UB:43 TC Electronic Spark Boost Mini - I Had No Option But To Change it! and Now I'm Happy!

[@Allen-gj3qd]

Hey Stu, hope you had a Merry Christmas, Boxing Day, etc. Got some new gear for Christmas but now I have to learn to use it all 😂. Cheers🎉

[@StuGuitarChannel]

Hi Allen - Yes thank you, Christmas day was a busy time visiting folks but we just had a quiet boxing day which was nice... :-) Trust all went well with your plans? New Gear eh..! I look forward to our next meeting where I will expect a presentation... I also have some new toys and like you I'm going to have to read the instruction manuals... ;-) Speak soon... regards: Stu

[@mazukakai]

Being "affordable" limits the mini, and I agree on the volume boost. But that's what I use it for on my acoustic board. I hit it, when I'm fingerpicking. Can't set past 9oclock, though...Keep enjoying gear and playing

[@StuGuitarChannel]

Hi Mazukakai - What amplifier set-up are you going into? I only ran into this mismatching when I began using valve amplifiers. Regards: Stu

[@CraigFlowersMusic]

I'm having trouble understanding. There is only one knob on the Spark Mini, and it's a level control. It's like this is some Scottish version of an April Fools' Day joke, or maybe you just made the video to see if anyone points out there is a knob, a big one, in fact it's the only thing on there but the switch. I've gone back and rewatched it carefully. I can't figure out what's happening! The big white knob that says "level" controls the volume on a spark mini. Can't miss it. ?

[@StuGuitarChannel]

Hi Craig... Well that question caught me out... ;-) Do you have one of these mini spark boost pedals? What I find is... Yes the volume increases/decreases turned left or right along with a level of distortion. When I used this pedal via digital amps or the hybrid digital/valve Blackstar combo, I found that my preferred tonal setting was around the 12 o'clock area. However.... when using with the valve amplifiers (at the 12.oclock setting) I found the volume boosts way higher than the amp as soon as it is engaged needing me to turn the amplifier volume down to level things out. If I turn down the boost pedal to bring it more into line with the amplifier volume then I get very little overdrive tone. And so... with the larger pedal you have the Gain knob to set the amount of overdrive and the level/volume knob to correct the volume where needed without affecting the drive tone when switched on. Does that make more sense? Regards: Stu

[@CraigFlowersMusic]

@ Oh I see, you’re going into non master volume amps, and you don’t have a final pedal gain stage between the booster and the preamp tubes to use like a master volume knob? I think I get it, if my word salad there makes sense.

[@StuGuitarChannel]

@@CraigFlowersMusic Yes... I did think about going that route but changing the pedal just seemed a better idea... there is only a few pounds between them so it was not much of an outlay... So I I had a speaker delivered... ;-) regards: Stu