Boost opinions wanted !! SHO v/s LPB v/s Micro Amp

[HOTTUBES]

Can anyone tell me the basic characteristics of the LPB sound / tone wise when used after an overdrive or light distortion.

i have used the SHO before , but i was wondering what the forum thought about the LPB circuit .

or

The Micro amp .....


I'm looking for a Clean boost capable of some good volume increase etc ...




Thanks

[Le québécois]

I have try LPB1 and Micro amp. I wasn't please with LPB it was noisy and did produce overdrive (not a clean boost IMHO). The Microamp with volume knob not exceeding 70% rotation will give you a clean and strong boost (perfect for solo). If you want only a clean boost you need to place it at the end of your signal chain. Microamp also color the sound a little bit (it somehow boost some mid/high frequency ±) let say it give more sparkle to your sound. I like it for what it do.

I don't know about SHO 

[chumbox]

The SHO is super loud and will add grit but also has the most harmonic sparkly IMO.  The LPB-1 is classic but noisy however I still keep one on my board because it's a tone to itself.  Haven't tried a Microamp.  If you like it on 11 get an SHO, it won't let you down.

[bluebunny]

I must say I wasn't overly taken by the LPB-1.  It was a bit too "warm" for me - too much bottom compared with other boosts.  If you're after "gritty boost" (?), then I'd recommend you look at Rick's "Superheated SHO" / "Red Dwarf": the "hot" setting is, well, quite hot, and "superheated" is completely insane.  Just my £0.02...

[texstrat]

Another to consider is ROG's Omega. I built this recently and was impressed.

[Ripthorn]

Another to consider is ROG's Omega. I built this recently and was impressed.

I built it and mine was very noisy.  Could have been something I did, but I put another circuit in the same enclosure with same power supply, etc., and it wasn't near as noisy even with comparable amounts of gain.

[texstrat]

Another to consider is ROG's Omega. I built this recently and was impressed.

I built it and mine was very noisy.  Could have been something I did, but I put another circuit in the same enclosure with same power supply, etc., and it wasn't near as noisy even with comparable amounts of gain.

Brian:

Once I realized that Q2, BS170, was turned the wrong way, the thing boosts very nicely and is absolutely quiet, and this is out of the enclosure. Check for possible cold joints and if you are using a BS170 for Q2, reverse direction.

[HOTTUBES]

Can the Micro Amps low end be modified easily ??
I have used the SHO before with good results , but i was just wondering about other circuits ...
Ya never know , there may be a better one for your needs .

[davent]

They're all pretty simple circuits with slightly different flavours so they take no time at all to whip up on the breadboard to sample them with your setup. Another to throw into the mix is the AMZ Mosfet Booster, has more body and less sparkle then a SHO but depending on the guitar or amp is just the thing. Really like the SHO and have breadboarded the Microamp and Omega and would like to eventually build both.

Take care,
dave

[Renegadrian]

LPB is usually a bit noisier and more focused on the middle-bass frequencies to my ears. altough is good it's not my fav.
SHO is good, better to my ears...it adds some sparkle and shine and it's also cleaner if not pushed at full throttle.
microamp I had no successful results with it, also the pot is known to work in an akward way. I suggest you to try the ic booster I have in my gallery - clean and full spectre boost.
my 2 euro cents.

http://www.jer00n.nl/

[Ben N]

For a very clean boost with tone control, I would look at the DOD FX-10, which makes very clever use of a dual opamp. I have one, but if I were DIYing it, this is also one which I would consider building with the at least part of the original switching intact, since it doesn't actually bypass, but rather switches to a nice buffer when it's "off." Lots of people (including me) use it as a solo boost for acoustics, so that tells you it's pretty clean. Not as much boost as the MXR, though.

[nascarbean_97]

From my experiences:
SHO: Sort of a clean boost, but more of a pre amp. Boosts everything, makes it sound *bigger* and easier to hear, and distorts, but sounds beautiful when it does distort. It's more of a "Transparent" Boost/overdrive than a "clean boost". Because of how transparent it is, does a good job of being in front of dirt.

LPB1: Brings up the bass and presence a bit, totally clean boost. When it's in front of my distortion, it just boosts volume, and gets my amp a little warm.

Micro amp: From what I've heard of it, only played through it once or twice, just gets your signal louder and restores some highs from cable capatince. Works great as a buffer because of this, in long signals. Would probably be great after dirt.

I feel the LPB-1 and SHO have more "personality" to them, but the micro amp would be best for boosting the volume.

[bluebunny]

I must say I wasn't overly taken by the LPB-1...

I'd handed over the LPB-1 I built to my tame guitarist to try out.  He likes it a lot.  Seems that the characteristics I didn't enjoy so much (boost across the board, including bass) are just what he wants!  I doubt I'll be seeing it again...   

[Gus]

This type of question has been posted about before at this site IIRC.

First define clean boost.
Keep in mind the interaction that happens with the guitar electronics and the cable and the input resistance and the high pass filter of the boost.
Some boosts add more distortion than others
Some boosts add more distortion as you turn up the gain
Some can have more noise
Some are fixed gain some are variable gain

So say you have a tube amp that is starting to distort and you want a little more input signal and you like the tone as it is now
I would build a boost that has a 1meg input resistance and a variable gain setup X1 on up, now you will need to add a cap to ground at the input of the boost if you use a shorter less capacitance cable from the guitar to boost to keep the interaction the same between the guitar and what it is connected to.  A jfet input opamp circuit with 1 meg input resistance would be something to try.

Version 2 of the NPN boost/beginner project.  A boost that has a changing EQ and distortion with gain
The parts to the left of input are a simple guitar cable section of the sim omit if you build it used to show the high end bump
Green is min gain about X2 inverting,  R5 and R10 are one 5K gain control