Xotic Effects Compact Pedals Trifecta - RC Booster V2, BB Preamp MB, and Soul Driven OD
I had been meaning to get the two shiny ones here for a while - where the two recent Keeley Andy Timmons Signature pedals - the Halo Dual Echo, and Super AT Mod inspired me to get in on the Andy-related Xotic Effects varieties too.
Andy has long used both the Xotic Effects RC Booster and the BB Preamp - in fact Andy used to have a red signature edition of the BB Preamp at one stage but that has long been discontinued. In fact the BB Preamp on his current board looks like just a standard V1, as is his current RC Booster.
As there was not a single outlet with an Andy Timmons Preamp - no sign of it on Reverb or Ebay - I then decided to get the Custom Shop MB edition - which has even more range - via an additional Mid Boost mini knob. And even though Andy uses the V1 RC Booster - I prefer the added versatility in the added Gain 2 option and Second Footswitch which allows to to double up on your boost!.
Finally the shiny Soul Driven is an overdrive I’ve always been interested in acquiring - so that one came along for the ride! All the three pictured varieties are the ones I recently acquired - one was brand new, one was Mint, and one was in Excellent condition - great buys all 3.
Note that despited certain perceptions - the BB Preamp is not Blues Breaker -derived, but rather Tube Screamer derived with an extra gain stage and better EQ - for me its volume cleanup is somewhat reminiscent of a BD-2 - not quite as impactful - but near as - and you get a full 3-band EQ to really sculpt / shape the sound - for some really beautiful harmonics. Some say this is Marshall flavoured - while it’s its own thing really - not quite as special to me as my favourite modded BD-2 - but so darn close.
All 3 of these are highly worthy of acquisition - and they are each very pretty to look at - while those near mirror surfaces on the RC Booster and Soul Driven are difficult to keep clean - not just fingerprint magnets but they show up any amount of dust or dirt far more obviously than on brushed or painted enclosures.
This is actually my second, or third Xotix trifecta - depending on how you classify such - I started with the 3 Xotic Mini Classics - the EP Booster, SL Drive, and SP Compressor, and then got the same 3 again in Alchemy Audio Modded editions with the dip-switches externalised as toggles. So in effect these 3 additions above are Xotic effects #7, #8 and #9 in my Reference Collection.
The RC Booster V2 and Soul Driven are still available from the Xotic Effects Webstore and at dealers, while the Custom Shop BB-MB Preamp has long been sold out - I got mine second-hand from Coast Sonic - via Reverb.com of course!
Here follow the individual details :
RC Booster V2 +20dB Dual Clean Boost - $225
Controls - Gain 1, Gain 2 (Mini), Treble, Volume, Bass, Gain 1+2 Footswitch, Bypass Footswitch.
Gorgeous pristine clean boost with 2 different Gain settings that you can flip between - and with really elegant 2-Band EQ. This is a killer 2-channel boost - it's somewhat different to my essential ThorpyFX Hard Water Boost and would not be an ideal substitute for that - while you can use this to really elegantly elevate and boost your output. Obviously the more you move the EQ the less pristine and transparent things get - while with both of those controls notched in the middle - this is as fine a dual clean boost as you can get - with up to +20dB boost available which is pretty potent! The RC2 is derived from Scott Henderson's signature edition pedal.
Custom Shop BB Preamp MB Harmonic Boost / Overdrive - discontinued - I paid $192 for Excellent 2nd hand edition
Controls - Gain, Mid Boost, Treble, Volume, Bass.
I'm surprised it took me this long to get to the BB Preamp as it really sounds superb. It'a proper Harmonic Overdrive with a really gorgeous texture and has similar dynamics to the Boss BD-2 - but with not quite as thick or saturated a tone - and obviously more shaping abilities - particularly in this Custom Shop edition which has the additional Mid Boost. Apparently you dial that back to 9 o'c to reach Stock BB Preamp output levels. I totally understand why Andy Timmons likes this one so much - as it really does that volume cleanup thing pretty brilliantly and has that really cool texture and grit he so likes - while I feel that the Phat BD-2 has a little more about it in places - although I really love this one too - it's quite distinct from its Tube Steamer origins and nothing really like a Blues Breaker or Driver - it definitely has its own sound though - and that harmonic breakup really is glorious!
Soul Driven Transparent Creamy Overdrive - $225
Controls - Gain, Tone, Volume, Mid Boost.
This pedal is derived from the Allen Hinds edition - and is a fantastically textured Transparent and Creamy Overdrive - quite different sounding to the above BB Preamp MB. It has a beautiful character to it - with a properly smooth and creamy texture - but enough nuance to make it really interesting. I love that the pedal has Tone and Mid Boost EQ's also - which are just perfect for getting the most tone-swapping out of this pedal. And there are 2 interior dip-switches which allow you to increase the degree of Bass Boost : +2.4dB / +3.6dB / +6dB. The previous owner of this pedal had already set it to the maximum +6dB - so that's where it's staying for a while - this one sounds superb too. I'm very happy to have all 3 in the collection now. And they will be putting in more cameos for the forthcoming Andy Timmons features!
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