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A Little More of Everything There are pedals you buy because you want an effect, and then there are pedals that quietly become part of your rig. The Xotic EP Booster is one of those pedals. It’s tiny, has a single knob, and doesn’t look particularly exciting on paper. There isn’t even anything specifically bass-oriented about it. Still, the EP Booster has found its way onto plenty of bass pedalboards over the years. Check the price on Amazon Now –> More than just a boost The EP Booster is based around the preamp section of the legendary Maestro EP-3 Echoplex. Players discovered a long time ago that the Echoplex’s preamp added character, fullness and harmonic content to their instruments even when they weren’t using the delay. Xotic took that idea and built it into a tiny standalone pedal. The Boost control gives you up to +20 dB of gain, but the pedal becomes much more interesting when you turn the volume down and listen to what it’s doing to the signal itself. The EP Booster has a noticeable character. It’s subtle, but there’s more weight around the notes, a little extra harmonic content and a smoother feel to the top end depending on how you configure the internal switches. The always-on approach Set the Boost control around unity gain and the EP Booster becomes a very different proposition. With the pedal engaged, the bass sounds slightly fuller and more substantial. The difference isn’t huge, and that’s part of the appeal. There’s no dramatic EQ curve or obvious saturation. The fundamental character of the instrument remains intact. Switch the pedal off after playing for a while and the difference becomes easier to appreciate. The bass can suddenly seem a little flatter and less lively. Switch it back on and the extra character returns. This is the sort of pedal that can sit at the beginning of a signal chain and simply stay there. Why it works well on bass Clean bass tones can sometimes become almost too clean. Modern bass rigs offer enormous amounts of clarity and headroom, which is fantastic, but a little analogue character can make the instrument feel more engaging. The EP Booster adds some of that character without pushing the sound into overdrive territory. I particularly like what it does with articulate playing. Fingerstyle, chords and upper-register lines retain their clarity while gaining a little more density. The effect is also subtle enough that it doesn’t interfere with the basic sound of the bass. That makes the EP Booster an easy pedal to leave switched on throughout a set. Don’t ignore the internal switches There are two DIP switches inside the pedal that alter its voicing, including the gain and high-frequency response. They’re worth experimenting with, especially on bass. Different instruments can react quite differently to the EP Booster. A warm passive bass may benefit from a little extra presence, while a bright modern instrument may sound better with a smoother setting. It’s a simple pedal, but these options give you enough room to find a setting that works with your particular bass and rig. Is it worth having on a bass pedalboard? If you want a completely transparent clean boost, there are better options. The EP Booster has its own sonic character, and that’s something you need to like. For an always-on preamp that adds a little weight, harmonic character and smoothness to a clean bass tone, though, it’s an excellent option. The simplicity is also part of its appeal. There’s very little to adjust, it takes up almost no space and it doesn’t require you to rethink your entire signal chain. Set the level, choose your internal voicing and play. After a while, you may find yourself wondering why the bass sounds slightly less satisfying whenever you switch it off. Final thoughts The Xotic EP Booster is a remarkably simple pedal that can have a surprisingly noticeable effect on a bass rig. The +20 dB of boost is useful when you need it, but the more interesting application is running the pedal around unity gain and letting the EP-3-inspired preamp character become part of your basic tone. For bass players who like clean, articulate sounds but want a little more weight and personality, the EP Booster is well worth trying. Sometimes a pedal earns its place on a board simply by making you reluctant to turn it off. The EP Booster does exactly that. Pros Cons Get your Xotic EP Booster on Amazon right now!