Cicognani SexyBoost2

The Cicognani SexyBoost2 is an analog, tube-driven boost pedal from Italy's Cicognani Engineering, hand-made in Italy¹ and designed by Guglielmo Cicognani, known to the company's followers as "The Guru"¹². Its circuit is centered around a 12AU7 preamp tube².

Godlyke describes the pedal's purpose as "a transparent signal BOOST to enlarge your sound for fat rhythms and to increase your volume for searing solos," positioning it for pushing the front end of a tube amp or lifting solos above the band¹. The circuit is centered around a 12AU7 preamp tube, which the announcement press release says "provides maximum headroom and transparency"³.

A tube-driven clean boost and mid boost in one box

The two channels serve different jobs. The Clean Boost channel covers a gain range of -30 dB to +10 dB, which Godlyke describes as suited to a thick, full-frequency rhythm sound¹³. The Mid Boost channel covers -30 dB to +8 dB and works a narrow band of the spectrum instead: its Q is centered at 1000 Hz, with a range from 800 Hz to 1200 Hz¹³. In practice that means the clean channel lifts the whole signal, while the mid channel pushes the frequencies where a guitar cuts through, the region many players associate with solo presence.

The left footswitch alternates between the two boost types, and a second footswitch handles boost and bypass⁵². Delicious Audio notes that because each channel has its own knob, the pedal effectively gives you three volume presets to vary your dynamics: clean boost, mid boost, and bypass⁵.

The pedal is built into a die-cast metal housing covered with a panel of clear plexiglass, with the tube visible under a triangular plexiglass cover, so the glowing 12AU7 is part of the look². GuitarPlayer's review measured the unit at approximately 5.5 x 4.5 x 1.25 inches, weighing a little under a pound².

The controls: two boost knobs, Cut and three LEDs

The front panel keeps things simple: a Clean boost knob, a Mid boost knob, and a global Cut knob². Each boost knob can boost or cut up to 30 dB, which is what makes the three-preset scheme work, since you can set the two channels at different levels and jump between them⁵.

The Cut control is global rather than per-channel. Guitar World describes the third knob as cutting the signal's treble and bass frequencies⁴, and a review found it "trims highs as you turn it clockwise"². That makes it a tone-shaping tool for taming brightness when the pedal is driving an amp hard, in the same spirit as the tone trimmers on many overdrive pedals.

Three LEDs show where you are at a glance: green indicates clean boost is active, red indicates mid boost, and blue indicates bypass².

Power and the tube question

Power is supplied by a 12-volt DC adapter rated at a minimum of 250mA, and the adapter is not included with the pedal². That means the SexyBoost2 needs its own 12V output or adapter on a board rather than sharing a supply with the rest of a pedalboard.

On the tube itself, the sources agree. Guitar World's announcement describes the circuit as "centered around a 12AU7 preamp tube"⁴²¹, and GuitarPlayer's review gives the same tube with its European equivalent designation, describing a circuit "centered around a 12AU7/ECC82 preamp tube"²⁴. Either way, the boost comes from a single 12AU7, also known as the ECC82.

Where it came from and what reviewers said

Cicognani Engineering announced the SexyBoost2 with a US street price of $279³⁴. Designed by Guglielmo Cicognani, known as "The Guru"³, it is an analog, tube-driven pedal centered around a 12AU7/ECC82 preamp tube³²⁴.

GuitarPlayer's Art Thompson reviewed it in January 2022 and came away positive about its core job²:

Art Thompson, GuitarPlayer, January 2022²

His verdict points at the pedal's main use case: rather than adding distortion of its own, it pushes an amp's overdrive harder while the tube circuit keeps headroom and touch response intact, the same role a clean boost plays in many signal chains².

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