MXRMicroAmp
Here is another one-knob-wonder
that I find hard to turn off once
engaged: the classic MXR Micro Amp.
Some folks use it to goose overdrives
placed after it, some even use it in
the loop for an overall volume boost.
I like to place the Micro Amp at the
end of the pedalboard and leave it
on as a line driver—before delay and
verb of course. The Micro Amp is
criminally unsung and in my opinion,
goes toe-to-toe with boutique
boosters and transparent overdrives
costing one hell of a lot more. It can
even achieve a full range power amplike breakup when dimed. If one is
after a signal sweetener that won’t
break the bank (and won’t break,
period) get amongst the boost that
Motörhead and Iron Maiden relied
on decade after decade.
DeathByAudio
Interstellar
Overdriver
14
TONE TALK //
When I was touring with my old aforementioned surf punk
band The Cheat, sometimes the stack wasn’t the most
practical rig to take in tow — particularly when NYC was
on the schedule. So, I bought a second-hand Fender Vibro
King with its glorious splashy tube-driven reverb unit built
in. I made a go of this rig for a while, replacing the echo and
gain-sustain from my Marshall and Echoplex with a glorious
thunderstorm of Dick Dale verb-drench. My staccato picking
became much stronger with the cleaner signal, but I did find
myself missing the chime and grind of my big rig, so before
a show in New York I went poking around The Big Apple
in search of a pedal that would give me a bit of raw open
kerrang to pad my playing out a bit.
5 Stompboxes Too Good to Turn Off