RocketRick Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I've been searching here and other places and was wondering which CLEAN signal booster most of you players like. thanks Money may buy a fine dog, but only kindness will make him wag his tail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miroslav Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 The Lovekraft Mojo Drive has a three-position toggle....Marshall, Clean Boost and Tube Screamer. The center position, Clean Boost is very...clean. The Marshall-like up-position, is also very nice. Not that crazy about the TS position...kinda thin-n-trebly...though I guess that's what a TS booster is like. miroslav - miroslavmusic.com "Just because it happened to you, it doesn't mean it's important." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danzilla Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I've always wanted to get a Catalinbread Chile Picoso booster; heard great things about it and fits my chile pepper motif. "Am I enough of a freak to be worth paying to see?"- Separated Out (Marillion) NEW band Old band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillWelcome Home Studios Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I have no clue who makes the best. I have a Reverend Drive Train, and I use it for gain boost and just a -little taste- of additional grit, and it makes me happy. I imagine most any good bost will work, and I suspect that the Radial pieces could be good choices. Bill "I believe that entertainment can aspire to be art, and can become art, but if you set out to make art you're an idiot." Steve Martin Show business: we're all here because we're not all there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larryz Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Used an MXR compressor for a long time and it does a great job, now just I set the volume on the guitar at 6 and increase the volume knob on the guitar when going to lead... Take care, Larryz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fumblyfingers Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 IMO the best two are the Klon and the RC Booster. I have an RC Booster. I have never played a Klon but people who's ears I trust rate them very highly. This is the one I have and I will not be without it from here on out. http://www.xotic.us/effects/rc_booster/ Extremely transparent and just adds something really pleasing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fumblyfingers Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Not that crazy about the TS position...kinda thin-n-trebly...though I guess that's what a TS booster is like. No way Jose.....my older Tube Screamer is not overly trebly at all...in fact with the tone control set at about half it is almost a bit more low middy. It is almost like gaining a coil in a pickup to me.....especially with the Strat single coils.....fattens the tone up while adding the overdrive.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miroslav Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Not that crazy about the TS position...kinda thin-n-trebly...though I guess that's what a TS booster is like. No way Jose.....my older Tube Screamer is not overly trebly at all...in fact with the tone control set at about half it is almost a bit more low middy. It is almost like gaining a coil in a pickup to me.....especially with the Strat single coils.....fattens the tone up while adding the overdrive.. Maybe you are right. I was never a TS user...but I did read other comments about the Mojo's TS setting. It's not *THIN* thin...but compared to the "Marshall" and "Clean Boost" settings...it is thinner, and a bit on the high-mid side of the tonal spectrum if I leave the Volume/Tone/Drive knobs set the same for all three positions. Also, there is a good volume drop with the TS setting...and that too I read that a lot of folks said was very TS-like compared to the other settings. But I guess I would need a real TS to A/B them properly.... miroslav - miroslavmusic.com "Just because it happened to you, it doesn't mean it's important." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I got an Electro Harmonix LPB 2 that does the clean boost thing pretty well. It's a low cost pedal and I can recommend it highly. But a friend of mine built a JFET booster pedal for me that really does the clean boost job. He got the kit at Build Your Own Clone, but they don't seem to be making it anymore. Hers a clean boost circuit if you're into building your own stuff. Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windjammer Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 I own one of these Guyatone Cool Booster. Probably best bang-for-buck. I bought mine brand new for around USD80 . Used to work well with my Fender Pro Junior which was basically waaay too loud for bedroom practice, so one way of boosting the pre-amp gain without compromising the tone of the amp was to use this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 I own one of these Guyatone Cool Booster. Probably best bang-for-buck. I bought mine brand new for around USD80. $39 for the LPB2 at MF. Got mine at new GC for less than that on special. Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RocketRick Posted April 1, 2009 Author Share Posted April 1, 2009 I've heard good things on the RC Booster and the Klon. I may go the DIY route..Depends on the probs.. Thanks for all the comments and ideas. Money may buy a fine dog, but only kindness will make him wag his tail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p90jr Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Lizard Leg Flying Dragon... it sweetens your frequencies while providing a clean boost. Used by Dave Malone from The Radiators, and, uh... me, among others. Handmade by a great guy, and built really nicely. http://lizardlegeffects.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillWelcome Home Studios Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 what does 'sweeten' mean in this context? Bill "I believe that entertainment can aspire to be art, and can become art, but if you set out to make art you're an idiot." Steve Martin Show business: we're all here because we're not all there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p90jr Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 "The real strength of this pedal is in its balance and transparency. It offers a single stage, broad frequency boost to give your tube amp a serious front-end push." - Premier Guitar magazine (my apologies, GP) One of the reasons I got one was that I'd switch guitars onstage - putting on a Tele or Jazzmaster after a P90 Les Paul - and have... not so much a "level" difference as needing to have to mess with the eq on the amp to beef them up, which was a pain if I had to concentrate on singing and keeping things rolling. This solved that, when I need it, but it's also a great clean boost for solos, or a boost following a Hotcake or OCD, or Jangle Box, or before any of them it does nice things to them... It also brings my mandolin to life nicely for solos that need to be up a notch. Another guy I play with runs a lap steel and wurlitzer piano through one, too... into an AC30. He into using it to hit the front of amp for certain tones on those things. Here's the Guitar World video review (apologies again, GP) Steve's an awesome guy, he was personalizing the pedals with your name when I got mine (don't know if he still does, but probably) and personally delivered it, which only happens when you live the next town over from him... so we sat around and ran the guitars I had sitting around through it for a while and had a blast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p90jr Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 I've also messed around with someone else's rig that had a Durham Sex Drive, which was designed for Charlie Sexton and Redd Volkert, I think. It hit an old Deluxe Reverb like magic. The EH LPB-1 is so cheap it will probably conquer the "clean boost" market. I don't know if it has the extra dimension that the boutique things have, though. I don't consider the Klon Centaur to be a clean boost, or merely a pedal at all... I actually consider it a mid-priced amplifier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windjammer Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 I own one of these Guyatone Cool Booster. Probably best bang-for-buck. I bought mine brand new for around USD80. $39 for the LPB2 at MF. Got mine at new GC for less than that on special. Okay point taken. I just like to have a level control on my boost pedals too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rw2003 Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Ah.... the EH LPB 1. I think this is the first pedal I ever bought - must have been about 1979 or so... http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc305/Jnetto1/EHLPB1.jpg "Spend all day doing nothing But we sure do it well" - Huck Johns from 'Oh Yeah' Click to Listen to Oh yeah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tone Taster Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 barber launch pad is the cleanest I've yet to come across Read the specs on it. No drive, just a sensitivity knob put it in your effects loop for the cleanest of the cleanest boost w/o driving the preamp ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 One thing I've noticed with a lot of clean-boost types, is that their sounds and feels will vary depending on the amp and guitar they're being used with. Case in point, my Catalinbread 'Super Chili Picosso' sounds smoother and more natural with some amps, and kinda "glassy" with others. (Oddly enough, I've gotten the best results from it in front of digital-modeling devices!) "YYMV", as they say; if you can swing it, order several different brands and models from dealers that have good solid return-policies, so that you can try them with your guitars and amps and return the ones that don't work as well with 'em, and keep what does suit you. Plus, just what are you looking to do- get a volume boost that pretty much sounds the same, only louder, or a boost that will overdrive the input (and possibly the rest) of whatever amp you put it in front of? Are you trying to get "more", a cranked-amp sound and sensitivity, while keeping overall volume levels down low? Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p90jr Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Lizard Leg does "pedal tours." Basically, he'll put you on a list and a pedal comes in the mail for you to try out with your rig, then you mail it to the next person on the list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danzilla Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Lizard Leg does "pedal tours." Basically, he'll put you on a list and a pedal comes in the mail for you to try out with your rig, then you mail it to the next person on the list. I take it his pedals are sturdy and will last longer than certain Behringer pedals that attempted such a sojourn? We should send The Shirt ® with one of these pedals. "Am I enough of a freak to be worth paying to see?"- Separated Out (Marillion) NEW band Old band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Lizard Leg does "pedal tours." Basically, he'll put you on a list and a pedal comes in the mail for you to try out with your rig, then you mail it to the next person on the list. I take it his pedals are sturdy and will last longer than certain Behringer pedals that attempted such a sojourn? We should send The Shirt ® with one of these pedals. I sense a story here... maybe more than one? I shipped my T.C. Electronics Stereo Chorus/Flanger off to a friend, for him to try out for a while, for his enjoyment. It made it in my 2nd-hand packing without any problems... Speaking of which, that T.C. Chorus/Flanger happens to have an extremely clean, clean, clean 0-15 db boost built-in, that'll drive an amp into spankier, biting growl very nicely. Makes a cranked vintage "blackface" Fender sound more toothy and Marshall-like- can YOU say, "MALCOLM" and "ANGUS"? Only trouble is, the boost is always wherever you set it, always on, whether the chorus/flanger is on or off- the boost isn't footswitchable, only the modulation-effects. But, it sounds so clear and clean and transparent and completely natural, that it just enhances the whole guitar-volume-knob "play-the-amp" control thing... just roll back the guitar's vol-knob for cleaner sounds, and roll it back up to taste for meaner bite and snarl... Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fumblyfingers Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Also, there is a good volume drop with the TS setting...and that too I read that a lot of folks said was very TS-like compared to the other settings. I do not know why they would say that Miro, as far as the actual TS, because it has a volume control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miroslav Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 I don't remember where I read it, it was awhile ago, or exactly what was said...but those were just the things that stuck in my head when I was researching the Mojo Drive. I mean...I'm not saying it just to slight the real TS. I have no comments about the TS as I never used one that I can recall. Maybe Im only remembering one users comments...??? And you know how it is with reviews...5 guys love it...5 guys hate it...so go figure. Most times when I read reviews on Harmony Central, I walk away still unsure if I want the item! :grin: But relative to the other two settings on the Mojo...the "TS" setting DOES exhibit a noticeable volume drop, and you need to turn up the volume. Of the three settings, the "TS" setting is the quietest. And it is also the brightest sounding setting relative to the other two.though you can beef it up with the Tone knob, but then the other two settings are a bit too fat. miroslav - miroslavmusic.com "Just because it happened to you, it doesn't mean it's important." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RocketRick Posted April 2, 2009 Author Share Posted April 2, 2009 I talked to the guy that makes the Tube Driver. He said I can use it as a signal booster by setting the drive very low and maybe putting a 12AU7 in it. Just looking for a little CLEAN signal boost, no overdrive or distortion. Money may buy a fine dog, but only kindness will make him wag his tail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tone Taster Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 I talked to the guy that makes the Tube Driver. He said I can use it as a signal booster by setting the drive very low and maybe putting a 12AU7 in it. Just looking for a little CLEAN signal boost, no overdrive or distortion. The new TD is extremely aggresive and cannot clean up even w/the bias knob at 0 It might work as a clean boost w/a strat and if you used 12AU PLUS the bias knob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RocketRick Posted April 2, 2009 Author Share Posted April 2, 2009 I have a very old unit. Not a new one. It was distributed by Chandler made by Butler. Money may buy a fine dog, but only kindness will make him wag his tail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fumblyfingers Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 I mean...I'm not saying it just to slight the real TS. Yeah no I know that, no worries....I was just curious why someone would make two claims about a pedal that are far from the actuality of it...well at least for my TS. But my understanding is that my pedal sounds the way they are supposed to...a little midrangey and warm. I saw another pedal today online that looks good. All the attributes of a TS...has a Marshall setting and a Dumble setting. It is two pedals in one and you can set them differently and doe A or B or A+B. Good stuff. The SRB808. http://www.effectspedalboutique.com/product.sc?categoryId=4&productId=5 Looks like a good thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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