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Post by kizzle on Jul 23, 2006 21:08:37 GMT -7
So many types of boost pedals. I was wondering if someone could clarify the functions and applications of various types of boost like 1)preamp 2)clean 3)treble. Is a clean boost the same as a preamp boost? Is the Zvex SHO the same as the Keeley Katana etc. And of course we all know about the Xotic BB, AC, and RC. I guess I'm looking for a little more detail regarding (as I said) function and application. I know this seems like a pretty basic question, but I've been getting some vague responses. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2006 21:56:42 GMT -7
Preamp boosters or pedals usually refer to pedals that will give you a lot of gain or drive and volume. The Xotic BB preamp booster is one of these so is the Keeley Katana when the volume pot is pulled out. Though the Keeley Katana does not have as much gain as the BB which is also a overdrive/distortion pedal. They usually are used with a Clean amp though not necessarily. This category is also somewhat confusing as there are pedals that combine more than one category. A lot of overdrive pedals today can be considered to be a preamp booster as well if you turn up the volume so that the pedal when turned on is above unity gain. I guess you can think of a preamp booster as literally that, it boosts the preamp stage of your amp into overdrive without adding to much of it's own coloration or drive. While an overdrive will add drive as well as coloration at any volume setting and not necessarily boost the preamp section of your amp(though quite a few do). The BB preamp is a good combination of both. I think it sounds better when it's volume is turned up more than half way allowing it to interact more with your amp. Clean boosts are pedals designed to give you a straight clean boost with little to no overdrive. They can cause your amp to overdrive by sending an extremely hot signal to your amp or provide you with a louder 'clean' sound for solos. They are also used to boost drive pedals a head of them in the signal chain. The Klon Centaur, RC booster, Keeley Katana with the volume pot set to the 'in' position are examples of these. Treble boost is a boost pedal using germanium transistors to give you an overdrive sound. These usually need an amp on the verge or already driving to sound their best. The Dallas Range Master is probably the most famous treble booster and was used by Eric Clapton, Brian May, Toni Iommi and Rory Gallagher for example. Some modern day treble boosters are the BSM RM, Analogman Beano Boost and Keeley Java Boost. Anyway I hope this helps in some way. I am sure others will chime in as well.
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Post by steveinnashville on Jul 23, 2006 23:28:54 GMT -7
That is all good info, but I just wanted to add (as a fan of boosts) that you can really use about anything to boost the signal if there is a level or volume control that goes past unity gain (the point where the output volume of the pedal when switched on is the same as when it is switched off). I think I read that someone liked a tremolo pedal set with no tremolo but with the level turned up some, whatever, each pedal may sound a little different for this application. I use three boosts currently, a Hotcake "Bluesberry" that I like for a ballsier & punchier clean-ish (hotter than without, yet clear & focused with the presence control), a ToneFactor Hellbilly that is like a cross between a Fuzz Face and a Dallas Rangemaster treble booster in more of a boost form (each extreme of the tone control is an approximation of each of these other pedals, you can set it in between) for a boost with a nasty or hairy gain and a Tone Factor Hellbaby that has a boosted midrange and a "boost" control that adds a sort of thwack or chunk type gain, more something for the amp to chew on than a "finished" sounding gain like a traditional distortion pedal might provide. A boost is more something you use *with* your amp instead of a sound that your amp makes louder. It helps to be able to turn the amp up to at least a volume setting where the power tube section gets working a little bit, but you will likely notice the effect at lower volume setting but they really shine when you can turn it up some.
I think that a good boost is a great tool to use with a great sounding tube amp, my Carmen Ghia absolutely loves them! Check out [http://www.tonefactor.com[/url] for a great selection of boosts in a wide range of prices and types (3 pages of 'em!). The Hellbaby and Hellbilly are no longer in production, but they have more than plenty of boosts that should be plenty of fun... It is really a beautiful thing with a great amp, I think the only reasons they aren't built into the amps are a) varying taste & applications and b) the desire to control it from the floor and being able to get different sounds from all sorts of different units.
A very common boost is sort of a public domain design by Jack Orman, it uses a JFET based circuit to get a hotter signal- this was the very first type of boost I had years ago, it was home made by somebody and eventually fell apart (?) but sounded great. The Hellbaby is of a vaguely similar design with slightly different controls and different gain adjustable (I think the straight Orman designs usually just have volume) and it uses an op amp instead of JFET for what the designer/builder Bob McBroom explained as a "smoother top end"...
Try some out and enjoy, it's fun territory!
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Post by billyguitar on Jul 24, 2006 5:12:52 GMT -7
Any compressor can also add a clean boost.
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Post by kizzle on Jul 24, 2006 14:32:02 GMT -7
Great replies! Thanks. Very informative.
So how does the preamp boost specifically hit the preamp stage as oppossed to just adding level to the overall signal? Wouldn't the clean boost crunch the preamp as well by virtue of a hotter signal?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2006 14:45:26 GMT -7
Any boost will hit the preamp stage first only because that is what you guitar signal goes through first. A pedal like the BB preamp also adds it's own gain to the sound and does not just do a volume boost. It is because of this that you can get a lot more gain out of the pedal and amp than just using a clean boost.
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Post by kizzle on Jul 24, 2006 15:05:03 GMT -7
Thanks a bunch. Very much appreciated. I think I've got it all sorted now.
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