Fulltone Fat Boost

[tomjackson]

The MI Boost and Buff looks better value than the fulltone.  The Xotic EP Booster looks good too.

I had and sold an OCD, don't miss it in the slightest! 

Gassing for a BB plus still though, those sound great....

[Ian Price]

What is it you are trying to achieve with the boost?

I want to retain the tone of the amp but be able to drive it a little harder. I've got single coils (twisted tele neck and broadcaster bridge) in a tele and they can sound a little weedy.

[Twinfan]

Ian - is the power scaling not enough?

I wouldn't want to push the tubes too much in the very-gainy-already Deluxe, so I'd be looking for a light overdrive maybe?

[Ian Price]

The power scaling is indeed fine. I'd just rather set the amp clean(ish) and then push it harder with a boost. I could be barking up the wrong tree with a boost then?

[Denim n Leather]

What is it you are trying to achieve with the boost?

I want to retain the tone of the amp but be able to drive it a little harder. I've got single coils (twisted tele neck and broadcaster bridge) in a tele and they can sound a little weedy.

The pedal you want is the Maxon OD 820. Cleanest, most liquid, touch responsive, and quiet clean boost/mild OD around.

With the Gain off, and the Tone and Volume controls at noon, you cannot hear the difference between the pedal in bypass or on; it's that transparent!

The OD820 is the pedal for someone who is happy with their tone but just wants a little 'more' for soloing or mild breakup.

[AndyR]

I've got single coils (twisted tele neck and broadcaster bridge) in a tele and they can sound a little weedy.

We're talking Baja with stock pickups? I know some folks like them, love them even, but I just couldn't get on with them, nearly ditched the guitar (and I rarely get rid of anything). How much are these pedals compared to a set of BKP tele pups? I'm guessing same ballpark ... My advice is get them Flat 50 Blaggards in asap first - the Baja still sounds like the Baja but "more". The guitar I nearly ditched is now one of my favourites and it taught me how to like "telecaster".

Mind you, DnL's suggestion sounds very interesting - if I was gigging I'd be going "oooo!", what he describes is exactly what I wants from a little box on the floor to kick my solos over the rest of the band...

[Zaned]

The MI Boost and Buff looks better value than the fulltone.  The Xotic EP Booster looks good too.

I had and sold an OCD, don't miss it in the slightest! 

Gassing for a BB plus still though, those sound great....

I own an MI Audio Boost 'n Buff, it's great. To tell you the truth, I mostly use it as a buffer; it's the first pedal in my signal chain and the rest of them are true bypass, until the signal hits the preamp. BnB is there to get rid of the signal loss occurring AFTER it.

Anyway, it's definitely a great pedal ESPECIALLY for the money. Great clean boost up to 15 dB. After that it is a treble booster (up to 35dB), which I want to get to try with e.g. a Vox AC30  8)

-Zaned

[Brow]

The MI Boost and Buff looks better value than the fulltone.  The Xotic EP Booster looks good too.

I had and sold an OCD, don't miss it in the slightest! 

Gassing for a BB plus still though, those sound great....

I own an MI Audio Boost 'n Buff, it's great. To tell you the truth, I mostly use it as a buffer; it's the first pedal in my signal chain and the rest of them are true bypass, until the signal hits the preamp. BnB is there to get rid of the signal loss occurring AFTER it.

Anyway, it's definitely a great pedal ESPECIALLY for the money. Great clean boost up to 15 dB. After that it is a treble booster (up to 35dB), which I want to get to try with e.g. a Vox AC30  8)

-Zaned

+1

I have the earlier version and it's great as a buffer at the start of a large pedalboard, and sounds great when pushing a slightly dirty amp.

The switch in mine is startign to go, but apart from that, it's been a great pedal for me.

[Ian Price]

We're talking Baja with stock pickups? I know some folks like them, love them even, but I just couldn't get on with them, nearly ditched the guitar (and I rarely get rid of anything).

Yep - stock pickups. What was it you didn't like about them Andy? It's the bridge I don't really get on with, I just find it a little bland and uninspiring. The neck works ok for me and I'm not against keeping that in and changing the bridge to a BG F50. I really don't know if they would mix though.

Also, I've never been sure if the pickups used in the Baja are the same as ones used in Custom Shop models?

[Twinfan]

They're Mexican-made versions of the CS stuff I believe, Ian.

OK, but not stunning?

[PPPMAT]

Flynn amps Hawk booster - made for just such an occasion. Just a boost, no overdrive - doesn't colour your tone at all and boosts the hell out of anything with the added advantage of boosting seperate frequencies and a treble boost option.

Utterly brilliant (not cheap) but brilliant especially for single coils

[juansolo]

Can you get another built?  Probably your best option!

Had a long break from pedal building and getting back into it now. I've got another SHO/Fuzz combo that is equally but differently epic. Finally made number 2 for marauder and I think we have enough good germ trannies left to make one more. It's our take on a tonebender, but substituting more modern Russian trannies. Don't know whether it's a happy accident or what but we're running these at way more voltage than you would the older, more commonly used bender trannies and they really kick arse. Another side effect is that they're negative ground so you don't have to dick about with different PSUs for them.  Sound, I just love. Can go from really compressed vintagey fuzz to thick distortion. The sho just fleshes it out even more. It's very different to the sholicon and to muffs. It's definitely a bender, just much more meaty.

Anyhow, I must knock another one out and you can give it a test drive and see what you think.

I can also knock out another sholicon if Ian wants another.

Been some epic pedals recently. Totally loving the Echobase also. Though gotta make that one from a board, it's a little complex.

[Ian Price]

They're Mexican-made versions of the CS stuff I believe, Ian.

OK, but not stunning?

Ah, that'll explain why they sound tinny in comparison to your lovely red sparkle tele - at least that's my assumption.

I can also knock out another sholicon if Ian wants another.

Very kind John, very kind. I may well be in touch.

[juansolo]

I'm slowly getting caught up. Got 3 to box up then someone was after a phaser, then I should be free to do some more for other peeps.

[AndyR]

We're talking Baja with stock pickups? I know some folks like them, love them even, but I just couldn't get on with them, nearly ditched the guitar (and I rarely get rid of anything).

Yep - stock pickups. What was it you didn't like about them Andy? It's the bridge I don't really get on with, I just find it a little bland and uninspiring. The neck works ok for me and I'm not against keeping that in and changing the bridge to a BG F50. I really don't know if they would mix though.

Also, I've never been sure if the pickups used in the Baja are the same as ones used in Custom Shop models?

What TF said on who makes them I think.

I was the same as you - neck ok, but the bridge just didn't seem to have "enough".

I could hear in my head what I thought a tele ought to do in my hands, and I just couldn't make it do it. I was describing it the same as you - weedy, bland, sometimes thin, tinny. I'd put some oink in with the fingers and get no return for it coming out of the speakers. It's a nice "tone" - in the shop it sounds great, but if you're a vibrato/dig-in, vary-your-pick-attack sort of player, it doesn't seem to translate your playing into much "expression" coming out of the amp. And it wasn't making any pleasant scrunch sounds to my ears on chord-riffing.

The thing was, I wasn't sure whether this was "authentic tele" or not... was it that I just couldn't get on with a tele?

Eventually I went "wot the hell" and replaced them with the BKP set with the best name as far as I was concerned (:roll:) "Blackguard Flat 50". Turned out to be a brilliant choice - you can get the stock pup sound out of it now, but it just sounds more grown-up and expressive. It really responds to playing style. Somebody who wants to play cleaner might not like the change enough to pay for replacements, but I'm guessing you want crunch that can clean up or get hairy enough for a nice blues-rock solo/lick/riff. If so, I think it's worth the punt... As an added bonus, the both pickups in series option came into its own for me - I thought it was interesting but useless with the stock pickups, it's fab with the BGs :D