The AboveGroundFX Tone Control Booster is a boost pedal with built-in tone shaping from AboveGroundFX. It provides +15dB to 18dB of boost within the audio spectrum, and instead of a parametric EQ it uses a Shelving Control Filter, giving the player Top, Bottom and Volume controls. Pedal of the Day's reviewer described the pedal as "incredibly amp-like in its tonal quality and feel"1.
How it works
The pedal is built around a discrete, two-transistor circuit, which the reviewer credited for its amp-like character1. The tone side uses shelving filters rather than the parametric variety more common in pedals: the Top and Bottom controls lift or cut the extremes of the spectrum, while Volume sets the overall boost level. The reviewer called the three controls "a cinch to use"1.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day reviewed the pedal in October 2019 and returned to it in a later piece on the maker's Rebote Delay, calling the Tone Control Booster "a nice surprise of a pedal, very amp-like and responsive" and noting that this character "can sometimes be hard to find in pedals around its price point"21.
Availability
At the time of the 2019 review, AboveGroundFX pedals were available at Vintage King, and the reviewer noted there were "still a few left out there to snatch up", with the maker's pedals priced at less than $1001. Players interested in the pedal's shelving-EQ approach may also find it useful to compare it with dedicated equalization pedals and preamp pedals.
Videos
Vintage King
Juanjo Gómez
Pedal of the Day
Sources (2)
- AboveGroundFX Tone Control Booster, Pedal of the Day, 2019-10-10
- AboveGroundFX Rebote Delay, Pedal of the Day, 2020-02-04
