Thoughts on Xotic ep booster?

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'63-Strat

'63-Strat

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I've used a maxon 808 for the last few years with my strat to up the level a bit before the amp but while I still think it's a great pedal have been wanting something a little more natural sounding. The EP booster has had my interest for a little while. Anyone have one that has compared it to an actual echoplex preamp? Thanks.
 
It's a cool boost but really sounds nothing like the "goose" you get from an EP-3 IMO. The best I found was the Badgerplex Pre for that purpose...a very cool little tone shaper.
 
While I haven't tried an actual ep, I really dig the xotic unit. Very transparent, but still juices the tone. Stacks well with other boosts too, which I usually despise. Not to turn you off from it, but it actually reminds me a little of a sonic maximizer. That is, if the controls only went to 9:00, and it was more natural sounding, lol. It's a fun little pedal to give some clean juice to an already overdriven tone. I wouldn't say it's completely transparent, but I like its color.
 
Great pedal. I got mine about 9 months ago, and I can't live without it now. I use it in front of my amp (last in my pedal signal flow) right before the amp.

It just gives you 'more' tone -- and it feels great.
 
rupe":o8xjf7av said:
It's a cool boost but really sounds nothing like the "goose" you get from an EP-3 IMO. The best I found was the Badgerplex Pre for that purpose...a very cool little tone shaper.
Click to expand...
+1 The Badgerplex Pre is great. I love how it pushes a Plexi just enough. Not leaving my board!

With a Badgerplex Pre up front and an El Capistan in the loop, it is virtually identical to the EP-3s I've played through...

latest_rig_4.jpg


Steve
 
Lol, I knew this would be opening another can of worms :D

Badgerplex and the Clinch fx ep pre sound good too...
 
EP is cool but not completely transparent. It tends to thicken things a little....but you might like that.
 
'63-Strat":2e8eszf1 said:
Lol, I knew this would be opening another can of worms :D

Badgerplex and the Clinch fx ep pre sound good too...
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Yup! :lol: :LOL:


Now i might have to get a damned Badgerplex! :doh:


FYI the EP booster is a great pedal, i seem like it with darker sounding amps.
 
The MXR Microamp is very transparent if that's what you are after. All the TS variants are not, just depends what you want.
 
I found the EP a little noisy in front of high gain amps. For pure, clean boost and no noise, check out the Creation Audio Labs Mk4.23. 24dB of "oh shit".

As George stated above, the MXR Micro is good for adding a little edge and runs anywhere in the signal chain very well.
 
i really dig mine, particularly good on single coils, with my tele it's on all the time, humbuckers i use it more as a boost , it's a tiny footprint too which is very useful
 
I found the Ep colored my tone a lot. Up to you whether that's good or bad. I use a Clinch and like it a lot. It's an always on pedal for me. Pretty much essential for my cleans. Not using it as a boost as much as an eq. Haven't tried the badger.

I use a Himmelstrutz U/O a a boost.
 
I could not imagine using an Xotic Ep Boost with a high gain amp unless you wanted fatter and looser tone. It works great in front of NMV type amps. I have one out on tour that goes into a '63 Bassman that sounds great. It has a TON of output if you want it with the internal dipswitch.
 
Saw a video of Neil Zaza running the EP through the loop of a Blackstar amp and it goosed the tone nicely. I would not conceive of putting a boost in the loop but when you consider where the echoplex would go if you had one it makes sense.

I'd like to try a Badgerplex. Do you have to order these direct ? I really cannot find out squat about them online.
 
rupe":35p3jhyu said:
It's a cool boost but really sounds nothing like the "goose" you get from an EP-3 IMO. The best I found was the Badgerplex Pre for that purpose...a very cool little tone shaper.
Click to expand...
+1
steve_k":35p3jhyu said:
For pure, clean boost and no noise, check out the Creation Audio Labs Mk4.23. 24dB of "oh shit".
Click to expand...
:yes:
 
I had one for a week or so. Can't remember specifics, but it got sold quickly.
 
I use it mainly to kick an amp that is already well into crunching over the top. It adds a bit more juice to the pick attack and makes the amp scream. I love the pedal for all dirty tones. Cleans not so much as it is very upper mids focused, which is not so good on cleans.
 
I had bought both versions (original and then the one with unity gain), and both pushed the amp a considerable amount even when the knob was fully counterclockwise...disappointed moreso when I had the unity one. lol. Wound up trading/selling both within a few days. I didn't find it very useful for what I was doing, but I did note that it was "it" if you were using a mildly driven amp with a strat. Sounded ridiculously good with that setup.
 
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