Effects Bay

I’ve been hearing some talk about the Xotic EP Booster. Been seeing it on a few Pedal Line Friday submissions, and I wanted to take a closer look. Xotic makes some great pedals, and are really creating a giant name for themselves.  Looks like the EP Booster is modeled after the preamp side of the Echoplex EP-3.  Apparently, the circuit is quite different than the actual Echoplex (since the Echoplex’s preamp had additional requirements, etc). In a nutshell, this is a clean boost, but with more sparkle and definition.

Here is the official description:

What do the tones of renowned guitarist such as Page, EVH and Johnson have in common? They all used the legendary echo machine EP-3 as a pre-amp.
We’ve captured that magic in a new Xotic Effects pedal, the EP Booster.

We’ve used the highest quality parts available with a discrete FET design and low impedance output, the EP Booster provides up to +20dB of unadulterated boost with multi-dimensional, shimmering highs and lows, and no ear fatigue. The internal DIP switches let you choose the boost frequencies, and EQ settings.

Housed in a small 3.5″x 1.5″ x 1.5″ case with blue LED and transparent knob, the EP Booster can be powered by 9-volt up to 18-volts.

A simple pure boost that pays reverence to the magical EP-3 and captures the celebrated tones of the world’s most famous players.

Here is a video by XoticGuitars:

You can pick up the Xotic EP Booster EQ Effects Pedal for $116.00 at Fat Tone Guitars.

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Popularity: 4%

I’ve been eyeballing T-Rex stuff for a while.. specifically the replicator, but today I wanted to talk about the T-Rex Moller Overdrive and Clean Boost pedal. Since we’re dealing with T-Rex, there is no doubt this will sound great, but how will this stack up against all the other overdrives out there? The immediate feature that this pedal can do is ‘blend’ your clean signal with the overdriven signal to rough up the edges. That’s a pretty nice feature.  It has a great gritty sound to it and can get nice and crunchy with some humbuckers in the mix.

Here is the official description of the pedal:

Stunning clean sound with just a little dirt around the edges?
Solid overdrive with a tablespoon of clean sparkle to make your distorted chords stand out?
Fire-breathing distortion with just a dash of clean signal for better definition?

The T-Rex Moller is a classic overdrive guitar pedal that provides a wealth of dynamic overdriven tones with superb tonal control, as well as separate transparent 0-20 db adjustable and switchable clean boost, and a unique overdrive/clean mix option.

The mix knob lets you dial in the perfect balance between distorted and non-distorted signal. Rolled all the way up and with distortion maxed too, the effect pedal sounds just like an old tube amp on full volume.

Roll the mix knob back a bit, and your clean signal starts to get through, meaning that if you pick lightly, or roll back the volume on your guitar, you get a stunning clean/softly clipping sound that retains all the feel and dynamics of your original tone, only bigger, louder and richer.

The boost function lets you dial in a solo level, whether the overdrive circuit is activated or not.

Origin
The T-Rex Moller pedal was developed in 2003 for a well-known Danish guitarist called Knud Moller. He plays guitar for Johnny Madsen and has also made solo albums. He needed a good tube screamer with a clean boost, so T-Rex made him that pedal based in Alberta. Other Danish players heard and saw the effect pedal, and they also asked for one. Demand increased. T-Rex decided to improve the guitar pedal and mass produce it.

I found a good video by Burgerman666 where he spins all the knobs, and demos it with single coils and humbucker guitars:

You can pick up the T-Rex Moller Overdrive and Clean Boost for $279.99 at Musician’s Friend.

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Popularity: 4%

This morning, I came across the MXR M-133 Micro Amp. Been wanting to talk about this for a while, but it always seems to slip through the cracks. I’m a fan of clean boost pedals. They’re simple and really effective to crush your preamp for sweet tone. This one is no exception, single gain knob. I like it. Also, in the video below it mentioned how it will “preserve the integrity of your signal when you use long cables”. Sounds like there is a built in high impedance buffer in there, which in my opinion, is a great thing.

Here is the official description:

The MXR M-133 Micro Amplifier Pedal adds a preset amount of gain, using a single control. With a guitar, this lets you boost your signal for lead work, adjust between 2 different guitars with unmatched output (i.e., humbucker to single coils), or it can supply a permanent boost in a long effects chain where signal drop-off is a problem. Power: Single 9-volt battery or Dunlop ECB-003 AC Adapter – Controls: Footswitch toggles amp on/bypass (red LED indicates on) Gain knob adjusts total output volume when the Micro Amp is engaged.

Here is a video by jimdunlopusa:

You can pick up the MXR M-133 Micro Amp for only $79.99 at Musician’s Friend!

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Popularity: 4%

Today I wanted to talk about the ZVex Super Hard On boost pedal. I just recently picked up the Analog Man Beano Boost, and I’ve been really digging the clean boost action, so I wanted to take a closer look at the ZVex Super Hard On (SHO). It’s very similar in the sense that it pushs your input signal to the ceiling which gives you a great natural break up (assuming you’re pushing a tube amp). This pedal is extremely simple with only one knob.

Here is the official pedal description:

The ZVex Super Hard On w/LED Boost Pedal is a boost pedal and more. Ignite your rig to get the best tone it’s capable of. The boost pedal is so transparent no one will be able to tell you’re using a pedal. Perfect for making the most of a classic amp and guitar, because it simply makes your guitar bigger and pushes the amp harder, causing natural overload. This sound can be the solution to the ‘disappearing guitar’ effect you get sometimes on stage when you stomp on your distortion and sound weaker. When cranked, it sounds much louder than a fuzz or distortion under stage conditions.

I found another great video by gearmandude showing what it can do:

You can pick up the ZVex Super Hard On for $239.00 at Fat Tone Guitars.

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Popularity: 4%

Lately I’ve been hearing a lot about the Xotic line (BB, AC and RC) of pedals and wanted to take a closer look. The pedal I wanted to check out today is the Xotic BB Preamp. This seems to be a great clean boost pedal giving you a 30dB boost with a 2 band EQ. This would be best used with tube amps to overdrive it naturally or to use it for additional sustain on leads. I like the idea of the 2 band EQ to fatten the tone a bit further for leads.

Here is the official description:

The BB Preamp offers a wide variety of sounds. It’s capable of a 30dB+ clean boost with an adjustable ±15dB two band active EQ which adds a wide range of harmonic content to your ideal sound.

The BB also utilizes a pre-gain stage which allows the Pedal to go from a very pristine clean to a very smooth,compressed, overdriven sound.

True bypass for eliminating any signal interference when switched off.

Can be used with AC adaptor (optional) or 9V Battery.

I found two good videos by ProGuitarShopDemos. Here is the Xotic BB with a Les Paul

Here is the Xotic BB with a Strat

You can purchase the Xotic BB Preamp for $186.00 at Fat Tone Guitars.

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Popularity: 4%

Today we have another BBE pedal screaming deal at Amazon. This time it’s the BBE Boosta Grande, which can give you a 20db clean boost. By boosting your clean signal, you begin to naturally overrdrive things behind the pedal.  The BBE Boosta Grande comes with a single knob that adjusts the gain level and a single on/off footswitch to activate the pedal. I can personally see how this could work great in a loop chain in conjunction with a few other pedals, or how it can be used simply to overdrive your amps input.

The pedal can give you 20db of clean boost, it has hardwire bypass switching and can be powered by 9V battery or external power supply.

Normally, the BBE Boosta Grande lists for $129.00. It can be picked up at Musician’s Friend for $79.99, but you can get it for a great price of $53.02 at Amazon and that does come with FREE super saver shipping.

Below is a small demo of the pedal:

Popularity: 3%

So doing a little surfing for my post on the Fulltone Clyde Deluxe Wah, I came across a new Fulltone pedal which was new to me! The Fulltone pedal is the Fulltone Catalyst, which is a fuzz/distortion/clean-boost pedal. It has a interesting toggle switch that switches between ‘flame’ and ‘spark’ modes. These modes handle the clean boost giving texture and flavors with the volume rolled down.

Here is a great video showing the controls in a side by side view.

This pedal can be purchased from Musician’s Friend for $179.99 + shipping, but I found a great price at Amazon.  Currently, it’s available for $152.15 + $5.47 shipping. So you definitely save a few bucks using Amazon for this pedal.

Here is Amazon description of the product:

This Fulltone pedal is the New for 2009 from Mike Fuller, the Fulltone Catalyst Fuzz. Built to solve the problems associated with vintage and even new fuzz pedals, this is one great sounding effect that may just change your feelings about what a fuzz can do. Fuzz is often a very a temperamental effect. Subject to the temperature, the power source, signal chain placement, etc. It can be such a pain, in fact, that many guitar players just skip fuzz pedals all together to avoid the hassle. The Fulltone Catalyst Fuzz solves many of these problems by doing what they are famous for, thinking of everything so you don’t have to. This bad boy uses a simple circuit and discrete F.E.T.’s to create its fuzz tone. The Volume and Gain knobs do exactly what you would expect. The Flame/Spark switch allow you to go from milder overdrive/distortion tones on Spark all the way to full on Fuzz mayhem with the flame switch engaged. Unlike most pedals of this type, this baby allows you to adjust the flabby low end out via the Bass/Mid mini knob and also adjust the treble response via the Treble mini knob. If you have been looking for a fuzz pedal that is not limited to just one sound, you need to make room on your pedal board for the Fulltone Catalyst Fuzz. Fulltone Catalyst Fuzz features: * Handbuilt & Tested at California Shop * Knobs for Gain and Volume * Mini Toggle for Spark/Flame * Mini knobs for Bass/Mids and Treble * Fulltone manufactured Custom Potentiometers * Super-Bright LED status indicators * Fulltone 3PDT switch * Produces an array of fuzz, distortion, and overdrive tones as well as clean boost Fulltone Catalyst Fuzz includes: * 5 year Warranty * Fulltone Bumper Sticker * Operation/Instruction Leaflet

Popularity: 3%