Shin-ei B1G vs JHS Clover vs ... ?

[tomems]

The videos on these are tough so I thought I'd ask here. Curious if anyone has experience with the above preamp / clean boosts. I am trying to build a clean / jazz pedalboard. I have a Strymon Flint and a Keely Zoma. So that will be the verb/trem. I like the Mooer yellow comp <I have one but can't find it> or the PRS Mary Cries for optical comp.

So that leaves the preamp. I have TWO spark minis - big fan. I also have other stuff - JHS Morning Glory etc.

JHS Clover and B1G get great reviews but -- much like compressor videos -- it is hard to hear what's going on. I am curious if anyone has experience with these two pedals or other clean preamps.

I will say - the TC spark mini... my Vox AC10 just sounds OK by itself. But the TC spark mini makes it sound like I am in Tempe, AZ playing Where the Streets like the Edge in Rattle and Hum. Like I said... I have two of them. Sounds awesome. I would buy a third... but am interested in the two title pedals. Thanks in advance.

...and yes this was inspired by the MIM tele video that Julian Lage did with his B1G highlighted!

[joebloggs13]

I use a Hamstead Ascent clean boost. I used to have a Spark mini...but much prefer the Hamstead. I am also using two Kingsley Page pedals... One is the standard v2 and the other a Page TS. Both are tube based pedals and can be used as a clean boost. They are superb.

[ThatRhythmMan]

I don’t have any experience with the B1G, but I have a Clover and have been super happy with it. I have a couple of guitars that have pretty weak output and I use it in front of a tweed twin clone as a boost and it allows the amps preamp to liven up really well without coloring the tone.


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[omphalopsychos]

The JHS clover is good. I think the "preamp" pedal thing is really overhyped. Its essentially an EQ with clean boost. You may hear a little bit of tone coloration, but not a lot. the reason the jhs clover is cool is because it has a shit ton of gain so you can really slam an amp with it, but the pedal itself is pretty clean/neutral.


maybe it would help if you talk about what you're trying to accomplish.

My favorite "preamp" pedal right now is the reissue diamond compressor. A lot of people say they don't like compression for jazz. All I have to say is, if you like playing a tube amp, you like compression. Also the diamond comp has a fantastic 2 knob eq (tilt + mid). So it's a compressor, eq, and clean boost all in one. That, plus barbershop od, is fantastic.

[bluejaybill]

The JHS clover is good. I think the "preamp" pedal thing is really overhyped. Its essentially an EQ with clean boost. You may hear a little bit of tone coloration, but not a lot. the reason the jhs clover is cool is because it has a shit ton of gain so you can really slam an amp with it, but the pedal itself is pretty clean/neutral.


maybe it would help if you talk about what you're trying to accomplish.

My favorite "preamp" pedal right now is the reissue diamond compressor. A lot of people say they don't like compression for jazz. All I have to say is, if you like playing a tube amp, you like compression. Also the diamond comp has a fantastic 2 knob eq (tilt + mid). So it's a compressor, eq, and clean boost all in one. That, plus barbershop od, is fantastic.

Yup, that's the way I use the Empress pedals. The compressor has a nice tilt eq, if I'm using it alone, and the Parametric EQ has a fine (squeaky) clean boost, which you can activate separately from the EQ if desired, which I do.