Xotic Bass RC Booster

The Xotic Bass RC Booster is a clean boost pedal for bass, built around a two-band active EQ. Xotic rates it as a "super transparent 20dB+ clean boost" with a ±15dB two-band active EQ, aimed, in the company's words, at "fatter, punchier bass tones"¹². The current version, the Bass RC Booster V2 (model BRCB-V2), adds a second gain stage with its own footswitch, so a player can kick in extra gain without touching the knobs².

It grew out of Xotic's guitar RC Booster, a clean boost the company has recorded as being on sale since December 2002³. The guitar pedal was replaced by the two-channel RC Booster V2 in 2016, and the bass version followed the same path: the Bass RC Booster V2 was released in November 2019 at a list price of $168⁴⁵.

What it does for a bass player

The Bass RC Booster sits in the category of boost and EQ pedals rather than overdrive: it raises the level of an already-clean bass signal and lets the player shape treble and bass around it. Xotic's manual says the pedal "adds a HUGE range of harmonic content to the player's overall sound" and that, because it is so transparent, many players leave it on at all times⁶. That is the maker's description; what a player gets in practice is a level control that can push an amp harder, plus an active EQ that cuts or boosts at both ends of the spectrum.

The V2's contribution is the added gain stage. Where the original Bass RC Booster had one gain control, the V2 carries a Gain 2 switch that, per the manual, adds gain 2 to gain 1 when active⁶. A separate left footswitch toggles the additional gain stage in or out, as guitar.com reported at launch⁴. Xotic's product page describes the V2 as having "even more gain" than before¹.

The controls

The control set is small and bass-focused. Xotic lists active Treble, Bass, Gain and Volume controls that "allow for limitless tone shaping"².

The EQ knobs are center-detented in effect: the manual gives a control range of 15dB clockwise to -15dB counterclockwise, with the knob center at 0dB⁶. The same manual lists the cutoff frequencies: 500Hz for the bass control and 800Hz for the treble control on the BRCB-V2⁶. For a bass player, that means the bass knob works below roughly 500Hz, where the low fundamentals of the instrument live, and the treble knob works above roughly 800Hz, where string attack and finger noise sit.

Power and connections

The Bass RC Booster V2 runs on a 9V battery of the 006P type or on an optional AC adapter, 9VDC to 18VDC with a negative tip, regulated only¹². Current draw is 6mA at either 9V or 18V². The manual lists compatible adapters including the Boss PSA, Ibanez AC109, Dunlop Brick, Voodoo Labs and 1-Spot⁶.

Other specifications from the maker: input impedance of 1M ohm and output impedance of 2k ohm on the product page¹, which differs from the manual's figures of 500k ohm (minimum) input and 10k ohm output⁶; the two documents disagree, so both are given here. Nominal input is -20dBu⁶. The pedal carries a 1-year warranty against defective parts or faulty workmanship, for the original owner only and not transferable⁶.

From the RC Booster to the Bass RC Booster V2

The bass pedal is a branch of a longer guitar-pedal line. Xotic's own history records the original RC Booster as on sale since December 2002³. In 2016 the company discontinued the previous RC Booster and replaced it with the RC Booster V2, a two-channel version with an added gain channel³⁷; production of the version 1 guitar pedal ended by the end of 2017⁷. MusicRadar described the move at the time: "Xotic's RC Booster quickly became a bona fide clean boost classic, and now, the California co has doubled up the format"⁵. Guitar Pedal X later summarized the guitar V2 as a "+20dB Dual Clean Boost" with Gain 1, Gain 2 (mini), Treble, Volume and Bass controls plus two footswitches, one to flip between gain stages and one for bypass⁹.

The Bass RC Booster V2 carries the same two-gain-stage idea to bass, with an added Gain switch for fatter tones and a separate left footswitch that toggles the additional gain stage in or out of play⁴. Xotic describes it as a super transparent 20dB+ clean boost for fatter, punchier bass tones, and it is available now for $168⁴. Players comparing Xotic bass pedals can also look at the Xotic Bass BB Preamp, the company's bass preamp pedal, alongside this boost in the wider bass pedals field.

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