is structured allows for dual pathways of
signal—one clean and one dirty. The
Gain knob is actually a mix between
these two pathways; fully clockwise is all
dirt and fully counterclockwise is all
clean. The sound is more of a “preamp”
tone than a truly clean boost; it colors
the tone slightly but in a very pleasing
way. One of the advantages of using the
Klon as a boost is that you can mix in as
much grit as you want with the Gain
knob. Of course, an original Klon will set
you back thousands of dollars but there
are plenty of “Klones” around. The
Rockett Archer is one of the most
heralded on the market.
SOLIDGOLDFX NITRO
The now-discontinued SolidgoldFX Nitro
is a do-it all boost pedal that should
have sold many more units. Two threeway toggles adorn the front of the Nitro
and they make for a truly all-in-one
boost experience. One of the toggles
designates Tone, and the other, Mode.
The center position of both toggles
yields a sparkly clean tone that can and
should be used as an always-on unit. The
toggles have a really dynamic range,
from crystal clear to huge and dirty, for a
wide range of boosts in a small package.
Z. VEX SUPER HARD-ON
One of the first “boutique” boosts, there
is still a lot to like about the Super HardOn. Named so by Mr. Zachary Vex
because it is “super hard on your amp,”
the SHO is true to this descriptor. The
tone of the SHO is slightly colored, but
not in a negative way, and it features dual
outputs to directly drive one channel of
your amp while the other output pushes
any pedals after it. The cool thing about
the SHO is that the output impedance is
extremely high. What this means for your
guitar, is that it electrically forces your old
pickups to sound brand new again. How
cool is that?
ToneReport.com
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