TC Electronic Booster+Line Driver and Distortion

Ease of use is 10 for what I use it for, but just looking at it I don't know how to use the Line driver or Ex Bypass so it loses some points and to change the battery you need to unscrew three screws so it loses lots of points for that too.

In all honestly this doesn't bother me but it may bother some.

My setup is Les Paul or Fender Relic strat into a gigrig bypass looper into Teese RMC3LE wah, Foxrox Captain Coconut 2, TC Electronic Booster, Hotcake, MXR Phase 90, Boss DM-2 Delay, 60's Vox AC30 and 73 Marshall Superlead.

This rating is only a 10 when I use this pedal in boost mode with a Les Paul into my 73 Superlead. My settings are usually Vol full up, Dist full down and Bass and Treble at noon then play and twist the Noise Suppressor until its natural yet useful.

I have tried many other things to replace it; the closest thing was a Lovetone Eternity but the TC Electronic still wins out.

Why it is so good is because when I use it in the above way it doesn't sound like a pedal at all it sounds like my Marshall on 20 and the sustain goes on for ever when you stand in the right place and the note effortlessly turns to controllable feedback.

I also love the way this sound feels under the fingers it gives me confidence in my playing I have had this pedal in my setup for a long time and it has become my sound, I can't say that about any of my other gear other than my vintage amps.

I don't like this pedal with single coils, I only like it with Marshall type amps and I never use the Dist mode it's not great with guitar however it is passable with a bass.

Most Artists that use it use Marshalls ie Steve Morse I've gone blank but I did know a lot of others that use it to.

These pedals have been around a long time and although I love the thing I don't treat it with much respect so I guess I have heaps of confidence in it.

Never dealt with them.

I play rock, blues, this pedal and a Les Paul/Marshall combo makes me want to play Slash, Gary Moore, Van Helan, Clapton on steroids.

I've been playing 19 years I'm 27 years old, I own lots of gear but end up liking vintage classics the best.

If I were starting out and was serious about tone I would figure out what guitar I liked to play best then I would buy the best amp that suits that guitar. A good amp to me is very dynamic it cleans up well with a guitars vol knob. Then I would buy a guitar but the amp is most important. A Jimmy vaughn Mexico strat will sound better through a vintage AC30 than a customshop Strat through a Peavy Bandit. Then buy effects that compliment your gear.

Being obsessed with tone is expensive so try to buy secondhand classic's you can usually onsale for the same price or more if you decide to replace them you can't do that when you buy Line 6 gear brand new.

Even if this wasn't stolen or lost I would buy one if I found one just to have a spare.

The best thing about this pedal is it doesn't sound like a pedal or feel like a pedal to play through.

I have compared it to other pedals and lots of them can do a similar thing eg MXR micro amp etc and this pedal beats them in my eyes because of the way it compresses in a more natural way.

I wish it had just the boost function and nothing else and it was smaller and that it was handmade point to point wired with a see through case on the bottom.

Switchable between boost and distortion, has bass and treble e.q., noise gate, that famous t.c. buffered switching and an additional XLR line out. A rather unusual combination, but everything works quite well.

I like the distortion o.k., especially as a mild overdrive, but that is not the strongest point in this pedal. It is simply a phantastic clean boost with e.q. and noise gate. Works great with any of my vintage tube amps. Doesn't get any better. I tried their new VPD pedal hoping for an improvement/upgrade, but that really didn't do it (maybe a slightly better distortion, but no stand-alone boost function).

Born ion the 80's and still working without hickups.

Great pedal, transparent, clean, reliable. Get one if you can find them.

This is my favorite pedal! I bought it in 1991 and have used it regularly since then. I can get a small warm distortion or a massive distortion wall while still hearing ever string from the guitar. It very easy to use, just turn the knobs and try it out.

Only setback I can think of is that you have to unplug the bottom (4 screws) to replace the battery. I never use batteries so it hasn't been a big deal for me.

I use mine with a semiacoustic Fender Telecaster or a Gretsch Atkins Axe: guitar -> Marshall Guv'nor plus -> TC pedal -> Vox AC50 (with a 2x12" cabinet).

It has a built in noise gate which works really good. However the pedal itself is not noisy at all but it helps tuning down the noise I get from the Guv'nor.

I like the sound of The Wedding Present and Pixies and this little gem let me very easily tune in those sounds.

It sounds best in a tube amp. For a few years I used a solid state amp and got it to sound very nice with that one as well, but I needed to do some more tuning than I have to with a tube amp.

I have tried to hook it right into my Korg D12 recording studio but that doesn't really work. You need an amp to get the nice sound from it.

I have never used it as a Booster but I imagine it would do the job nicely.

I've had mine since 1991 and never had a problem. It's all steel and seems unbreakable. I bought mine used and never have had to replace the switch or got any scratchy noise from the knobs. It just keeps on going. I've used it for gigs since '91 and never brought a backup and never have needed to do so.

I've never been in contact with them or have had a reason to do so.

As I wrote I play some kind of alternative music. This pedal is great for that.
I bought it used in 1991 and it was my second pedal I ever bought. I struck gold in a small music store. I had no clue about pedals then but I tried it out and thought it was very easy to use, great sound and I got a great price. So I bought it. And now 15 years later it's still the best pedal I've ever had. I have tried out other distortion pedals but none have matched the TC yet.

If it was stolen I would be devastated. It's very hard to come by especially here in Sweden but I would hunt high an dlow to replace it. If I would find another one tomorrow I would buy it right away. I haven't found one yet so I use a Guv'nor until I do.

Takes a little while to sus out the controls and hear the influences on your tone, but it's true - it is a very transparent booster pedal with quality EQ and superb quality noisegate dial. Oh and the others forgot to mention that the LED stays on longer for new batteries and dims quickly for old tired batteries when you switch the effect on.

I've heard one guy use it effectively as a distortion pedal, not for me - No.. this little puppy is probably the best Booster pedal on the market although sadly no longer made. It is a clear 15-20db boost with an option to eq as well. In a word brilliant.

I've had mine since 1989 - solid as a rock - the paint is almost all scratched off but the unit works well, the footswitch is still fully functional

Never tried or needed them - I think they are pretty stoopid to have stopped making them - it's a classic pedal.

Been playing for 30 years through many many pedals, amps, guitars, and speakers. Valve, Transistor, or Hybrid amps, it worked well with ALL. A standard fixture on my pedal board, sometimes I leave it on all night and use the guitar volume for boost. Highly recommended IF you can find one secondhand.

Controls are straightforward, easy to understand. It does a variety of jobs - overdrive pedal, clean boost, EQ, direct box - all easy to accomplish.

Mine came with a clear, informative, easy to understand manual. The manual pointed out some features of the unit that aren't immediately obvious just from looking at it and using it. Example: The pedal acts as an active buffer even when in bypass. Also, you can use higher voltages than 9 volts to run the unit. According to the manual, you can run it with 48V phantom power!

I used to use this as an active buffer amp between my guitar and amp. Now I sometimes use it as an acoustic guitar DI. It has an XLR out that you can run right to the soundboard.
There's no noise. No audible sound degradation.
I haven't used the distortion much. It's really more of an overdrive. It doesn't get a lot of gain. Not the greatest distortion I've heard, but I'm more of a "Overdrive the amp" rather than a pedal guy. With the distortion on and plugged into an overdriven amp, it adds extra overtones and crunch. That's also not something I do very often, but I've tried it.

I've gigged with it a lot. In the 19 years I've had it, it has never given me problems. Doesn't eat batteries either. Make sure the battery is fresh (it has an indicator light for that), or use and adapter (it'll take all the way up to 48V!) and you don't need to worry about it.

Never called TC.

I've been playing since '78. I play a variety of rock & blues styles. I bought it because I'd read about the benefits of having an active preamp between the guitar and amp (less signal degradation from effects, long cables) but in the time I've owned it I've come to appreciate how many ways this pedal is useful.

The pedal has 5 knobs. Dialing in a good sound was easy, finding my exact sound for the stage was quick and easy too. I bought a second one because I loved what the first one did, but I wanted more. I experimented with lots of other pedals to achieve a lead tone, but then in dawned on me, why not try another. Sure enough, my dirty rhythm and lead tones are now in the hands of these wonderful pedals.

The sound is pristine. TC has really made themselves a reputation for having great sound quality. The tone is wonderful. I use a Les-Paul, 335, Strat, and Tele, and I play a Class-A EL-34 amp, not a typical breed..but this unit is perfect for my preference for darker dirty sounds. I use of two of them, and have been in search for a good compressor to no avail..once again, I thought, "Why not try a TC?" So one is on the way. I know, it sounds strange, but these pedals REALLY are THAT good. They deliver.

They are known for their reliability, these units are going on 20 years old. That says enough for me.

Never had to call. No need w/ reliability like this.

A value, to me, denotes this: Does it do what you want? Stand the test of time? Can you afford it? If all three are yes, then you have a value. I'd definitely buy another if it were lost or stolen. I haven't quite found an acceptable setting for the Noise Suppressor knob, so I leave it off.

mostly acoustic guitar. use it to boost my peizo pickup signal. it is clean, crisp, with good bass and treb db that keep my harmonics and tapping transparent and intact. the boost is so powerfull that my setting i use is 2.5 - 3 any thing past 4 i run into some destortions, which is normal because this is a destortion pedal as well. the xlr on it is great. you can say i use this as a vary high end di. my signals also go through a tc dual para eq and my tc chorus just mostly on wide. the tc sustainer is great for electric but the compression is not good for my acoustic sound im trying to acheve. but whith my electric guitar the tc distortion pedal it is unreal. tc pedals are great also in how quite they are. the only thing that i would agree whith some others is that the led goes out to save power. good on one hand not when your looking down in the dark to see if its on.

this is a basic looking bomb that does the gets the job done and more
with its handy noise suppressor.

no problem yet.

acoustic dadgad and other tunnings
i have a taylor guitar, i like guys who play in the style of don ross p bensusan ben harper michael hedges etc

very easy to use. aint rocket science. as said before, you can go to the tc website and print off a manual

this pedal has a boost function that is the best i have used by far. a tubescreamer cant even put out a quarter to what this beast can do. i use this to put more compression on my tube amp. giving it this modern heavy music sound. the distortion function isnt very useful to me. the manual sez its designed to emphisize certain frequencies to get a more tubelike bluesy distortion. perhaps i can try that with a ss amp somtime.

it is very dependable. no problems so far. they discontinued this pedal in 1990 from what i heard. for all i know, this pedal could be 20+ years old.

never needed them. they should make a re-issue.

i play music that involves heavy distortion. this is a nice match for anybody who wants more compression in their tube amp. i would hate to have it ripped off. if you should gig with it, you will need to hide it somwhere!. you will pay dearly for a pedal like this. havent seen any on ebay going any cheaper than 250.00. i can think of at least two well known musicians who use the same pedal. mike tepsta (powerman 5000) and scott ian (anthrax/s.o.d.). if its good enough for me and these guys, dont hesitate to buy one when you see it!

This box really is easy to use. There's a whole lot of things in the unit, but it still is very small and compact.
The pedal was build in the early- to mid 80's in Denmark. If your manual has gone missing, you can download a new one for free at: www.tcelectronic.com

AMP USED: I'm using this unit with a Mesa/Boogie 400+ Bass amp. Yes, you guessed it, I'm a bass-player! (who likes distortion).

BASS USED: I use it on my custom-built Celider Custom 6 bass. Handmade from a Danish Bass-builder in Copenhagen. Yes, it's a 6-stringed monster with active preamp-circuitry.

NOISE IN PEDAL: There's no noise in it, so I'm really happy 'bout it, because I'm very concerned about my sound in general.

CONTROLS: It has 4 knobs: Distortion, Treble, Bass and Volume.
In addition there's a switch where you select to boost or distort your signal. I mostly use it as distortion with my bass. It's really great for bass because you can add a whole lot of spank to the lower frequencies! YEAH!

OTHER FEATURES: Besides the knobs and switch there's also a little thing you can turn up or down. It's a Noise-Gate! A little slow reacting, but ok.
Another feature is a high-output XLR Line-driver! Very cool for gigs where you would like to record or get your sound through the PA-system.

I'm 100% sure of the reliability of this unit. I also have a T.C. Electronic Chorus+ pedal and I've never experienced anything with these units! They're just great.

I use a Cioks Power-Supply with 7x9v outputs so that I never have to worry about running out of juice. That's pretty cool, so why waste your gold on expensive 9-v batteries?


It's pretty hard to find good guitar-units who does sound good on a bass-guitar, but hey! -I've found mine...! T.C. Electronic ALL THE WAY!

I had some questions about the products that I have, I called them and got a good long talk with a tech. Friendly all the way!

www.tcelectronic.com

First, this is a vintage pedal. So... you can expect a pretty "good" price for it. But it's worth it all the way. I'll never get rid of mine.
It really add's nice FAT distortion to my sound, not too much, not too little. Just right! As I've written before, It's hard to find guitar-pedals who doesn't loose all the "low's" when you engage them. This pedal is a real friend of mine...

If it was stolen, I would track the crook down and nail him to his bed!

I mostly play Progressiv Rock a la Dream Theater and Liqiud Tension. (I also have a Chapman Stick :-) John Myung from Dream Theater uses a lot of dist.sounds in his playing and I must say that I'm a great fan.

I've been playing elctric bass for about 5 years. Also play Chapman Stick and Tuba! :-)

My gear is: Mesa/Boogie 400+ bass amp, Korg DTR-2 Rack Tuner, Alesis MicroVerb III (used with my Chapman Stick). All of this in a 6 unit shock mounted rack.
My bass-cab is a Mesa/Boogie 1516B Road-Ready Edition. (15",10",2x6", tweeter) 400 watt and Bi-ampable.

Bass: Celinder Custom 6. 6-stringed inferno with active 9-v circuitry.

Chapman Stick: Grand Stick 12-stringed.

Floor-Effects: TC Booster & TC Chorus. All of this controlled with my Ernie Ball Volume Pedal. Everything gathered in a pedal-flightcase.

Related Links:

T.C. Electronic of Denmark: www.tcelectronic.com
Celinder Handbuilt Bass Guitar's: www.celinder.com
Chapman Stick, Tapping instrument: www.stick.com
Mesa/Boogie Amplifiers: www.mesaboogie.com

its very simple to use. other than having slight difficulty finding where the 9 volt battery goes(the bottom unscrews to expose battery for replacement). otherwise, if you have more trouble, allow me to smack you around with it cos you're RETARDED!. you can go to the tc electronic website and download a free manual for it.

the booster feture (what i use most) is the best i heard. this will eat a tubescreamer for breakfast! i plug this in the fx loop on my crate stealth head, and can get some super saturated sounds. scott ian from S.O.D/anthrax uses this same pedal. along with White Zombie and Powerman5000 just to name some bands who use this(that i know of). and is the #1 formula to their sound. there is a slight humming noise, but it fetures a noise supressor. its this lil black knob that you just crank up until the noise is gone. has a swelling affect, and is a lil slow, but gets the job done. the distortion feture isnt much to brag about. all it is designed to do is emphisize certain frequencies that can give you a classic tubelike distortion. so, in the loop, you could get a solidstate amp to sound more tubelike perhaps. havent used the linedriver feture. but is used for when you have extra long cables that need a stronger signal.

most effects pedals are reliable. including this one. just remember to unplug the cables out of it when you're finished (batteries will drain) i would be nervose about using this at a gig. being this is a hard pedal to find, and if it gets ripped off, i would be very piss'd off

never delt with them.

if you have a good sounding tube amp, but want a good boost, you must find this. they are expensive too! once you get one, hold on to it! you cant go wrong with swedish technology. i would be certainly bummed if it were stolen. might not replace it easily. i wonder why tc electronic wont re-issue this pedal? i wish they would at least make exclusivly a boost pedal based exactly on this. perhaps it would be cheaper to get.