The Mesa/Boogie Tone-Burst is a boost and overdrive pedal with built-in EQ, made by Mesa/Boogie as part of a four-pedal overdrive line that also included the Grid Slammer and Flux-Drive. The maker describes it as "incredibly powerful for adding boost, drive and/or EQ to any guitar and amp combination"1. It was announced at a list price of $179 in December 20122.
What it does
The Tone-Burst sits in the transparent end of the overdrive range. Mesa/Boogie says it covers the kind of gain usually associated with clean boost pedals, but with "enough gain to boost your guitar to the threshold of clip and slightly beyond"1. In practice that means it can act as a clean-ish volume and punch lift in front of an amp, or as a light overdrive when pushed harder. It belongs to the broader family of overdrive pedals, and players comparing transparent boosters may also look at the boost pedal category.
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Raises the pedal's output volume4 |
| Gain | Increases the amount of drive4 |
| Treble | Cuts or boosts the high end, +12 dB range32 |
| Bass | Cuts or boosts the low end, +12 dB range32 |
The Treble and Bass knobs are independent of each other, which is what gives the pedal its EQ flexibility2. Premier Guitar's reviewer noted that at extreme gain settings the high end can turn hot, bordering on spiky, but that "you can tune most of it out by working with the pedal's treble knob"3.
What reviewers said
Reviewers have consistently landed on transparency as the Tone-Burst's defining trait, with the EQ as its second selling point341.
"The Tone-Burst's naturally transparent sound and split EQ controls make it a highly malleable and adaptable boost with almost any pickup/amp configuration."
Premier Guitar's reviewer found the boosting highly transparent, said the EQ lends itself well to country and rock single-note picking, and called it great for tightening up higher gain tones. The one con raised was that it takes tweaking to reduce glassiness3. The same review called it "a knockout for tightening up low end to make fast riffing through high-gain amps more taut and powerful"3.
Vintage Guitar's reviewer heard it in similar terms, writing that it "really lives up to its name by adding a 'burst' of musical high and midrange harmonics without over-coloring the tone or adding unwanted noise," and found it tempting to leave on all the time for the punch it adds5.
Videos
MESA/Boogie
MESA/Boogie
MESA/Boogie
Sources (5)
- Mesa/Boogie Tone-Burst, Gibson (www.gibson.com)
- Pedal News: Mesa Boogie Announces 4 Overdrive Pedals, Delicious Audio, 2012-12-04
- Mesa/Boogie Pedal Reviews: Tone-Burst & More, Premier Guitar, 2012-12-18
- Review: Mesa/Boogie Tone-Burst, Grid Slammer, Flux-Drive and Throttle Box Pedals, Guitar World, 2013-10-24
- Mesa/Boogie Drive Pedals, Vintage Guitar magazine, 2014-12-19
