Clean Boost to tighten up bass and give a bit more for leads

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kapo_Polenton
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Kapo_Polenton

Kapo_Polenton

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Soo far, I just can't find anything to replace my Bad Monkey (and occasionally my modded YJM308). The problem is that sometimes I don't want that mid hump. I've got an RC booster and though I like it for fattening up leads, I find this and other xotic stuff to be noisy. Might be my imagination but this pedal is noisy...the BB was the same way. I'm an 80's guy and my rig is either a Lynch Box with Brahma and slightly modded SL+ module or my JCM800. I like to keep the gain down on pedals and just use the volume to tighten up the bass or give me a bit more punch. Would I be better off going the EQ pedal/rack for what I want? Anyone try the MXR micro amp or use it in this capacity?

I've tried Boss blues driver, SD-1, RC, BB, Dod 250, Dan electro transparent overdrive, GE-7 (bit too much hi fi sound) just to give you an idea. Maybe I need a Cusak screamer alla Lynch? :confused:
 
The sd-1 is a good lead boost because of the fact thst it has more high end than a tubescreamer. If you dont really like it for one reason or another, I could recommend some easy mods to fix what you dont like about it.
 
Why do you need to replace the Bad Monkey? I use one as a clean boost, and love it. Brings my Mesa to life. Without it, it just sounds/feels dull and dead.

I'd suggest some Xotic stuff. The EP Booster, AC Booster, and the RC Booster.
 
I just got a Keeley modded TS808 (there is another in the classifieds). I'm loving it so far. I had a Klon for a while too-worked well for most amps (but not all).

I've heard great things about the RC Booster too :thumbsup:
 
There is the OCD too. But that can add alot more lowend. The bad Monkey is a great pedal but if youre bored, try a stock SD-1, TS-9 , or TSDX
 
Well looks like I might already have what I need then.. I do like the SD-1 just find it sounds a little too artificial. The Bad Monkey is perfect, I just find for leads I want a thicker tone. I like my RC Booster for this but again, the damn noise factor. Perhaps I should throw it in the loop and give that a try.
 
glpg80":24rdnktz said:

The 48V version is still out there - some people have 'em and are selling 'em, they were a limited release - hence the 'discontinued', I think less than 200 of them were made and that was it. The normal version is just fine I am sure, but this stomp is unbelievable. Until you try one, you just won't understand what I'm trying to tell ya.

Best,
V.
 
I like the sound of that MXR line boost from my searches soo far. Anyone have any experience with it?
 
donbarzini":h4apw8jj said:
stewboy":h4apw8jj said:
Cusack Screamer or Carl Martin Plexi Tone! :rock:

a PlexiTone will not tighten up the bottom end of a cooking amplifier. You need something that actually cuts out bass, a Cusack Screamer would work, an SD-1,OD-1, TS-9 as well until you start buying them with mods to have more bass. The PlexiTone has a ton of bottom end as well as gain, that was my only beef with it or else it was voiced very much like an old Plexi. I had two of them years ago and spent a lot of time with them, it is not a new product. Most modern built pedals have way too much bass IMO, that goes for many amps and pickups as well.
+1 Besides driving the input & compressing it some, it's the low end & high end roll-off that give the tightness. Too much low end hitting the front of an amp & your tone can mud up quick. Trim off too much & it can result in the whole mid bumped tone. If your amp has a loop you can throw an eq in there and get back some of those lows & highs. You can get the tightness from the pedal and the chunk from the eq. This has worked like a charm for me in the past.

If you don't want to go that route here are a few pedals that I think do a good job at balancing the tightness without ending up with an annoying mid spike (though a lot of that is gonna be affected by your guitar, pickups, amp, etc)
- Maxon OD820 - It seems to trim off just enough to get the tightness, but not so much that your tone radically changes. Current favorite.
- Tone Freak Severe - I didn't own this pedal, but I had one for a week to try out and I really liked this pedal. It's designed to be more of a standalone dirt box, but I thought it killed as a boost. It has a very different sound than your typical ts-type boost: it can add a little hair, but still has a very clear & full sound. I found it clearer than the Bad Monkey, CM-2, & Bloody Murder.
-Bodenhamer Bloody Murder - another good 808 type pedal. Supposedly it was designed with the low end cut slightly different than the typical 808. Plenty tight enough. I dethroned my Bad Monkey (though the Bloody Murder was dethroned by the OD820)
 
I've tried about eight different clean boosts and the only one that has stuck around is the Fulltone FB-3. It has a volume, drive, treble, and a bass rolloff, which is exactly what you need.

http://www.fulltone.com/FB.asp
 
I was looking at some of the fulltone stuff as well.. I notice a bunch of you guys have OCD's on your boards. How do you find those pushing Marshall style circuits? organic sounding? Hard to tell from youtube clips but they seem to fit well as boosts also.
 
mmorse":25bf2do2 said:
Klark":25bf2do2 said:
I've tried about eight different clean boosts and the only one that has stuck around is the Fulltone FB-3. It has a volume, drive, treble, and a bass rolloff, which is exactly what you need.

http://www.fulltone.com/FB.asp

+1 on the FB3!
I've got a Fulltone Fat Boost 2 I'd be willing to part with :thumbsup: PM me if interested.
 
check out the line of products from homebrew electronics... lots of stuff for boosting.

i just cranked up the paradrive this weekend.. one side is like a tubescreamer.. the other side is a pure boost. great pedal
 
CaseyCor":x600ql5b said:
I've got a Fulltone Fat Boost 2 I'd be willing to part with :thumbsup: PM me if interested.
I originally had the fb2 and it's also cool, just a little grittier than the fb3. You can stay nice & clean with the fb2, just kinda gotta leave the drive below noon and the volume below 1 oclock.
 
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