The LAA Custom NV81 Boost is a boost pedal from LAA Custom, the company of Carlos Sorasio. It is a class A boost with a transformer in the circuit, and it offers 19 dB of boost, enough to lift a signal well above unity and push an amp or a drive pedal harder1. If you are new to the category, see Boost Pedals for how this kind of pedal sits on a board.
What it does
The NV81 is built to add level and, with it, a change in character. On That Pedal Show, Mickey and Dan described what the pedal brings beyond simple volume: "Harmonics, extra sort of width, especially in the low mids and bass." They summed up the feel as a spongy, compressed quality they called chew, and judged it very good value for money1.
The circuit design is the reason a boost can color the sound at all. As the presenters put it, "So, it is a uh class A boost with a transformer in there." A transformer in the signal path is less common than a simple op-amp stage, and it is the kind of design that shapes tone as well as level1.
Controls
The pedal keeps things simple. As the presenters observed, "I think the top knob is boost," meaning the single top-mounted knob sets the amount of boost, up to that 19 dB maximum1.
Price and availability
The NV81 is made to order, and LAA Custom does not list prices prominently on its website. On That Pedal Show, the presenters noted they "could only find one on reverb for sale, which was 170 quid or something," putting the going secondhand price at around £170 as of July 20261. That is a price in pounds sterling as stated by the source, not a US dollar list price.
The NV81 is made to order, so stock is limited and units appear for sale only occasionally, such as on the used market1.
Videos
Max Guitar Store
That Pedal Show
Questions
How much boost does the LAA Custom NV81 Boost provide?
On That Pedal Show, the presenters described the NV81 as offering 19 dB of boost, which they noted was not far off the range of comparable designs. That is enough level to push an amp or another pedal into saturation from a clean starting point, which is the usual job of a boost pedal.
Who makes the LAA Custom NV81 Boost?
The NV81 is made by LAA Custom, the company of Carlos Sorasio. On That Pedal Show, the presenters referred to Sorasio as a familiar figure in the pedal world. The pedals are made to order, and prices are not widely listed on the company's website.
Sources (1)
- Guitar Boost & Simple Preamp Pedals £50, That Pedal Show (YouTube), 2026-07-10
Joey Landreth