In this post, we’ll talk about the idea of some kind of boost and moderate EQ to the pure guitar signal. We hear the marketing buzzword \u201ctransparency\u201d all the time. This means that the original sound of the guitar is still apparent through the effect pedal. Some of us might be lucky to find the axe of our dreams that works in all of our playing situations. Others might have many different guitars for many different songs. The choice might warrant some thought about the way you decide to brand yourself as an instrumentalist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The multi-axe\/multi-pedal route might be the way to go if you are interested in carving a career out of being the perfect chameleon to each song, style, or project, giving exactly what is needed. This is an extremely valuable skill. Another approach might be to create the kind of sound\/brand that is recognizably \u201cyou.\u201d Folks hear your playing in the context of a song and say \u201cHey, isn\u2019t that (your name here) playing on that recording? I\u2019d recognize that tone and playing anywhere!\u201d The choice\u2014if needed\u2014is yours. Regardless of choice, there is a place where clean boosts can always fit into the reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TAKE A GUITAR COURSE WITH THADDEUS HOGARTH<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I have been drawn to clean boosts lately. At this stage of my career, I am pretty settled on liking certain types of sounds from my Strat. So when it comes to soloing, I just need more of the same that I had for rhythm, maybe with an added amount of \u201cgrit\u201d or \u201chair,\u201d as we say today. In essence, to use the cliche, I need to turn it up to 11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The preamp section of your (tube) amplifier responds in a completely different way if the input signal is higher or shaped with EQ. This is true especially of those D-style amps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are a handful of the pedals I have owned and used in the context of gigs or recording sessions. As usual, I like to write about gear with which I have had actual hands-on experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is little to say for most of them in terms of comparison, since they do exactly what they say they do, which is boost the original signal without adding much in the way of coloration or unwanted noise. A couple of the pedals have the option of EQ. The pedals on the list below are all very high quality products and I recommend any\u2014or all!\u2014for that extra boost when needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I really love this pedal. Cosmetically beautiful and quiet as a mouse. This MK.4.23 lives up to its name. For those that might not know it, MK.4.23 refers to a verse in the New Testament of Mark that has something to do with \u201cthose with ears\u201d and their ability to hear. Because of the quality of the circuitry, the MK.4.23 does not run on a 9-volt battery, so it is not one of the pedals you would throw in the gig bag. However, it does run on your standard 9-volt power supply or multi power supply that you have on your pedalboard, so it fits in perfectly. The fact that all inputs are on the top of the pedal make it wonderful for best use of pedalboard real estate. It gives you a whopping +24db increase in signal without coloring your tone or adding noise. Really high quality stuff here. Check out the video below to hear it!<\/p>\n\n\n\nCreation Audio Labs MK.4.23<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n