The Flynn Amps FET Booster is a booster pedal built for a straight volume lift that, in the maker's words, "won't colour your tone." Flynn Amps describes it as adding "valve like shimmer to the top frequencies" and calls it "great as a simple valve amp overdrive thanks" to its high output level boost, so it works both as a clean lift and as a way to push an amp harder1. It sits in the wider family of boost pedals, and players who want more drive from the same idea often pair it with overdrive pedals rather than distortion or fuzz pedals.
How the circuit works
Flynn Amps describes a two-stage design: "An ultra high impedence FET input section buffers the signal prior to boosting" so that detail is retained, and a conventional discrete transistor output stage then amplifies the signal3. The input stage is specified at over 3 megohm, an impedance high enough that the pedal barely loads the guitar's pickups3. That buffering role is why some players treat a booster as a front-of-chain buffer pedal as well as a volume lift.
Availability and price
Flynn Amps listed the FET Booster at £145.00 GBP1. The company builds it under its Custom Amplification banner1.
The pedal was listed at £145.00 GBP by Flynn Amps as of 20 February 20231.
The Rory Gallagher connection
Flynn Amps also builds a dedicated booster pedal, the Flynn Amps FET Booster. The pedal is listed in the UK at £ 145.00 GBP4.
Videos
Flynnamps
Questions
Is the Flynn Amps FET Booster true bypass?
Yes. Flynn Amps lists the FET Booster as a true bypass design, so when the pedal is off, the guitar signal passes straight through without loading or colouring the front end of your amp. That matters for a booster, which players often leave on a board permanently and kick in only for solos or to push an amp harder.
What is the input impedance of the Flynn Amps FET Booster?
Flynn Amps specifies a high impedance FET input stage of over 3 megohm. The maker says this ultra high impedance input section buffers the signal before boosting, so detail is retained. A buffer at the front of a pedal like this helps keep the guitar's top end intact, which is why some players also use boosters as a front-of-chain buffer.
Is the Flynn Amps FET Booster based on Rory Gallagher's booster?
Flynn Amps has a documented connection to Rory Gallagher's original Hawk booster: in March 2008 the company flew to London and, with Donal Gallagher, Tom O'Driscoll and Daniel Gallagher, photographed and measured every component on the original unit. That work sits behind the company's booster designs, including its Rory Gallagher Hawk Booster pedal.
Can the FET Booster push an amp into overdrive?
Yes, according to the maker. Flynn Amps describes the pedal as great as a simple valve amp overdrive thanks to its high output level boost, on top of the valve like shimmer it adds to the top frequencies. Used into an amp that is already breaking up, a high output booster like this is a common way to push it further into overdrive.
Sources (4)
- FET Booster, Flynn Amps, 2023-02-20
- Fet Booster, Flynn Amps, 2019-03-23
- FET Booster, Flynn Amps, 2019-04-02
- Rory Gallagher Hawk Booster, Flynn Amps
