The Keeley Java Boost is a treble booster built on the OC44 germanium circuit, made by Keeley Electronics. Treble boosters push the upper frequencies of a guitar signal forward, which is a different approach from the mid-focused designs you will find on the boost pedals and overdrive pedals pages. Robert Keeley has said that some of his pedals, the Java Boost among them, "use Germanium transistors to produce vintage inspired tones"12.
The Java Boost is no longer made. That Pedal Show listed it among pedals that had been discontinued as of May 20193.
Controls
The pedal keeps things simple: a three-way switch and a tone knob.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| High / Middle / Low switch | Selects between three voicings of the boost |
| Tone knob | Shapes the treble character of the output |
Guitar FX Layouts, an independent technical-analysis site, described it as having "a switch to choose between High, Middle, and Low" alongside a tone knob4. That Pedal Show covered it in a discussion of treble boosters as a booster type, explaining the circuit and its place among the four kinds of boost5.
What players and reviewers said
Daniel Steinhardt counted it among his core gain pedals. In a MusicRadar roundtable on drive tone, he said: "the four main gain pedals that I've got on my board are a Keeley Java Boost"6.
Not every reviewer was won over. Jef at gearnews.com, writing in March 2017, recalled: "I always found that one far too clinical and ended up getting rid of it after a few gigs, as it was too tame for my taste"2.
Where it sits in the Keeley range
The Java Boost was part of Keeley's germanium line, alongside pedals like the Keeley Germanium Amplifier. Keeley's current boost offerings include the Keeley Katana clean boost and the Keeley Noble Screamer Overdrive and Boost, which take different approaches to lifting a signal1.
Videos
ProGuitarShopDemos
gearmanndude
Bear Rose
Sources (6)
- Germanium vs. Silicon Transistors, Keeley Electronics Guitar Effects Pedals, 2013-09-11
- Keeley Awful Waffle Pedal: A limited edition treble booster with a '90s aesthetic, gearnews.com, 2017-03-13
- How To Choose The Right Overdrive Pedal For Your Needs, That Pedal Show, 2019-05-03
- Guitar FX Layouts: Diaz Texas Square Fuzz, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2020-01-30
- Four Types Of Booster: Which One For You?, That Pedal Show, 2016-05-13
- 3 top guitar pedal makers on the secrets of truly great gain tone, MusicRadar, 2022-09-08
Eric Clapton
