Price Paid: 142.99 (Pounds Sterling)
Ease of Use: 9
Three chicken-head knobs:
Volume (output level)
Tone
Gain (input/overdrive level)
Two foot-switches:
Effect (On/Off)
Treble/Full Range (select treble or all frequency boost)
One Blue-lit ECC82 (12AU7) valve (tube).
The manual is a large folded sheet of paper with a bunch of different languages running side by side, over and under and every which way, making it hard to see at first which bit follows what. Eventually it all makes sense though which in itself is good preparation for understanding how this pedal can work with an amp.
The actual words in the manual are to the point and interesting. Most of them aren't really all that necessary though.
I bought this Brit Boost via the internet without trying it first. I knew what I was looking for, and was influenced as to quality by positive reviews of the other two pedals in the Cooltron range.
On it's arrival, I played with the few controls for a few minutes through my amp set squeaky clean, to get a feel for the pedal's responses, quickly found a setting that sounded promising then started to push the amp a little to see how the two interacted.
The blend of drives from both the gain stage of the pedal and the amp being driven by the output stage creates opportunities for many variations in tone, texture, etc.
So, on the one hand this a very nice sounding, simple overdrive and on the other it's a catalyst to a pretty complex situation...
However you approach it, it has everything it needs and is pretty simple to use. Just play with it and your amp 'till you get what you want.
Sound Quality: 9
White Fender classic 60's Stratocaster.
Planet Waves 10' instrument, 2' Patch, and speaker leads.
Peterson Strobostomp Tuner.
Fulltone Clyde Deluxe Wah.
Fulltone '69 Fuzz.
Vox Brit Boost using the Full Range setting. (All 'True Bypass' pedals)
Cornford Mk50 head.
THD Hotplate attenuator.
Cornford 4x12" Cabinet.
I have other guitars, but the relatively low output classic has a tremendous, sweet character and through the Cornford it's just massive and I get it all, which is what I want from a guitar. I want it all...
Is the Boost noisy?
Well, yes. It hisses a bit.
Only because it's being run with the gain and volume flat-out. With more conservative settings, it's very quiet.
When it's off it's invisible.
I recon pedals exist to compliment tone and excitement, they're not there to take anything away.
For live work, I have my amp set for a slight power stage breakup, and I wanted this pedal to act as a boost to push the amp into a pretty full-on valve distortion as an alternative to the full-on fuzz from the '69 pedal. Two distinctive types of lush gain.
In this respect I was surprised: The Brit Boost doesn't offer a clean boost as far as I can tell; the gain rolls down to silence rather than parity with the original signal, and it starts to distort as soon as it hits a meaningful level.
However the boost has a really musical break-up of it's own, and this together with the pedal's volume pushing the Cornford’s pre-amp a little gives me what I want.
As with the amp itself and the '69 fuzz, the guitar volume controls the Brit boost’s palette.
Reduce the guitar volume and the tone sweetens and cleans up, and there isn't a bad or mediocre sound in there.
Reliability: 9
I'm sure it's reliable. No problems yet and I don't anticipate any.
You have to look on the bright side...
Customer Support: N/A
No opinion since I've never yet had cause to say hello.
I've said 'Thank you'.
Overall Rating: 9
I like music that gets the blood and the adrenaline flowing. This pedal does exciting things to the noise a guitar makes without taking anything away from that initial noise.
Power, musical feedback, rich harmonics, the wire, the wood - All present and correct.
I've been annoying people in a loud manner for 30 years. This is the most exhilarating rig I've ever strapped into and it should last me for another 30 provided the oil lasts out...
I'll not hesitate to replace the boost should it be stolen.
I might replace it with something else... Only if something better comes along which at the moment is unlikely - Vox seem to have the transparent-overdrive thing nailed.
I like the Brit Boost, and recommend it to you.
Submitted by Handsome at 09/02/2005 18:30
