Boost Pedals (Explained in Depth)

Which is better? Boost, EQ Pedal, or "Preamps"?
What’s the difference between the different types?
*Non-inverting opamp
*Inverting opamp
*Mosfet
*Jfet
*SRPP/Mu-amp JFET
*Rangemaster style (top boost)
*Using a drive pedal versus standard boost
*Tumnus/Klon type
*Tubescreamer
Is a treble booster the same as turning the treble up on an EQ pedal?
Can I use a compressor as a boost?
I only play at home, why would I want a boost anyway?
3:29 Non inverting Op amp boost
6:17 Inverting Op amp boost
9:54 Mosfet boost
13:04 Jfet boost
17:04 Mu amp boost
20:01 Top Boost / Rangemaster boost
22:45 EQ as top boost
25:24 Using a Tumnus or other Klon style circuit as a boost
31:34 Using a compressor as a boost
Link: • Boost Pedal Placement ... Boost Pedal Placement

[@squirelova1815]

When I first saw Brian Wampler I thought he was rather strange and even possibly 'obnoxious' but now I realize that he's a very honest, supremely generously helpful sweetheart genius.

[@scottbasal9749]

Same

[@barrybjerke9353]

.. Turtle 🐢

[@williamolsen20]

Agreed.

[@CorNigrum]

I believe it's called "engineer".

[@jfo3000]

Always seemed just very real, sincere and likable to me. But I work with engineers.

[@rldickie]

We all have to do our part to flatten the mid-range hump.

[@markhammer643]

The booster quality that took us decades to finally figure out is that if the booster is intended to push an amplifier into providing "coloration" of some kind, whether or not that might be mentally classified as "distortion", the booster *must* trim back on the treble being fed to the amp. Remember that coloration/distortion is the *addition* of harmonics. More harmonics is nice and what guitarists love, especially lower-order harmonics. Harmonics OF harmonics, on the other hand, are *not* pleasing. So, where many historic boosters, like the Micro-Amp, LPB-1, and Rangemaster, only provided a single control for adjusting the output level, more contemporary boosters include some form of tone-shaping, such that the amp gets what extracts the best from it. The genius of the Klon Centaur (and remember it emerged in the early-to-mid '90s) was that it was one of the first pedals that was deliberately and *explicitly* designed to strategically push an amp into "better" breakup. Many mistakenly think that it, and other booster pedals were/are supposed to produce an overdrive sound themselves. Rather, they are designed to precondition the signal to yield nice *amp* overdrive. I know, because Bill told me himself, that the "Treble" control on the Klon was really intended to be used primarily for treble cut, even though it can provide boost as well. I suppose, as a fallback position, keeping the Gain low, turning the treble up, and maintaining modest output volume, might dial back what you feed an amp, for a pleasing rhythm tone. But for pushing the amp, treble-CUT is where it's at. The Klon *does* provide some clipping, but if one sets the treble-cut right, any additional harmonics provided by the amp are harmonics of *lower-order* harmonics, and not simply a boosting of the high-end fizz. Lest we think all boosters are ONLY for overdrive, bear in mind that most sound-amplifying devices have at least *some* headroom. So modest gain can be used to increase volume for a solo or other passage, but still remain clean, and not push the amp into dirt. That tends not to be how many of us use it, but the option is there. My own first booster, 50 years ago, was the mic pre-amp of a tube tape deck. I would feed the line out from that to my cheap guitar amp. Of course, anticipating a MUCH lower input signal than what a guitar pickup provides, the mic pre-amp would be easily overdriven, and the line out pushed the guitar amp hard. NOTHING clean about that! My 2nd booster was a compressor, feeding an old MXR 6-band. More recently, I whipped up a booster circuit that can add a bit of dirt when maxed, but trims back the treble as Gain is increased. You can build one if you're up to the challenge. I've gotten some nice feedback from users. The document gives a walkthrough of how it works. img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/mhammer/TheCrank.gif

[@Yupppi]

Worth adding boosters like ep booster are lovely even without the breakup, it just does something really nice to frequency response. Yet it's often used for slight breakup anyway. But a great always on pedal to magically "sweeten" the sound instead of boosting much in volume or into breakup.

[@markhammer643]

@@Yupppi Yes. What you describe is what I meant by "coloration". It doesn't have to be an obviously distorted/clipped sound to provide a useful change in the tone for a solo or other change in a tune. That coloration can either be provided *within* the booster itself, or via the interaction between booster and amp, as in the case of the Rangemaster. As I understand it the Rangemaster is biased so that it runs out of headroom on one half-cycle more readily than the other, yielding a form of asymmetric clipping, and providing three sources of coloration: its own internal clipping, the treble boost, and what the boosted signal does to the amp. I understand as well, that the use of germanium transistor in the Rangemaster also alters the tone via particular loading effects. But that stuff's beyond my pay grade. I did make myself what's supposed to be an EP Booster, though I'm uncertain if the schematic I was following was accurate. I honestly didn't get anything noteworthy out of it that I couldn't get from a simple op-amp stage like Brian showed at the start. That's not *terrible* but it was a lot of effort for very little return in my case.

[@davidelizalde3844]

That's a really good detailed explanation.

[@1492oceanblue2]

How refreshing to read my old Canadian buddy! Hope you are well....I am! (Squid in Hollywood under girlfriends' sign-in)

[@markhammer643]

@@1492oceanblue2 Rick!! What an absolute pleasure! We've been missing you buddy. I gather not many gigs of late, eh? We're all well here. I'm retired, and looking more and more like Allan Ginsberg these days, now that I don't have to attend meetings anymore and look civilized for anyone. All the other family members are working from home.

[@jonathanmackie4884]

Circuit drawings, my brain goes "whoosh". Mr Wampler talks over circuit drawings, my brain goes "lightbulbs"!

[@murfmurphy6212]

Couldn't agree more, these types of analysis with frequency responses included, we need more of this

[@genebrandt8424]

@@murfmurphy6212 The results of the analysis is the circuit he drew, not necessarily a real circuit in any pedal. Example, the "inverting" boost has a 47k input impedance, that is WAY low compared to a more normal 1 meg input impedance. It is much better to measure a "real" pedal and show the results than to draw up a circuit for analysis.

[@davidbaines7330]

It’s amazing how good your simple/demo circuits in these vids sound. Great stuff. Thanks so much for all your awesome content!

[@DefconMaster]

Great video! I love these kinds of videos where you get into the nitty gritty of why circuits sound the way they do and how they differ from other circuits and the situations in which they can be useful or less than ideal. Keep 'em coming!

[@eupraxis1]

If I survive this pandemic, I have to get a Tumnis. Love it.

[@mikedenkinger9570]

You won't regret it. It does absolute magic in a signal chain. I also have a JHS bonsai but if i had to choose between the two, I prefer the Tumnus when it comes to boosting other pedals and amps 80% of the time.

[@bobmeh4396]

Are you still here?

[@nathanieldahman9268]

Please update. We're all concerned

[@Shaqiliciouss]

rest in peace euopraxis1. He never got his Tumnis :(

[@morais99]

The best video about that subject in the internet. I have seen several other, and this is way better. Congratulations Brian.

[@tonedriverss8629]

Brian is the axe-master ! All the tones in this and all his vids are superb ! Ear and brain candy abundant . Many thanks for sharing so much valuable knowledge . Not just solid entertainment , but very well presented valuable info .

[@RobFlaxMusic]

I'm only halfway in but blown away by the knowledge here, and hearing the difference with the same guitar and amp (plus your comments on what you prefer for what) and I've learned a LOT in a very short time. This is awesome!

[@moose5206]

Really happy I found this pedal company. Happy owner of a Tumnus Deluxe and hopefully soon the Pantheon for Christmas. Came here to get more insight on what exactly I needed out of a boost. Thank you Brian.

[@mikebills9414]

Please keep making videos like this. We hear these terms all the time but have no idea what they mean. Thanks for demystifying things!

[@Mistertbones]

Brian's knowledge never ceases to amaze me.

[@toddjones5382]

Hey Brian.. I only dropped in to tell you that I absolutely love my Pinnacle deluxe V2. Best pedal I've ever owned. Thank you.

[@seangerolimatos1269]

Thanks Brian, really enjoyed the deeper dive! I’m starting out building pedal kits and plan to move on to breadboarding, modding, maybe even designing something new in the future. Videos like this are nice to get just a bit further into the weeds 👍🏻

[@homeslice1479]

My personal favorite boost (having never played a Tumnus) is the full-sized TC Electronic Spark. It's SO good. Gain, Volume, Highs, Lows, a three-position voicing switch, it's got everything and sounds GREAT. Gets into low gain OD territory. Putting the switch at Mid makes single-coils SING. Haven't used it a lot lately, because my Dual Fusion sounds so good I just don't need the help lol. Vintage side is always on, Modern side provides the beef. What a freaking pedal. Your stuff rocks, Brian!

[@RickCalhounplus]

Man, that talent booster sounds killer! I need to find one of those on reverb. Great video on boosters. 👍

[@seankent1807]

Your videos are the best! Please don’t ever stop making them! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@TheGeekCoefficient]

As an engineer I love these geek level vids, thanks Brian!

[@antonjohnsson679]

Your KZbin channel is pure gold. Thanks for all the knowledge and information

[@gainstageeffects1235]

Love this video. Particularly how you run through the schematic. Id love to see this type of video for all types of circuits... fuzz circuits, overdrive circuits, univibe vs vibrato and chorus... Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

[@garybird4062]

Love your channel for the technical stuff, this is an area you really bring a unique value. I like other channels (JHS, Shawn Tubbs, That Pedal Show etc) but you bring a demystifying element to pedals and tone. AND THAT is why I come back (you also make killer pedals) :o)

[@user-ge2vc3rl1n]

When you say things like "This may mean nothing to you" I still want to hear about it. I'm studying electrical engineering atm. It's very interesting to me when you talk about the details of a circuit, what resistors do in certain spots and etc. I do get it though, the majority of people might not like to hear about that. Still, I really appreciate when you do. I think it's really valuable content, and I think there's a middle ground here that can maybe be met.

[@RonRuminski]

I appreciate this video and so many more of yours. Love your approach and explanation. Keep up the great work. I’ve learned something (actually several) new today.

[@hankcohen3419]

Great series. I have been fiddling with guitar amp and effects circuits a bit and your stuff really clears up a lot of questions.

[@jayseb]

"Goosing the gain stage" Love it. Perfect explanation and details - if you don't gain it - get a violin.

[@copperaudio9664]

Really good explanations, thanks. I was a electronics engineering tech 1st and learned guitar later in life. I've been trying different boost/distortion pedals based off the product descriptions with little success understanding how the pedal was shaping the frequency response to get the grit I want to hear. Your video cleared the fog. Most of all thank you for stating they all do something to the sound more than just amplifying (boosting) it. Your Ego compressor is great btw. I now have to try it in before or after positions with the Euphoria V2 due to learning a bunch from your 5 ways to use a compressor video. Good stuff, keep it coming.

[@MusicTherapyLaz]

Very cool video Brian.... loved how you broke this down with all the various ways to boost the signal to the amp. One thing I'm learning is how different boosts work with different amps...I'm a total tone junkie and really enjoy discovering different ways of creating sounds! This was very enlightening and definitely helps me in my journey of learning about and discovering tones! Thanks for sharing! 😎🎸🐦🤘

[@TehSyneS]

that opening jam was so awesome man! thanks for these videos!

[@fullmetalsal]

The best you tube channel on the planet, Brian is a genius, a great person, funny.

[@LP-qi8hs]

Great video, detailed drawings and comparisons. Every kind of boost circuit has its own behavior, but people doesn't get it. Thanks for the information and time.

[@BryanDenham]

thank you for your help @Wampler pedals , trying to get into this hobby at 40 teaching myself is a bit more confusing than i thought it would be . some days i feel like me teaching myself this feels like the blind leading the blind . but im having fun.

[@raykilmer6357]

Great explanation Brian. I dove into Circuit Lab just for fun after watching this and it's actually pretty cool. Even us non-engineering types it might be useful. Thanks for another informative video.

[@robinjgill]

This is so good Brian. Thanks very much. I am learning a lot and love seeing the cicuits and the breadboards to copy them and experiment.

[@noisesoundtonevibe]

YES !!!! A super nerdtastic video from Brian! I'mma geek out :-)

[@vittoriopasolini3430]

I, as an engineering student, absolutely love these kind of videos. It would be great if you could make a video about first steps to tweaking pedals, experimenting with breadboards and stuff (i absolutely want to assemble a fuzz for me ehehe)

[@_RLP]

Great upload, Brian! Love these concepts and explanations. However, your editing skills are unsurpassed. The peach bit, at the beginning, made me spit my water a la tom & jerry. Stay safe, mate. Cheers

[@martinzb1612]

Wow Brian! Good explanation...thanks for that one. Keep on rocking, take care and hope to see more from you Thank you

[@ubertwerpify]

nothing short of brilliant sir, and explains why tube screamers work and why too much bass doesnt work and. why eq pedals are not the same - i love this video man- Also the tumnus is amazing - thank you

[@OrangeMicMusic]

Holy shit....Brian really knows his pedals and how to play guitar. Hats off.

[@CNCTEMATIC]

This was really cool! I can see how so many pedal builders learned how to do stuff from you. On the whole "pre-amp pedal" thing, I wonder how a pedal like the Revival Drive from Origin Effects fits into that. I imagine the circuit diagram would be really complicated. It feels more like part of an amp to me; its what I have in my head when people say pre-amp pedal. In particular, when I set it to sound like a Marshall using a Fender amp, and run other pedals into it, like a Klon or a fuzz face, the overall volume doesn't increase, and it sounds closer to a Marshall with those pedals in front. Other pedals I've played that are designed to sound like a cranked Marshall don't do that so much.

[@DRChevalier]

Hey Brian. I really enjoyed this video. While I lack any kind of useful electronics skill, I learned a lot from you today and it really helped me understand why I love some pedals that I have bought and been disappointed in others. This was awesome. Thanks man! Btw I love my Tumnus Deluxe and received my Terraform about a week ago and am enjoying it a great deal.

[@Lantertronics]

I makes me so happy to see so many schematics!

[@Alex_Martz]

Perfect technical explanation!, I like these more than all the other snob youtubers with reviews full of buzz words glorifying ultra expensive boutique pedals

[@codelicious6590]

Thanks for sharing the knowledge Mr W!

[@evanwilliams8908]

Awesome video. Love these in depth look at effects videos .

[@opt123123]

Appreciate the effort that goes into your videos!

[@mwicks1968]

BRILLIANT video Brian - really cleaned things up for me(!)

[@bobrg1459]

Great episode! Thanks. Good explanations and illustrations. Much appreciated.

[@Paul_Lenard_Ewing]

THANX!!!! A really great show that only you can do well so that we all can understand. KILLER SHOW!!!

[@briankays2635]

Love this kind of stuff. Thanks Brian!

[@mikeroadblock]

Thank you for this video! Super informative. I need to watch it one more time at least. cheers.

[@bradsmithstudios8881]

I love the deep dives into the schematics.

[@dnhrage1]

Thankyou for this super informative video, definitely an excellent explanation from this talented man !

[@vikingsofvintageaudio7470]

These videos are absolute gold! ❤️

[@MichaelBLive]

Amazing tone right at the start.

[@Paul_Lenard_Ewing]

I had the hot selling Xotic ep. I hated it and it was the 3rd booster I had bought! Then as final bow out on boosters I got the Wampler ...KILLER!!!! I let my bass player try it on a P bass ...the best thing about that was it solved all the problem trying to match it to the active Music Man.

[@fabriciooliveiracompositor]

Thank you so much for sharing this valuable information! God bless you and your whole family ...

[@kenwinston2245]

Very well explained and demo'd, thank you professor 😃

[@marcolalama6729]

Brian, Your knowledge is extensive! I thank you for your generosity. At the same time, may I suggest just a little bit more info, for us rookies that don´t follow: Maybe you could close your videos with a quick summary. In this video, for example: "To sum up: Non inverting op-amp is good for x and works good with y. Famous pedals that use this circuit are: A, B and C." and so with all the other options. It would be of great help. Thanks again!

[@danthegeetarman]

Great explanations! Glad you cleared up some of that preamp voodoo too. As an audio engineer that’s always irked me when I hear boosts being described as “preamps”. My ears perk up like a dog when I hear “preamp” but if it’s not preceded by Neve or API I get disappointed 😄

[@scottcurry4116]

I really like these educational videos. I learn a lot.

[@murfmurphy6212]

I run two decibel minis as the mainstay of my board at the start and end. Having the consistency of the same boost/buffer at the front and end of the board, with the ability to switch the buffer on and off easily, has been an eye opener when it comes to finicky impedance pedals.

[@druchumley4571]

Segovia was a noted user of boost pedals. He propped his left foot on them and leveled the first five rows.

[@mercedesescobarmusic]

Thanks for a great video! I guess the main take away for me was that, unless you're using a volume pedal after the pedals, you're mostly just hearing the amp clipping...

[@ishancooper]

Great video Brian!! I've just been switching between clean boosts this week and interested to find why I like specific ones in my current rig.

[@soundpark_]

As always top of the line content.

[@PastorMattMoto]

Great video! thanks for sharing your knowledge with all of us! :) :)

[@GroundbreakGames]

Appreciate you bro. Teaching me so much.

[@efsglass]

Love these tech videos!

[@niektenbrinke5733]

Lol I was planning to design a delay pedal but went to design a boost pedal instead :D very useful and inspiring video! Thanks a lot!

[@JudgeFredd]

Love both electronics and guitar music so Love your videos !

[@highergrounds8018]

Awesome dude! Thanks for the info!

[@ramilrodriguez8340]

Great Brian. Thank you.

[@akrmfk]

i usually play high gain and bought the tumnus deluxe on an impulse buy. After all your brilliant explanation my caveman brain still cant comprehend how that thing works wonders for my 5150. All i know is i trust wampler pedals for my gain staging.

[@dt9r]

best video on topic I've seen

[@pdbordelon]

The schematic really helped me....helped me know how stupid I am! All I know is I love the sound of my Tumnus and Ego compressor!

[@danield7449]

I think the Talent Booster might be the solution to my sloppy guitar playing. great video.

[@jeffs.3533]

Awesome video! Thanks.

[@razvansfiraiala8147]

You're doing God's work, my friend!

[@bpsychoz]

Thank you for making me smarter!!!

[@rezzbeats5983]

i just subscibed, i realise how important this library of information is for future generations. ive learnt so much from your channel and im so glad youve not only mastered the circuitry of pedals but how to present the differences on youtubes platfrom! alot of people dont understand camera quality and rendering/editing alongside the cost of gear to get a clear audio signal to present these tonal differences. ive seen you use the torpedo before has your preference in interface and attenuator changed through making these videos?

[@burst.6]

in my opinion, for something to be a "preamp" it should have some kind of boost (clipping is optional), and some kind of a eq/tone shaping circuit. the voodoo labs giggity is a great example; it boosts, it shapes tone, and it can breakup if you dime the gain. super versatile!

[@chuckzc]

Thanks Brian. My favourite type of viedo. Great explanation and just enough nerdy-ness lol.

[@user-pu5vb5cv4x]

Love your videos

[@sixstringcity3931]

I own a RatsBane and love it. Wanted to say I dig that you play and play well. Cool tele.

[@wampler_pedals]

Thank you 😊

[@sixstringcity3931]

@@wampler_pedals right on and thank you for replying. Im enjoying your videos , some of its waay over my head oh and the vid you and Mrs W did was cool - down to earth.

[@valuedhumanoid6574]

My "magic" pedal that is my number one pedal on ANY board is the MXR 10 band EQ. Not only can I boost 10 feq's, but there's two additional sliders. A volume cut/boost and a gain cut boost. It is so flexible. I can do just about anything I want. That, with my Sovereign and my Ethereal, I am set.

[@thebigcountry6757]

Been thinking strongly about going the rout of an MXR 10 EQ. Do you feel a difference under your fingers when you play using it as a boost, or is it just sound your experiencing ? ..or both ? I'm not looking to boost volume necessarily. 'Mainly feel' and deff not trying to change actual tone of my last OD in the chain. If that makes any sense .

[@user-qr7ee2cp4y]

they seem like the red headed stepchildren of pedals aren't they? they can do so much and are so useful but boosts, od's, get all the attention when in reality that eq pedal can do much of that.

[@paulcowart3174]

But they can be noisy when you use them for boost instead of tone shaping Although you can do modds that can fix that but didn't work for me I use a Rangemaster clone w a clean boost on top

[@valuedhumanoid6574]

@@paulcowart3174 Interesting. Never heard of a Rangemaster. Have to check it out

[@tomasjones3755]

I'm using a 7 band EQ, at the front of my chain. I have a general setting for my HB guitars and one for the single coils. 7 bands is minimum, for all around use; 10. even better

[@JoelVitu123]

Wellington seems to be a very nice city with strange poeple inside 😂 Sunny afternoon , an arrangment ? Nice job, continue ! Have a nice day ! 🥝🐸

[@AlbertoMartinezDelRio]

Excellent video. Thanks

[@solarpoint1]

My use of a jfet style pedal is as an "amp-like" first stage followed by eq, poweramp sim and IR to FOH. Decent direct to PA solution. So for me it is a preamp.

[@bill_automated1226]

Really loved how you showed the circuits and the sounds for the various flavors. Awesome

[@SimpleManGuitars1973]

The preamp tube in my Hughes and Kettner Rotosphere is something I would never be without. It is absolutely awesome. Was the Diaz Texas Ranger a boost pedal? I've got a Texan Twang coming from Chris King Robinson and I'm really looking forward to it. Have you had any dealings with either of those pedals?

[@luclou8636]

Very pleased with the way you bring it , could you explain in similar way why Some drive , fuzz , gain pedals clean up very well with yourguitar volume and Some doesn’t and how to add this or improve the circuit . Thx Brian

[@JeffreyTheTaylor]

I'd love to know what the MXR M108S Ten Band EQ is doing inside the box as it has both volume and gain boost circuits and seems to play amazingly well with tube heads.

[@abd-ix5qd]

I am not sure if this is related to clipping, but I noticed, there is a slight distorted sound at the end of the note(as the note decayed) when strumming bass strings (6,5,4 strings say Dm bar chord to 10th fret) on higher frets and no distorted on lower frets(say F#m on 2nd fret). And this happens only on neck pickup when on full humbucking mode but none on single coil mode(neck pick up) provided both scenario on full volume guitar knob.

[@krauz111]

great info, like the electronic part of it

[@TiagoSiqueiraxD]

Hello, I really liked this video you are the best without a doubt !! I'm starting now and I have a doubt, when I set up any circuit on the protoboard it works normal more when I put the inside of a sardine can and put the pots in contact with the can the gain of the circuit decreases a lot, will the can cause any short circuit by the potentiometer? thanks.

[@shdwghst457]

Can you do a video where you do get into the weeds and nerd out on the specifics of the components and the schematics? Love to see that

[@TheSzymam]

Great video!

[@andreguilhermediasarraiano9287]

awesome video