Great boost pedal for making your SS sound more "tubey"

**jzucker** · 05-07-2019, 07:16 AM

wanted to give a brief shoutout to Vertex. Just got their boost pedal and it's great. It not only sounds sweet for getting bluesy, fusiony tones but it gives you a really nice, early '60s benson tone even through a solid state amp. Sounds great through my quilter OD200 and my fender style tube amps.

Of course it sounds great for overdrive, blues and fusion as well.

Despite the folks saying it's totally transparent it's got a slight bright boost. The brightness is in the george benson tube amp range which is what makes it sound so good through a SS amp. Makes the SS amp sound very tubey.

It can also take a volume pedal but I need to get a TSR to mono cable to try that out.

**jads57** · 05-07-2019, 09:59 PM

For me it's Luxury Drive pedal dialed back to 9 O'clock

**jzucker** · 05-08-2019, 09:45 AM

Originally Posted by jads57

For me it's Luxury Drive pedal dialed back to 9 O'clock

i was using a wampler euphoria with the drive dialed back but the vertex sounds much better than wampler. Not familiar with luxury drive.

**omphalopsychos** · 05-08-2019, 10:41 AM

Jack have you ever tried the Fairfield Circuitry Barbershop? I’ve been using one occasionally and love it. Of all overdrives I’ve ever used, this one feels the most like a tube amp to me.

**jzucker** · 05-08-2019, 11:01 AM

Originally Posted by omphalopsychos

Jack have you ever tried the Fairfield Circuitry Barbershop? I’ve been using one occasionally and love it. Of all overdrives I’ve ever used, this one feels the most like a tube amp to me.

i have not tried that one. never heard of it until now! I'll give it a looksee. I'm going to try out two of the vertex overdrives next week. I'll report back...

**capnrory** · 05-08-2019, 01:32 PM

I recall your YT videos on the Kingsley Jester pedal. Have you fallen out of love with that "tubey"sounding pedal?

**jzucker** · 05-08-2019, 02:00 PM

Originally Posted by capnrory

I recall your YT videos on the Kingsley Jester pedal. Have you fallen out of love with that "tubey"sounding pedal?

not at all. The kingsley is the best pedal I've ever heard for getting a tubey sound because it's literally a high voltage fender, dumble or vox preamp in a pedal. Unfortunately, I sold mine when I went digital several years ago. i'd love to buy another one but there is a 12 month wait period and they go for 2x-3x the new prices on the used market. I've got 9 or 10 months left on the wait before I get mine (again).

**sgcim** · 05-08-2019, 03:20 PM

Originally Posted by jzucker

not at all. The kingsley is the best pedal I've ever heard for getting a tubey sound because it's literally a high voltage fender, dumble or vox preamp in a pedal. Unfortunately, I sold mine when I went digital several years ago. i'd love to buy another one but there is a 12 month wait period and they go for 2x-3x the new prices on the used market. I've got 9 or 10 months left on the wait before I get mine (again).

Would this pedal enable you to get a decent pop/rock and/or funk sound out of an AI amp like the Corus?
I've got a KA version of a Dearmond RC1100 on my Jazz Solid (Bollenback). Would you say that this NON-Humbucker pickup is better suited to a solid state or tube amp?

**jzucker** · 05-08-2019, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by sgcim

Would this pedal enable you to get a decent pop/rock and/or funk sound out of an AI amp like the Corus?
I've got a KA version of a Dearmond RC1100 on my Jazz Solid (Bollenback). Would you say that this NON-Humbucker pickup is better suited to a solid state or tube amp?

i used my kingsley successfully with my AI amps but the AI (despite claims that it's a neutral platform) is actually fairly biased towards heavy low-mids and I found that I was always battling that issue with my AI. Additionally, on the Corus the design of down-firing 10 and then active 10 with a very low crossover point means that the mid range horn is handling most of the frequencies that a standard guitar speaker would be handling for pop/rock/funk. I found this to sound shrill, particularly for distorted tones.

Those RC pickups were originally designed for tube amps but it's all a matter of your pain threshold in terms of weight, tube reliability, etc. I think with the new SS amps on the market that have reactive outputs like quilter, DV Mark, Henriksen, you should be able to get a great sound out of that pickup and guitar through a SS amp.

I had a corus amp for many years and I loved it but I felt like the direct sound a few feet in front of the amp was a bit sterile. It sounded better when you got about 10' from it due to the small cabinet and design.

**jads57** · 05-08-2019, 04:51 PM

T.C Jauernig Luxury Drive pedal from Wisconsin.

**krusty** · 05-08-2019, 06:35 PM

I used to use a Sarno Steel Guitar Black Box until I radically simplified my signal chain and amp. At one point I had that and several thousand $ in Rupert Neve stuff going into the front end of a power amp. It sounded magnificent, but given the fact that I’m a hack, I simplified.

**whiskey02** · 05-08-2019, 07:24 PM

The owner of Vertex has been called to task on several online forums for some very shady and deceptive business practices, i.e. copying someone else's circuit, covering it with goop and selling it for much higher price.

Wah controversy! (Page 1) — Joe's Guitars, Amps and Gear — Joe Bonamassa Forum

**jzucker** · 05-08-2019, 07:49 PM

The owner of Vertex (Mason) reached out to me personally as well as to Peter Melton, Corey Christiansen, Zakk Jones and many other jazz cats and has been very good to many folks. I don't know any other effect makers that have reached out to the relatively low totem pole of jazz musicians the way he has. I don't really care anymore if he copied someone's circuit. His products are great, he offers great (AND PERSONAL) support and he's really trying and active with lesser known jazz guitarists as well as providing products for people like Allan Hinds, Scott Henderson, Robben Ford and others. I can tell you some stories about the TGP folks making a big ruckus but it's probably best to let sleeping dogs lie...

**rmpmcdermott** · 05-08-2019, 09:06 PM

Originally Posted by jzucker

The owner of Vertex (Mason) reached out to me personally as well as to Peter Melton, Corey Christiansen, Zakk Jones and many other jazz cats and has been very good to many folks. I don't know any other effect makers that have reached out to the relatively low totem pole of jazz musicians the way he has. I don't really care anymore if he copied someone's circuit. His products are great, he offers great (AND PERSONAL) support and he's really trying and active with lesser known jazz guitarists as well as providing products for people like Allan Hinds, Scott Henderson, Robben Ford and others. I can tell you some stories about the TGP folks making a big ruckus but it's probably best to let sleeping dogs lie...

This.

Mason messed up and has paid his penance as far as I'm concerned. He does amazing work and truly cares about the music and the artists.

I don't fault anyone who doesn't want to deal with Mason after those issues several years ago, but I dig his stuff.

**sgcim** · 05-08-2019, 11:10 PM

Originally Posted by jzucker

i used my kingsley successfully with my AI amps but the AI (despite claims that it's a neutral platform) is actually fairly biased towards heavy low-mids and I found that I was always battling that issue with my AI. Additionally, on the Corus the design of down-firing 10 and then active 10 with a very low crossover point means that the mid range horn is handling most of the frequencies that a standard guitar speaker would be handling for pop/rock/funk. I found this to sound shrill, particularly for distorted tones.

Those RC pickups were originally designed for tube amps but it's all a matter of your pain threshold in terms of weight, tube reliability, etc. I think with the new SS amps on the market that have reactive outputs like quilter, DV Mark, Henriksen, you should be able to get a great sound out of that pickup and guitar through a SS amp.

I had a corus amp for many years and I loved it but I felt like the direct sound a few feet in front of the amp was a bit sterile. It sounded better when you got about 10' from it due to the small cabinet and design.

Thanks! I've got over 30 shows of Mama Mia coming up, and I was thinking of trying to use the Jazz Solid and Corus, but it sounds like I'd be better off with my Parker and PV from what you said.

**jzucker** · 05-09-2019, 06:09 AM

what is a PV?

**sgcim** · 05-09-2019, 02:49 PM

Originally Posted by jzucker

what is a PV?

Peavey Transtube EFX112

**mad dog** · 05-17-2019, 01:35 PM

Update on this Vertex pedal. Got it from Jack, have been doing a lot of listening back and forth between the Vertex and my longtime choice the Tim from Paul Cochrane, both set for clean boost into the Polytone MBII.

It's a rare pedal that can hang with the Tim for this purpose. The Vertex does. Just one knob, no EQ or volume. Seems perfectly voiced for the P90 types I mostly use for jazz practice. Not talking overdrive, or even that much of an obvious boost. More a subtle tone enhancement, a little more volume plus something extra in the sound. The kind of effect you don't really notice til it's off. (Then it goes back on ...)

Thanks Jack. A fine pedal, and you described it very well.