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Post subject: Transparent Overdrive vs Clean Boost
Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 11:07 am
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Are these just marketing terms or do these two types of pedals actually do anything different?

If an overdrive can be deamed transparent (not sure it can) and not affect your tone, how exactly is that different from providing a clean boost?

I don't use either of these but I am curious what peoples opinions are. Although I sense this might be opening up a can of worms, I shall do it anyway...

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Post subject: Re: Transparent Overdrive vs Clean Boost
Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 11:28 am
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I kind of wondered the same thing. Particularly with "transparent" OD's- Of course it will change the tone- that's why you use it. That's the whole point.

However, it's my belief, that in that context it means a pedal that doesn't add any overwhelming flavor of it's own, or that doesn't cover up the sound of the guitar.

A clean boost simply raises the level of the signal without adding anything else. The effect on your actual sound depends on your amp and how much headroom you currently have. From what I've gathered, many players put these in an fx loop, specifically to avoid any added preamp drive. Ie, a solo boost. The same thing can be done using any decent EQ pedal that allows you to raise the level of your signal.

The lines between the two are blurred because an OD pedal can be and often is used as a clean boost, and many "boost" pedals offer gain of their own-and can be used as OD's.

Of course, these terms are often used as pure marketing- especially in the boutique marketplace. And, since guitar players tend to be rather vulnerable to obsessiveness...


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Post subject: Re: Transparent Overdrive vs Clean Boost
Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 11:38 am
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pyroman wrote:
I kind of wondered the same thing. Particularly with "transparent" OD's- Of course it will change the tone- that's why you use it. That's the whole point.

However, it's my belief, that in that context it means a pedal that doesn't add any overwhelming flavor of it's own, or that doesn't cover up the sound of the guitar.

A clean boost simply raises the level of the signal without adding anything else. The effect on your actual sound depends on your amp and how much headroom you currently have. From what I've gathered, many players put these in an fx loop, specifically to avoid any added preamp drive. Ie, a solo boost. The same thing can be done using any decent EQ pedal that allows you to raise the level of your signal.

The lines between the two are blurred because an OD pedal can be and often is used as a clean boost, and many "boost" pedals offer gain of their own-and can be used as OD's.

Of course, these terms are often used as pure marketing- especially in the boutique marketplace. And, since guitar players tend to be rather vulnerable to obsessiveness...

Agree with all the above comments.

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Post subject: Re: Transparent Overdrive vs Clean Boost
Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 3:27 pm
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As stated above, a transparent overdrive pedal will overdrive the signal without changing the EQ or coloring the tone.

Many/most overdrives color the tone in some manner--the venerable TubeScreamer pedals (in their various incarnations--808, 9, 7, 10, 5, etc.) all famously color the tone (usually a mid-range frequency boost) are a typical example of that...

A clean boost will add no overdrive (not make your signal/tone any dirtier), but rather just boost the volume (and, occasionally, the dynamics) of the signal.
The Katana and the MXR Micro Amp are both good examples of how to "properly" clean boost.

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Post subject: Re: Transparent Overdrive vs Clean Boost
Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 4:23 pm
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Screamin' Armadillo wrote:
As stated above, a transparent overdrive pedal will overdrive the signal without changing the EQ or coloring the tone.

Many/most overdrives color the tone in some manner--the venerable TubeScreamer pedals (in their various incarnations--808, 9, 7, 10, 5, etc.) all famously color the tone (usually a mid-range frequency boost) are a typical example of that...

A clean boost will add no overdrive (not make your signal/tone any dirtier), but rather just boost the volume (and, occasionally, the dynamics) of the signal.
The Katana and the MXR Micro Amp are both good examples of how to "properly" clean boost.

+1
I used to read people commenting OD was not an effect but just pushed the front end of the amp harder but it doesn't. It's just a different sounding distortion. Clean boost pushes the front end harder.

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Post subject: Re: Transparent Overdrive vs Clean Boost
Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 1:20 pm
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BMW-KTM wrote:
I used to read people commenting OD was not an effect but just pushed the front end of the amp harder but it doesn't. It's just a different sounding distortion. Clean boost pushes the front end harder.


Well, sort of. :D

Most "overdrive" pedals have three controls; volume, tone, and gain. Overdrive pedals usually have some sort of diode clipping circuit to generate the overdrive/distortion. Some pedals actually use multiple gain stages. The gain control sets the gain of the pedal's internal overdrive circuit (clipping diodes or multiple gain stages). The tone control usually is just a high frequency cut circuit (on some pedals it is a presence control, on others, turning one way affects the lows while turning the other way affects highs). The volume control sets the overall volume and gain of the pedal, from input to output. You can adjust the volume control for unity gain where the guitar signal in and the pedal signal out are equal. Overdrive comes only from the internal clipping or gain stages. OR, you can turn the volume control higher than unity gain so that the pedal signal out is greater than the guitar signal in. In this case you are now getting overdrive from the pedal's internal circuit AND the increased output level is driving the amp front end harder (like a clean boost) to cause preamp overdrive, and depending on the amp settings, power amp overdrive. Of course, you can also set the volume control to give less than overall unity pedal gain, though I'm not sure why you would want to do that. It is this capability that allows you to use an overdrive pedal with either an amp set clean or one that is on the verge of overdrive/distortion on its own.

A "transparent" overdrive is as others have stated. Beyond adding the signal overdrive, there is little or no impact on the overall tone of the guitar signal. However, one must recognize that the overdrive process generates higher order (2nd or 3rd) harmonics that are not present in the original signal. I consider that as "coloring" of the signal. Others may not.

A clean boost is as its name implies; it increase the overall level of the signal with no added distortion.

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Post subject: Re: Transparent Overdrive vs Clean Boost
Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 9:25 am
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Bluesky636, I don't believe I ever seen this particular issue explained more clearly. A reasonable question asked - and question fully answered, I'd say!

Nice one, Bill. :)

Cheers - C

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Post subject: Re: Transparent Overdrive vs Clean Boost
Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 11:40 am
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There's a documentary called "Fuzz" The guys that build pedals cringe at the word "Transparent". Even a new cord can "color" your tone. It is what it is. Like Bill says, they have tone and gain controls. I have a BYOC Confidence Boost with just a boost knob on it and it does what it does and I like it. I don't care if it "colors" the tone, it just another color on my creative pallet. If you think your audience cares one bit, they don't. I don't worry about it.

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Post subject: Re: Transparent Overdrive vs Clean Boost
Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 5:05 pm
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Ceri wrote:
Bluesky636, I don't believe I ever seen this particular issue explained more clearly. A reasonable question asked - and question fully answered, I'd say!

Nice one, Bill. :)

Cheers - C


Thanks. :D

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Post subject: Re: Transparent Overdrive vs Clean Boost
Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 5:28 pm
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OK.

So I think i get it, but couldn't one say that the tone knob on a "transparent" overdrive would always color the tone thus it would not be transparent?

That one might be a "stupid" question, but i am curious and I don't know the answer. So as they say, the only stupid question is one you don't ask.

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Post subject: Re: Transparent Overdrive vs Clean Boost
Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 5:48 pm
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nicholsoni wrote:
OK.

So I think i get it, but couldn't one say that the tone knob on a "transparent" overdrive would always color the tone thus it would not be transparent?

That one might be a "stupid" question, but i am curious and I don't know the answer. So as they say, the only stupid question is one you don't ask.


You have tone controls on your guitar and amp, don't you? :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Transparent Overdrive vs Clean Boost
Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 5:57 pm
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I imagine it's fairly safe to assume we can all agree that the Ibanez Tube Screamer and the BOSS Super Over-Drive are historically the most common overdrive pedals ever sold. The originals and the various slightly different subsequent versions all add up to what must be the hands down most popular OD pedals of all time. That is ... unless somebody wants to argue that Fuzz is in the category of overdrive. Having owned many examples of each of those two, including some that were hot-rodded but mostly stock ones, I can testify that I have not ever found either of them to be able to provide a clean boost that drives the front end of the amp harder than the guitar plugged straight in without also adding clipping or in some way colouring the tone. I've tried. Many times. You can crank the volume knob all the way up and turn the gain right down. Even set like that, when you slowly and gently dial up the gain to find that balance where the volume 'with' is the same as the volume 'without', as soon as you cross that line where the signal strength coming out of the box exceeds the signal strength coming out of the guitar you start to notice grind setting in. You can check to see if that grind is coming from the amp being pushed harder or if it's coming from the pedal by plugging the pedal straight into the mixing board. The mixing board taste test will demonstrate that it's the pedal. It's likely also a little of the amp since you are in fact feeding it a stronger signal but the pedal is definitely at the point of beginning to add grind. Turn the gain up higher so that the signal increase is actually useful as a solo boost and it's more noticeable.

I personally do not believe an overdrive pedal is capable of providing a clean boost to drive the amp harder. I've never found one that could, anyway. I try that test with any new OD pedal I acquire. Some get closer to a clean boost than others but I can always hear it starting to clip. Many, not all, can be engaged and still provide the same signal strength as the guitar with a clean signal. Many cannot. Perhaps if you were using a guitar with extremely low output pickups? Maybe.

That's been my experience anyway.

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Post subject: Re: Transparent Overdrive vs Clean Boost
Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 6:18 pm
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bluesky636 wrote:
nicholsoni wrote:
OK.

So I think i get it, but couldn't one say that the tone knob on a "transparent" overdrive would always color the tone thus it would not be transparent?

That one might be a "stupid" question, but i am curious and I don't know the answer. So as they say, the only stupid question is one you don't ask.


You have tone controls on your guitar and amp, don't you? :wink:


Why yes, yes I do.

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Post subject: Re: Transparent Overdrive vs Clean Boost
Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 6:22 pm
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BMW-KTM wrote:
I imagine it's fairly safe to assume we can all agree that the Ibanez Tube Screamer and the BOSS Super Over-Drive are historically the most common overdrive pedals ever sold. The originals and the various slightly different subsequent versions all add up to what must be the hands down most popular OD pedals of all time. That is ... unless somebody wants to argue that Fuzz is in the category of overdrive. Having owned many examples of each of those two, including some that were hot-rodded but mostly stock ones, I can testify that I have not ever found either of them to be able to provide a clean boost that drives the front end of the amp harder than the guitar plugged straight in without also adding clipping or in some way colouring the tone. I've tried. Many times. You can crank the volume knob all the way up and turn the gain right down. Even set like that, when you slowly and gently dial up the gain to find that balance where the volume 'with' is the same as the volume 'without', as soon as you cross that line where the signal strength coming out of the box exceeds the signal strength coming out of the guitar you start to notice grind setting in. You can check to see if that grind is coming from the amp being pushed harder or if it's coming from the pedal by plugging the pedal straight into the mixing board. The mixing board taste test will demonstrate that it's the pedal. It's likely also a little of the amp since you are in fact feeding it a stronger signal but the pedal is definitely at the point of beginning to add grind. Turn the gain up higher so that the signal increase is actually useful as a solo boost and it's more noticeable.

I personally do not believe an overdrive pedal is capable of providing a clean boost to drive the amp harder. I've never found one that could, anyway. I try that test with any new OD pedal I acquire. Some get closer to a clean boost than others but I can always hear it starting to clip. Many, not all, can be engaged and still provide the same signal strength as the guitar with a clean signal. Many cannot. Perhaps if you were using a guitar with extremely low output pickups? Maybe.

That's been my experience anyway.



If you are referring to my post (you did not quote anything, so it is hard to tell), please reread it carefully and tell me where I said an overdrive can be made to provide a clean boost (hint: I did not).

By the way, my Fulldrive-2Mosfet makes an excellent clean boost . :D

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Post subject: Re: Transparent Overdrive vs Clean Boost
Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 6:23 pm
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nicholsoni wrote:
bluesky636 wrote:
nicholsoni wrote:
OK.

So I think i get it, but couldn't one say that the tone knob on a "transparent" overdrive would always color the tone thus it would not be transparent?

That one might be a "stupid" question, but i am curious and I don't know the answer. So as they say, the only stupid question is one you don't ask.


You have tone controls on your guitar and amp, don't you? :wink:


Why yes, yes I do.


So any one of those tone controls will "color" the tone. What is the "true tone" of an amp or guitar anyway?

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