The humble boost pedal shaped the sound of rock guitar as we know it. One of the most useful – and simple – stompboxes a guitarist can buy, a boost can, to put it simply, give you more of what you love about your tone. And, crucially, it ekes more overdrive from your guitar amp, which is where the concept originated.
If you ever get the chance to play through an early amp, such as a 1930s Gibson EH-185 or a late-1940s V-Front Fender Dual Professional, you may be surprised by the ferocity of the overdrive they can generate. Combining them with an early Goldtop Les Paul reveals that proto-metal guitar tones would have been achievable as early as 1952.
