Hi Rafael, thanks for the comment and support! That all depends on the rest of your setup. If you use distortion from a pedal and set your amp clean, putting this pedal after the distortion pedal will give you a straight volume boost. If you use amp distortion, then you should put it in the effects loop of the amp, if it has one. Either way, this pedal will do exactly that. Thanks, Jack
Yes, provided your amp has the headroom in the power section to cope. If your power section is distorted, i.e very loud, then it won't work. It will simply add more distortion.
Yes, it will boost a clean signal but it is entirely dependant on how much clean headroom you have on your amp. It's more likely to push it in to breakup whilst still adding volume. If you have an overdriven amp then it will add distortion, not volume.
I was literally looking for this to “imagine” what it would sound like with my CR120. Should make “CR120” videos because damn I’ve been waiting for more of these. Love it!
Hey Nick - firstly, if you run a clean amp setting, then running the volume pedal after the distortion (guitar-->distortion-->volume-->amp) should boost 'clean' dbs. However, my understanding is that a volume pedal works in a similar way to your guitar's volume control, so it limits gain rather than volume. If you run a clean amp setting, the Micro Amp would work great for you at the end of your chain. If your amp is distorted, it will boost volume cleanly in the effects loop.
Nice review! Good explanation, logical demo choices, organized well, high quality and well framed video, and most important good audio (depressing how often that isn't true in reviews of guitar gear)! GREAT job!
No, this pedal is designed to take the sound you already have and boost the amount of gain without altering the EQ or tonality. Typically, the sound will be a little louder and more overdriven, depending on where you set the control.
I'd describe this as 'Spiky' and more 70s. Can it be used for a clean boost? If I'm playing country stuff on a Tele and want to play a solo can I increase the clean without breaking up? This video is in breakup even at the low setting I'm afraid. Great riffs. Black Zeppath! :)
Not weird at all; I've been playing bass for a little over 3 years now (18 y/o) and I almost never use a distortion/overdrive (unless there's a breakdown/solo). Why go overdriven when the guitarplayer already does?
Jordan Thompson Yeah. When the bass goes distorted I feel the essential of it gets lost. It needs a nice thick bottom layer. With all that gain it melts too much with the guitar imo. Fuzz can be cool tho, but not always.
Tom van Lieshout Oh yeah for sure! And I'm a metal player complete modern metal, and you can get a way better tone out of something by not running so much gain
@Benjohns89 Hi Ben, that depends on what you'd consider 'metal territory' but I'd say that if you like the tone in another video using the CAE Booster, then the Micro Amp will get you there. I would personally recommend a Tube Screamer type of overdrive pedal over a clean boost as it will tighten up the low end for extra 'chunk'.
My danelectro Fab metal pedal does this. My amp was hit by lightning so all I have it the dirty channel anyway. But with the gain on the amp all the way up, I have the pedal set with the level all the way up, the tone all the way down, and the gain all the way down. When I hit the pedal you instantly hear the extra drive. It kinda has a van Halen sound. I run my amp with no bass and all treble and use a strat on the bridge pickup so that would explain the EVH sound haha
Lelouch ViBritania depends how you want to use it, if you put it after then the volume pedal will decrease tone and treble as well as volume the same way a guitar volume would however if you put it before the volume pedal then the volume pedal would just decrease the volume
cool, now i get more explanation about this pedal. but is there any problem like annoying noises when you combine this pedal with and OD or a distortion?
How are you adjusting the gain settings on that amp when the gain knob seems to always be in the 11:00 position? Given that, how do you account for all the clean and dirty sounds you're getting without using the pedal?
I don't know if I'm late, but I think he is boosting the A channel. What the camera is showing is the B channel, and the amp has two channels, but the one the camera is showing is not the channel he is using.
Thanks for the comment, perhaps I should have noted in all the videos - in Part 1 of my wah shootout video, I mentioned that I don't run my clean channel 'clean', as I like to have a bit of grit and breakup. I feel it works better with pedals that way. I'm hoping to redo some of these videos soon with a Deluxe Reverb as a clean amp. Jack
Hi Rafael if you really just want to boost your signal take al look at the MXR CAE Booster/Linedriver. It only contains a Db knob and it only boosts your signal from 0db up to 20db. It's a real nice alternative to the other boosters which actually always give a little more gain.
hello mate, please can you tell me how i link my pedals through the fx Loop . I have orange crush 35rt , MXR 133, ds1,ds2 , small clone , sansamp GT2 . Thank you in advance
Hi Jack, Perfect sound! Im looking for something to use during the solos. I do not want to change the sound or add more drive, just more volume. Do you think that this pedal it`s a good option for me? Liked and subscribed. :)
Hey man, im looking to get one of these! I have a fender hot rod deville, hate the OD so i bought a Fulltone OCD which i love. Will this pedal boost my OCD pedal you think?
Clean tone? Jack, this tone is dirtier than "The Roast of Ron Jeremy". Regardless, it's a beautiful tone, and your vid is convincing me on purchasing this lil sucker
Is it just me, or did the pedal not do much in the effects loop? Perhaps my ears are still too untrained, or maybe it has to do with UA-cam's audio processing.
The mic on the camera used probably has an overload protected system, in which if the sound detected is too great for the mic to handle it lowers the input gain on the camera's audio. Instead of the HUGE volume boost in the room that you would experience (trust me best way to get what's happening is to DIY in a good music store) Notice the subtle *drops* in volume i.e. from 8:18 to 8:20 where he turns the pedal off, you can hear the drop in volume rapidly pick back up as the overload protection comes off momentarily and balances with the original audio level, hope that helped!
LastSuperheroesUK Thanks, I noticed this same thing on a few other videos. I tried out a few boost pedals yesterday and ended up going with the Xotic EP boost. Thanks for the clarification@
Hi Rafael, thanks for the comment and support! That all depends on the rest of your setup. If you use distortion from a pedal and set your amp clean, putting this pedal after the distortion pedal will give you a straight volume boost. If you use amp distortion, then you should put it in the effects loop of the amp, if it has one. Either way, this pedal will do exactly that.
Thanks, Jack
Best demo I've seen for this pedal - ANTHEM!!!
Yes, provided your amp has the headroom in the power section to cope. If your power section is distorted, i.e very loud, then it won't work. It will simply add more distortion.
Extremely useful demo, can't think you enough for this, really helped me to settle on buying this pedal. Keep up the good work!
Yes, it will boost a clean signal but it is entirely dependant on how much clean headroom you have on your amp. It's more likely to push it in to breakup whilst still adding volume. If you have an overdriven amp then it will add distortion, not volume.
Great demo! This pedal seems to retain all the definition of your sound even at the higher-gain settings. Thanks for doing this!
I was literally looking for this to “imagine” what it would sound like with my CR120. Should make “CR120” videos because damn I’ve been waiting for more of these. Love it!
I just got a CR120 and am looking into pedals for it now
Hey Nick - firstly, if you run a clean amp setting, then running the volume pedal after the distortion (guitar-->distortion-->volume-->amp) should boost 'clean' dbs. However, my understanding is that a volume pedal works in a similar way to your guitar's volume control, so it limits gain rather than volume. If you run a clean amp setting, the Micro Amp would work great for you at the end of your chain. If your amp is distorted, it will boost volume cleanly in the effects loop.
2:59...RUSH! Yeah bro! I'm buyin'!
Nice review! Good explanation, logical demo choices, organized well, high quality and well framed video, and most important good audio (depressing how often that isn't true in reviews of guitar gear)!
GREAT job!
No, this pedal is designed to take the sound you already have and boost the amount of gain without altering the EQ or tonality. Typically, the sound will be a little louder and more overdriven, depending on where you set the control.
That's a clean tone on that Les paul?
Mistergibsonsg1 not clean
clean enough
Because it's humbuckers
Thanks for your reply Jack. I'm using a Metal muff as my main drive pedal in the clean channel. once again, tks a lot for your video and your reply.
Heck, I got one of these for free a while back and haven't gotten around to using it.
Will rectify this ASAP! Monster player.
Very much enjoyed Young Man’s Blues etc.
I'd describe this as 'Spiky' and more 70s. Can it be used for a clean boost? If I'm playing country stuff on a Tele and want to play a solo can I increase the clean without breaking up? This video is in breakup even at the low setting I'm afraid. Great riffs. Black Zeppath! :)
I feel like an old man when these demo's "clean" tone is the dirtiest I ever go. And I'm thirteen.
Not weird at all; I've been playing bass for a little over 3 years now (18 y/o) and I almost never use a distortion/overdrive (unless there's a breakdown/solo). Why go overdriven when the guitarplayer already does?
***** Distorted bass sounds really, eh to me. I love a nice raw bass sound. But, I love me some distortion on my guitars. (I'm a metal player though)
I agree. That initial "clean" sound isn't at all.
Jordan Thompson Yeah. When the bass goes distorted I feel the essential of it gets lost. It needs a nice thick bottom layer. With all that gain it melts too much with the guitar imo. Fuzz can be cool tho, but not always.
Tom van Lieshout
Oh yeah for sure! And I'm a metal player complete modern metal, and you can get a way better tone out of something by not running so much gain
So if I was playing a a distorted solo and I wanted a volume boost it wouldn’t give me extra volume but would add distortion ??
1:56 Les Paul Clean message ( crunchy LP sounds)
Is this a preamp pedal if used always on first in chain?
@Benjohns89 Hi Ben, that depends on what you'd consider 'metal territory' but I'd say that if you like the tone in another video using the CAE Booster, then the Micro Amp will get you there. I would personally recommend a Tube Screamer type of overdrive pedal over a clean boost as it will tighten up the low end for extra 'chunk'.
My danelectro Fab metal pedal does this. My amp was hit by lightning so all I have it the dirty channel anyway. But with the gain on the amp all the way up, I have the pedal set with the level all the way up, the tone all the way down, and the gain all the way down. When I hit the pedal you instantly hear the extra drive. It kinda has a van Halen sound. I run my amp with no bass and all treble and use a strat on the bridge pickup so that would explain the EVH sound haha
I just have one question, on a chain would you put this pedal after or before the volume pedal?
Lelouch ViBritania depends how you want to use it, if you put it after then the volume pedal will decrease tone and treble as well as volume the same way a guitar volume would however if you put it before the volume pedal then the volume pedal would just decrease the volume
2:46 Young man blues - The Who
2:56 Anthem - Rush
IMO clean boost pedals always sounded better in the FX loop..More natural sounding and makes the amp bloom without compressing your sound.
+MrOzgooner I use mine in that way to boost the volume of my lead solo's. I can get probably a 3 to 6 dB increase in volume, plenty to cut through
Can this pedal be perfectly used for tony iommi Ritchie blackmore Brian may tones?
exactly what i wanted to know
cool, now i get more explanation about this pedal. but is there any problem like annoying noises when you combine this pedal with and OD or a distortion?
How are you adjusting the gain settings on that amp when the gain knob seems to always be in the 11:00 position? Given that, how do you account for all the clean and dirty sounds you're getting without using the pedal?
I don't know if I'm late, but I think he is boosting the A channel. What the camera is showing is the B channel, and the amp has two channels, but the one the camera is showing is not the channel he is using.
The pedal is boosting the input signal making it break up more.
I don’t understand why it says “clean” at the beginning when it sounds pretty distorted right from the start.
Hey … there’s a gain knob on the amp … amIright?
Awesome demo jack! Hey what's that riff at 4:56 to 5:10? My favorite sounding from all of them.
It reminded me Brian May type of soloing sounddd
Thanks for the comment, perhaps I should have noted in all the videos - in Part 1 of my wah shootout video, I mentioned that I don't run my clean channel 'clean', as I like to have a bit of grit and breakup. I feel it works better with pedals that way. I'm hoping to redo some of these videos soon with a Deluxe Reverb as a clean amp.
Jack
Hi Rafael if you really just want to boost your signal take al look at the MXR CAE Booster/Linedriver. It only contains a Db knob and it only boosts your signal from 0db up to 20db. It's a real nice alternative to the other boosters which actually always give a little more gain.
hello mate, please can you tell me how i link my pedals through the fx Loop . I have orange crush 35rt , MXR 133, ds1,ds2 , small clone , sansamp GT2 . Thank you in advance
Funny I can tell the tubes had to warm up. They started to sound nice at about 4:15
Yes they are. But this guy got blessed hands
You got the groove man
Nice vintage Rush riff!
great review thanks! some great riffs there too
Mxr do have one more , "micro amp plus ".... same voices. Same purposes....which are great.? And better ?
Thanks for the demo. Loved that little RUSH part :) Have you eve used this in the send/receive effects loop?
try watching the video, that is, after all, why most of us are here a video web site isn't it?
it changes the sound cause preamp has more signal in input and the saturation arrives. it is better i suppose in the loop send/return
Rush - Anthem!
It really makes your guitar sound come alive doesn't it?
Young Man's Blues.....nice!!!
Sick playing 👏
Hi Jack, Perfect sound! Im looking for something to use during the solos. I do not want to change the sound or add more drive, just more volume. Do you think that this pedal it`s a good option for me? Liked and subscribed. :)
Love the Rush!
Great video! Sounds great
if you already have a dirty amp and use them together the sound of the amp will change completely ?
Hi! How much milli-ampère absorb this MXR micro amp pedal??
Thanks!
Rik
Hell of player! Great tone
hi, would this amp push my tiny terror into metal territory? ive seen a vid of a boost on a tiny terror but it was with the mrx mc401
Hey man, im looking to get one of these! I have a fender hot rod deville, hate the OD so i bought a Fulltone OCD which i love. Will this pedal boost my OCD pedal you think?
Curious, first of all are u alive? Second did u end up boosting your OCD with the micro amp? I'm considering this or the dod preamp pedal
So if put through the effects loop it will act ONLY as a volume boost appropriate for soloing or just generally louder parts?
Yes
super clean
Very good demo !!
Wich microfone do you use?
Very good demo.
Clean tone? Jack, this tone is dirtier than "The Roast of Ron Jeremy". Regardless, it's a beautiful tone, and your vid is convincing me on purchasing this lil sucker
Nice playing man! :) Convinced me I need this pedal ha
you had me when you started playing anthem :))
Thanks for sharing
Many thanks. Thumbs up!😁
Super .amp plus !!!! Wins
clean tone like that's?
If you go guitar > microamp > amp, can it sound muddy?
I actually have an original one from when they first came out
Very good
Or ten band eq ! Which are better , in mxr ...( )
YEEEES THE WHOOOOOOOO!!!!! like like like
You rock!
Great taste in gear!
i think i should get the same for my Rockerverb 100
Clean tone is not an option on orange amps
I only have dist pedals on my pedalboard
Unless you turn the gain knob all the way it doesn't.
Is it just me, or did the pedal not do much in the effects loop? Perhaps my ears are still too untrained, or maybe it has to do with UA-cam's audio processing.
The mic on the camera used probably has an overload protected system, in which if the sound detected is too great for the mic to handle it lowers the input gain on the camera's audio. Instead of the HUGE volume boost in the room that you would experience (trust me best way to get what's happening is to DIY in a good music store) Notice the subtle *drops* in volume i.e. from 8:18 to 8:20 where he turns the pedal off, you can hear the drop in volume rapidly pick back up as the overload protection comes off momentarily and balances with the original audio level, hope that helped!
LastSuperheroesUK Thanks, I noticed this same thing on a few other videos. I tried out a few boost pedals yesterday and ended up going with the Xotic EP boost. Thanks for the clarification@
No worries :) Glad to help. Our singer Gabriel uses a BOSS BD-2 in the loop for the added tone control available for lead boosts
Where is clean tone?
3:40
RUSH!!!!
Micro amp vs micro amp plus !!!!
ANTHEM ! !
ANTHEM!!!!
Your clean is my grunge or wasp in a jar. Atrocious sound 🤮
4:36