JIM DUNLOP Electric Guitar Effects (11401000001)

When I hear live bands and the guitar player takes a lead I want to hear it LOUD AND CLEAR but that is rarely the case. Oh, yeah, the band might be loud but it's not the volume that matters, it's the difference between the band and the soloist that matters; the ability of the lead to stand out in front. I notice very little difference between a player's volume when they're playing rhythm and when they're playing lead. Some of that may be their own lack of understanding but if any of it is due to electronics, the problem is OVER. The MXR MC-401 BOOST/LINE DRIVER is a stunning piece of equipment. In the off position it is a clean, true by-pass, just passing your existing signal through without any coloring or distraction. In the on position it gives you a clean, uncolored signal boost, able to add up to +20db with the click of a push button. The lone dial on the unit is variable from 0db to +20db which means that whatever volume you are at, the MC-401 will raise the volume instantly, when engaged, the number of plus db you have dialed in. (Your amp must have the ability to handle the increase. It's like an instant volume dial.) After experimenting slightly at rehearsal I got the general feel of this thing but when I actually used it at a gig, HOLY COW!!!!! This thing is GREAT! Small, compact, rugged as all MXR, simple, and EFFECTIVE. Powered off my existing pedal board power supply (typical 9v) my leads were instantly OUT IN FRONT the way leads sound on recordings. And since it varies from 0db up, it is effective in any size room at any volume. The pedal doesn't care what volume you're at - super loud or super soft - it just does its thing: It makes you louder when it's on compared to when it's off and the amount is consistent with how you set the db boost dial. Also works off 9v battery. Bright blue display light signals when unit is engaged. At $100 or less this pedal is indispensable and virtually priceless!

After much research into all sorts of clean boost options, I went with the MC401 MXR Boost/Line Driver. My decision was partially based on other reviews, partially on my experience with other MXR pedals, (Carbon Copy Delay and Super Comp compressor) which I've found offer great tone, solid build, and great mid-priced value.My only complaint is the placement of the DC power jack, which is adjacent to the signal input jack on the right side of the pedal. (I use both Hosa and Planet Waves right-angle 6-inch patch cables, the Planet Waves fit, the Hosa doesn't.) Easy enough to deal with: Just make sure your input jack is relatively small. (This is so with my other MXR's, so I was prepared.)I'm playing through a late '70's Fender Twin Reverb, which is legendary for it's big, clean sound - and just wanted a simple single-knob clean boost for leads. This pedal kicks up the volume with no apparent loss or coloring of tone - just more of whatever I've put in front of it. The Boost/Line Driver is the currently the last thing my signal is going through before hitting the amp, which allows me to keep the outputs on my other pedals - which are very few - at relatively low levels.Bottom line: One nice clean boost and one very happy guitar player!

Perhaps the best clear, clean, uncolored boost.There are plenty of "clean boost" pedals.. some offer very little clean boost before applying dirt/gain and most color the sound by applying some predetermined EQ curve. Some of them offer bass/treble control and clearly some of those are useful in their own right.. but what if you already like the tone you have and want either a simple volume increase, or a gain increase from your tube amp?..Its this pedal..1. A tube amp will distort more when there is more input, so you can set the amp to clean, and use this pedal to overdrive the input and produce a crunch sound, turn the knob and make it a drive sound.. Have a 2 channel amp?.. this can make it a 4 channel amp.2. Dont have a tube amp?.. put this before an OD/Dist pedal for the same effect3. Want to swap guitars from a humbucker to a single coil?.. use the boost to match the levels.4. Want a volume boost for lead work?.. then this goes in the FX loop for just that...or the last pedal into a clean amp5. Is your board a long way from the amp?.. this has a real driver buffer that will stop that tone sucking cable from killing your sound.After a tuner, this is the most single useful pedal you can have on your board.

I play an amplified upright acoustic bass and an electric upright solid-body bass. I bought this Jim Dunlop MC401 MXR because I have a few bass solos that can't be heard above the other players unless I boost volume, which was hard to do by reaching for the volume knob on my preamp or amp with my hand. This stomp box lets me instantly add a pre-selected amount of volume boost only--no goofy effects, no hum, no extraneous sounds at all. Of course, when the solo is over, another click with my foot drops the boost. This thing sounds completely transparent when it's off, and completely natural when it's on. For my purposes, a boost of five decibels out of the 20 that this device permits seems to be enough. Naturally, you have to have left some head room available in your amp otherwise you won't hear any volume change or you'll get distortion or both, but that should be obvious--it's just like turning your amp up, except with your foot.The MC401 runs on a 9-volt battery, but I also separately ordered the Dunlop ECB003 AC adapter, which is also available at Amazon. I checked the Jim Dunlop website and in its FACs it specifically recommends staying with the same voltage adapter, so I did not order the ECB004, which is an 18-volt model. The ECB003 adapter works perfectly and seems completely silent.The MC401 is compacl, but it's heavily-constructed so it stays put. The stomp switch itself appears to be made of good steel, as is the case itself. Everything is solid as a rock. I don't see how it could be better. Perfect.