Best Noise Gate and Boost Pedal and Why... Opinions Wanted!

PhloridaMan

PhloridaMan

Active member
Title pretty much says it all.

I am oldschool in my ways a bit. I have always been an ISP Decimator guy for the Noise Gates and MAXON OD808 for Clean Boost. That said, I am open to change. Building a brand new rig, and want to see whats out there that might be better than what I am use to using.

Primary style of music is pretty much Chimaira, Killswitch Engage, The Acacia Strain, Sevendust and anything in that general realm. Not really into Djenty stuff too much.

Thanks! :rock:
 
Fortin Zuul - it's transparent and doesn't suck the tone. Better than the Decimator II or Pro Rack G I had in the past.
 
mhenson42":d4boe4h6 said:
Fortin Zuul - it's transparent and doesn't suck the tone. Better than the Decimator II or Pro Rack G I had in the past.
Click to expand...

Honestly had no idea Fortin made one haha Definitely going to look into that one! Thanks!
 
Tastes change depending on the day, but my current favorites are the Fortin Zuul gate and Mythos Mjolner.
The Airis Savage Drive is also hard to beat and Airis also has a new gate called the Hades that looks great.
Strymon Riverside and Lovepedal Eternity always have a spot on my board as well...
 
stratjacket":18xfadkh said:
Tastes change depending on the day, but my current favorites are the Fortin Zuul gate and Mythos Mjolner.
The Airis Savage Drive is also hard to beat and Airis also has a new gate called the Hades that looks great.
Strymon Riverside and Lovepedal Eternity always have a spot on my board as well...
Click to expand...

A buddy of mine actually has the Mythos Mjolner and has been raving about it but I haven't gotten to hear it yet and am unfamiliar with the brand. I assume 90% of these boost pedals are going to be based off a Tube Screamer. I will have to do some more looking into that one for sure.
 
I missed the boost part. I have a Suhr Koko boost (original not the reload), an OD808 and a VFE standout. All are great pedals, but the Koko mid boost is my favorite.
 
Phil Jacques":3vfwia5h said:
stratjacket":3vfwia5h said:
Tastes change depending on the day, but my current favorites are the Fortin Zuul gate and Mythos Mjolner.
The Airis Savage Drive is also hard to beat and Airis also has a new gate called the Hades that looks great.
Strymon Riverside and Lovepedal Eternity always have a spot on my board as well...
Click to expand...

A buddy of mine actually has the Mythos Mjolner and has been raving about it but I haven't gotten to hear it yet and am unfamiliar with the brand. I assume 90% of these boost pedals are going to be based off a Tube Screamer. I will have to do some more looking into that one for sure.
Click to expand...

The Mjolner is based off a Klon Centaur. It is different from my others, maybe it's the different part that I love so much. It just makes everything bloom and sound good. Mythos is a 1 man shop out of Nashville, pretty cool pedals.
 
I got a TC Electronics Sentry noise gate a few weeks ago and not having the best luck with it. It is ok but it is either letting too much noise in or is cutting my sustain. I think I need to look at my outlets, cords, etc. because people rant about these.
 
Airis Effects Savage Drive V3... I use it as a boost. Keep 'dirt' knob at zero and use 'volume', 'bite' and 'tite'. Like it better than the Savage Boost (which is noisy) or the Fortin Grind (which sounds good but depends on setup... cuts almost too much low end - no adjustment means you can't dial it in).

I have both a Fortin ZUUL (on my third, a blackout version) and an Airis Effects Hades Gate (newest with top mount jacks). The Hades is very good. But I think I prefer the ZUUL, due to the key input (although that causes more cabling), and seems 'smoother' although that's not the right term. Hades is straight up great just in the loop, but I find it almost too aggressive. Probably works best with super high gain setups. Maybe I'll try a dual gate setup lol.
 
Found a used Zuul and Snagged it for 160.

Think I am going to stick with a trusty Maxon OD808 too. It ain't broke so why try to fix it, right?
 
I’ve gone round and round on the boost pedal I use and always end up back at the OD808. It works perfectly for my needs.

On the noise suppressor front, I’ve been using a Decimator for a long time. Have some interest in trying the Zuul, but the Decimator works perfectly for me.


When it ain’t broke, don’t fix it ;)

T
 
I mostly use a Maxon OD808 or a VFE Standout but, sometimes use my Maxon ST9 Pro+. It is a great boost and I am surprised it is not more popular.
 
DeathbyButterslax":cpwmhy9l said:
Gate: Zuul
Boost: Maybe try the buxom? It’s pretty versatile and does rhythm or lead very well.
Personal preference is Vfe Standout
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Agreed
I’d also recommend the Friedman Golden Pearl, Timmy V1 or an Ethos TLE (it’s pricy though)
 
Lots of same opinions here.

I consider the Maxon 808 the best because it works well with almost any amp. I consider that the standard to compare all boost pedals too. With that said the Koko boost was also my favorite with certain amps. For KsE kind of stuff the Keeley D&M drive is a fantastic pedal.

For gates I have not tried many. Went from Decimator to DII to G string 2. G string was by far the best. I hear nothing but good things about the Zuul but I without having used one I am under the impression it cannot gate the front and the loop at the same time. The G string 2 can if connected the right way. Based on that I would consider the G string 2 the best noise gate.
 
Quick ZUUL demo with it hooked as follows:

Guitar > Boss TU3
Boss Output > Zuul Key input
Boss Bypass > pedal chain (only Savage Drive is on) > Amp input > Fx send > Zuul > Fx return

 
I haven't tried the Fortin, so I can't comment on it. I have used the ISD, Smart Gate and TC Sentry. They all sucked tone. SO I just started pulling pedals one by one off my until my rig was expectably quiet. I'm much happier now.
 
As has been said,i tried the tc sentry and it did change the tone some,tried EH,pigtronix,boss all changed the core tone.I actually put an original rockman smart gate on my board and absolutely zero tone suck.Loved it so much I bought 2 more since theyre super rare now.ill have to try the fortin sometime.I use a Tim or original tc booster dist + for clean boost.
 
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