What pedal do YOU boost your sound with?

[Crazy_Joe]

Just thought i'd ask what kind of boost pedals people are using.

I'm using my trusty Monte Allums modded SD-1 that i've had for ages, i had a BBE Freq Booster for a while which was supposed to replace the SD-1 but ended up liking the SD-1 more so i sold the BBE. Though now i'm tempted to try it again or maybe try a modded tubescreamer of some sort.

What about you guys?

[TheIronBeast]

I've been using an old Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer from the 80s. It sounds great, especially at gigging volume. I have been using it for years.

[murraymurray]

Was using a ts9dx on + mode for a few years, but got a boss od1 a few months back.
Really want to try a hbe power screamer, but to try one means buying it due to living on the opposite side of the world from good shops.

[Andrew W]

I have an Ibanez TS 8080 Tubescreamer I've been using for years.  With the level set high, the overdrive set low and the tone at 12 o'clock it gives a really great push on the amp.  All that said, HTH is building me something that should offer me some great overdrive options and once I have that I suspect the TS-808 will get a lot less use. :)

[gwEm]

i have 4 favourites depending on the job in hand (amp is Marshall 2204):

Boss OD-1 : actually an SD-1 modded to OD-1 specs, sounds marvellous for those 1980s hard rock tones - big love for this one
Boss GE-7 : with full Allums mods, I keep coming back to this one for a nice clean boost
Thundertomate Phil Hilbourne : its a treble booster with top cut control. only works with single coils and vintage humbuckers, it really comes into its own with a strat. very transparent sounds, and the cut control well designed
MI Audio Crunchbox : i like using it as a booster on the marshall. works well for modded jcm800 tones. its a fun pedal, good distortion too

[Ribboz]

analogman Ts9. :)

[James C]

MXR GT-OD - not sure how it compares to other TS-type boxes, but it does the job very nicely for me

[tekbow]

Keely TS808 vintage chip, or analogman KOT, i have a Butler tube driver set to boost but that gets used after distortions and fuzzes, whereas the keely and analogman boost the clean or OD channels on my amp

[Antag]

I don't use them as my amp is an Engl Savage :twisted: - with 4 channels, more gain on tap than anyone could realistically need & switchable master volumes, a boost is kinda redundant.  So strictly speaking I suppose my answer to the question is "Engl Z10 footswitch" :)

However, I do actually have a few pedals that can boost, have tried them with the Marshall & they're kinda useful but not really necessary there either:

MXR M193 GT-OD
MXR M109 6-band Eq (well, it's a boost of sorts :))
MXR MC-401
Boss MZ-2 Digital Metallizer

I used the MZ-2 as a "crunch" channel back when I had the Mesa - as it was a 2 channel amp, the pedal allowed me to get a "breaking up" kinda sound on top of the clean channel (having built in chorus was a bonus).  The GT-OD does a similar thing, with a nicer sound.  It's useful in the sense of effectively giving me a 5th channel with the Savage.

I suppose if I used a JCM800 or something else that needed a "kick" to get more gain, I'd use the M-109.  The 6-band Eq allows you to givethe sound a nudge in the right places.  The MC-401 is too "clean" for my tastes...

[tomjackson]

Tonerider American Overdrive.  Here's what I've used in the past....


Fulltone OCD
Barber LTD
Boss SD-1 Monte Allum
Danelectro Transparant OD
Blackstar Dual
TS9
Danelectro Distortion
BYOC Mouse

[PPPMAT]

Flynn Amps Hawk Booster - modelled on Rory Gallaghers 70's Hawk booster. It has a monumental amount of boost and needs 2 9 volt batteries to give it.

It is truly awesome, I cannot rate this pedal highly enough. It boosts the signal with no colour to the sound and the higher you go it then just fries the front end and compresses nicely. It has mid treble and bass controls so you canc further boost or cut the signal dependent on taste. It also has a treble boost circuit that you can switch in if you want.

It is a pedal that was designed to be left on permanently and alter gain by guitar volume - as it is simply a signal booster the sound cleans up beautifully. Can't recommend it enough.

[Stevepage]

I use an EQ pedal in the FX loop. Doesn't add gain but I can mold my sound a bit more to what I like, adds a bit of a volume boost too.

[phlip]

For Boost An EHX LPB-1 simples  :D
Cheap, small, works,  massive amount of boost available.

For OD an MXR Wylde overdrive, still not sure about this one yet, it's almost got what I want but also seems lacking something.

[Pete24v]

i've spent way too much time and money on boosts and overdrives!

Got the Monte Allums SD-1 GT mod, very bright and quite thin.

Keeley TS808 mod plus, great pedal, still has the mids but has more gain at max and less at lower settings.

Analogman Maxon OD9 Silver mod, flattened out eq, no mid push.

Analogman Brown mod on an Ibanez TS9, what i imagine the best tube screamer to sound like

Ibanez TS10, like the AM Brown mod.

MXR GT-OD, like the Keeley mod plus but more output level. (sold)

Fulltone Fat boost V2, massive volume boost when using 18v. The Tweed crunch is nice at low levels.

Crowther Hotcake. Great pedal, lots of volume and gain available if needed, can spend ages fine tweaking it.

T-Rex Mudhoney. Very TS like but with slightly less gain on the standard setting, quite fuzzy with tons of low end when the boost button is used.

I Just picked up a Butler Tube Driver with the Bias mod, not having great success with it at the moment... need more time with it

[MrBump]

With the Orange it was first a BYOC 250 overdrive, then a Tonerider American Overdrive.  But the Orange is a non MV anp and doesn't clip until it's halfway up, and that's too loud.

I've also got a love/hate relationship with a Devi Ever Punch Love - it's kinda a boost/treble booster/overdrive.  It does SOMETHING to the tone, I quite like it, but it's really noisy...

With the Egnater Renegade I've ditched the pedals.  I used to use the AOD and a Crunchbox, now it's channel 1 and channel 2 respectively, with my Eventide Modfactor and BiYang delay in the FX loop.  And the second MV on the amp for solos.

The drive pedals sound great in front of the amp, it's just I'm loving the simplicity of fewer pedals at the moment.

Mark.