At its core, a booster effects pedal is a tool made to boost your guitar's signal before it hits the amp. And while it definitely does a great job of doing so, they are often overlooked by many players and their boards. Maybe it's the fact that some see it as nothing more than a volume pedal (they are not). Or maybe is that they really don't feel like a booster can add anything to their bag of tricks. Whatever the reason, we're here to let you know why and how every kind of player can benefit from a booster. Below, we take a look at few reasons why every pedalboard should have a dedicated spot for a guitar booster effects pedal.  

Pushing Your Solo

While the main aim of the entire band is to get the volume levels just right in order to create a balanced mix, all that goes out the window when it comes to a guitar solo. But unless the rest of the band quiets down to you manually adjust your guitar's volume, you risk not cutting through when it comes time to rip it. In comes the booster pedal. Not only will a booster pedal give you more than enough power to have your solo heard, it will also do so while giving it more definition (something that can't always be said by simply cranking your amp's volume up).  
koko-boost-300x300Suhr Koko Boost Effects Pedal @ $250.00 If you’re looking for a through and through pro-grade boost pedal, look no further than the Suhr Koko Boost. Not only does the pedal provide an amazingly transparent clean boost that leave’s your guitar’s natural tone untouched, it also had the added mid boost feature. While it might not seem like much at first, this selectable midrange boost intelligently works in collaboration with the pedal’s default clean boost, giving it plenty of versatility, something that isn’t found in your typical booster. And with up to 20 decibels of clean boost, the Koko Boost will easily give you the extra oomph needed to push your amp into overdrive or simply enhance your guitar’s natural sound.
 

Expanding Your Distortion

Unless you have a nice expensive tube amp, chances are you use a dedicated pedal for your distortion needs. And while there are a ton of great dirt boxes out there, I doubt anyone out there would turn down the ability to enhance their current distortion. By adding a boost pedal right before your distortion in your signal chain, you'll be able to give in a much bigger sound and with plenty of attack. Better yet, it will give it a good amount of articulation, the perfect remedy for a distortion pedal that sounds a bit too muddy. Of course, if you do own a tube amp, boosters are a great way to push them into overdrive on the fly.  

Fixing Your Chain's Strength

A long time ago, it wasn't rare to for most guitar players to stick with three or four pedals that satisfied most of their tonal needs. Nowadays, boards with a dozen or more pedals are becoming increasingly common. And while the beauty of a board with plenty of pedals is that you're able to create a nearly limitless amount of sounds, connecting each of them through a series of cables can take a toll on your signal's overall integrity. Add the fact that some of your pedals might feature true bypass while others don't and you have the recipe some signal strength loss. If you're one of those players with a huge board and a noticeably weaker signal, add a booster to your chain to fix the problem. Not only will a booster pedal in your chain recover your signal's strength, it will also give your current pedals a nice amount of definition and articulation to boot.  

Final Thoughts ...

While it might not have the same appeal as distortion or delay, a booster pedal is much more than a one-trick pony. When used creatively, it can solve problems with your signal, improve your sound, and definitely kick things up a notch!    

Your Turn to Sound Off!

What booster pedal do you use currently?

Let us know in the comment section below!

   

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