EP Booster. - Fairy dust or Away with the Fairies?

JezWynd

Recently got the Xotic SP Comp and have been very impressed. Once the dip switches are adjusted to taste it's a wonderful little box. Been looking at some of their other offerings and th EP booster has caught my eye. Problem is, despite listening to quite a few videos I struggle to hear it doing anything that a tweak of the volume controls wouldn't acheive. I occ hear a very slight chime effect but it's so subtle. Is it something that you have to hear in the flesh, or is it one of those pedals where the effect is felt in the fingers?

vasselmeyer

Used at it's lowest level it just brings a little extra something to the sound of single coils. It doesn't have the same effect on humbuckers in my experience.

When you wind it up it can hit the input of a valve preamp and push it into overdrive and it can push OD pedals in the same way. If you stick it in an FX loop there is bags of extra clean boost.

It's a very simple circuit but it does have something there for the player. I suspect it's very hard to hear that extra something on a video, you have to feel it when you play.

Jalapeno

First pedal on any board for me .....

Corvus

Had a go with one, but didn't like the amount of bass in it (bass boost was switched off).

John_A

Brilliant on a telecaster just fattens and sweetens 

Octafish

I built my own, with the dip switches as external toggles, love it! I use one all the time (including gigging and recording) with volume about 10 o'clock, bright switch on and fat switch off. I stick mine in the middle of my chain after fuzz and modulation, but before drive and delay. I've built and tried the JHS Minibomb, Fulltone Fat Boost, EHX LPD and Zvex Super Hard-on boosts and I keep coming back to the EP.

One caveat, it does seem to work best with single coils.

EricTheWeary

I'm not quite sure why I got rid of mine. I didn't have it always on, primarily used it to give a tc Flashback X4 a bit of guts. A lot of boosts will emphasize the high end ( I had a tc Spark that would confuse bats) but the EP is a bit warmer, bit more compressed. It is supposed to to be based on an EP 3 pre amp and it works well as a missing link. 
TBH you could get the SP to do effectively the same thing. 

JezWynd

Thanks for the feedback everyone, it's very helpful. Based on your replies I think I'm going to pass for the present. Having been exclusively a Telecaster player for 30 years I v recently got an Albert Lee HH and while my default setting is the twin single coils, I'm starting to use the humbuckers more where is sounds as if the EP is less successful.

The SP has something of the same problem; with the dip switches inside, it demands you choose single coils or HB's appropriate settings. (That said, I've found it works very well with both if the Hi Cut and Input pad are set to Off.)

JezWynd

EricTheWeary said:

I'm not quite sure why I got rid of mine. I didn't have it always on, primarily used it to give a tc Flashback X4 a bit of guts. A lot of boosts will emphasize the high end ( I had a tc Spark that would confuse bats) but the EP is a bit warmer, bit more compressed. It is supposed to to be based on an EP 3 pre amp and it works well as a missing link. 
TBH you could get the SP to do effectively the same thing. 

Agreed, the SP works well as a tone enhancer, I'm liking it very much.

Kebabkid

The EP is a pedal you have to hear and feel under the fingers.

I think people here have something when they say it seems to work better on single coils. To me, the effect is more pronounced but it works well on my humbuckers and I didn't find it bass heavy and I'm not sure what my internal dip settings are and I've never opened the pedal to change them.

Before an OD, or even into an overdriven amp, it just adds some fullness and oomph making it ideal for solos and that's how I use it or if playing my Strat with low output single coils, I tend to leave it on all the time.

Place after an OD, you get a volume increase and I wouldn't say it's transparent. It definitely adds something to the original sound but in a good way.

Jalapeno

Kebabkid said:

The EP is a pedal you have to hear and feel under the fingers.

I think people hear have something when they say it seems to work better on single coils. To me, the effect is more pronounced but it works well on my humbuckers and I didn't find it bass heavy and I'm not sure what my internal dip settings are and I've never opened the pedal to change them.

Before an OD, or even into an overdriven amp, it just adds some fullness and oomph making it ideal for solos and that's how I use it or if playing my Strat with low output single coils, I tend to leave it on all the time.

Place after an OD, you get a volume increase and I wouldn't say it's transparent. It definitely adds something to the original sound but in a good way.

Wis'd.

I use it with Humbuckers too.

Wazmeister

I've always liked em, but don't have one at the moment.

Now Im back to my Tele-love, I'm on the look out if anyone has one ?

english_bob

If anyone is interested in trying one on the cheap, there's a Chinese clone called a Mosky XP Booster. Goes for about  £20 on eBay.

lustycourtier

I have one but ALWAYS ditch it for my Super Hard On 

bandmaster188

Loved my first one so went out and bought another. Used to have one on all the time and one for a solo boost. Recently tried it into my bass amp and it works with that too. 
They just do stuff, nice stuff!

siraxeman

Just get the Mosky copy for £17

Sassafras

siraxeman said:

Just get the Mosky copy for £17

'They' want you to believe that it's as good as the EP but there are plenty of Youtube videos out there that prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that it's all a giant hoax perpetrated by atheists.

robinbowes

Have a look here: http://revolutiondeux.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/xotic-ep-booster.html

Looks like a fiarly straight-forward j-fet booster.

These are also very good:  http://www.muzique.com/schem/mosfet.htm

R.

siraxeman

Sassafras said:

siraxeman said:

Just get the Mosky copy for £17

'They' want you to believe that it's as good as the EP but there are plenty of Youtube videos out there that prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that it's all a giant hoax perpetrated by atheists.

Cool...post 'em up!! Now't like proof is there!

TheBigDipper

english_bob said:

If anyone is interested in trying one on the cheap, there's a Chinese clone called a Mosky XP Booster. Goes for about  £20 on eBay.

I've got one. I've no idea what an EP Boost sounds like with my gear, but the XP Boost adds a very pleasant colour to my tone and has the same (apparently) dip switch functionality as the genuine article. Is it a good clone? Don't know, don't care. 

english_bob

TheBigDipper said:

english_bob said:

If anyone is interested in trying one on the cheap, there's a Chinese clone called a Mosky XP Booster. Goes for about  £20 on eBay.

I've got one. I've no idea what an EP Boost sounds like with my gear, but the XP Boost adds a very pleasant colour to my tone and has the same (apparently) dip switch functionality as the genuine article. Is it a good clone? Don't know, don't care. 

Likewise. I bought mine just as a straight-ahead "make-louderer" boost for my amp's effects loop rather than a "make-gooderer" (copyright Guitar Nerds) because it was cheaper than I could make one myself.

I really must try it in front of my amp. And A/B it with the Big Omar booster @juansolo sent me the PCB for. I just don't get to play loud much at the moment