Guitars without boost

[Wishx]

It definitely has to be the right amp, but amps that can stand their own without a boost always pull off my favourite tones. I can even run my 7 string through my 6534+ without a boost, it sounds so raw and punchy I wouldn't dream of diluting that with a boost. Some amps, though, just sound better with a boost, or they literally cannot cut it without one.

That +1

 

[JakeAC5253]

It's such an overdone topic. My take on it is that if you have an acoustically sound environment, then a boost for metal will always benefit, the amp will let you dial more clean low response in after the boost. Guys who can effectively record metal amps without a boost either have room cancellations in the low range compensating for this, or they HP the low end off in post, and what point is there in doing that? Different mixing styles I guess, and I can respect them both, but that's my take on it.

 

[kev]

Not a fan so much any more. Try to avoid if possible. Reminds me of the hetfield saying, why use that $1000 dollar amp and dilute it with a $50 crudbox!

 

[Eschatologist]

D tuned here. No boost in front of my Engl Savage.
Engl amps and boosters are not good friends.

This man speaks trooth.

 

[Terminus]

Latest recording i did without a boost
7-String Ibanez RG1527-Seymour duncan blackouts.standard B tuning
peavey 3120
1080 for HQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdu0KtyOv34

That amp really doesn't need boosting, but it won't destroy the tone with one. I pretty much run the same setup as you but on a 6 string Ibby.

 

[Firaxis]

It's such an overdone topic. My take on it is that if you have an acoustically sound environment, then a boost for metal will always benefit, the amp will let you dial more clean low response in after the boost. Guys who can effectively record metal amps without a boost either have room cancellations in the low range compensating for this, or they HP the low end off in post, and what point is there in doing that? Different mixing styles I guess, and I can respect them both, but that's my take on it.

Sorry, that is definitely a sweeping generalisation if I've ever heard one. Some amps really do not take boosts well and sometimes the midrange sounds too honky with one. I've recorded amps in ideally built rooms with no right angle corners or ceilings and with a top engineer, we didn't use a tubescreamer. It's totally situational.

 

[JakeAC5253]

Sorry, that is definitely a sweeping generalisation if I've ever heard one. Some amps really do not take boosts well and sometimes the midrange sounds too honky with one. I've recorded amps in ideally built rooms with no right angle corners or ceilings and with a top engineer, we didn't use a tubescreamer. It's totally situational.

I never said it wasn't a generalization, in case you didn't notice, the question was also general. I assumed general advice was what he was after seeing as how the question was what it was. Yes, some very few metal amps do not boost well, and sound better unboosted. These are certainly the minority of amps in the "metal" realm, so in the interest of stating my general opinion as it applies to boosting metal amps, I didn't mention those special cases. I would like to hear some content of yours from this room.

 

[Deuteronomy]

That amp really doesn't need boosting, but it won't destroy the tone with one. I pretty much run the same setup as you but on a 6 string Ibby.

I Agree.It can also be used with a boost,but it works perfectly without.
For me there's no point to buy an amp that doesn't sound good without a boost.

 

[TheDustbowl]

I'll often not use a boost, sometimes use a Fulltone FB-3 and often, especially for recording, use a simple line buffer.