The Fettle Boost is a boost pedal from Champion Leccy, a small UK builder, designed around being left on. Champion Leccy's Woolly describes it as having "a great warmth whilst retaining a nice articulate response and a really tasteful cut and clarity," and says most players use it "as an always on preamp pedal to push they're amp." The maker also positions it as a treble boost, solo boost or distortion, so it reaches beyond a simple clean lift1. For where it sits on a board, it overlaps with the territory covered by preamp pedals as much as straight boosts.
How it works
The circuit is simple: two transistors. The first, always on gain stage is a JFET, and the second is similar to an LPB-1 style boost, the classic single transistor boost design. On the original Fettle Boost you turn that second gain stage on and off with a toggle switch named clart1.
At the top of its range the character changes. As Woolly puts it: "It gets super loud and fuzzy when you max it out, but it also keeps a lot of clarity in the body of the sound."1 That puts its upper reach closer to fuzz and distortion territory than a clean boost, though the warmth and articulation remain underneath.
History: from the Wee Fettle to the Fettle Boost
The circuit started life as the Wee Fettle Boost. Champion Leccy "originally crammed it into a 1590A enclosure and only made a handful, back in the days when everything was handpainted," before the company took its current form1. That early version has since been reworked into the Fettle Boost, which the maker describes as having "a great warmth whilst retaining a nice articulate response and a really tasteful cut and clarity"1.
By October 2020 the pedal had become the Fettle Boost in its current form, and Champion Leccy had "recently discontinued all of our other dirt and fuzz pedals," keeping the Fettle Boost as the lone regular production dirt pedal in the range1. On price, the maker's own account is that "the Fettle Boost actually dropped from $135 to $130 in 2020"2.
The Canny Fettle Boost
In November 2020 Champion Leccy announced an expanded version: "on the same day we are releasing the Kilter, we're also releasing the 'Canny' Fettle Boost," which the maker describes as a deluxe take on the original3. It was available from the end of November 20201. The expanded pedal has its own page here: Champion Leccy Canny Fettle Boost.
The main differences sit on the clart side:
- The clart side goes from clean boost through to mega distortion, with a three position dunsh switch: no dunsh, a bit of dunsh, full dunsh1
- The clart also has a high pass filter switch so you can tailor the sound to your own needs1
- The clart side now shares DNA with the discontinued Bloody Gett, and specifically the dunsh setting, having evolved beyond a simple LPB-1 style boost1
- Woolly's one caution: "Just be careful when you add the dunsh, because it is loud."1
The Canny Fettle Boost is a separate pedal, not a firmware or revision of the original. The original Fettle Boost keeps its toggle-switch clart, while the Canny moves that side to a switchable dunsh circuit with a high pass filter.
Champion Leccy also said at the time that it had "already started on a 'canny' version of another Champion Leccy pedal" planned for 2021, and that not every pedal would get an expanded version but it was always a possibility3.
Videos
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Working Class Music
Demos In The Dark
Questions
What is the difference between the Fettle Boost and the Canny Fettle Boost?
The Canny Fettle Boost is an expanded or deluxe version of the original Fettle Boost. On the Canny, the clart side goes from clean boost through to mega distortion with a three position dunsh switch (no dunsh, a bit of dunsh, full dunsh), and the clart also has a high pass filter switch so you can tailor the sound. Champion Leccy released it on the same day as the Kilter, Friday 27th November 2020.
What does the toggle switch on the Fettle Boost do?
On the original Fettle Boost, the toggle switch, named clart, turns the second gain stage on and off. The pedal is a two transistor circuit: the first, always on gain stage is a JFET, and the second is similar to an LPB-1 style boost. Flipping the toggle brings that second stage into play for more gain.
Is the Champion Leccy Fettle Boost still in production?
As of October 2020, Champion Leccy had discontinued all of its other dirt and fuzz pedals but kept the Fettle Boost as a regular production pedal. The maker asked itself why continue with the Fettle Boost, and the answer was that it stayed in the range while the rest of the dirt and fuzz line was dropped.
What was the Wee Fettle Boost?
The Wee Fettle Boost was the original version of the circuit, crammed into a 1590A enclosure with only a handful made, back in the days when everything was handpainted and before Champion Leccy as it exists now. Two Wee Fettle Boosts in one enclosure made up the Evil Twin, a double boost, distortion and fuzz pedal reviewed by Pedal of the Day in 2017.
Can the Fettle Boost be left on all the time as a preamp?
Yes. Champion Leccy says most people use the Fettle Boost as an always on preamp pedal to push their amp. The maker also describes it as usable as a treble boost, solo boost or distortion, so it covers a range of roles beyond a simple clean lift.
Sources (3)
- The Fettle Boost Vs. The Canny Fettle Boost, Champion Leccy, 2020-10-23
- The price, costs and value of pedals… …oh and flippers too., Champion Leccy, 2021-01-01
- The Kilter, Champion Leccy, 2020-11-17
