I
t’s a rarity these days to find a pedal
company that doesn’t have at least
one clean boost pedal in its arsenal.
As far as pedal designs are
concerned, clean boosts are arguably
the simplest to conceive with minimal
parts counts. Often, fledgling companies
will come to market with a flagship clean
boost, offering it before anything else.
As such, the market is filled with clean
boosts, as each company scrambles to
explain why its clean boost is the finest
one on the market.
What’s not to love about a boost? It
makes your preamp sweat and generally
results in a creamy breakup tone,
regardless of amplifier. However, some
boosts are cleaner than others, and not
all are created equal. With the bevy of
options out there, it can be a confusing
mess to navigate, especially if you can’t
play them all. Fortunately, we here at
Tone Report have access to a great
8
TONE TALK //
many of them and we love writing about
gear. Without further ado, here is the
clean boost rodeo.
XOTIC EP BOOSTER
The EP Booster is as close to a modern
classic as any pedal on here. The circuit
is Xotic’s take on an Echoplex preamp,
hence the name. And its boost is indeed
clean, albeit slightly dark. It isn’t the
cleanest boost out there, but most
people don’t buy it looking for a second
volume knob, they buy it because it
sounds incredible. Because it’s modeled
after a preamp, it is an always-on pedal
for most people, and the dip switches in
the enclosure (one for 3dB gain, one for
brightness) only enhance its versatility.
The size is attractive, also.
KLON
Though it’s not explicitly billed as a clean
boost, per se, many of the Klon’s
devotees swear by the Klon’s clean
boosting abili