You’ve got to hand it to Pigtronix, they
sure know how to design a cool-looking
enclosure. The Class A Boost sports a dignified (call it “class-ay”?) tuxedo-themed
enclosure, with a single control for the
boost level. It’s solid, well-built, and a look
inside reveals an immaculately soldered set
of internal components.
RATINGS
Pigtronix
pigtronix.com
Class A Boost
Street: $119
Tones
User Friendliness
Build
Value
low end. Bumping the gain keeps the
Telecaster stayed clean, clear, and natural-sounding without any added distortion.
This is thanks in no small part to the 18V
power supply, which kicks the headroom
to impressive heights. Switching to a 9V
power supply helps soften and cut the high
end of the boosted tone. But it also gives
the pedal a lower ceiling that results in a
lovely, slightly fuzzy drive at higher settings.
Pigtronix designed the Class A Boost
around a single-ended Class-A configura-
tion, utilizing discreet JFET transistors. The
circuit was designed in conjunction with
famed pedal designer Howard Davis, who
designed legendary Electro-Harmonix ped-
als including the Electric Mistress and the
Deluxe Memory Man. Pigtronix’ choice
of a Class-A circuit revolves around trying
to coax a warmer edge from the boosted
tone, which can be set to deliver a hefty
20dB of extra push. It’s also voiced to act
well with an overdriven amp or overdrive
pedal, and its noise floor is so low that it can
be patched into the signal chain wherever
desired. Battery users be warned however, as
the Class A Boost doesn’t accept batteries—it
can only be powered from either a 9V or
18V wall wart—but it comes packed with an
18V power supply for maximum headroom.
Pigtronix’s little tuxedoed wonder is all
about sparkle and refinement in the high
end. During bluesy runs the Telecaster’s
slicing qualities became magnified and
focused with a very slight cut in the
Caroline Guitar Company
Icarus Boost
Caroline’s rust-toned booster seems to cor-
relate boosting your guitar tone sky-high
with the Ancient Greek legend of Icarus,
who plummeted to his doom after his wax
and feather wings melted from flying too
close to the sun. Thankfully, the build qual-
ity of the Icarus Boost suggests you’ll stay at
cruising altitude for a long time. And to be
sure, this pedal can soar.
The Icarus was conceived with the
notion that a booster shouldn’t sound
boring, and as such is intentionally not
transparent. The pedal was a match made
Pros
Great detail in the high end. Excellent
headroom with 18V wall wart.
Cons
Requires a power supply.
