It's similar in sag to a JCM 800 in terms of tightness. I don't know if you would ever need a boost for the dirty channel; it has gobs of gain. It's a great sounding amp. I actually preferred it to the more expensive handwired Bad Cat Lynx when I had one. It has a better EQ'd tone stack so I almost don't have to tweak to get the sound I want. The FX Loop is not buffered however. Not the best I've tried.How well does this amp take boosts? Clips sound fairly loose in the low end but otherwise great.