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what is THE BEST volume boost pedal?
- Thread starter bagapac
- Start date
bongomania
Commercial User
+1 to those who mentioned that the differences between boost pedals are very small. Basically there are clean ones and dirty ones, so it sounds like you are looking for a clean one. As a gear snob and fanatical listener I can name differences that I hear between pedals, but honestly those differences will be inaudible under 99% of real world playing circumstances.
Careful of the LBP-1, it isn't clean for sure. On the other hand, it has the most transparent overdrive I have heard.
The op says nothing about it needing to be a clean boost (although it's probably implicit). My understanding is the LPB-1 isn't totally transparent but certainly not an OD. YMMV depending on if you have a Tube or SS amp.
your understanding is wrong in this case. the LPB-1 is a transparent/clean boost. The frequency analysis charts were posted here in the fx forum.
If the LPB-1 were LESS flat (with less highs), I would have kept mine
This. I love my SCP. Fat/Flat EQ filter is awesome. Once you go Fat tho.... you might not wanna go Flat. Fat adds a lot of punchyness to the signal IMHO/E Im thinking of getting a second for the distortion/filter channel im planning.
The EHX does add some color to your tone IIRC (owned one for a bit) but its not bad color by a long shot. Cheap, well built, awesome.
The big diff between the SCP and LPB is that the SCP only boosts, and the EHX can be set to cut, or even mute
bongomania
Commercial User
They'll distort your amp.
I"d be considering a volume pedal and then back off your bass.. boost the amp or PA
No need, unless you are trying to get your amp to distort as much as possible.
Thanks. I was thinking of picking up something like the Devi Ever Punch Love and running it just before my JDI for IEM gigs. Just something to give it a little more "oomph".
bongomania
Commercial User
Oh well that makes sense actually, the JDI does drop your levels, so adding a bit more of a gain stage ahead of it can help sometimes.
I'm sure some of you will give good reasons, but why can't you just turn up your volume? Set your amp volume up a bit, roll the volume down on your bass, turn it up a bit when needed and back down when not? At least that's how I do it and it seems to work fine.
For passive basses, most people feel you get the best sound out of the pickups when they are wide open, so the volume boost works better when you need a solo boost that does just turning up and down. Plus, it saves you from having to move your hands if you need to click it on/off at certain times and from having to estimate your volume when you roll back down.
I use a Serrano Picoso, which I bought mostly for the size, but also for the good reviews. I got it for two reasons:
1.) I use two different basses of very different volume levels (jazz and gibson g3). The G3 is such a quiet bass that I got a volume boost so that when I do use it, I can equalize it's volume with that of my jazz and not have to change the settings on any of my other effects (especially the HOG which has preset volume levels saved).
2.) I use it to keep the volume level constant when I'm looping parts which were getting drowned out when the full band started playing over them. At some point I'd like to get a second amp and just play the loops through that, but as of now that's just not in the cards.
Volume boost is in some cases used to distort the preamp on a tube amp.
And in other cases it can be used in an FX loop to compensate for some volume loss on an otherwise good sounding pedal (OC-2 set completely wet comes to mind).
In still other cases it can be used to increase the gain of a distortion, or OD pedal.
In even more cases it can be used to increase that fatness of a clean bass tone.
It's a utility pedal that is often times more than just an extra volume control.
And in other cases it can be used in an FX loop to compensate for some volume loss on an otherwise good sounding pedal (OC-2 set completely wet comes to mind).
In still other cases it can be used to increase the gain of a distortion, or OD pedal.
In even more cases it can be used to increase that fatness of a clean bass tone.
It's a utility pedal that is often times more than just an extra volume control.
Honestly, that might work fine on a p-bass or any other 1 pup passive, or 1 volume active, but what about basses like my jazz? It has a volume for each pup, and im not THAT coordinated
Gotcha. I do use P basses so I'm used to just grabbing 1 knob.
It seems that most of the pedals being recommended are "clean boost" pedals, which, despite their name, will change your tone a bit. Any thoughts on using a volume pedal? Wouldn't that be the cleanest way to change volume without changing tone?
It seems that most of the pedals being recommended are "clean boost" pedals, which, despite their name, will change your tone a bit. Any thoughts on using a volume pedal? Wouldn't that be the cleanest way to change volume without changing tone?
Volume Pedals AFAIK are cut only. I don't detect a whole lot of tone change (or suck) with my EBVP Jr. (6180 250k). My ears aren't developed to "connoisseur" level, and in a real world band setting, hardly noticeable any way.
