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Boost pedals, which one do you play?

ADP

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 16, 2015
Messages
681
Nothing beats the real Klon. That's my go-to. I also have a "The Tone Geek" TS10 Valve Screamer, www.thetonegeek.com and it is also an absolute staple in my rig.
 

DutchRay

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 15, 2015
Messages
872
Out of all the boost/drive pedals I own, I've only used a Way Huge Overrated Special for the last years. With the lockdown cleanup I found a Klon clone and I've been using it with my Champion 600 and Ditto+, and I like it but I have no idea if I like it with the band, I'll have to find out once this lockdown ends...
 

timsmcm

Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2003
Messages
750
If I am going into a blackface type amp I use the klon, amp on the edge of breakup, 1 to 2 clicks of drive lots of volume control on the guitar. Into big tweed or marshall jtm 45 circuit some form of treble booster. I have had an early time machine boost the 2 vintage choices are outstanding very workable with guitar volume control. Big marshall amps like super lead just throw a good silicon fuzz jhf1 will work, drive up high with volume rolled back great boost from fairly clean to boosted overdrive to crunchy, to fuzz. Add an overdrive after to control the fuzz circuit a little.
 

Any Name You Wish

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 15, 2021
Messages
493
I've used the reissue TS808 for decades. With the distortion turned down to about 1/4, and the tone up to about 2/3, it gives a reedy/woody tone that cuts through EVERYTHING. Two issues I've always had with it: 1) The distortion gets a little too compressed/sizzley sounding when turned up, and 2) The switch feel under my foot is really light (did it switch? yes? no? Doh!). I've tried many of the pedals mentioned here dialing in the tone/dist./vol settings for good results, but it gets complicated going from say Les Paul to Telecaster. Here's another, albeit rather expensive, way to get that tube-only volume boost if that is what you are after. Main amp is an older '59 Bassman from the 90's for big clean tone. Second amp is a little Victoria 5112. With a Radial BigShot ABY foot switch I can switch them both on to get a searing tube driven boost when I need it, and back to clean Bassman-only when I want that. It gets a little stereophonic too. Expensive yes, but no pedal can quite match it. Not a heavy metal crunch thing, other pedals/overdrive amp do that when needed. I have a Fender MTG Tube pedal coming (has a 6205 preamp tube in it) and I'll post here how it works out. Can't disregard training my pinky finger vol control timing to get that boost too. Sometimes that is the best way because when I hit that TS808 foot switch there is always is a little doubt about what is going to come out (did I set it right? oh-no, look the dist is way too high, how did that happen, Doh!). or Oooo, look at that girl, uh-oh my lead is coming up, I'm way over here by the drummer and my pedals are way over there, RUN! Doh!.
 

Sol

Active member
Joined
Oct 26, 2001
Messages
775
Marshall Bluesbreaker II on boost mode. This is a pure clean boost that doesn’t colour your tone.
I’ve been using it since the mid 90s. Works perfectly.
I have this pedal and love the boost mode which is not clean at all on my BB II. I'm confused.

I have the 90,s, original Bluesbreaker and the boost mode on my Marshall Bluesbreaker II sounds very close to the lower gain of the 90s original but with the extra volume boost.. Its NOT clean..

So, I'm wondering If the pedal was modded before I bought it. Or perhaps there was a change in design by Marshall perhaps?
Anyone else have a BB II like mine ?
 

AA00475Bassman

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 26, 2016
Messages
3,769
A very interesting Klon perspective, Although my Toneman Rangermaster is very pleasing to my ears & about 1500.00 less

The Klon was one of the first boutique overdrive pedals that started this whole premium hand built pedal craze. Only 8000 were made in the 90s. A few famous people gushed over them, and the hype train got completely out of control. They were expensive and hard to get to begin with, but after they were taken off market, the prices started rising and have been continuously rising ever since. Now, the obscenely high price is part of what feeds the hype about the pedal.
In my opinion, it's the most overrated pedal of all time. It's just a diode hard clipper (like a RAT, DS-1, or Distortion+) with a very clever EQ trick up its sleeve. The frequency response changes as you turn up the gain, so it works as a gritty boost or an overdrive equally well.
Personally, I just don't like the sound of it all that much. There are a lot of better overdrives on the market these days, in my opinion. But when the Klon came out, there weren't many well tuned "transparent" overdrives available that cleaned up well when you rolled off the volume knob. The hype was probably justified back then (when the pedal cost only a few hundred bucks), but now? $1500 is a lot of cash for a simple OD pedal that does nothing all that remarkable.
If you want one, there are tons of clones available on the market. The cheapest is the EHX Soul Food for $69, and it sounds pretty close to the original. The main problem with the clones is that there is a "mystery" component (a set of NOS germanium diodes) that nobody has been able to identify with 100% confidence. That's really the only major sonic difference separating the inexpensive clones from the $1500 original.
But if you insist on having the right diodes, Bill Finnegan (the original designer) has reissued the pedal as the Klon KTR with the correct NOS diodes. The circuit is an exact replica of the original pedal with a few updates like switchable true bypass, and it sells for $269. Anyone who tells you that the Klon KTR doesn't sound as good as the original is a flaming idiot. Now that the KTR is available, I think anyone who buys an original Klon Centaur, for anything other than keeping it as a collectors item, is completely insane or has way too much money to burn.
 
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