Xotic Effects Xotic RC Booster

The Xotic RC Booster is a compact clean boost pedal from Xotic Effects that offers what the maker calls a "super transparent 20db+ clean boost" together with an adjustable ±15dB two-band active EQ¹². Unlike a pure volume pedal in front of an amp, it gives you four knobs to shape the pushed signal: active Treble and Bass controls alongside Gain and Volume¹. Xotic's manual says it can enhance other pedals, such as overdrive and distortion pedals, or you can crank the gain for a crunch sound².

The original RC Booster went on sale in December 2002 and ran through several versions before being replaced by the RC Booster V2 in 2016³. The current lineup includes the V2, the RC Booster Classic, and a Bass RC Booster V2. The original version 1 pedal is discontinued⁴.

What it does to your sound

The RC Booster sits in the boost and EQ family rather than the overdrive family. Its job is to raise the level of your signal cleanly, up to 20dB or more, so you can push an amp into overdrive yourself or make a solo cut through, while the active Treble and Bass controls let you correct or reshape the boosted tone¹². The EQ range is ±15dB, with the manual listing control points at 90Hz, 500Hz, 1.5kHz and 10kHz².

Because the EQ is active rather than passive, both bands can boost or cut, and the pedal stays quiet doing it. In an independent review at muzique.com, the reviewer found the pedal "top quality and dead quiet," noted that the treble and bass knobs have a center detent for boost or cut, and that the gain knob adds a slight "tube rectifier sag" that sounds amplike⁵.

That review also found the pedal's EQ very flat, adding subtle girth and support, and observed that it "can't sound muddy," while calling it a little pricey⁵.

The controls

The original RC Booster has four knobs and a footswitch¹²:

The RC Booster V2 changes the layout by adding a second gain stage. Guitar Pedal X lists its controls as Gain 1, Gain 2 (a mini knob), Treble, Volume and Bass, plus a Gain 1+2 footswitch and a bypass footswitch, describing it as a "+20dB Dual Clean Boost"⁶. Xotic says the V2 faithfully re-created the original but "added a twist," in the form of that added gain channel⁴.

Power and battery

The original RC Booster runs on a 9VDC (006P) battery or an optional AC adapter taking 9VDC to 18VDC with a negative tip, regulated recommended¹. The manual specifies a 2.1mm x 5.5mm DC jack, 9VDC negative center, and lists the Boss PSA, Ibanez AC109, Dunlop Brick, Voodoo Labs and 1-Spot among suitable adapters². Current draw is 5mA at 9V¹.

Battery life is approximately 40 hours of continuous use with an alkaline battery². The V2 and Classic draw slightly more: 6mA at 9V or 18V⁴⁷.

History and versions

Xotic's own history of the pedal traces a long line of versions³:

• Engraved serial version: the earliest, with a Comic Sans font on the label, a 16mm pot and a gray epoxy substrate potted with J-B Weld. Compared with later models it has weaker highs and gain, and reads more like a pure clean booster³.
• Initial version and limited color variations: the white case was chosen by designer Kiyoshi Sasaki for a cleaner sound image than the yellow AC-Booster, which had an overdrive image³.
• Later models: the LED indicator moved to the top surface for better visibility, mostly in blue³.
• 2008 Japan limited edition: a blue model, the last limited version of the old specification³.
• RC-Booster SH (2015): a Scott Henderson signature model with Channel 1 Gain, Channel 2 Gain, Treble, Bass and Volume⁸.
• RC Booster V2 (2016): the previous RC-Booster was discontinued and replaced with the V2, inspired by the Scott Henderson RCB-SH model³⁴. Version 1 production ended by the end of 2017⁴.
• RC Booster Classic (2022): a 20th-anniversary reissue of the original design, with the same four controls and true bypass⁷⁹¹⁰.

At the V2's launch, Premier Guitar reported a street price of $168¹¹. The 20th-anniversary Classic carried a $172.00 street price in limited edition packaging, with the first 1000 pedals including picks from Xotic players including Andy Timmons, Scott Henderson, Oz Noy and Kirk Fletcher⁹. John Fogerty was one of the first to use the pedal, receiving it from studio personnel, and according to Xotic's history he still uses one of the earliest models³.

The bass version

Xotic also makes the Bass RC Booster V2, a transparent boost built for bass with the same 20dB+ clean boost and a two-band active EQ¹². Its bass EQ cutoff is selectable between 500Hz and 800Hz, and Xotic describes it as "designed to enhance your bass guitar tone without masking it"¹². Like the guitar versions it uses true bypass switching and runs on a 9V battery or a 9VDC to 18VDC negative-tip adapter, drawing 6mA¹².

What reviewers said

Early coverage in Vintage Guitar magazine noted the compact baked-enamel steel chassis shared with the AC Booster¹³. When the V2 arrived, MusicRadar called the original "a bona fide clean boost classic" and noted that Xotic had doubled up the format with the two-channel update¹⁴. Gearnews found the V2 "looks quite fully featured" and recommended trying one, saying the choice comes down to personal taste¹⁵.

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