Where Do You Like Your Boost???

PDC

PDC

Well-known member
Presuming you get 75-80% of your overall gain sound and tone out of the amp and use a boost for leads, where do you prefer your boost in the signal chain? I get the impression that the general ‘rule of thumb‘ is to put the boost very first in the signal chain coming out of the guitar. But ... I can also see treating a boost pedal as though it was part of the gain stage of your amplifier, in which case it would be the last thing in the signal chain between your guitar and your amp.

I’m currently using the super-simple-single-knob Spark Mini with phase and flange in front of my amp - which is dialed up for a nice tight crunch. With the Spark engaged, I’ve got my lead sound. I have always had my Spark as the first pedal in the chain, before phase and flange. After trying it at the end of the chain - post phase and flange - I am convinced that I can hear the phase and flange effects more distinctly. I’m guessing that pushing the guitar’s signal into the modulation effects with the Spark almost ‘washed out’ the modulation effect for lack of a better term. And modulating the signal from the guitar with phase and flange before boosting it leaves more of the modulated sound intact when it hits the amp. That’s what I’m hearing, anyway and I’m wondering what others’ experience is?
 
I used to put it right after wah, then put my upfront effects after, like flanger, phaser, analogue chorus.

I now put my boost after all their lose pedals. I get most my gain from my amp. it works for me. Some of those modulation pedals have some noise, so boosts after we’re amplifying it. The effects still sound great to be before the od boost pedal, and it’s quieter.
 
My chain: Compressor->EQ->OD->Noise Gate->Amp->Suhr Reactive Load->EQ->All Time Based effects(in AxeFx).
 
PDC said:
Presuming you get 75-80% of your overall gain sound and tone out of the amp and use a boost for leads, where do you prefer your boost in the signal chain? I get the impression that the general ‘rule of thumb‘ is to put the boost very first in the signal chain coming out of the guitar. But ... I can also see treating a boost pedal as though it was part of the gain stage of your amplifier, in which case it would be the last thing in the signal chain between your guitar and your amp.

I’m currently using the super-simple-single-knob Spark Mini with phase and flange in front of my amp - which is dialed up for a nice tight crunch. With the Spark engaged, I’ve got my lead sound. I have always had my Spark as the first pedal in the chain, before phase and flange. After trying it at the end of the chain - post phase and flange - I am convinced that I can hear the phase and flange effects more distinctly. I’m guessing that pushing the guitar’s signal into the modulation effects with the Spark almost ‘washed out’ the modulation effect for lack of a better term. And modulating the signal from the guitar with phase and flange before boosting it leaves more of the modulated sound intact when it hits the amp. That’s what I’m hearing, anyway and I’m wondering what others’ experience is?
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That works up until a certain level of gain, and from there, you just add more overdrive and compression, not any volume. But up to that point, it works fine :) I use the boost in front solely to get more metallic attack (ts-9). I have a Boss EQ in the loop for volume boost.
 
I have an always on overdrive before the amp, but it’s not a solo boost. I usually use a level boost or EQ in the loop for that. I prefer a MXR 10-band if space allows, but lately use an HX Stomp.
 
Boost right before amp, all other effects before the boost, but I use delay/reverb/chorus in the loop or in W/D/W.
 
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This isn't a real question, because the boost is doing very different things depending on where you put it.

Up front it's going to be a gain boost

In the loop it's going to be a volume boost

Etc
 
WAH > EQ pedal (mainly because it buffers the FUZZ and I went back to a mini wah)>FUZZ>koko boost (for lead boosting the OD's which make my rythm tone if needed)> all my OD's (sort of moves around but 3 of them are on there now > chorus> decimator > amp.

If clean boost placed after OD, you get a volume bump, placed before them, it just gives you a bit more on your OD.
 

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DanTravis62 said:
This isn't a real question, because the boost is doing very different things depending on where you put it.

Up front it's going to be a gain boost

In the loop it's going to be a volume boost

Etc
Click to expand...
He was saying where do we put our boosts in the chain in front of the amp?
Not in the loop.
Question is before or after other pedals, like phaser, that are all before the amp.

I may try what you are doing PDC because honestly I never thought about it.
I am - Wah - Koko boost - phaser - ABY - amp
Koko boost is usually on for what I'm doing which is just riffing anyway.
 
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NaturalBornBoy said:
This
Click to expand...

I never understood why people put a noisegate after anything. It makes more sense to put it closest to your pickups, so it can function off the dynamic signal of your pickups and not the compressed/boosted signal. This is why a lot of gates have the signal separated from the actual gate (putting the signal after your guitar and the gate in your effects loop or at the end of your pedal chain)
 
Faded Abyss said:
I never understood why people put a noisegate after anything. It makes more sense to put it closest to your pickups, so it can function off the dynamic signal of your pickups and not the compressed/boosted signal. This is why a lot of gates have the signal separated from the actual gate (putting the signal after your guitar and the gate in your effects loop or at the end of your pedal chain)
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I don't use a gate so 🤷‍♂️

I just place my boost after all my mod pedals.
 
I have two boosts in my chain. Onre in the loop to use as a volume boost for leads. One after my other pedals to boost the input stage of my amp. I found putting my boost before my other pedals pushed them in a way that I didn't like.
 
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