The Watering Hole

anyone have any views on what the best clean boost pedal is (for slamming the input of the amp) ?

I don't know about 'best' Jon, but I use a Marshall Bluesbreaker II in 'boost' mode, that seems to do the job quite nicely.  

http://www.marshallamps.com/product.asp?productCode=Bluesbreaker%20II

Rich  ;)

Loads of 'em. You'll get a zillion suggestions and most of them will be great but its still gonna come down to what amp its going in front of (?). Popular pedals used for CLEAN boosting may sound great in front of one amp, not so much another, etc. Never really heard of a single winner that is known as THE pedal with ALL amps. It also depends on single coil and humbucker - same deal, some pedals rock with one but not both. You'll end up with a few pedals for different duties, bottom line.  :)

With my jcm800, I tried the OCD, Bad Monkey, stock SD-1, modded GE-7, etc, all of them = bleh. Tried the Tube Screamer Reissue...MAGIC. Was the only one that clicked THAT well with it, but it was sooooo good.  ;)

With my Rebel 30, the OCD was the best.

With my Splawn Quick Rod, tried many, stopped searching the day my Maxon OD808 showed up. Turns it into a BIGGER fire breathing monster.  

I still want a DOD YJM308 to pair up with my Legacy Strat to get my Yngwie fix...perfect combo to nail that tone.

All these mentioned were used as CLEAN boosts, some better than others. Reason I pointed all of those I tried out is, one has to do some homework on what others have tried/suggested with their particular amps and then try some of them first hand to find the ideal matches.

Another great one (from samples) that damn near every one of my personal favorite players happen to use (so they say) seems to be the Xotic BB Pre. Also the Blackstar Dual...

Jon,

There are tons of boost pedals out there.  The Barber Launch Pad is very transparent, has tons of "features" for a boost pedal, and is "full range."  And it's barely over $100.  

Remember that when using many of the OD pedals that Kabala suggested as a boost (leaving the gain down) that they will shape frequencies as well (unlike the Launch Pad which is FLAT).  This is good, or bad, depending on what you want.  

One of the most popular boosts is the Z Vx (  ;)  ) SHO.  This clean boost pedal retails for $279 yet is wildly successful.  I've yet to hear one... but I do have parts to build about 4 of them.  ($50 ish, +... depending on enclosure).  They say this is the best.  

OD's will shape frequencies.  If you want that, this is a plus, of not, a minus.  And they add the additional feature of more gain if you want it.  Boosts  are generally clean but some add gain when turned way up.  Some also compress (so Fatten) your tone.

So, what do you want in a boost?  

It's as I said in the title of this thread really, I' looking fir a CLEAN boost pedal simply to slam the input of my amp with a higher signal

BBE Boosta Grande is what I use, its transparent through the gain knobs action.

thanks chaps....I'll check some of those out

I second the Boosta Grande...  It's what i use, although I can't really say I've compared it to any other clean boost.  But that's all it does, clean boost.

I have a Fulltone Fat Boost II that is a clean boost if that is what you want it to be.  It can also give you a little grit that sounds like a small fender being pushed hard.  I love that pedal.  I leave the gain almost off and crank the volume.  It even has a basss and treble knob.  I love this thing.

Jon,

The simplest mosfet boost you can get.  Andy is there where shipping wont double the price, and could probably build you a great boost for under $40, maybe half that depending on enclosure.  

I've actually just ordered a marshall blues breaker.  Cheap enough not to worry if it's not what I want.  Actually, thinking about this I used to have one of these (I had forgotten about that) and on clean boost it was very good, but that was not with this amp though. anyway, I will give it a go and post a clip when I get it.

thanks for the input.

I know I'm a little late to the party on this one, but an MI Audio Boost n' Buff is very nice, along with the Keeley Katana.  But the Boost n' Buff has a better price if my memory serves me well.

Just received the marshall Blues Breaker...not bad, but definitely not totally clean...so that's going on ebay.

Speaking of which, I just order a BBE Boosta Grande on ebay direct from the states, brand new for £54 including shipping.  Sounds like a damn good deal to me, especially as I have seen it in shops over here at £84  and more !

Let us know how you like it Jon.

What amp are you using right now?

Still using peavey classic 30 with the addition of a hotplate so i can run it wide open. Just love the juicy sound from this

I will post a clip once the pedal arrived

the BBE Grande Boost arrived today.  A really excellent pedal. Nice clean boost that really drives the front of the amp.  I can now get some really juicy sounds from the peavey c30 by pushing the front end with full BBE boost and then full volume of the C30 via the hotplate...even the clean channel of the amp really sings.

Excellent recomendation from you guys.  It's a keeper.

Woot!  Glad it's doing what you needed Jon.  I love mine for the exact same reasons.

cool Jon, it is definitely a hidden Gem of a pedal...

Pssst........CLIPS!!!!!!! >:(

Here's some mindless wankage using the BBE Boosta Grande and the following:


Les Paul (coil split, single coil mode) >
BBE Boosta Grande >
Little Lanilei 1/4 watt valve amp >
mic'd up with Avantone CK-7 condenser mic

with a heavy dip of the mids in the EQ as the little amp is so very mid heavy

I like that little amp.

I use my Pork Loin pedal for boost.  It has a preamp circuit that can be blended to add clean signal to the OD or used alone for a clean boost, but only one setup at a time.

That BBE probably adds less color and sounds nice for the money.

i noticed all the BBE pedals are going for cheap on amazon..  

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=bbe&x=0&y=0

Got myself a Boosta Grande today - no way was I going to pay £80-90 but I found a new one offered on E-bay for £49 start price & £7 delivery.  Didn't get a bid so went back to the folk, made an offer & did a deal yesterdayt at £40 plus £4 delivery - & it was delivered this morning....phenomenal service!

Mainly, I wanted a true transparent clean boost through the FX loop of my Valvetronix AD120VTX, & it does the job brilliantly & is just perfect to give me a 'global' lead boost on every patch without colouring the tone.  Interestingly it also adds 'something' to the tone that I can't quite put my finger on but it makes the whole tone more 'organic' , punchy & responsive too!

Also tried it 'direct' in front of my Laney VC30 & an AC4 & Night Train - really adds some 'poke' and extra gain dynamics to the tone just as Jon said.

Really pleased with it, and as Jon said ...it's a keeper!  :)

More Grande luv! Great recomendation fellers.

I picked one up yesterday for $30 (used but looks and works like new), figured what the hell, nothing but positive feedback wherever I read. I got tired of the mid hump thing from the TS family of pedals. The Boosta is killer. No frills, true bypass, delivers as advertised with very, very minimal coloring. I do hear just a hint of deeper lows and a tiny bit of that BBE shimmer, but really, the basic tone is as close to unaltered as one could ask for, especially compared to what so many other pedals do. No mid bump! Great piece of gear.

yeah,

I love mine, had my first one for about 5 years. Chris (other Guitarist in my new project) bought it when he bought my Mesa DC-5 head.  Got a second one works just as good, I put it in front of my Randall MTS head, the clean boost just tightens and sweetens pretty much any amp I put it in front of.

Glad you guys are liking yours