BBE Boosta Grande

very easy.
1 knob.
1 switch.

excellent with a loud clean boost.
doesn't lose the tone of the amp.

very dependable.
housed in a metal chassis.

just got the pedal tonight.
I hope I never have to call them.

I use a Strat with a Blues Junior
and this is a great clean boost pedal.

Check out my YouTube channel to hear it.
guitar62751 is my name.

One knob--turn it up or turn it down; it doesn't get much easier than that...

Here's my signal chain: '05 Gibson Les Paul Classic with a pair of Gibson Burstbucker Pro Humbuckers > Planet Waves Chromatic Pedal Tuner > Morley Lil' Alligator Volume Pedal > BBE Boosta Grande > Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive > Fender Hot Rod Deluxe outiftted with three JJ ECC83S preamp tubes and two JJ 6V6S power tubes. The sound quality of this pedal is awesome. I usually don't have a "crystal clean" sound coming out of my amp at all. My cleanest sounds are always on the verge of break-up (thus the JJ tubes--they make the amp sound warmer overall, and the clean channel has a very nice and bluesy break-up point around 4 or 5 on the volume knob now). When I kick in the Boosta Grande, it causes that clean sound to warm up and thicken up at the same time. Yes, it does boost the volume, but also adds this warm character to it. If I have my Sparkle Drive on and I kick in the Boosta Grande (prior to the Sparkle Drive in the chain), it sounds fantastic! The overdrive from the pedal/amp gets a little hotter with the Boosta Grande engaged (and the volume increases to my liking). Overall a very nice boost/edge/warmth pedal. Sometimes I don't like the way it warms up the sound, and sometimes I do.

No problems as of yet; I have one on my pedal board and don't feel like I need a replacement.

Since I haven't had any issues, I haven't had to contact customer support.

I like to jam out with friends a lot, but I more often play electric for leading worship for the ministry I lead. The style of the music we create when leading the worship ranges from mellow and ambient to very energetic and edgy. I don't really ever go for a distorted rock and roll sound or anything heavier than that. I particularly like the nicely-overdriven and "tasteful" sound of an electric guitar going through a tube amp (with an overdrive pedal in there sometimes). I don't do a whole lot of lead work (as I usually have another guitarist taking care of those duties), so a simple setup is good for me. I've been playing for about 10 years, and you might call me one of those "tone freaks". If it was lost or stolen, I'd probably try to get another one. I really enjoy the way it adds to my tone, which could be described further as: "warm, overdriven, bluesy, thick, etc."... Hats off to BBE!

1 knob, 1 button, stupid simple. Too bad the douche bag sales person at GC isn't familiar enough with the product that his store sells (he actually asked me what this pedal did!!!) but that is another rant...

In a single word... AWESOME. I wanted something to juice up my signal & slam the front end of my AC30, and this thing was the ticket. I have it set around 7 (2:00) for just a slight boost which sends the AC30 into chime heaven. Along with my DredgeTone pedal, I get 3 different versions of AC30, from clean to chime to ripping controllable feedback. Though I almost bought the BBE treble booster instead, I am SO happy with the way this has worked out.

Seems solidly built but will have to let time tell... Having owned a Sonic Maximizer back in the "rack daze", I never had an issue with it so I expect the same quality from this pedal.

Yet to have to deal with BBE

Again, was looking for something to just push my AC30 into chime/grind territory & this little guy was the ticket. With so many choices out there, the BBE was in the same league as other "boutique" pedals costing more than twice as much. Would have liked to try the Keeley Katana just to compare (as I have heard/read some really great things about it). But for the performance and the money, the BBE is just AWESOME.

Easy easy easy to get a good sound...Uh..I would say this is essentially transparent....so..the impact is not getting a "good" sound..rather how "thick" you want your sound... and...One knob. Hellooooooo

Running this into a Vox Clyde-> Keeley TS9->Voodoo Lab Preamp->BBE Maxcom->Digitech GSP2101 (effects only)->Carvin T100 poweramp-> (2)1-12" closed back cabs with Eminence Cannabis Rex speakers. The Voodoo preamp has no effects loop...so I run this thru the front end...yes, it essentially just adds gain and a bit of volume on the distortion channels...altho' the cleaner stuff is a HUGE volume boost. The preamp has 3 channels.Clean/rhythm/lead. The rhythm and lead channels are very very close, so I set the lead channel at a higher volume and set my Boosta Grande and TS9 as auxiliary levels of extra gain and fatness.
This pedal is transparent. It DOES add balls,bottom end..some volume and I guess an extra level of perceived gain thru the distortion channels..but really..it just seems to make it thicker...fuller.But with no loss of detail. It is pretty quiet...true bypass for sure. Made in China...found this out after the fact...but hey. It was a cheap pedal.I try to buy domestic stuff only...but this one snuck in..lol. It is my 5th channel for my preamp. I dunno what else I could ask for from this simple device. Comes with adapter. Solid 9.

Seems well built...Yeah..I would go w/o a backup.I don't "need" this pedal for my rig..it just helps a bit to go over the top for metal stuff..and it is easy to hit a button to back off on tone when I need to...
Solid button,steel casing..hope the insides are not rotten...lol

No idea.....

I play all sortsa crap... fusion-y metal type music...Shred..that sorta thing. Perfect fit...but not vital to my sound. Been playing over 20 years..barf...Les Pauls,Strats,Teles,etc...Not sure I would buy it again for *THIS* rig...if I had only a clean/dirty channel and an effects loop...and could get a more comprehensive dedicated volume boost...it would be invaluable to me...but as it stands...I could certainly get by w/o it. It does help me make music...I utilize it for different shades..but it really does not affect my tone much...but it is NOT supposed to!

One knob. It doesn't get any simpler.

I use this pedal as a transparent overdrive to get more distortion out of my Fender Blues Jr. Full on, it pushes my amp from gritty blues to about Black Sabbath-level hard rock. Before I got it I had a Digitech Bad Monkey, which is a very good overdrive, but like every other overdrive it screws with your tone. So I got this. It sounds great because it doesn't sound like anything. It stays completely out of the picture tonewise, adding only a small amount of noise.

I'm can't be entirely sure about its reliability, as I've only had it for a month or so. However, I've heard that BBE products are just about bulletproof, and it certainly has a rock solid casing. I'm sure it'll be fine.

Haven't dealt with them.

This is a great product for me. It pushes my amp beautifully without altering my tone at all. I haven't been playing long, so I just have one electric that I use, a G&L Tribute Legacy which goes through my tube amp. However, I'm sure the Boosta Grande would work with virtually any set up.

This pedal cannot possibly be easier to use. It has one knob to pump up the volume. It came with a manual, but I didn't bother to look at it. I'm giving it a 9 because a person that has never used a pedal will still probably have to take 1 minute to look at the manual.

I am of the opinion that no effects pedal is completely transparent. Even with the effect turned off, there is usually some alteration of tone. That said, this pedal is about 98% transparent. the other 2% adds a slight fatness to the tone, which I find quite pleasing. I use a Fender 65 Twin re-issue. I don't use distortion of any sort - the tone I seek is exclusively clean. My latest toy is an Ibanez AS73 modded with '59 Seymour Duncans. This pedal does EXACTLY what I expect it to do - it boosts my volume when I want to take a solo. With the pedal turned on, I cannot detect any additional noise.

It's new, so I can't say. BBE apparently has confidence in their product's reliability - it's got a 5 year warranty.

I've been playing about 30 years, and I've always sought the elusive perfect clean tone. I can pretty much get the best clean tone out of any given guitar along with my Twin Reverb. I give this product a solid 9. I don't give 10s for a product because perfection cannot be achieved. However, in this case, a high level of excellence has most definitely been achieved. I've not tried other boost pedals. I don't need to. This one is only 80 bucks - most of the others are more expensive.

Very simple to use, 1 knob, 1 footswitch.

For what this pedal is made to do, it does an excellent job. Completely transparent clean boost. My setup is Am strat->Marshall DSL100 with the Boosta grande in the effects loop. I bought this pedal to give me the volume boost i needed to switch from rhythm levels to lead levels, but without altering my tone. It achieves this easily. It has heaps of boost to spare, i leave the knob at about 12 o'clock, and that is plenty for me.
I should add that when using this pedal with your amps distortion channel, it should be used in the effects loop. If you use it in front of your amp, you will simply saturate your distortion more, will little to no volume increase.
My only gripe with the pedal (hence the 9) is that when switching it on there is a noticeable "pop", which of course during a gig is no prob as this noise is drowned out by the rest of the band, but at home by yourself it can be a little annoying.

I have gigged and rehearsed with it for around 3 months now and it hasn't missed a beat. I suppose time will tell, but i cant see it breaking any time soon. Don't use a backup cos i not made of money. I give it an 8 because i do not like the look of the plastic battery cover, it could be broken easily. This is not an issue for me as i use a DC brick to power my pedals, but it may be a concern to others.

Never dealt with them.

This pedal is useful for any style of music where you need a volume boost to play leads. I play in an experimental/rock/funky sorta original band, and it serves me very well. For the money (very well priced I think) this is an awesome pedal, which does just what the box says it will do. If it were stolen, i would not hesitate to buy it again.

Mmmmmmmmm One Knob, what do you want it to do? Either Boost your lead to cut the mix, or boost your clean to balance your board!

Outstanding! The boost is transparent, no additional color, trble, etc.

No problem expected. I've own another BBE product and have had no problems.
Just wish it wasn't made in China. Just for that reason I'm only giving it an 8

N/A

What a great pedal! My set up runs like this: Korg tuner, Zen Drive, Keeley Compressor, Boosta Grande, Hoochie Mama, (what a sweet OD), AD9 Delay, Marshall Vibe ... into either my '69 Dual Showman or 30 watt Fargen Blackbird.
Using the Boosta Grande as a clean boost,(leaving it on), I can then balance the overall output volume, then by kicking it off when lighting up the Hoochie Mama, I get the OD sound when needed yet my overall level is balanced.
Running the Boosta at max, the volume is level with my OD fully kicked in, then I just work the volume on my Strat.
Also one other nice note: The bright blue light is a plus when engaged. Just a great flexible pedal no matter how you use it. For me it's staying on the board!

If you know how to use it you'll achieve exactly what you're looking for.

To get a VOLUME boost it should be placed after any other pedals (distortion for example), if using the amp's distortion it should go into the amp's effect loop. To get a GAIN boost you should place it before the desired effect and it'll make it sound more robust and you'll get some great sustain. Whichever way you decide to use it won't color your sound at all.

Would not go on a gig without it.

Never dealt with them.

I play in a classic rock band which requires a lot of soloing and this pedal let's me cut through the mix in a heartbeat. Paid about $80.00 and it's worth every penny.

It doesnt get much easier than this. One knob controls clean gain from an addtional +2db to + 20db. One input/one output. An on/off switch. Any questions so far??

I have it running through the effects loop of what I consider to be an under-powered amp. It adds a bit of "fullness" to the amp's eq which I like. More importantly it provides exactly what I hoped for...lots and lots and lots of clean, clear volume. It doesnt mess with my pickups tone at all. No noise at all even at the peaked gain. Nice super bright blue LED effect-on light. Noiseless heavy duty on/off switch. Metal casing. Comes w/a 9v adaptor or runs 300 hours on a 9v battery. Only weak spot could be the battery door which is a little flimsy.

Comes with a 5 year warranty. No worries here.

No experience w/BBE but they have been around a long time. They never responded to an email I sent them but some companies prefer a phone call.

An excellent device. C'mon all this for around $80.00 new?? Its a bargin. Its like BBE's ad says, "Boutique doesnt mean expensive". Ive been a loyal Boss user for decades but Im admittedly tired of their stuff. I intend to check out some of the other BBE products as a result of how good this is.