RC Booster and Bad Bob Booster shoot out

[Big Lug]

Has anyone had the opportunity to compare the Bad Bob and RC boosters?

With 3 more knobs than the BB I'm curious as to what the RC is more capable of (if at all).

Thanks in advance.

[kp8]

Originally Posted by Big Lug

Has anyone had the opportunity to compare the Bad Bob and RC boosters?

With 3 more knobs than the BB I'm curious as to what the RC is more capable of (if at all).

Thanks in advance.

a very wise man once asked:

if it is really transparent (that is flat eq-wise) then why would you need more than a gain knob?

In any case.... i haven't had an RC booster to examine extensively in my own home... so if your reaction is to say "bugger off", that's ligit.. but the Bad Bob is just the cat's meow... I just can't imagine what all the RC booster is giving you that the Bob ain't at twice the getus and all the extra knobs and stuff. Just seems unnecessary (YMMV, etc)

I could be wrong, but struggle to imagine any boost getting much better than the bob. The bob is affordable, does one thing and does it really well, is clean, super quality build and fits on your pedal board nicely.

I try to keep an open mind.. but it is hard in this case as i have just been abslutely knocked out by the Bob.

Even with the boost cranked up past 12 o'clock the noise floor stays nearly the same.

It's EQ is pretty neutral, though it will add some grit to your signal (it isn't 100% clean in that sense) and seems to add some thing that, for lack of a better term, i have also been calling 'presence' (Mike's term really) ... NOt sure if it is compressing slighty or expanding ... or as Mike so wisely suggest, really filtering, while still creating the impression of being neutral in color.. i don't know for sure... i only know that i really love it and find that it is for me. Tele --> Bob --> cranked Champ or P-ton is really wonderful. It is also working great in front of another OD or boost for more hair.

Sorry if this is turning into another bad bob love fest, but i just got my very own last week and am deeply impressed by it.

Please let us know if you get your hands on an RC boost and can compare.

cheers,

kevin

[kp8]

however.... i see that the folks who make the RC booster ave just unveiled a dual boost at NAMM... so perhaps that complicates your choice.

[ruger9]

Originally Posted by kp8

a very wise man once asked:

Here's the answer: you need control over the bass & treble frequency when you change volumes. Ever noticed than when you turn an amp down (say to practice at home) you have to increase the bass, treble, presence to get a "similar" sound to the amp cranked? As volume goes down, so does bass & treble. And vica-versa. The RC Booster allows you to tailor this at the pedal instead of at the amp. I don't think there ARE ANY "true flat-EQ" pedals; I don't think it's possible to make one. Now I've never played a Bad Bob, and know nothing about it other than alot of people love it. Alot of people love the RC too (I do.) Is the Bad Bob capapble of adding any grit to the signal (withour adding loads of voulme)? The RC can, with it's drive knob. With the drive knob cranked, and my amp at "home" levels, the RC can add just that touch of "hair around the notes" that cranking the amp does. I must say, with all the ODs/boosts I've been thru, the RC has been one of the most impressive. And even tho I don't use it all that much (with the music I play usually), it's still in my signal chain & I'm probably never selling it: it just does what it does SO well.

[Nub]

Although I love my Bad Bob, and will never get rid of it, I can see why some guys would need the extra flexability of the RC Booster. For me, the less knobs, the better!

Check out the great demo videos of the RC and AC Boosters here, especially the Josh Smith clips... what a monster picker!

http://www.prosoundcommunications.co...deo/index.html

[kp8]

Originally Posted by ruger9

Here's the answer: you need control over the bass & treble frequency when you change volumes.

well, YM did V then hee hee.

Though the Bad Bob has over 20dB of gain, I am typically only asking for about 6~8db of boost. Under those circumstances, i hear little or no change across the spectrum and have no need for any Eq adjust. Perhaps there is something going on Eq wise when you step on the pedal (i''ll have to test it with some white noise and a spectrum analyzer), but whatever it is or is not doing is working for me just fine.

So i couldn't see paying for the RC. I got what i needed for just over $100... (in fact i got mine used for $65) why pay nearly $200 for functionality i didn't need. I am only relating my personal experience here and as usual it is just naked ear empirical experience, so take it with however many grains of salt you want.

But i am *very* happy with the Bad Bob at almost 1/2 the price.

That said, your point is well taken and I have no doubt the Xotic RC Booster is a great pedal. All those users cant be wrong.

-kp8--

[rcrecelius]

I ordered a Bad Bob but when I found out they were backordered I opted for an RC Booster instead so I could get it sooner. I really like the RC, I use it with DR Z Z28. I have the gain @ 12oclock, treble about 1-2oclock, bass 11oclock and volume usually maxed...I turn it on and leave it on then use the guitars volume to get clean/dirty. It works really well for what I need.

Id still like to get a Bad Bob inthe future and compare the two.

[tonfarbe]

First of all, I never had a Bad Bob - so I can't commend on this pedal.
The RC Booster is the best pedal I ever had - period.

Besides the obvious clean boost function, the RC gives you the possibility to dial in some dirt with the Drive knob.
To get this kind of sound with a one-knob booster pedal, you have to push the input of the amp r-e-a-l-l-y hard.
With the RC Booster you can get the sound of a wide crancked tube amp at "home practice" level.

The Bass and Treble controls are magic. I once had a Weber 10F150T in my VibroChamp which sounded very "dumb":
middy, flat bass, extremely pronounced mids and flat, lifeless highs.
Even the old 8" speaker in my other VibroChamp produced a "rounder" sound.
Later I replaced the Weber with a 4 Ohm Jensen P10R and the VC now sounds how it should - like a VC with a bigger speaker.
But until then, with the Bass and Treble control of the RC Booster, I could compensate the tonal weakness of the Weber
so that it sounded much bigger and produced a strong, thumbing bass, scooped mids and shimmering highs - almost like a 12" Jensen.

This may sound like a bigmouth's tale, but as a composer and producer of soundtracks for companies like BMW and MINI, I have very high
standards when it comes to "tone". I first couldn't believe how small and middy this Weber speaker sounded in my VibroChamp,
so I consulted my amp tech (who does the amp-service for the Traynor tube amps over here in Europe) and we did
exhausting test runs between my unmodded VC, the 10" Weber VC, my Blackface Princeton Reverb and a Traynor YCV20.

He was shocked - both about the "sound" of the Weber [Note: In this particular amp ! It may sound perfect in another amp,
so please don't take this as a Weber bashing from my side] and about the tonal capabilities of the RC Booster.

Are the Drive and EQ controls worth the extra money?
I don't know, but if I could keep just one pedal, it would be the RC Booster.

[John Harrison]

I've had both and they're both wonderful. The Bad Bob is simpler, but does what it does extremely well. For my money, I just sound better through it and found myself leaving it on, all the time.
The RC Boost has the benefit of additional tone controls (that being said, I set it and forget it) and is, to my ears, a bit more "transparent".
Honestly, you'll be happy with either. You'll be even happier with both!

[Mike Rice]

I know I don't spend as much time here as on the main page, so for those who don't know me understand that any sarcasm is entirely good natured. I tend to be a very open person who quickly gets comfy, so I hope that doesn't come across as snooty. Having said that...

Comparing a Bad Bob to an RC Booster is like comparing a Voodoo Lab Chorus to a Fulltone ChoralFlange and then deducing that the Voodoo Lab pedal doesn't do flange effects nearly as well. Now, if the shootout were Bad Bob vs. RC Boster as a boost pedal that would add some legitimacy. The RC Booster does more stuff, so the question becomes do you need that stuff? For me the greater price isn't measured in dollars, but in complexity. That doesn't mean the RC is complex, just that it's not as simple and straightforward as the BB. The BB is sufficient for me so I save on both fronts.

Don't bring a knife to a gunfight, but don't build a Jungle Gym when all your kid wanted was an old tire hanging from a tree branch.

[Big Lug]

Originally Posted by Mike Rice

Now, if the shootout were Bad Bob vs. RC Boster as a boost pedal that would add some legitimacy.

Oh................Kay................

Let's see if me and the rest of the guys on this thread somehow didn't get it straight.

Bad Bob--a booster. RC--a booster.
Bad Bob--one knob. RC--4 knobs

Gee, I WONDER what the difference--sonically--is between the two?

Hmm...upon further reflection...perhaps my question is indeed a bit confusing and misleading.

My apologies to all those who responded. I inadvertently set you up to make, as someone has brought to my attention, a "flawed comparison." Again, my apologies (well, we Canadians are known to be excessively apologetic; sorry about that too ).

[Mike Rice]

Originally Posted by Big Lug

Let's see if me and the rest of the guys on this thread somehow didn't get it straight.

Bad Bob--a booster. RC--a booster.
Bad Bob--one knob. RC--4 knobs

Gee, I WONDER what the difference--sonically--is between the two?

Hmm...upon further reflection...perhaps my question is indeed a bit confusing and misleading.

My apologies to all those who responded. I inadvertently set you up to make, as someone has brought to my attention, a "flawed comparison." Again, my apologies (well, we Canadians are known to be excessively apologetic; sorry about that too ).

Here's what you didn't get straight:

The Bad Bob is promoted as a boost pedal. That's it.

The Xotic RC Booster is promoted as a Gain Boost and active Bass and Treble boost. It has 3 additional knobs to provide functions that the Bad Bob doesn't claim to provide. To compare the two pedals as peers is not a valid comparison as the pedals don't claim to provide the same function. Seems fairly straightforward to me.

I merely pointed out that if someone were to ask "hey, how does the RC Booster stack up against the Bad Bob strictly as a boost pedal", this might provide for a bit more of a useful comparison.That was the entire thrust of my post and I stand by every word.

Be careful about representing your point of view as that of "the rest of the guys on this thread". None of us have that luxury.

I guess I'm sorry too...for trying to help. Yikes!

[Big Lug]

Originally Posted by Mike Rice

Be careful about representing your point of view as that of "the rest of the guys on this thread". None of us have that luxury.

I was refering to all of the individuals who responded to my original question. They didn't seem to have a problem making some sort of comparison/comment about one or both of these pedals.

I might be wrong, and by no means am I trying to speak for everyone else, but I suspect most people think of the RC as simply a booster pedal. In every thread I've read about it it is described as a booster.

Having said that, I'm not too "stuck in my ways" to accept a different viewpoint. Not just a booster pedal? OK. Appreciate the information.

Oh, one last thing.

Originally Posted by Mike Rice

so for those who don't know me understand that any sarcasm is entirely good natured.

Ditto

[Mike Rice]

Originally Posted by Big Lug

Having said that, I'm not too "stuck in my ways" to accept a different viewpoint. Not just a booster pedal? OK. Appreciate the information.

Oh, one last thing.

Ditto

OK, then I'm sending you a big wet Hudson Valley kiss to make up!! :o And I'll switch to decaf for the rest of the day!

The RC Booster has a volume knob, as does the Bob, but it also has a Gain control and literature I've seen on it talks about this being a Gain Boost control. I've never peeked under its skirt, but I have to assume that it has some sort of op amp like an OD box. And the Treble and Bass controls are not simply attenuators like guitar controls, but active EQ controls effectively making the Xotic a treble and bass boost as well.

I would have to assume that such an advanced box would have "flat" settings that would indeed allow you to tweak the volume control and use this as a simple boost pedal. But then you're probably better off with a simple boost pedal unless the other functions are something you just need occasionally.

So many pedals, so little time...and money.

[jjh37854]

yes there is a flat setting for the terble and bass boost

these EQ controls are really helpful, I for one like a little more treble when I am not boosted, then I cut it a little (depending on how bright the room is) for the leads to prevent any icepick. Also allows you to cut the bass a bit for a tighter sound.

And the gain setting is really nice, especially for a non master volume type like me, allows you to realy push the tone.

b.t.w. I have not used the Bob Booster, but have used various one or 2 know "clean boosts" LPB-1, and some other botuiqe ones, and the flexibility of the RC puts it head and shoulders above the rest IMNSHO.

jesse

[Big Lug]

Originally Posted by Mike Rice

OK, then I'm sending you a big wet Hudson Valley kiss to make up!! :o And I'll switch to decaf for the rest of the day!

Aw shucks, ya got me all flustered.

Seriously, I appreciate the info on the RC. Obviously, a somewhat different animal than the BB.

I'm familiar with the BB--I own one and like it a lot--but I keep on hearing so many positive reviews about the RC that it tweaked my GAS.

As you said, so many pedals, so little time.

[Mike Rice]

As much as I love the BB and especially my Double Barrel Boost (2 BBs in one box), I'm always on the lookout for stuff to try. I just really enjoy playing in the sandbox, and pedals are particularly cool for this. Since I end up selling most of them I have to wait and get them used (read cheap) so I don't take a bath on them. Doing this keeps it a funny and affordable hobby.

I've been very interested in boxes similar to the RC Booster, but definitely without the tone controls, let alone active tone controls. I understand that's my personal obsession, but I love the tone from my Teles and Vibrolux Reverbs and don't want anything mucking with it. What' I've been intrigued by are the pedals that have boost and gain, but controlled by 2 different switches. Problem is many of these have TS clones on the OD side and I don't care for that sound in the least.

I'd love to try the Tophat Wonderboy; boost on one side and OD on the other. But the OD side uses a 2 stage mosfet instead of an op amp arrangement so it should be both transparent and void of the TS mid hump. I let one get away used on H-C just because I had some other bills coming due that week.

The Lovepedal Twin 60 is more like the Double Bob I'm using and is too bright and sterile sounding for me. I didn't care for the Super Duper 2 in 1 much more. Neither had the warmer, almost tubey character of the BB.

Well, Nirvana is out there somewhere once I've tried every boost and OD pedal and have acheived the evolution of the boosted consciousness. Any other lesser known pedals out there like the Wonderboy that folks would like to throw in the mix??

[TELEJACKER]

What about the Seymoure Duncan SFX-01 Signal Booster? Would that do the same thing? I have no experience with any signal boosters other than what you can get from an EQ pedal, so I don't have a foot in either camp here. But I saw one of the SD pedals at the local music store a while back and wanted to try it, but never did. Last night i did an Ebay search for booster pedals and a ton of different brands and models came back. What is the big difference? Not being sarchastic, just uninformed on booster pedals.

[Mike Rice]

Originally Posted by TELEJACKER

What about the Seymoure Duncan SFX-01 Signal Booster?

Every once in awhile these come up cheap on Harmony-Central, since they're pretty affordable even when new. Next time I think I'll have to jump on one just to play around with it. Although I've tried Duncan pickups that I didn't love, I've never actually been disappointed with any product. They seem to be a consistently high quality company, so it's probably worth a spin.

[Kelsey]

I have a Bad Bob and I've tried several other boost pedals, looking to supplement it. The SD pickup booster was nice but a little sterile. I thought that a locally made LPB-1 spin-off sounded much livelier and more complex.

The Bad Bob is indeed pretty transparent, but I definitely hear some added high end presence. That is really nice for the neck pickup and to maintain a lively sound when you roll back on the volume at the guitar, but sometimes it adds a bit too much high end for the bridge pickup. That's where my search for a second boost pedal comes in. My FD2 in comp cut mode (or the other modes for that matter) works very well with Fender bridge pickups. I also just invested in a Damage Control Womanizer, and it can deliver a really nice full range boost with variable compression available, as well as active EQ. It sounds great, and the features and direct out recording capability justify the price.

There are two other boost pedals that I find intriguing, but they are pretty pricey, too: The Durham Electronics Sexdrive and Mucho Boosto. I think one or the other of those would be a great complement to the BB. I could see using the BB for neck pickup leads and/or an end-of-chain boost, and the Sexdrive or Mucho Boosto for bridge pickup work.

[tomtheguitarguy]

Originally Posted by TELEJACKER

What about the Seymoure Duncan SFX-01 Signal Booster?

I actually tried one of those through an effects loop of an old amp I had (before I went to Dr. Zs) and it worked great as a boost - gave me that nice volume bump w/o affecting the eq or pre-amp od.

Hope this helps.

tomtheguitarguy

[Mike Rice]

Originally Posted by Kelsey

The Bad Bob is indeed pretty transparent, but I definitely hear some added high end presence.

I've always talked about an added presence and clarity with the Bad Bob, but I find this to be true not just in the high end but definitely in the mids and even low end to some degree. The whole spectrum just seems to get a little tweak and a little clarity.

Having said that I'd have to admit that if there is a little peak on the high end that may work well for me as my 2 main Teles use a Nocater bridge PU (A3 mag) and a Duncan Donahue (A2 mag) which tend to be a little darker and mellower than an A5 pickup, all other things being equal.

[Mike D.]

I like my Bad Bob and it is staying on my board. I set the level at 10:00 o'clock and it gives the perfect amount of boost. It is the last thing in my signal chain before the delay which is a Boss DD-20.

[Kelsey]

Originally Posted by Mike Rice

Having said that I'd have to admit that if there is a little peak on the high end that may work well for me as my 2 main Teles use a Nocater bridge PU (A3 mag) and a Duncan Donahue (A2 mag) which tend to be a little darker and mellower than an A5 pickup, all other things being equal.

I also use a Nocaster lead and a JD lead, as well as a couple of Antiquity I flatpoles. The only A5 pickup I use is a Duncan STL-2 Hot lead, which is overwound to tame the high end. Now, all of my Teles have chrome-plated brass bridges and stainless steel saddles, so that may push them toward the bright side. Anyway, I like what the Bad Bob does, but I also like having another boost/OD option that tempers the high end when using the bridge pickup.