Xotic EP Booster

The Xotic EP Booster is a compact boost pedal from Xotic Effects, built around a discrete JFET circuit modeled on the preamp of the Maestro Echoplex EP-3 tape echo machine. Players like Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen and Eric Johnson famously ran the EP-3 as a preamp rather than as a delay, and Xotic's pitch is that the EP Booster captures that magic in a small box: "They all used the legendary echo machine EP-3 as a pre-amp. We've captured that magic in a new Xotic Effects pedal"¹.

In use it is about as simple as a pedal gets. One knob sets the level, up to +20dB of boost, and a single footswitch with a super-bright blue LED turns it on and off¹². Inside, DIP switches shape the EQ curve so the pedal can run clean or colored. Premier Guitar's reviewer found it "effective at shaping the overall tone, boosting volume and thickening the sound"².

A JFET boost based on the Echoplex EP-3 preamp

The EP Booster's circuit traces back to the solid-state preamp inside the Maestro Echoplex EP-3. Chase Tone, which builds its own Secret Preamp around the same circuit, describes that preamp as "boosting and fattening the signal, along with a slight phase shift" that alters the harmonic content of the mids and highs⁷. Aion FX, which traced both the original preamp and the EP Booster V2, calls the Echoplex stage "a pretty simple JFET gain stage, but it does something special with the phase response of the signal"⁸.

The lineage is real but not a copy. Aion FX's trace of the V2 found that "The JFET stage is similar, but the gain structure is completely different, as well as the resulting EQ"⁹. The original Echoplex preamp also ran from a 20V supply, where the EP Booster runs from a 9V to 18V adapter⁸. On That Pedal Show, Dan and Mick described the pedal as the Echoplex preamp in a small box format¹⁰.

Xotic also sells a dedicated Xotic EP-3 pedal, which Guitar World's Huw Price describes as an Echoplex-flavored option for classic tape echo preamp tones¹¹. The EP Booster is the pure boost take on the same idea.

The controls: one knob and internal DIP switches

The front panel holds one footswitch, one knob and a blue LED². Everything else lives inside the case.

The DIP switches are where the pedal's flexibility lives. Guitar World's mini pedal guide notes they "offer options to fine-tune your boost frequencies and EQ settings, from adding more defined low end to more top-end shimmer with another 3db of boost"¹². Xotic California (xotic.us) says the result "can be as transparent as you want, or with the switches, change the EQ curve to suit your liking"¹³.

There is a version detail worth knowing. Aion FX traced the V2 and found "No actual component changes from the earlier EP Booster," but one switch position did change: "they swapped out the 'Bass' DIP switch setting for a '+3dB' setting in order to correct a common complaint of the original, that it can't get down to unity at the minimum gain position"⁹. The +3dB boosted setting is the same as the earlier unit's, while the new setting adds a fixed resistor in series with the output to reduce the volume⁹.

Power: 9V to 18V, 5mA

The EP Booster runs on 9VDC at 5mA, and accepts a regulated adapter from 9VDC to 18VDC with a negative tip, center negative¹⁵. It also takes a single 9V (006P) battery¹. At 5mA it is a light load on any pedalboard power supply.

Xotic also sells a separate "Voltage Doubler," a step-up converter that takes 9 volts DC and boosts it to 15 or 18 VDC, with a maximum current draw of 80mA⁶. Running the pedal at higher voltage is one way players change its headroom.

Is it a transparent boost?

By circuit, no. Aion FX's verdict on the V2: "It's not a transparent boost by any means, but like the Echoplex it's based on, the coloration is a big part of what makes it special," and the pedal is often used as an always-on tone enhancer⁹. Guitar.com's buying guide makes the same point, calling it "this discrete JFET circuit from Xotic [that] intentionally colors your signal"¹⁴.

Xotic's own description sits between the two positions: a "simple pure boost" that can be set transparent or EQ-shaped with the switches¹⁶. For a player who wants a genuinely clean volume lift, Xotic's own RC Booster line, including the Xotic RC Booster-V2, takes a different approach with more external controls.

Versions and limited editions

• Original EP Booster: the one-knob standard model, on the market for 15 years as of May 2024³.
• EP Booster V2: the +3dB (boosted) setting is the same as the earlier unit, while the new setting (+3dB off) adds a fixed resistor in series with the output to reduce the volume⁹.
• 15th Anniversary edition (2024): a run of 1,500 Metallic Blue and Purple units with the same features inside, at a $130 street price³.

What reviewers said

Premier Guitar's reviewer was surprised "at just how effective the EP Booster was at shaping the overall tone," finding "the sound was thicker and more defined than before, with no overbearing frequencies"². MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen summarized it as: "Noticeably improves your tone. More control options than you'd think. Classic Page and EVH sounds."⁴ Gearnews named it among its seven best boost pedals of 2026, noting its single knob offers up to 20dB of boost⁵.

On That Pedal Show, the EP Booster came up as the reference point when the hosts compared the Boss BP-1w Booster/Preamp, with the Xotic pedal used for context in the demo¹⁰.

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