Boost pedals

[olectric]

I have found some good opinions and experiences with Keeley boost pedals (Katana and Java), but what I can't find are mp3 clips of the pedals being turned on and off so that I can hear exactly what the pedal itself does. Anybody know where I can find such clips?

Also, does anyone own the ZVex SHO? I'm interested in your opinion of this pedal or of either of the Keeleys or of any other boost pedal.

I'm currently playing with an RC Booster and Hermida's Zendrive and Mosferatu. I love all of them, but I'm looking for a dirtier boost than the RC.

[Suriel Zayas]

the ac????

[MapleGuitar]

...I'm looking for a dirtier boost than the RC.I just got the AC and it's way dirtier than I expected (it's not "almost clean" as the name implies). Also, it's got far too much boost -- like most of these pedals, the "volume" will just about make your amp explode if you move it past 9 AM. Having said that, the AC does create a nice lead tone.

[olectric]

Yeah, I think that is what I'm not looking for. I've got the Hermida stuff to do that. I've seen the AC clips on Xotic's site (great playing by some really great players BTW), but I agree that it sounds much more like a smooth OD than a dirty, "almost clean" boost.

Anybody tried the Pete Cornish ST-2 or any Nick Greer stuff and care to chime in?

[chasyboy]

I actually took my AC out of rig for awhile cause I was having trouble with too much 'fuzz.' But when combined with the added compression of the RC (as a clean boost), you can get some sweet tones while using an M configured Anderson. It likes older vintage strat pickups but hates any regular humbuckers. Plus, you amp has to be CLEAN, CLEAN. If anything in front causes it to break up, the AC just is too much. The nice thing about all the prosound pedals is that they play nice with other...especially fulltone. Mess around with the gain level on the AC...and work on combinations...I had it before my FD II and it was bad...I now have it after it with the RC behind it...

If you are looking for another way to create a great dynamic boost, use the Fulltone Supa-Trem with the mix turned all the way down and hit it....it's the most amazing clean boost around...all the right frequencies boosted and not compressed.

Happy Playing!

[guitarzan]

+1 on the supa-trem idea. I bought one while checking things off a pedal grocery list and sold it to clear up money as I got further down the list. I regret it. For being a trem pedal, it really is versatile.

[HiG]

I've had a Zvex SHO for about three years now, but only use it as a preamp/line driver at the end of my effects chain. According to the builder, used by itself it can drive the front end of the amp almost to the point of destruction. Not wanting to set my amps on fire in this manner, I have instead used it to "Andersonize" my other guitars. Compared to my Andersons, my other guitars seem considerably less alive, tonally speaking. I've found that the SHO does a great job of supercharging their sound, bringing them more in line with the Andy's and keeping me from having to retweak the amp gains during instrument changes.

[olectric]

I've had a Zvex SHO for about three years now, but only use it as a preamp/line driver at the end of my effects chain. According to the builder, used by itself it can drive the front end of the amp almost to the point of destruction.

I'm a little confused...when used by itself, it is harder on your amp than when it is used in conjunction with other pedals? I don't understand how simply having other pedals in the chain reduces what the SHO does to the amp....unless you mean that you are using it on a very low setting and relying on other pedals for your overdriven tones.

[HiG]

I'm a little confused...when used by itself, it is harder on your amp than when it is used in conjunction with other pedals?

And re-reading what I wrote, I fully understand why. What I MEANT to say was that caution should be exercised when using an SHO as it is capable of very high output voltage. It makes no difference whether you use it alone or in a chain. I elected to use it as a boost compensator for the tone invariably lost when passing through a bunch of effects. Obviously, how hard it is on your amp is directly related to how much you turn that "Crackle" knob. I use a Keeley TS9 and an old Rat for my overdrive sounds and I've found that the SHO at the end of the chain adds some sparkle and definition, as well as boosting the entire signal to the level desired. Sorry about the confusion, English is an ongoing project for me, even after 45 years of practice. Which reminds me of my sometimes frustrating relationship with the guitar.

[LonestarGtr]

I haven't used the Keeley boost pedals, but I've heard Ryan's and it sounds pretty cool. I'd have to play with them all to compare, but I've been using the RC Boost in my big rig for about a year now. It makes my Diaz a little grittier like Mellencamp overdrive and it adds a nice boost to my Matchless and Marshall as well. Since I've been using amps for distortion, I haven't really been using distortion/overdrive boxes with this rig. I find the RC sounds great with whichever amp I happen to be using at the time. I got a SHO around June and it replaced my AC Boost. When running into an already distorted amp, it doesn't clip as much and you can hear more of the "note". I found the AC Boost a tad gritty. I used the AC Boost on a couple of things on our new cd. You can really hear it on the solo of our next single, "I'll Die Tryin'". It's almost too distorted, you can hear the overtones slamming together during the solo, but Justin, our producer/engineer thought it sounded cool. I kinda wanted to clean it up a bit, but we kept it gnarly. I really like the dynamics of the SHO. It really beefs up your tone without changing it a ton. It adds a little sparkly and compression, but it's a kind of compression that comes with pushing the input of the amp really hard, not a clippy chip compression. Anyway, I don't know if that's any help or not. The Super Duper is a cool pedal because you can get more distortion if you want by turning both channels on or you can just use one side for the SHO sound.

Mike

[olectric]

Do you SHO users find that it cuts the life of your tubes or leads to permanent damage to your amp after long term use? I know that Zachary Vex says it can be bad for your amp, but in what way? Does it fry the preamp tubes?

I've read reviews of the SHO that say that the amp takes quite a hit from that pedal and won't sound the same by itself after being driven by the SHO. Any experience with that?

[HiG]

3 years and no problems on a Dr Z MAZ 18, but then again, that's with the crackle knob adjusted in the lower third of its range. As far as the amp never sounding the same again after using it, all I can say is that once you use it, you are spoiled by the definition the notes have and once you switch it off, the regular sound, while still good, doesn't have that extra whatchamacallit. I'm sure there are others here who could probably better describe what really gets worn out by overdriving with such a device, but it seems to me that when you take a circuit designed to amplify millivolts and you apply whole volts of input, that you will invariably wear the internal components of the amp more quickly. It seems to me that this would happen with any box that boosts the signal and not just the SHO.

[ryman150]

I have the Keeley Katana. I love what it does. It truly is a clean boost. You can also pull out the knob on the side and it adds just a *bit of hair. Not much at all, but a nice touch. I would really recomend trying one out if you get a chance.

I haven't had any experience with the other pedals mentioned, so I can't really say...

Just my 2 cents ;)

[Mark Dunn]

Check out these pedals.

www.addrock.com I love em.