Difference between revisions of "Boost"
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Revision as of 00:52, 23 November 2014
Boost Boosts (also sometimes called Overdrives) are pedals used to boost the signal strength or fine-tune the signal frequency response to get more distortion and/or a preferable distortion tone from a distortion stage, typically an amplifier's pre-amp. They typically cut bass or boost treble to get more distortion from the midrange and highs while leaving the bass less distorted. This gets a "tighter", less "muddy" tone.
Most distortion pedals can function as boosts if their Drive is set low, usually incorporating tone-shaping controls.
While boosts have unique tone-shaping abilities depending on their circuitry, I tend to view them similarly to EQ. I cover tone-shaping by pre-EQ/boosts in Dialing in Distortion Tone.
Popular Models
The most popular boost pedal is the Ibanez Tube Screamer. Ibanez changed the components used as well as the circuit design throughout its history, and many prefer the original. While Ibanez has since released reissue and hand-wired versions of the original, the Maxon OD808 is identical to the original Tube Screamer without costing as much as Ibanez charges. Of course, the differences in tone are more likely noticeable when using these pedals for distortion rather than purely as boosts.
Many others have popped up that mimic the basic design of the Tube Screamer but tweak certain component values, making some strong changes to the tone. The basic principle is to use a high-pass filter to remove some low end and "tighten" the tone, while using a low-pass to trim some extreme highs, and a variable band-pass to dial in the resonant peak that defines the distortion tone.
Various treble booster pedals were quite popular in the 60's and 70's and remain popular for vintage sounds. These typically provided a high-pass or high-shelf filter with a variable gain and frequency. While I find these nice for a "quick and dirty" approach to dialing in a distortion tone, I prefer to use EQ or a distortion pedal where I have more tone-shaping control.