Boost pedal before or after your main overdrive?

[Loobs]

I've used the Timmy for the longest time for my regular dirty sound. Works great with every guitar/amp so yeah. But sometimes I want 'a little more' gain and volume but staying with a similar toan. What do I do? Add a clean boost to my chain? Where do I put it? I'm thinking before the Timmy to juice the input, add some more gain and hopefully add volume?

[ShortScaleMike]

It depends on the gain level you're using it at. If you're already pretty saturated with not much headroom left then hitting the front end will only give you more saturation, not more volume and in fact maybe a perceived volume reduction due to the dynamics of your guitar getting hammered flat.

 

If you're wanting to stand out more in a solo sense you could stick the booster afterwards which will definitely have more of an effect on your volume. If you're playing around near the breakup point of your preamplifier stage you could also end up runningi nto the same issue there.

 

What is your complete setup at the moment?

[RoboPimp]

I use a light OD/boost (timmy clone) into a OD (OCD clone)

 

I have the OCD set at a medium gain, and the timmy at a very light breakup

 

This gives me light od (timmy on) med OD (OCD on) and a higher gain (both on)

[caeman]

If you want to juice the Timmy, you want the clean boost before. If you want what the Timmy did to be louder, put the clean boost after it. Something with a high head room might be needed to avoid any additional saturation -- something like a Barber Launch Pad that operates at 18v internally while using a 9v supply.

 

Alternately, would the TIM and its boost side give you that extra grunt you seek?

[JRBain]

I think if I did, I'd go for before.

 

My main OD is a modded SD-1. It's the only dirt pedal on my board at the moment; I don't really need anything else. It sounds amazing, but it has tonnes of gain and output volume, and I run the amp gritty (on full gain; it's not a high gain amp).

 

I like the idea of slamming it with something like a Timmy, though. Given that I could also have a lighter boost/drive sound that way.

[english_bob]

Mike is right about the other parts of your chain, and about headroom affecting what happens when you hit the boost.

 

If it was me, I'd put the boost at the end of my effects chain:

 

Guitar -> pedlolz -> boost -> amp.

 

That way there's no worries about the boosted signal causing clipping from any of your other pedals- not all mod/delay pedals are happy to deal with a loud boosted signal and will tell you all about how unhappy they are with your signal chain.

 

Having the boost there won't give you any extra gain from the Timmay, just the amp, depending on how it's set.

[onyxrhino]

It sounds like, for what you want, a clean boost before would probably be best. Even, perhaps, a treble booster. I use a sparkly, trebly sort of clean booster in front of my main fuzz for a similar effect. I rarely boost my OD, but occasionally I run a treble boost into my Hotcake for more pop. I've never liked the sound of a boost after dirt. But, you may also want to try an eq pedal after your od, sometimes that works for an extra kick in volume and a punch/shift of tonality to the gain. I do this alot, but I'm not sure how well it would work with a Timmy (I never got along with that pedal).

[Elessar [Sly]]

I've always used my boosts before. It's a great way for adding in any extra treble or mids. Currently using a Hardwire CM-2 to do this. Very transparent sound. But I'm wanting a DOD250 or MXR Distortion+ at the moment to do this with.

[Keef84]

You may want to get a Tim. The boost adds a little bit of volume, but mostly more gain. I like to use it at the end of a song for a heavier rhythm part.

[Loobs]

 

It depends on the gain level you're using it at. If you're already pretty saturated with not much headroom left then hitting the front end will only give you more saturation, not more volume and in fact maybe a perceived volume reduction due to the dynamics of your guitar getting hammered flat. If you're wanting to stand out more in a solo sense you could stick the booster afterwards which will definitely have more of an effect on your volume. If you're playing around near the breakup point of your preamplifier stage you could also end up runningi nto the same issue there. What is your complete setup at the moment?

 

 

I'm hardly using anything. My Les Paul Special w/ P90s, the timmy, one delay into a marshall 2203. Very stripped down and I'm loving it. I don't the Timmy very hot in terms of gain, instead I prefer to have it just a bit gritty and really dig in on the guitar.

[RoboPimp]

when'd ya get the 2203? cool

[ChuckNorris1982]

If you're not using any delays or verbs, I'd run the boost after the Timmy to push the amp a bit harder.

[macadood]

i've got my clean boost before all my dirt so that i can saturate them and get more gain. seems like most people on here have their boosts after dirt though

[macadood]

If you're not using any delays or verbs, I'd run the boost after the Timmy to push the amp a bit harder.

 

why not just crank the level knob on the timmy then thats why i never understood having boost after dirt

[ChuckNorris1982]

If you don't want the boost to be footswitchable, then yeah I agree.

[erksin]

I don't really like the sound of clean boosts pushing an OD - I'd rather have a fuzz or treble booster or compressor performing that function. Clean boosts sound best to me as MORE! pedals as therefore go at the end of the chain if I use them.

[erksin]

why not just crank the level knob on the timmy then thats why i never understood having boost after dirt

 

Because (I'm assuming) he wants to use it for soloing and bumping his volume as well as gain when called upon. If he just bumps the vol on the Timmy, he's got not additional oomph for soloing unless he's a big user of his guitar's controls.

[fetch]

AFTER.

[ShortScaleMike]

 

I'm hardly using anything. My Les Paul Special w/ P90s, the timmy, one delay into a marshall 2203. Very stripped down and I'm loving it. I don't the Timmy very hot in terms of gain, instead I prefer to have it just a bit gritty and really dig in on the guitar.

 

 

Nice - that sounds like a great setup. Are you using the low input or the high input on the 2203?

 

I had a 2204 and loved it, but I had to sell it since I missed channel switching on my 6100. That amp will always be my number 1.

[Urinate Forever]

i find that if your second pedal doesnt soft clip the input, it wont sound as good. i run a boost before my hm-2 for huge amounts of harmonic sustain but it does start to glitch a bit if u run both too hot.

[Kid_A]

Just play a bit louder son

[Loobs]

Erksin's right, I was something to add more gain for heavier bits and leads to give me a bit more sustain/drive and bring the parts out a bit more.

 

It's a 2204 btw not a 2203, the 50w.

[Loobs]

 

Nice - that sounds like a great setup. Are you using the low input or the high input on the 2203? I had a 2204 and loved it, but I had to sell it since I missed channel switching on my 6100. That amp will always be my number 1.

 

 

High input.

[CiceroTJones]

 

I use a light OD/boost (timmy clone) into a OD (OCD clone) I have the OCD set at a medium gain, and the timmy at a very light breakup This gives me light od (timmy on) med OD (OCD on) and a higher gain (both on)

 

 

I do the opposite. OCD into Timmy. OCD as main dirt. Timmy as cleaner dirt for rounder chords. Both on for crunch.

I have done it Robo's way and really like it too, so definitely try both.

[Zooey]

I have a custom dual pedal with a Red Lllama clone first, LPB-1 clone second. It's pretty much perfect that way. You wouldn't want to fuzz the RL out any more than it is. It's plenty fuzzy enough.