The Simon Neil Booooom / Blast is a combined overdrive and fuzz pedal made in the UK by Gone Fishing Effects, the operation run by Biffy Clyro's longtime guitar tech Richard "Churd" Pratt. It houses two separate circuits in one box: Booooom, a thick, aggressive germanium diode overdrive, and Blast, a wild transistor fuzz. Each side has its own true-bypass footswitch, and the first batch of 200 enclosures was hand-painted and signed by Simon Neil himself, with cosmetics echoing the artwork from Biffy Clyro's 2020 album A Celebration Of Endings1.
The pedal came out of a collaboration between Pratt and the Biffy Clyro frontman, and it was named after Booooom, Blast & Ruin, a song from the band's 2009 album Only Revolutions1. Neil's brief for the project was characteristically blunt:
"it had to be the loudest pedal we can make! It had to have less knobs, be loads of fun and should give people a bit of a fright"
Two pedals in one: germanium overdrive and transistor fuzz
The Booooom / Blast is genuinely two pedals in one box, as Neil himself described it3. The Booooom side is a germanium diode overdrive whose asymmetrical clipping generates what the Guitar.com reviewer called a gritty and very amp-like roar1. The Blast side is a transistor fuzz, and the two circuits can be used together or one at a time.
Each side keeps its controls minimal, in line with Neil's "less knobs" brief1:
| Side | Control | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Booooom | Stink | Gain |
| Booooom | Jaggy | Tone |
| Booooom | Bang | Output level |
| Blast | Syrup | Gain |
| Blast | Stress | Output level |
The Blast side has no tone control at all, just gain and output level1.
Routing is flexible. The pedal has independent input and output jacks for each side of the effect, so you can split the two circuits onto separate paths or into an external pedal switching system. If you are not using a switcher, the two sides are internally combined1. Dual blue LEDs glow dimly when the effect is bypassed and brightly when it is engaged, so you can see the pedal's state on a dark stage1.
The Booooom / Blast runs on 9V DC mains power only. There is no battery option, so you will need a power supply on your board.
Made with Simon Neil and named after a Biffy Clyro song
Simon Neil, frontman of Biffy Clyro, launched the pedal as his signature model2. The design work fell to Richard "Churd" Pratt, Biffy Clyro's longtime guitar tech, who collaborated with Neil on the circuit1. The unit took its name from Booooom, Blast & Ruin, from the band's 2009 album Only Revolutions1.
The first batch of 200 pedals sold out via the Biffy Clyro webstore, with Pratt making more to meet demand1.
What reviewers said
Guitar.com's review, by Ed Oleszko, gave the pedal a rating of 9, with the verdict1:
"Gigantic overdrive and fuzz tones suitable for setting moshpits alight."
On the overdrive side, the reviewer found the Booooom "extremely touch-sensitive, it responds to picking-hand dynamics much like an old tweed amp", and noted that it "pulls off that rare trick of making your core tone sound bigger when engaged"1. The jaggy tone control earned praise too, with "an impressively full sweep from dark to stinging"1.
The Blast side delivered "a colossal 60s fuzz tone that morphs into joyous square wave fuzz with infinite sustain at a twist of the 'syrup' control"1. The pedal also made Guitar.com's Best Premium Effects Pedals feature for 20214.
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Questions
Is the Booooom / Blast true bypass?
Yes. Both effects are activated by independent true-bypass footswitches, so each side of the pedal can be switched in and out without colouring your bypassed tone. Dual blue LEDs glow dimly when the effect is bypassed and brightly when it is engaged.
Can I run the Booooom and Blast sides separately?
Yes. The pedal has independent input and output jacks for each side of the effect. If you are not using an external pedal switching system, the two sides are internally combined, but the separate jacks let you route each circuit on its own.
Does the Booooom / Blast run on a battery?
No. The pedal takes 9V DC mains power only, so there is no battery option. You will need a 9V DC power supply to run it.
Where is the Booooom / Blast made?
It is made in the UK by Gone Fishing Effects, the operation run by Biffy Clyro's longtime guitar tech Richard 'Churd' Pratt. Each enclosure in the first batch was hand-painted and signed by Simon Neil himself.
Who designed the Booooom / Blast?
It was designed by Simon Neil, frontman of Biffy Clyro, working with the band's longtime guitar tech Richard 'Churd' Pratt of Gone Fishing Effects, who built the circuits. Neil's brief was for the loudest pedal they could make, with fewer knobs and loads of fun.
How big is the Booooom / Blast?
The enclosure measures 167 x 115 x 78mm, roughly the footprint of a standard double pedal, which makes sense given it houses two separate effects with their own footswitches and jack sets.
Sources (4)
- Gone Fishing Effects Simon Neil Booooom / Blast review: Is this the loudest pedal we’ve ever heard?, Guitar.com, 2021-05-25
- Simon Neil’s Booooom / Blast pedal is here: What does it sound like?, Guitar.com, 2020-11-06
- Simon Neil and Gone Fishing Effects bring back the Booooom / Blast pedal, Guitar.com, 2023-11-16
- Gear Of The Year: Best Premium Effects Pedal of 2021, Guitar.com, 2021-12-09
