Please recommend a simple boost

[grocker]

My passive bass puts out lower output, I'm just wanting a little boost to get a little more volume out of my Mesa subway head. Basically i just need a little more to drive the gain stage a bit ,so I don't need to turn it up as much to get volume..I'm not talking about crazy boost just a little..
Please recommend a bass guitar boost pedal that's no frills, quiet and under 100 bucks.
?

 

[micguy]

I've gone looking for the best (quietest) boost pedal I can find - seems to me the point of a boost pedal is to make the signal louder without adding any more noise that necessary. I have 2 suggestions:

1) Coppersound gravity bomb boost - if you can find a version 1, they were a simple boost, and $89 new - that's the best I have found.

2) A close second performance wise (and available new as far as I know) is the TC Electronic mini spark booster (1 knob) $50, works very well.

 

[2saddleslab]

Over your budget but a great clean tube boost, The Nightowl Edison, just turn it up & enjoy:
https://www.nightowl.industries/edison-preamp

I use it as an always on boost. There's one for sale a bit cheaper here on TB.

 

[Lobster11]

My first thought is that if you need more volume, the problem is that you need either a more powerful amp or, more likely, more speaker area. If you're already maxing out the input gain and output volume on the amp, boosting the input with a pedal will likely cause clipping and/or overpower your speaker(s).

 

[micguy]

If it's just a matter of the gain knob position on your amp, you should know that if a higher knob setting gets an amp to sound the way you want it to, it's not wasting power or hurting itself to turn the gain knob up more. A lot of people think that having the volume at noon on a 100 watt head means it's using 50 watts - that's simply not how things work.

It seems like you shouldn't have to run the knob at 3 O'Clock for it to sound good, but there's nothing wrong with running it there, if that's where it sounds good.

 

[Shindig73]

[QUOTE="micguy,

2) A close second performance wise (and available new as far as I know) is the TC Electronic mini spark booster (1 knob) $50, works very well.[/QUOTE]

Agree. Great clean boost. I have a couple in excellent/gently used condition if interested.

 

[micguy]

My first thought is that if you need more volume, the problem is that you need either a more powerful amp or, more likely, more speaker area. If you're already maxing out the input gain and output volume on the amp, boosting the input with a pedal will likely cause clipping and/or overpower your speaker(s).

If the amp is designed rationally (most are), diming the output volume control means that the power amp will clip first, not the input. If your amp isn't clipping, and it's not loud enough, adding more gain before the amp is a reasonable strategy.

 

[HelpImaRock]

I play a low output bass with a Mesa Subway head. Turning up the input gain knob to noon or beyond has been the answer for me. If your bass is super low output then I'd go with something simple like an MXR Micro Amp. Just the plain one knob version.

 

[wintremute]

You came in here with a very simple request, asking for a specific type of pedal to solve a problem that you have.

Since this is TalkBass, I have decided to completely discredit any intelligence you may have, and instead suggest something completely different since I think that I know better than you as to what you need.

Get a new bass.

Get a new amp.

Get a tort pickguard.

Change your strings.

Don't play a bass that costs less than $3000.

Change your cables.

Put handles and rollers on your cabinet.

Sell your amp and request a Right of First Refusal.

Fire the drummer.

The amp is clearly a drama queen. Just walk away and find another amp. It's what a real man would do.

The bass is clearly a needy attention whore. Just walk away and find another bass. It's what a real man would do.

Stop wearing cargo shorts when you play.

Get into a pointless argument with another TalkBass poster over symantics.

Change your diet and add more carrots.

 

[scuzzy]

for really cheap, I like the donner boost killer.

 

[roller]

Henretta Engineering Emerald Prince.

My passive bass puts out lower output, I'm just wanting a little boost to get a little more volume out of my Mesa subway head. Basically i just need a little more to drive the gain stage a bit ,so I don't need to turn it up as much to get volume..I'm not talking about crazy boost just a little..
Please recommend a bass guitar boost pedal that's no frills, quiet and under 100 bucks.
?

 

[akukulich]

You might look at the EP Boost pedal by Xotic.

 

[Killing Floor]

Spark is a great simple boost. Great cost.

Durham Sex Drive is the best boost in the populated universe (not debatable) but has a few features for a few bucks more.

 

[J Wilson]

Community Signature Dark Roast,
my favorite Looziana coffee. Stop ingestion immediately if you start shaking or notice markedly more hair on your chest.

Beignets help dilute it.

My favorite boost, and requires no 9v batteries or a wall wart.

 

[Lobster11]

If the amp is designed rationally (most are), diming the output volume control means that the power amp will clip first, not the input. If your amp isn't clipping, and it's not loud enough, adding more gain before the amp is a reasonable strategy.

Thanks for the clarification.

Still, though, I'd be concerned that if OP is already getting as much out of his rig as he can, he might be disappointed with the amount of addition clean volume he'll be able to get by adding the boost. A good boost pedal might solve the problem, but it also might turn out to be an expensive band-aid that, in the end, really doesn't solve the problem.

 

[ItsmeSantiago]

TC Spark mini. I had one for a while, worked great for what you're describing, and I used it a lot with my guitar setup as well.

 

[grocker]

My first thought is that if you need more volume, the problem is that you need either a more powerful amp or, more likely, more speaker area. If you're already maxing out the input gain and output volume on the amp, boosting the input with a pedal will likely cause clipping and/or overpower your speaker(s).

No it's not maxed, it's fine I just need a little boost. Plenty of speaker.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Spark all the way. I use one to slightly goose the input into a tube preamp for "gooier" tone.

 

[pbass2]

You might look at the EP Boost pedal by Xotic.

The EP is actually an emulation of the preamp stage from a classic Echoplex. Killer on guitar(i.e. Jimmy Page), but not what I'd choose for a bass boost (not that it couldn't be a cool sound!). The Xotic Bass RC Booster is as good as it gets in a bass boost IMHO--I have the first generation. It can be simply a very transparent boost, but it can also enhance your passive bass with the gain and EQ while not sounding "active" at all--still sounds like your passive bass, just....more of it--more clarity, more punch. Awesome tool: Bass RC V2 – Xotic California

 

[micguy]

Get into a pointless argument with another TalkBass poster over symantics.

Semantics. I choose a pointless argument over spelling instead.