GTRWRKS
19 SIXTY 3
BOOST
BY MATTHEW HOLLIMAN
In a relative sense, boost pedals get no respect. They can be a little, well, under-whelming—an on/off switch, an LED
indicator, and a single knob—not exactly
centerfold material. Given that, it’s little
wonder that few companies herald a boost
as the flagship of their ingenuity. Gtr Wrks
is an Oklahoma-based effects company
that’s proudly an exception. They offer just
two pedals—the bV Overdrive (pronounced
Flat Five), and the 19 Sixty 3 Boost. And it
takes just a few minutes with the Sixty 3 to
see that the company’s focus comes with a
huge practical payoff.
to hear audio clips of the pedal at
premierguitar.com/mar2012
CLICKHere…
and affixed to the chassis with Velcro, comfortably away from the jacks and single pot.
One Knob, Many Worlds
The effects of a boost pedal are always
most apparent through a nice clean rig.
In this case, a ’ 68 Fender Bassman and a
4x12 loaded with V30 Celestions did the
trick. Setting the 19 Sixty 3’s gain knob
around 9 o’clock yielded a slight volume
increase, but also gave noticeable shine
and definition to patterns picked out on a
Telecaster. It also gives the Telecaster more
pronounced top-end bite when strumming
full chords and makes the bridge pickup
feel more dynamic and harmonically rich
in reverb-less environments. The effect
may be subtle, but at these lower settings
the pedal can shake any amp out of tone
limbo or help you cut through a band in
low-volume situations.
Bumping up the Sixty 3 to 12 o’clock
really kicks up the output. But you also
start to hear more of the pedal’s subtle character—full-bodied tone that really enhances
picking dynamics. A light touch on a Les
Paul sounds smooth with a little extra spark
and swagger—something from the lighter
side of a Crazy Horse set list, perhaps. But
Simple Is as Simple Does
To call the 19 Sixty 3 Boost understated
would be … an understatement. The housing is painted a gloss cream with simple
black lettering. There’s a red-orange LED
indicator mounted top center, and one
knob to control the gain that smoothly
sweeps from 7 to 5 o’clock, offering up to
15 dB of boost.
Inside, the 19 Sixty 3 is simple—the
components are all top quality and the
handwiring is as clean as it gets. The entire
chip is no larger than the size of a nickel
Single
boost
knob
The Sixty 3 adds a
discernable and really
interesting personality
to the Twin that sacrifices
little of the Twin’s tonal
clarity, but adds a confi-
dent presence—especially
at lower volumes.
