The Burriss Boostiest 2.5 from Burriss Amps is an overdrive/boost pedal built around two independent sections, Overdrive and Boostier, housed in a single enclosure with a footswitch for each. Premier Guitar's reviewer called it "one of the best overdrive/boost pedals I've encountered," and found it notably transparent, enhancing and preserving the character of the amp it was driving rather than imposing its own voice1.
The 2.5 is an update of the discontinued Boostiest II: Premier Guitar reports it contains the same components as its predecessor but with a redesigned and streamlined internal PCB and simpler graphics, which brought the price down from $225 to $1751. The enclosure is rectangular with the two pedals side by side; Premier Guitar notes that if you twist it sideways it is not much wider than a standard Boss pedal, with the controls arranged across the top1.
The controls
Each section carries its own set of three knobs1:
| Section | Controls | What they do |
|---|---|---|
| Overdrive | Gain, Tone, Level | Standard overdrive arrangement; from 12 o'clock on the Gain control the character changes to what the reviewer describes as a very smooth overdrive that is liquid, yet articulate and responsive to dynamics1 |
| Boostier | Output, Highs, Input | The Input knob works as a gain control, and Burriss recommends you set it and forget it1 |
Delicious Audio's review adds that the right side is a fully adjustable clean gain pre-amp, and that when set in front of your amp's preamp, both sides can be used to drive it pretty hard2.
The circuit and signal path
The signal path goes through the Boostier section first, then to the Overdrive section, and both sections share the same circuit board1. The Boostier side gives approximately 20 dB of high-fidelity, clean boost, providing girth without significant tone change, and performs almost like a unity-gain buffer; the same reviewer called its transparency "a treat if you love the sound of your amp"1.
The left half of the pedal is a Tube Screamer-esque overdrive circuit, according to Delicious Audio's review2. Premier Guitar adds that the Overdrive side is inspired by the classic Ibanez TS808 circuit and even features the same JRC4558D chip; to the reviewer's ears the Burriss sounds thicker and has less of a mid hump than the original Tube Screamer1. For readers who want to see how that family of circuits is laid out, the runoffgroove.com technical analysis of the UBE Screamer describes the Tube Screamer topology as an input buffer feeding two paths, a distortion path and a clean path, mixed at the end through two series gain amps, a tone section, and an output buffer and mixer3.
"The Boostiest 2.5 is one of the best overdrive/boost pedals I've encountered."
How it was reviewed
Premier Guitar's reviewer tested the Boostiest 2.5 with an Ernie Ball Music Man Axis Sport using several amps: a Mesa/Boogie Lone Star Special head into a Marshall 1x12 cabinet, a Fender 1965 Deluxe Reverb, and an Ampeg SJ-12R1. Across that range the pedal struck the reviewer as notably transparent, preserving the character of each amp1. The verdict summed up the value plainly: "The fact that you get two pedals for the price of one is icing on the cake"1.
If you are weighing where a pedal like this fits on a board, it sits between a dedicated boost pedal and an overdrive pedal, combining both jobs in one box1.
Questions
Which section does the signal go through first on the Burriss Boostiest 2.5?
The signal path goes through the Boostier section first, then to the Overdrive section. Both sections share the same circuit board inside the single enclosure, so the boost stage sits ahead of the overdrive stage in the chain. That ordering matters if you use the Boostier to push the front end of the Overdrive side, or the other way around when stacking with an amp's preamp.
Is the Burriss Boostiest 2.5 true bypass?
Yes. According to Premier Guitar's review, the switches for both sections are true-bypass, so each footswitch takes its section fully out of the signal path when disengaged. With both sections off, the pedal should leave your core tone untouched, which matters on a board where the Boostier's transparency is part of the appeal.
How much clean boost does the Boostier section give?
Premier Guitar's reviewer put the Boostier side at approximately 20 dB of high-fidelity, clean boost, describing it as providing girth without significant tone change and noting it performs almost like a unity-gain buffer. The same reviewer called the section's transparency a treat if you love the sound of your amp.
What chip does the Boostiest 2.5 overdrive use?
The Overdrive side is inspired by the classic Ibanez TS808 circuit and features the same JRC4558D chip, according to Premier Guitar's review. The reviewer found it sounded thicker, with less of a mid hump, than the original Tube Screamer.
How does the Boostiest 2.5 differ from the Boostiest II?
Premier Guitar reports that the Boostiest 2.5 contains the same components as the discontinued Boostiest II, but with a redesigned and streamlined internal PCB and simpler graphics. That redesign brought the price down to $175, versus the Boostiest II's $225.
Can I use both sides of the Boostiest 2.5 at once?
Yes. The pedal houses two independent sections, Overdrive and Boostier, in one enclosure, each with its own footswitch and true-bypass switching. Delicious Audio's review notes that when set in front of your amp's preamp, both sides can be used to drive it pretty hard, and the right side works as a fully adjustable clean gain pre-amp.
Sources (3)
- Burriss Boostiest 2.5 Pedal Review, Premier Guitar, 2011-10-18
- Burriss Boostiest 2.5, Delicious Audio, 2012-03-27
- UBE Screamer, runoffgroove.com, 2006-08
