The Big Tone Music Brewery Quadboost is a pedal that combines four of the most popular boost circuits into a single stompbox: germanium, silicon, MOSFET and JFET boosts, with a 2-band EQ to create sculpted boosts1. It was released in 2014 and builds upon the company's earlier Triboost, adding a fourth circuit to the formula1. For a player, it means four different flavors of clean and colored boost, plus tone shaping, without four separate pedals on the board.
The four boost circuits
Each of the Quadboost's four circuits has its own character and, in three cases, a well-known circuit behind it1:
| Circuit | Based on | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Germanium boost | Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster | New-old-stock European-made germanium transistor for a bit of grit1 |
| Silicon boost | Described as similar to the Electro-Harmonix LPB-1 | Punchy, excelling at boosting lower frequencies1 |
| MOSFET boost | A take on Zvex's Super Hard On | 1 |
| JFET boost | Keeley Katana | Described as "ultra-clean"1 |
The germanium circuit is the one that uses a germanium transistor, and it leans on the Rangemaster lineage that treble boost players know. The silicon side is the punchy one, described as similar to the Electro-Harmonix LPB-1 while excelling at boosting lower frequencies1. The MOSFET boost draws on Zvex's Super Hard On, and the JFET boost, based on the Keeley Katana, is the cleanest of the four1.
The 2-band Baxandall EQ
Alongside the four circuits, the Quadboost carries a 2-band Baxandall EQ, a treble and bass control arrangement that lets you turn the effects into a treble boost, a bass boost, or even a mid boost, which is created by turning the treble and bass knobs down1. Leaving the controls at noon creates a linear boost, with no frequency shaping applied1. That makes the EQ useful both for tailoring a single circuit and for turning any of the four boosts into a mid-focused push into an amp or drive pedal.
Power
The Quadboost runs on a 9-volt power supply or a battery1, so it can sit on a pedalboard supply or run standalone on battery power.
The Quadboost and the Triboost
The Quadboost is an expansion of Big Tone Music Brewery's Triboost: it builds upon that pedal by adding a fourth boost circuit, so the Quadboost carries germanium, silicon, MOSFET and JFET boosts where the Triboost carried three1. Players deciding between the two are choosing between three and four boost types in the same single-stompbox format.
Questions
Does the Quadboost run on a battery?
Yes. According to Guitar Interactive Magazine, the Quadboost runs on a 9-volt power supply or a battery, so it can be used either on a pedalboard power supply or on battery power when a supply is not available.
What does the Quadboost's EQ do at noon?
The Quadboost has a 2-band Baxandall EQ with treble and bass controls. Leaving the controls at noon creates a linear boost, meaning the EQ neither cuts nor boosts the frequency bands and the pedal passes your guitar's tone through unchanged.
Which boost in the Quadboost uses a germanium transistor?
The germanium boost uses a new-old-stock European-made germanium transistor, which Guitar Interactive Magazine says gives it a bit of grit. That circuit is based on the Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster.
Can the Quadboost work as a mid boost?
Yes. The 2-band Baxandall EQ lets you turn the pedal into a treble boost, a bass boost, or even a mid boost, which is created by turning the treble and bass knobs down.
How does the Quadboost differ from the Triboost?
The Quadboost builds upon Big Tone Music Brewery's earlier Triboost, adding a fourth boost circuit. Where the Triboost offered three boost types, the Quadboost combines germanium, silicon, MOSFET and JFET boosts in a single stompbox.
Sources (1)
- Big Tone Music Brewery Releases Quadboost Pedal, Guitar Interactive Magazine, 2014-04-29
