Solo boost

[navdave]

Looking for a good boost pedal to put after my Rat
right before the amp input for a good solo boost. I want
something that will cut though the mix any suggestions?
I tried a DOD preamp overdrive 250 it works alright as long
as the Rats output volume ain't to high but it does not
hit the frequency I want. I do love the way it sounds with my
wah almost all the way down. A pedal that could get that vowel
like wah sound without  being a wah would rule.

[thermion]

a 6-band eq maybe? or a tube screamer with the level up but drive way down?

[navdave]

Hmm never thought of an eq pedal thanks.

a 6-band eq maybe? or a tube screamer with the level up but drive way down?

[jjasilli]

Actually, I use a compression pedal.  I like a touch of compression for rhythm; and keep the gain turned down on the compression pedal, to attenuate the rhythm signal a bit.  For a lead boost, I stomp the compression pedal OFF.  Then leads are un-compressed and get a volume "boost".

[LooseChange]

I have my Fulltone Fulldrive II (Tubescreamer flavor) after my RAT. I use them in combo or by themselves. With the RAT on and then Fulldrive kicked in it fattens the tone and I have it set of a bit of a boost.

[Ed_Chambley]

I use a Keeley Comp into a RC xotic into a Formula No5 Catlinbread into a sparkle drive which is a tubescreamer with a clean mix and volume control then to an eq and then to a looper to modulation Chorus H2O with echo and wampler tape echo which loops into an effects loop and finally a MXR carbon copy into a verbzilla reverb..  I like the ability to eq modulation pedals.  Compressors before drives work well for me.  With this setup there is not anything I cannot find.  I keep the tuner out of the line.  I made a gismo for amp switching which feeds my tuner and another gismo for switching cabs.  A lot of stuff, but I can use it with any amp.  I have retired everything else.  I have found Keeley and Wampler pedals to work best.  My distortion is a boss with a keeley seeing eye mod. Made a huge difference.  Robert Keeley posted the mod on the net for anyone interested.  A $19 pedal ebay and 9 dollars of parts and I have not found a better distortion pedal.   I forgot I have a Keeley Fuzz Face which can do overdrive all the way to full n fuzz.  The RC xotic is the best boost pedal I have ever had.

[simonallaway]

If you want a simple boost pedal, you can't beat either the E-H LPB-1 or the ZVex SHO. I built both on veroboard as the circuits are ridiculously simple. Here's some babble about the LPB-1:

http://hotbottles.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/building-an-electro-harmonix-lpb-1-from-scratch/

I'll do a post about the SHO once I finish the enclosure.

[simonallaway]

Here's my post on the SHO clone:

http://hotbottles.wordpress.com/2012/03/29/building-a-z-vex-sho-clone-from-scratch/

[six_eight]

You could build a fixed wah/boost.  It's just a wah but you use a regular pot/knob  in a small enclosure instead of the big bulky traditional rocker pedal.  You can slap an LPB-1 or SHO on the end for boost.

[simonallaway]

You could build a fixed wah/boost.  It's just a wah but you use a regular pot/knob  in a small enclosure instead of the big bulky traditional rocker pedal.  You can slap an LPB-1 or SHO on the end for boost.

I have a plan to make something like that. Robin Trower uses one built by Fulltone (called a Fullwah I think) which does exactly what you suggest. I really need to either get on with some projects or reduce the size of my list! 

[six_eight]

You could build a fixed wah/boost.  It's just a wah but you use a regular pot/knob  in a small enclosure instead of the big bulky traditional rocker pedal.  You can slap an LPB-1 or SHO on the end for boost.

I have a plan to make something like that. Robin Trower uses one built by Fulltone (called a Fullwah I think) which does exactly what you suggest. I really need to either get on with some projects or reduce the size of my list! 

The cocked wah has been the secret weapon for a lot of people.  Mick Ronson's tone on Width of a Circle off The Man Who Sold the World album is, IMHO the best example of that sound ever.  In the intro....when he swells up on the guitar's volume knob and that thin, throaty, fuzzy tone starts to feedback...instant chubby.

I have an envelope filter that I use for that tone.  I modified it so that you can kill the envelope and manually control the sweep.  Doesn't boost though.