The J Rockett Archer Clean/Color Boost is a boost pedal that does two jobs: it works as a transparent boost that leaves your basic tone alone, and it can add midrange color when you want more bite. Guitar.com described it as "a transparent boost that also lets you bump up the midrange" when J Rockett Audio Design released it in April 20181.
The pedal joins J Rockett's existing Archer line, a family of pedals built around the Klon circuit design. The Clean/Color Boost takes a specific slice of that design: J Rockett described it as "an exact re-creation of the clean boost side of a Klon," meaning it gives you the volume-lift character of a Klon without the overdrive section1.
What it does
The pedal has one main control that shapes the tone:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Color | Dials in more midrange, the Klon "clang", if you so desire1 |
Turn Color down and you get a clean, transparent lift. Turn it up and the pedal pushes midrange into the signal, the character players associate with a Klon-style circuit. J Rockett put the range this way: "Go from beautiful cleans to slamming the front end of your amp for rock 'n' roll"1.
That makes it useful in two common ways on a pedalboard: as a clean volume lift for solos or to push an amp harder, or as a midrange-focused boost that shapes the tone of an overdriven amp or another drive pedal1.
Where it sits in the Archer line
The Archer Clean/Color Boost is one of several pedals in J Rockett's Archer family, which takes its name and circuit approach from the Klon Centaur. Other pedals in the line include the Archer, the Archer Clean and the Archer IKON1.
The Archer Clean/Color Boost was released in April 2018. Availability and current pricing may differ from the original $199 list price reported at launch1.
Price
The Archer Clean/Color Boost listed for $199 when it was released1.
Videos
J. Rockett Audio Designs
TheHausch
Guitar Bonedo
Sources (1)
- J Rockett releases another Klon-inspired pedal, Guitar.com, 2018-04-27
