Wilson Effects Clean Boost

The Wilson Effects Clean Boost is a clean boost pedal: it raises the volume of your guitar's signal without adding distortion or changing its character. Wilson Effects describes it as "crystal clear" boost that pushes your signal "without coloring your tone," delivering up to 25dB of MOSFET-driven gain that the maker says adds clarity and presence¹. The company's own index sums it up as "25dbs of pristine clean boost"².

What it does to your sound

A clean boost does one job: it makes your guitar louder. Where it becomes useful depends on where you put it. Early in the chain, it can drive an already pushed amplifier harder, the way players use overdrive pedals to reach breakup. Late in the chain, it can lift a solo above a band mix. Wilson Effects positions this pedal for both uses, describing it as adding "clarity and presence" rather than gain of its own¹.

The MOSFET part of the design matters to how it gets there. Wilson Effects builds the Clean Boost around a MOSFET circuit. MOSFET transistors are a common choice in boost circuits where the goal is volume without the character change a germanium or op-amp design can bring¹.

Controls and power

The pedal's single function is the boost level, set for up to 25dB¹. Power and switching are straightforward:

• Power: 9VDC 2.1mm center-negative power supply, or a high-quality 9V battery¹
• Bypass: True bypass, which Wilson Effects says "preserves your signal integrity when disengaged"¹
• Warranty: One year, covering parts and labor¹

Because it runs on a standard 9V center-negative supply or a 9V battery, it fits a normal pedalboard power setup without special adapters¹.

How it compares

Clean boosts vary mainly in how much volume they add and how they get there. The Wilson Effects sits in the middle of the field on maximum gain:

The Truetone, at up to 15dB, is described by its maker as transparent gain that can push an amplifier into natural breakup or cut through a dense mix without altering core tone⁴, which is the same job the Wilson pedal describes for itself at a higher ceiling. At the other end, the Griffin Effects Clean Boost Module advertises what its maker calls "an insanely loud 50dB of clean boost"⁷, well beyond what most players need for level-matching. For more on the category, see the Boost Pedals page.

Who makes it

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