his EP3 is my point......... :idea: Ed actually was cutting lows to get rid of that tubby plexi low end with his EQ's.
Going to try running two EP-Pre's in series again (without the FAT switch engaged).
User avatar
harddriver
Grand Poobah
Posts: 5310
Joined: Mon Jul 05, 2021 5:03 pm
Has thanked: 588 times
Been thanked: 1761 times

Re: What's Your Favorite Boost Pedal ?

Post by harddriver »

PLX wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 1:28 pm Going to try running two EP-Pre's in series again (without the FAT switch engaged).
What were you using/doing in this Mean Street clip? It sounds really good and not tubby, plenty of gain, it has the high end teeth and grind as well.

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5660

With this fat boost on you are losing your high end teeth because it is saturating the amps preamp with a bass heavy signal making everything downstream to bloated and sluggish. I think if you run the EP# as if they are just echoplexes (NO FAT BOOST) the tightness and high end teeth,grind and sparkle will be there like your Meanstreet clip link I posted. When you hit on a combination that works well maybe you should make some notes about what you used so you can keep building on that setup....Just a thought? :idea: ;)
User avatar
PLX
Executive
Posts: 4147
Joined: Wed Jul 14, 2021 10:46 pm
Location: Bandera, TX
Has thanked: 1406 times
Been thanked: 1805 times

Re: What's Your Favorite Boost Pedal ?

Post by PLX »

harddriver wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 3:05 pm What were you using/doing in this Mean Street clip? It sounds really good and not tubby, plenty of gain, it has the high end teeth and grind as well.

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5660

With this fat boost on you are losing your high end teeth because it is saturating the amps preamp with a bass heavy signal making everything downstream to bloated and sluggish. I think if you run the EP# as if they are just echoplexes (NO FAT BOOST) the tightness and high end teeth,grind and sparkle will be there like your Meanstreet clip link I posted.
That clip was my Korean Dean ML loaded with the Jalen prototype JB wind pickup, directly into my Scarlett 2i2 audio interface.

Once the signal was in the DAW, the chain was:

Ignite Emissary Amp Sim (freeware)
Celestion G12T-75 impulse responses
API 550 (passing signal - no cut or boost)
Pultec EQ's (cutting 700Hz, boosting 5kHz)
Eventide H-910 (99 left, 101 right - mixed at 7%)
Universal Audio UA-1176 compressor
Studer J37 tape (passing signal only - no cut or boost)

No real amps were harmed in the making of this clip. :lol:
harddriver wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 3:05 pm When you hit on a combination that works well maybe you should make some notes about what you used so you can keep building on that setup....Just a thought? :idea: ;)
I save all my configurations in ReaperDAW.

I use descriptive names for each project.

I can pull up the chain I used on that clip (or any clip) at the click of a mouse button. :D
User avatar
lll
Middle Manager
Posts: 1704
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2021 10:17 pm
Has thanked: 998 times
Been thanked: 936 times

Re: What's Your Favorite Boost Pedal ?

Post by lll »

PLX wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 1:26 pm You have any clips of that MXR ?
I can make one. Lately been futzing with my various boosts to see what kinda tone I can squeeze out of them.
The Democratic Party is a criminal organization and the enemy within of the United States of America.
User avatar
PLX
Executive
Posts: 4147
Joined: Wed Jul 14, 2021 10:46 pm
Location: Bandera, TX
Has thanked: 1406 times
Been thanked: 1805 times

Re: What's Your Favorite Boost Pedal ?

Post by PLX »

lll wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 6:21 pm I can make one. Lately been futzing with my various boosts to see what kinda tone I can squeeze out of them.
I'm going to make a test clip tonight using my EP-Pre pedal in series with my SVDS pre into the JCM800 and see what I get..

I'm going to set the EP-Pre in the "bright" position like HD said to try.
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest