MusicRadar Verdict
If you are looking for extra richness, harmonics and sustain, this delivers in two distinct flavours - a front-end boost with a bit of Texan raunch.
Pros
- +
Works brilliantly with a dirty valve amp. Nice build. Easy operation. Two types of boost.
Cons
- -
Price.
MusicRadar's got your back Our team of expert musicians and producers spends hours testing products to help you choose the best music-making gear for you. Find out more about how we test.
West Sussex-based Bigfoot Engineering made its MusicRadar review debut at the tail end of last year with a roundup that included the excellent Octo Puss Prime pedal.
"If your valves are already cooking away, this is a pedal that will take things further"
Now, following on from its limited edition Treble Booster, inspired by Brian May and built into a 35mm film can, the new Trouble Booster features a more conventional housing, and is apparently inspired by the guitar sounds of ZZ Top legend Billy F Gibbons.
Sounds
In the tradition of the classic Rangemaster treble booster, the Trouble Booster is a Germanium transistor design. It features a volume knob and two switchable modes: normal, with a full frequency response; and bright, with reduced bottom end.
Unity gain seems to be somewhere around the nine o'clock position, where you get no volume jump but a little bit more dirt. Winding up the knob adds more overdrive - which we felt worked best with an already dirty amp.
This is where the Trouble Booster finds its true forte: if your valves are already cooking away, this is a pedal that will take things further and enhance the tonality with a saturated richness, laden with harmonics.
The normal mode offers a fat sound with an enhanced top end, while the bright mode doesn't push your amp quite as much, but offers a defined bite to the note that cuts through. All this with a sensitivity that responds well to variations in pick attack and guitar volume.
"I was having regular panic attacks about not being in control and being exploited": James Blake on how ditching his label and going independent has revitalized his career
“We want your subscription to go to the artist you listen to. Nobody can fraud that”: Deezer's CEO takes on streaming giants with fairer royalties for artists
“They’re absolutely going to kill all that was good with the Pistols by eliminating the point and the purpose of it all”: John Lydon writes off Sex Pistols tour as "karaoke"
