Tube boost pedal, any benefit or not worth it?

Brian Dean-O

Brian Dean-O

Inspired
Just curious, Considering how good the Fractal already sounds and what all it's capable of (which I've barely scratched the surface of still) would having this on my board not for volume boost but just for a little warm tube mojo be completely pointless or would it alter the tones of my presets in a drastic way rather than just adding a little something nice to it? I don't want to buy stuff that I won't find a lot of enjoyment in and really get my money's worth out of it.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/D10Boost--blackstar-department-10-boost-tube-boost-pedal
 
Brian Dean-O said:
Just curious, Considering how good the Fractal already sounds and what all it's capable of (which I've barely scratched the surface of still) would having this on my board not for volume boost but just for a little warm tube mojo be completely pointless or would it alter the tones of my presets in a drastic way rather than just adding a little something nice to it? I don't want to buy stuff that I won't find a lot of enjoyment in and really get my money's worth out of it.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/D10Boost--blackstar-department-10-boost-tube-boost-pedal
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Where do you see using the pedal? Between the guitar and the modeler?
 
Greg Ferguson said:
Where do you see using the pedal? Between the guitar and the modeler?
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Yes. From what I’ve read using it in the effects loop or after the modeler would just be a slight clean boost but using it before the modeler would be much like using it between the guitar and a real tube amp but i only saw that in the product description and someone’s review of the product so I wanted to get more info from this forum if anyone’s tried it. Part of the allure I know is psychological in that I think it would be cool to see a tube glowing warmly down there on my board but that’s no reason to drop that kind of scratch on something.
There’s other things I actually need first anyways like new speakers for my 4x12 to replace the trashy ones that are in there and I don’t have the money for any of these things right now but I’m sure you probably know how it is I’m always looking at things I think I need or would just like to have down the line 😂 (looking for reasons to spend money that I don’t have on guitar gear).
 
Bruce Sokolovic said:
I wouldn’t bother. The included boosts/overdrives/etc in the FAS stuff is already vast and very good.
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^THIS^

I'd exhaust the built-in blocks, then start over and try them again before I'd put something in front of the modeler. The modeler has a huge amount of capability and flexibility that can't be replicated using something in front of it.

You don't say which unit you're using, but there's also a bit of dark magic built into the FM9 and FX3 that can affect how drives and other blocks sound. See "Input impedance" and ""Auto" Impedance - 1st Active Block - Does an active Mixer Block Count?", especially posts #16 and #26 for more information. The row of the block is significant when those units determine the input impedance.

For instance, this is from my FX3. Watch the auto-impedance change as I bypass/enable the Drive 1 block and how that behavior changes when I change the block's row…
 
Greg Ferguson said:
^THIS^

I'd exhaust the built-in blocks, then start over and try them again before I'd put something in front of the modeler. The modeler has a huge amount of capability and flexibility that can't be replicated using something in front of it.

You don't say which unit you're using, but there's also a bit of dark magic built into the FM9 and FX3 that can affect how drives and other blocks sound. See "Input impedance" and ""Auto" Impedance - 1st Active Block - Does an active Mixer Block Count?", especially posts #16 and #26 for more information. The row of the block is significant when those units determine the input impedance.

For instance, this is from my FX3. Watch the auto-impedance change as I bypass/enable the Drive 1 block and how that behavior changes when I change the block's row…
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The Fuzz I just used for a new preset was perfect. It had just the right amount of squash and hair to it. I couldn’t imagine using a pedal, and I have a rather excellent Fuzz pedal here (the BAE one).
 
Thanks guys appreciate y’all. Yup 👍 I don’t wanna waste the money down the line then. I think the Cooper Carter FM3 course would be money much better well spent to help me learn faster what all my FM3 can do and how to do it all. Maybe I can purchase the course when tax time comes around.
I know that single biggest improvement to my rig I could possibly make would be replacement speakers for my cabinet but that’s a huge expense.
Anyways thanks again!
 
Brian Dean-O said:
Thanks guys appreciate y’all. Yup 👍 I don’t wanna waste the money down the line then. I think the Cooper Carter FM3 course would be money much better well spent to help me learn faster what all my FM3 can do and how to do it all. Maybe I can purchase the course when tax time comes around.
I know that single biggest improvement to my rig I could possibly make would be replacement speakers for my cabinet but that’s a huge expense.
Anyways thanks again!
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Before you spend any money deep dive into Leon Todd 5 minute tone series. That’ll keep you busy quite some time.
 
Sounds like you decided already, but yeah...I'll second Leon Todd's fractal videos. Cooper Carter also puts out a lot of free ones, both on the G66 channel (and Leon Todd's own), IIRC.

I ran a pedal or two in front of my FM3 basically since I got it until recently. I mean...technically, I still do...but it's just a tuner. It's the one pedal I flat-out prefer to the fractal version. Everything else sounds at least as good in the fractal and is always going to be more flexible if you want it to be.

If the money is burning a hole in your pocket and you want to experiment...I say go ahead...but I don't think it's anywhere near "necessary".
 
rcm78 said:
You can always get a tube power amp and guitar cabinet.
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I think that's a substantially worse approach. But, most of the reason I play a modeler at all is that I want cranked non-MV amp (with a totally clean preamp section) tones without having to play at 110+dB. If you do that with a real tube power amp, either you lose all control over your playback level or you double-up on speakers loading output transformers (one real, the other modeled).

But...that's me.
 
marsonic said:
I think that's a substantially worse approach. But, most of the reason I play a modeler at all is that I want cranked non-MV amp (with a totally clean preamp section) tones without having to play at 110+dB. If you do that with a real tube power amp, either you lose all control over your playback level or you double-up on speakers loading output transformers (one real, the other modeled).

But...that's me.
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Definitely no one size fits all approach to any of this. That’s why I always advise…..try it. If you have the gear there there’s nothing to lose. Anyone heavily invested in an idea and doesn’t have the gear just make sure there’s a good return policy.
 
marsonic said:
I think that's a substantially worse approach. But, most of the reason I play a modeler at all is that I want cranked non-MV amp (with a totally clean preamp section) tones without having to play at 110+dB. If you do that with a real tube power amp, either you lose all control over your playback level or you double-up on speakers loading output transformers (one real, the other modeled).

But...that's me.
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It’s a suggestion. We have no idea what the OP’s situation is or what he’s playing through.
 
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