EP-booster vs. MXR micro amp (allways on) into Vox style amp?

Been fishing for advice on booster myself lol... from youtube vids the EP Boosters sounds ''drier'' and somewhat ''mask'' the amp, while the MXR sounds so ''organic'' and ''behind'' the amp

Advice please?

 

Why ?
What sound are you hoping to achieve ?

It seems slightly unorthodox (which isn't a bad thing) to have a small solid state amplifier permanently on, into an AC30.

 

Micro Amp is tried and true, adds a little sparkle to your signal.

 

I haven’t compared both.
I own an Mxr micro amp and I think it’s a great pedal.
Built like a tank and boosts as it should.
I also use a boost last but not always on.
I kick it in for solos.

 

I have used an EP Booster—albeit not through my own rig—and I thought it worked really well.

I have two MXR Micro Amp pedals. I absolutely love them, and have used them through a few different amps.

I can wholeheartedly recommend the Micro Amp.

Your English is just fine—no need for apology!

 

I’ve used the EP and the TC Spark. I like them both. Prefer the EP. I have not tried the MXR. I had an AC10. I liked the EP with it better than the Spark.

jh

 

I own both. The EP is always on right at the start of my chain & the MXR is at the end and I kick it on for a solo boost.

 

I have had an EP-boost for years, and love it. While I have not tried the MXR Micro-Amp, the above description does not fit my experience with the EP, at all. In fact, it almost quite the opposite. The EP does not "mask", or color, anything. It adds a great. clean boost, and an almost undefineable extra bit of presence (for lack of a better description), to your tone. It's almost like a Breathe-Rite strip for your amp. The notes have the slightest bit more depth to them, and the sound is just a little...fuller, maybe?

Great, great, little pedal. Outstanding for boosting a smaller wattage amp, and great to kick on and jump out of the mix a bit for solo work.

- Bob

 

30+ years gigging with an MXR microamp. Just adds more of the good stuff and a bit of sparkle. Great to boost my crunch channels for more dirt too.

if you get the rubber knob cover, you can adjust it mid tune with the side of your foot.

if i was buying new, a tone control (like the mxr microamp+ or MXR mini booster) could be useful to get more warmth out of single coils, but tbh, the guitar tone control does that fine.

 

The EP has more bass if that's any help.Less w the Micro amp which brings in some highs too.
Ive modded the Micro amp for an even more straight boost going up the volume.
The TC Spark which i also use is not nearly as nice but is very useful in shaping your signal. That extra bass w tge EP might not be an issue if it's always on and you turn the amp's bass control down.
I really like the Micro amp.There is also a Micro amp+ w bass/treble controls.I would take that over the TC Spark any day..
And if you talk boosts, one cannot forget the RC..

 

the problem there is that you actually scoop your sound io putting in some mids to lift the signal f a solo.
I actually really like the Spark at the end to do just that.

 

Yah this.. sometimes I don't really see the point of leaving something like this on all the time, what is it doing that you can't do with the controls on the amp + guitar + pickup adjustment?

By leaving it on all the time you lose the ability to turn it on to do something different than the base sound.

Does this just mean it's the wrong amp when people do this?

I've been thinking about this with some of my own pedals recently.. if I end up playing with the volume knob on the guitar turned down a lot of the time it becomes an exercise of what's the point with respect to having the pedal on. Whether it's a boost or the compressor it seems they don't do nearly as much as if you leave the guitar on 10 all the time. If the guitar volume is on 6-7 and the boost is always on how different is it than just ditching the boost & turning the guitar up to 8-9 and/or fiddling with a tone knob or the amp EQ. Whereas if you start with the base tone and then kick on the pedal on when the guitar is maxed out you're clearly going somewhere you can't go without the pedal.

I recognize we all go in circles on all this stuff of course.

 

I've had both.
-The EP Booster adds a touch of compression. In fact, my understanding is the "EP" stands for Echoplex, which were noted for a bit of compression, before there was a a compression pedal. And thus the EP Booster was invented for those that liked that sound.
-The Micro Amp is pure clean boost BUT it does add a touch of "Bright". Readily compensated with the treble pot on the amp.

Not sure which is best for the AC30. Aren't those pretty bright amps? If that's so maybe a touch of compression would be good..? But my go-to, back when I wanted a clean boost, was the MXR.
Eventually I went to a Barber Gain Changer. It add s a bit of fidelity to the tone as a minimal boost. But also can be a clean-ish OD or bumped all the way to gnarly.

 

Thank you, and everyone else. It does, in my mental picture, reshape the tone of the guitar to become too ''symmetrical''?.

Be great to also hear experience from those using darker sounding amps and the boosts they are using to brighten their sound?

 

if its gonna be mxr let it be this CLEAN boost

 

the EP has 2 internal dip switches, one of which removes lower mid hump and makes it a clean boost

the other switch adds 3 db to the minimum setting

 

I use a Danelectro Billion Dollar Boost into the normal channel of my AC15. It compliments the amp really well. The 2 band eq is quite versatile. Best $50 I ever spent