To BOOST or not to BOOST?

[Accoun]

I think I would have to listen again, but the so far I'd say baritone and the riffs you played seem to lend themselves to not boosting? Wonder what I'd think with a standard guitar.
Not a huge difference (in terms of being categorically better) anyway. Felt like with the 5150 I had stronger feelings.

 

[Themistocles]

I can hear a pretty big difference especially during the isolated A/B comparison, the chords with the mutes mostly.

Im listening with some decent earphones but not ones I use for mixing and the difference is huge. The non boosted in this case is better. The chords are more dimensional and dynamic. The transients are jucier and the decays do all these crazy harmonic gnashing. Id Im recording a session or running live sound I would prefer no boost. One does not chose an orange rockerverb to tame or control it! If you want it to sit better in the mix just use some EQ in the mix not the leashed version with a boost. Mind you you could just lower your pickups a little with the boost and some of what it drains will come back. But no boost is a great tone... boosted is a good tone with some meaningless articulation and more compression. It just doesnt breathe the same dragonbreath of the non boosted.

 

[Emperoff]

I'm usually on the "don't boost" camp for rythms, but my lead tone is based on Victory Kraken's CH1 boosted (which is a low gain channel). It sounds massively THICK.

I prefer CH2 unboosted for rythms, though. It is plenty tight already.

 

[laxu]

Isolated I liked the Rockerverb better without the boost but in the mix I felt the boost added that little bit of extra clarity that works great.

That's why with lots of guitar stuff how it's used will matter.

 

[torchlord]

I've never messed much with an added boost from a petal. I use H&K Coreblade or Switchblade and generally have never felt the need to do this trick because one of the channels is fat and thick and the other that is generally used for leads is not fat and thick, so you can tighten up if you need to by switching channels. There is a boost though and that will accomplish the same thing if I use it. H&K amps are pretty bright so it is usually a matter of tweaking the EQ settings a bit and you get tight tones easy.

I've also come to the conclusion if you have the wrong pickup and speaker to work with your amp you might have trouble getting that attack just by using your EQ settings on the amp.

 

[drb]

I'm usually quite firmly in the compressed and boosted camp but with the Rockerverb I really liked the unboosted tone for anything apart from palm mutes. If you could somehow have the angry boosted palm mutes but non-boosted everything else it would be perfect.

I'm glad you already did the Helix Mandarin Rocker vs Rockerverb comparison video or this would be another amp on the bucket list because of you. Hopefully my little HX Stomp can hold off the GAS for a while.

 

[Emperoff]

I use H&K Coreblade or Switchblade and generally have never felt the need to do this trick because one of the channels is fat and thick and the other that is generally used for leads is not fat and thick, so you can tighten up if you need to by switching channels.

Same thing with my Engl. Never had the need of a boost since CH3 is massively tight already (I actually have the bass almost dimed!). CH4 is fatter and more compressed, so that becomes the lead channel. Never had an issue.

 

[Guitarjon]

Same thing with my Engl. Never had the need of a boost since CH3 is massively tight already. CH4 is fatter and more compressed, so that becomes the lead channel. Never had an issue.

All the ENGLs I've tried just don't need a boost...

 

[Guitarjon]

Here's a new one with the Marshall DSL50 and 2 boost pedals; the Maxon OD808 and the Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive:

 

[thebeesknees22]

The DSL is definitely an amp that has to have a boost. (or an eq with a low cut). I have this amp, and it's super flubby on the bottom end without one.

 

[gunch]

I liked the 6505 better unboosted. The clankiness of the pick attack became much more forward with the boost on, which I understand some people want but like, some low end bloom and flub and diminished pick attack is nice in palm mutes.
Now how that translates to more technical arpeggiated chord or string skipping riffs I don't know because you want those higher strings to cut more.

 

[Themistocles]

Just started using a Minos pedal (kind of modernized and more versatile tone bender) as a boost into an Algal Bloom into a matchless model ... almost like like a doomy Brian May... its glorious and tightens things up + great for solos.... can sustain a note for a month if you want to.

 

[soldierkahn]

I really struggle to hear the difference in my sound when I use my TS. Im running a modeler of a Dual Rec and a TS in front of it, but to be honest, i struggle to hear any difference in my sound until i set the Tone at like 80%. I leave the Drive at Max, the gain at 0, and shape with the Tone knob. Maybe my TS is just crap but i really struggle to hear a tonal difference until it the Tone knob gets set to about 80-85%. My RGDR4327 has a lot of low end boom from the mahogany, but i dont really hear the TS changing that characteristic much until i get way up there.....

maybe im coming at it all wrong?

 

[Themistocles]

I really struggle to hear the difference in my sound when I use my TS. Im running a modeler of a Dual Rec and a TS in front of it, but to be honest, i struggle to hear any difference in my sound until i set the Tone at like 80%. I leave the Drive at Max, the gain at 0, and shape with the Tone knob. Maybe my TS is just crap but i really struggle to hear a tonal difference until it the Tone knob gets set to about 80-85%. My RGDR4327 has a lot of low end boom from the mahogany, but i dont really hear the TS changing that characteristic much until i get way up there.....

maybe im coming at it all wrong?

The modeler could be part of the issue as the TS loads the input stage... every modeler is different.

 

[wheresthefbomb]

I really struggle to hear the difference in my sound when I use my TS. Im running a modeler of a Dual Rec and a TS in front of it, but to be honest, i struggle to hear any difference in my sound until i set the Tone at like 80%. I leave the Drive at Max, the gain at 0, and shape with the Tone knob. Maybe my TS is just crap but i really struggle to hear a tonal difference until it the Tone knob gets set to about 80-85%. My RGDR4327 has a lot of low end boom from the mahogany, but i dont really hear the TS changing that characteristic much until i get way up there.....

maybe im coming at it all wrong?

Honestly it depends on everything. I don't use modelers but I know that every boost/drive/dirt pedal interacts with every amp differently, I can only assume the same is true of modelers. Not sure what you have access to but RAT (any kind), BD2, and Longsword are all pedals I have had a lot of success with as TS alternates. Maybe you (or your robot amp) just need a different flavor.

 

[that short guy]

I absolutely love using a clean boost/preamp/EQ pedal Infront of my amp to help tighten things up and give the perception of more gain. So something like a Pepers Pedals dirty tree, Fortin Blade, Boss 10 band EQ.

But I generally do not like putting overdrives in front of an amp because they tend color the amp one way or another and I personally don't go for that for the exception of some lead tones

 

[Guitarjon]

Here's a new episode! This time with the Friedman JJ JR! It's a bit subtle this time but still substantial enough to warrant a boost imho. Check it out:

 

[DeathByButterslax]

Here's a new episode! This time with the Friedman JJ JR! It's a bit subtle this time but still substantial enough to warrant a boost imho. Check it out:

Sounds much better without IMO, also I’m not a fan of the way Friedman’s feel with a boost, gets really squashed

 

[LCW]

Classic boosts …

 

[odibrom]

Here's a new episode! This time with the Friedman JJ JR! It's a bit subtle this time but still substantial enough to warrant a boost imho. Check it out:

Once again, nice video...

I was thinking that you could eventually de-rail the videos and create a twin brother... Let me explain, I know you record a DI and then reamp things... which is great for the idea. You'd filme yourself playing in one side of the amp and then, on the other you'd record yourself tweaking on the knobs of the pedals and amps... ... camera should be steady and when video editing you'd mix both footage into one so you'd appear twice... talking to yourself and to the viewers at the same time... that would be funny...