EP Booster- a bit, well meh...

Gassage

So, after hearing the raving about the EP Booster, I bought one.

it's nice, does some nice things but those people who think of it as always on etc- it really isn't that good. It doesn't go well with my Hiwatt (as if that thing needs boosting) it's decent with my Twin but very good with my Princeton.

But all in all, it's a little boring and I don't quite get what it does that turning the volume or tweaking the amp EQ won't do.

have I missed something here?

ThePrettyDamned

To be honest mate, most "clean" booster pedals are the same for me.  

The TC Spark is quite nice.  

The Zvex one is excellent - because it's not "clean", it does something to the sound I like. 

richardhomer

It isn't 'clean' in the sense that it's supposed to 'colour' your tone as the pre-amp in the valve-driven Echoplex did, so far as I understand.

There's a friend of mine who is an astounding player (Dave Foster - he's on the upcoming Steve Rothery album and tours with him) who swears by them. He's really into pedals and seems to be able to detect subtleties why pass me by.

I guess they work well with some amps as they 'add' something which the amp benefits from, where as others already have 'it'.

Gassage

I think the last sentence is spot on

ICBM

I don't really get clean boosts at all - even when I want a louder clean solo sound they usually sound a bit boring. I certainly wouldn't use one as an 'always on' pedal I don't think.

I don't mind the MXR Micro Amp, but that's sometimes criticised for not being all that clean. I didn't like the ZVex SHO at all, it definitely does "something" extra, but I didn't like the "something".

Babones

Horses for courses. Depends on your set up and needs. I personally love my ZVex Super Duper. One channel set to always on at unity gain and the other set to wherever you want to blast off to.

JohnPerry

Never liked mine...made the tone muddier. The RC Booster, though, is always on

ICBM

Babones said:

I personally love my ZVex Super Duper. One channel set to always on at unity gain and the other set to wherever you want to blast off to.

I quite liked the Super Duper, but I would never want to use just the right hand side on its own.

SidNewton

I found it worked well with the Matchless and Divided by13 amps I've owned but adds nothing to the Marshall JCM 800 I now use. So I think it is very much a case of what amp you use it with.

hugbot

It adds MOJO

mike_l

ICBM said:

I don't mind the MXR Micro Amp, but that's sometimes criticised for not being all that clean. I didn't like the ZVex SHO at all, it definitely does "something" extra, but I didn't like the "something".

I like the Microamp, but prefer to use it in the loop, as a volume boost. I've found the mids do have a bit of a hump, which is less prominent when used in the loop. (at least to my ear)

Dave_Mc

Clean boosts don't really do much that i need, either. maybe if i needed a boost in the loop. but generally, no. i can get the same thing (near enough) out of a more transparent overdrive with far more versatility.

lustycourtier

SHO is what Ive found to be the best booster, however I was about to purchase an EP so youve saved me the trouble!

EricTheWeary

I had an EP Booster and decided I didn't really need it, got rid of it and then decided I did really.


What annoys me about my tc X4 is there is no pre-amp/ level  so EP Booster + X4 was a nice bit of lift and compression (and delay), a good way of making a clean delayed part stand out. Having since tried clean boosts that are more just that ( tc and MXR) I don't like them as much and have gone back to an OD used clean instead. My general guitar sound tends to be harsh and bright and a clean boost can just take your ears off.

With any clean boost it is pretty much just somerthing that a quick tweak of the amp would do - but then that's the point really. I like the idea of a MORE pedal. If you start fiddling with the amp then your band mates suspect you of turning up, whereas if you do it from a pedal they don't notice so much...

guitargeeksimon

I've been using one for a while and love it. It takes your sound and makes it louder so its great for "texture" and making your guitar parts louder, say for a chorus of a song. Its not really practical to reach around and turn up your amp for a bit of a song and then turn it down for the next!

I agree some amps react better to these sorts of boosters

However, I'd say a clean booster is much more useful than an armoury of filters, modulations, delays etc.

littlethoughts

I'm happy with my spark mini. It's more of a level booster between guitars, since I've got some go-to amp and pedal settings that I can't be arsed to fiddle with when changing guitars. Boosting the level just puts everything on the same page... It's also quite nice when using the looper on my flashback x4, when I want certain parts to be more or less prominent. For the most part, clean boosts can be approximated by turning everything up and your guitar down a bit, then using your guitar volume when you want to boost...but a little box is a little more convenient between instruments and a lot more fun!

Cirrus

littlethoughts said:

For the most part, clean boosts can be approximated by turning everything up and your guitar down a bit, then using your guitar volume when you want to boost...but a little box is a little more convenient between instruments and a lot more fun!

Generally agree. The difference is most preamp volume controls are after the first valve amplification stage. So a boost pedal lets you drive that first stage harder in a way that no amp setting will. Sometimes that's a pointless distinction or even sounds bad, but sometimes it gets you a nice tone.

Kebabkid

I've still got my EP and it worked well with my Mesa Express and now with my H&K TM36. I think it does colour the tone and adds some thickness whilst giving a little lift. However, I don't think it's a pedal to be left on. On a clean sound, it hardens and darkens the tone so you can get a good pseudo jazz neck pickup sound with single coils. As I prefer my pedals (ODs) going into the clean channel, I have the EP sitting after a Keeley 808 and before a Fulltone OCD. No wooliness but I think there are probably better dedicated clean boosts out there and when I had an RC, I left that on most of the time.

Danny1969

It's just a simple little FET based boost with x10 gain. I have one in for repair at the mo and can't believe how much these things cost for what you get. Years ago I used to make and sell my own version of this kind of thing but mine were in potted box's intended to be housed in the guitar. 

Useful for getting more gain from an amp but there's no magic in the EP other than voltage gain

vasselmeyer

Danny1969 said:

It's just a simple little FET based boost with x10 gain. I have one in for repair at the mo and can't believe how much these things cost for what you get. Years ago I used to make and sell my own version of this kind of thing but mine were in potted box's intended to be housed in the guitar. 

Useful for getting more gain from an amp but there's no magic in the EP other than voltage gain

You're dead right, Danny. Considering what you can get decent loud valve amps for new, the EP Booster is very expensive. Glad I got mine as part-ex for another pedal so I didn't shell out too much actual cash. At low levels it does do "something" to the clean input of a valve amp, especially for single coils. No-one apart from the person playing the instrument will be able to tell, though. When you whack it up, that's where the nice preamp overdrive comes it, but there are loads of pedals that can do that.

They're built like tanks though. Surprised you needed to repair one.

ICBM

vasselmeyer said:

They're built like tanks though. Surprised you needed to repair one.

They have a mechanical true bypass footswitch. I'll take a small bet that's what broke.

It's like having a tank with a self-destruct button just where it's most likely to get hit… it renders the rest of the build quality irrelevant.