BJFE boosters for overdriven amps

[hawaii121]

I was wondering if anyone has some experience with the various BJFE mad prof or bearfoot clean/treble boosts used to push an overdriven amp into madness ?

[duaner58]

BPB into my Dr. Z Maz 38 which I run pretty hot is AMAZING SOUNDING.. Depends what you are personally going for..

You could buy any one of these with confidence of it sounding great, just have to know what you are going after.

[hawaii121]

BPB into my Dr. Z Maz 38 which I run pretty hot is AMAZING SOUNDING.. Depends what you are personally going for..

You could buy any one of these with confidence of it sounding great, just have to know what you are going after.

I was curious if it helps to drive the amp od harder, sounds like a yes. Thanks for feedback.

[thesjkexperience]

Lately all I have been doing is running a booster into my 5 Watt Swart Atomic Jr. My favorites are: BJFE Red Rooster Booster (it makes everything sound bigger and you can control the tone by changing the Voltage from around 8 to 18. The RRB seems to work great into every amp I have tried it with), the Purple Humper and SBEQ are also very nice lower gain boosters! The PGC is a nice pedal booster and depending on the rig can work nicely as V1 blaster

I have a custom Arcane Analog Skullranger (this was purchased from the maker and the idea is very similar to the DAM RRB, but the Skullranger does not get ice picky when you turn the guitar down like the DAM. I love the looks as well!)

I also love the Swart Atomic Booster and Fuzzy Booster which are usually a bit thicker sounding than the AA Skullranger. If I do not use an attenuator I favor these two and the BJFE as they are a bit more refined sounding, but the Skullranger has a really agressive sound and that has its uses as well.

I have tried many other treble boosters I did not care for though I will skip the list unless someone is interested.

I tried the MP Ruby Red and it was always so thin and bright! Nothing like the BJFE RRB. THe Bearfoot SYODs can also work well as boosters if you run the Drive below 10:30. I have not tried a Baby Pink and since I had the buffer installed in my SBEQ I do not see a need.

Remember I tend to use smaller amps and Fender single coil style guitars, so a PRS into ? (Do you still have that Bludo?) might call for something I haven't tried. Still it is hard to go wrong with the RRB, SBEQ, PH or in a pinch the newer PGC.

[hawaii121]

Thanks Scott, you are always very informative with this, I appreciate that!

I do have the bludo and will hang onto it unless the monsters storm the gates I have never been so completely happy with an amp before.

I just got done playing around with a HBOD to boost the OD channel - worked really well, surprisingly transparent, I was expecting some coloring, but no. The HBOD is only a temporary visitor, but I have a BPB on the way and another little BJFE gem likely to visit soon as well.

I'll report after trying the BPB!

[thesjkexperience]

You are very welcome!

The good 'ol HBOD. When I had the BJFE version for several years I always ran the gain full up and tried to balance the treble with the bass as best as I could with the Nature knob. I have been using the Honey Beeatch since it went up for sale on Bearfoot's first anniversary and find myself using the gain around noon and balancing the tone knobs (I am not sure I have ever gotten a straight answer as to what they are supposed to be). It is so easy to get so many different colors with it, but it does not have too much volume boost when the dirt knob is at noon.

I was also using the MHvT rather differently since getting the Beeatch where I am using a lot more treble on the trimmer, only 9 Volts and try and find the sweet-spot with the Tone control. Much edgier and it can get great Led Zep tones with a Tele!

I never thought to run a booster into that Bludo, but what I like best is the guitar volume knob is so much more responsive as is the tone control! It may be why it is very rare for me to put any BJFE dirt pedal with the dirt past noon and the only exception is the BF SYOD twins which I like to have the Volume much higher than unity or run the Dirt at 2 - 3 in the afternoon. I typically will stack dirt if I need "more" so I can retain the famous BJFE dynamics.

I just cant believe that I have been using my little 5 Watt almost exclusively for 5 - 6 weeks or so as I will typically flirt with novelty amps for a few days in a few months, but this amp is totally different. It also helps that it takes so many tube types as well as the Swart Night Light attenuator working so well with it it honestly sounds like a big amp. I was running it through a 2x12 cab with Greenbacks, that goes with my SST-30, turn it to around 7.5 (of 11) and hit it with one of the boosters mentioned above and it is SO massive. I could see it being an amazing tone for the studio.

[hawaii121]

Between the loopalator and controls on the amp, there is like 4 volume knobs that all affect things in their own little way. Mine is voiced as an 80s classic, has a pretty good amount of gain, but not as much as Lance's Bludo video on youtube. Hitting it with a boost just nudges it a little more into sparkle land (hope you know what I mean by that). I can't wait to try the BPB, any day now!

I've been all over the place with effects in the last three years and the bludo really made me scale things down big time. With the TR amps, I never really connected with their OD, I know some would say this is blasphemy, but I did everything I could to run them clean and use pedals. The Bludo, forgetaboutit, some of the best OD you will hear from anything guitar related IMO. That said, BJFE stuff is really really outstanding how it can join with an amp breaking up and make it better. The Model G is killer with an amp in OD.

My board has reduced to a delay and reverb in the loop and no more than 3 pedals out front. I have pretty simple needs since I just get together with other guys for improv sessions and I'm not trying to emulate a tone to match with a song for entertaining others (cover tunes and such). I'm not saying I don't have guys that inspire the tone I chase, rather there are certain requirements for all you gigging guys that don't affect me at the moment.

The good ole honey bee really does shine...

[Hulakatt]

I used to try to run the gain all the way up on my hbod but it just sounds better down lower, then I got into goosing it with the sbeq

[thesjkexperience]

Funny you say that! When I had a Mesa Boogie MKIIB for 24 years all I ever had for effects were a cry-baby and a hand held tuner! There was a year and a half period in there that I was trying to build my own sound based on moving to LA and camping in Joshua Tree National Monument. I was doing a bit more atmospheric things. Well about a year later U2 comes out with their famous album and I cant believe it! What was even stranger is our singer started hanging out with the guys in U2 as he was friends with one of the family's nanny. He told the Edge about what I/we had been doing and he was a bit freaked out as well! Sadly I never got to hang-out or compare notes with Edge, but it was about this time I met my Wife to be and I kind of quit music for a year or so and when we moved to Colorado I wanted to get a nice acoustic and that is what I did for much of the 90s.

The kids are in school today and I actually got to play for a few hours! I was coming to the same conclusion after using just the Swart Jr with a boost and/or my old EGDM3k. I love fuzz pedals, which may be because they were hard to find through the 80s as everyone else was playing mtv music. I'm looking around and wondering how I got so many fuzzes and extra pedals I so rarely use. Except for my Foxrox CC Hybrid it seems like it is more trouble than it is worth trying to pick the right fuzz for the guitar & amp combo I am using at the time. It seems they are always too dark, too noisy, too bright or it won't sit correctly so that you can hear yourself without being too loud.

I should do a big clearance sale and buy some nut making tools as well as fret working tools! Why is it so hard to let some boxes go even when you never use them?

[musicsoma]

Oh man, this morning at church I ran a 1959 ES335 into a 1966 Vibro Champ with just an HBOD at low gain but boosted volume. That was one amazing sound! Just "heavenly".