Your favorite boost?

therecordingart · January 30, 2011, 04:20:43 PM

So far I've tried the SHO and the Tubescreamer, and neither one is doing it for me.

I want to use one to drive the front of a tube amp and give it more "oomph." Your suggestions?

Jhouse · January 30, 2011, 04:32:51 PM

I've always found that a TREBLE BOOSTER is pretty tasty in front of a tube amp. It gives it some real bite.

Jimi W · January 30, 2011, 05:11:07 PM

I'd take a look at the beginner project on here. Great simple boost and I think it would do the job you want it to.
Jimi

Joe Hart · January 30, 2011, 05:22:14 PM

DOD 250? I have a BSM RPA that I totally love! Of course, both of these color the sound, but you mentioned a Tube Screamer, so I'm guessing coloring the sound isn't an issue.
-Joe Hart

blooze_man · January 30, 2011, 07:16:31 PM

He's saying that the sound coloring IS an issue.

Quote from: therecordingart on January 30, 2011, 04:20:43 PM
So far I've tried the SHO and the Tubescreamer, and neither one is doing it for me.

Mark Hammer · January 30, 2011, 07:53:50 PM

Some amps just don't take well to boosters. A buddy had purchased himself an Ampeg reissue amp, and was interested in a booster, so I loaned him what must have been about 8-10 alternatives to try out, ranging from very clean to somewhat dirty. None of them really got him an overdriven amp sound he really liked, although I was somewhat pleased to hear that my 4049-based overdriver (the 49-er, minus the resonant frequency booster part) came closest. He sold the amp.

Schappy · January 30, 2011, 09:04:01 PM

look at the omega at runoff groove.

thedefog · January 30, 2011, 09:11:35 PM

+1 on DOD 250. My personal favorite to goose a tube amp, next to the Hotcake.

petemoore · January 30, 2011, 10:28:34 PM

So far I've tried the SHO and the Tubescreamer, and neither one is doing it for me.
Sho has high input impedance, this either:
Gets HF shimmer that is sweet.
Makes speaker attempt to do HF's while it says unhuh.
Sounds so bright through the bright amp to melt drumheads.
Any particular frequencies that seemed to be trouble, too much or not enough or just the 'wrong kind' [harsh HF's or woofy bass]?
I want to use one to drive the front of a tube amp and give it more "oomph." Your suggestions?
Get to know the amplification system.
Boosters have seemed one two afta three, none of these does it for me, then the other amp got totally boosted on the sweetness.
What is expected to produce increases amounts of distorting ?
Speaker, various parts of tube amp, hopefully not preamp [even though that's what were basically talkin' here...
This boost signal is then to be fed into a preamp input, SS or 12ax7.
Any of these stages can matter as much as which boost.

MetalUpYerEye · January 30, 2011, 10:36:16 PM

I use my EA tremolo. It added the 'boost only' mod and I actually use the boost about 50 times more than I use the tremolo. Its really pretty nice. It actually works well in front of my Dr. Boogey, in front of my SS preamp or just as a clean boost. Very good sounds, even from a small cheap SS combo.

Dragonfly · January 31, 2011, 12:10:37 PM

Quote from: therecordingart on January 30, 2011, 04:20:43 PM
So far I've tried the SHO and the Tubescreamer, and neither one is doing it for me.

I want to use one to drive the front of a tube amp and give it more "oomph." Your suggestions?

I'm biased, but I like this one -

petemoore · January 31, 2011, 01:04:49 PM

My design is always best..eh Dragonfly ?
...makes sense to me...be your own personal sound engineer/designer.

Renegadrian · January 31, 2011, 03:28:49 PM

The SPARKLE BOOST is one of the best boosters I have ever built. EVER!

darron · January 31, 2011, 03:55:24 PM

Quote from: petemoore on January 31, 2011, 01:04:49 PM
My design is always best..eh Dragonfly ?
...makes sense to me...be your own personal sound engineer/designer.

i agree... but sometimes that can take a couple of years to perfect for a circuit that has only a dozen components

if you don't want "colouring" then what do you mean by that? a boost that is linear in frequency like an OPAMP with no filtering isn't always ideal. if you are pushing a distortion pedal or amp and want more OOMPF and boost it without filtering then it will sound different. if you have all the bass then it will start to sound more like a fuzz. lots of filtering goes into making amp distortion channels compared to a fuzz and you have to maintain an input signal that won't fart it out.

if you fatten up a treble booster then it becomes not different to a regular booster. maybe you want something inbetween

Philippe · January 31, 2011, 05:07:05 PM

Quote from: therecordingart on January 30, 2011, 04:20:43 PM
So far I've tried the SHO and the Tubescreamer, and neither one is doing it for me.
I want to use one to drive the front of a tube amp and give it more "oomph." Your suggestions?

Sometimes 'less is more'...have you considered a Bad Bob aka AMZ Mini-Booster?

petemoore · January 31, 2011, 10:13:03 PM

Voicing, gain.
Slight or more distortion.
Even clipping thrown into 1 stage boost.
What do you like on your ice cream sundae ?

soupbone · February 01, 2011, 04:01:25 AM

Don't forget about Ol' Jack Orman's "Mosfet Boost".

newfish · February 01, 2011, 06:28:18 AM

Quote from: Renegadrian on January 31, 2011, 03:28:49 PM
The SPARKLE BOOST is one of the best boosters I have ever built. EVER!

+1

It sounds great in front of the following...

Epiphone VJ.
Peavey Classic 30.
No-name 70's Solid State job (which sounds mediocre on its own)
Blackstar HT-1.
Fender Rocpro 1000.

It sounds terrible in front of the following...

Nothing.

---------

trad3mark · February 01, 2011, 07:56:34 AM

ohnoho's blowing up. $100 of head asplosion.

trufax.

www.ohnoho.com

Mark Hammer · February 01, 2011, 08:15:58 AM

I still maintain that an optimal booster will always have some means to cut the treble being fed to the amp, so that whatever amp overdrive that results will not be overly harsh. Treble cut is a property of the old DOD BiFet preamp, the Klon centaur, and the more recent VS True-Tone, and a great many others.

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Your favorite boost?