The 6 Best Treble Booster Pedals (2023)
Often overlooked by beginner guitarists, a treble booster pedal is a great addition to pedalboards, as it leads to a brighter and more saturated sound with the additional volume of higher high-end frequencies. They are perfect for giving an edge to a solo or cutting through a mix.
Adding a good treble booster pedal to your setup will embellish your sound significantly. Legendary guitarists like Brian May, Tony Iommi, and Ritchie Blackmore frequently used treble booster pedals to push their British amps into singing overdrive.
My top pick is the Catalinbread Naga Viper, a vintage treble booster pedal based on the legendary Dallas Rangemaster of the 70s.
My budget pick is the TC Electronic Spark Booster, a cost-effective and versatile booster pedal with many control options to shape your sound.
Contents
- The 6 Best Treble Booster Pedals (2023)
- 1. Catalinbread Naga Viper
- 2. TC Electronic Spark Booster
- 3. EarthQuaker Devices Tone Job V2
- 4. JangleBox JB Nano
- 5. Xotic Effects RC Booster V2
- 6. Blackstar Dept. 10 Boost Pedal
- 7. Friedman Buxom Boost
- What is a Treble Booster pedal?
- How do Treble Booster pedals work?
- What to look for in a Treble Booster Pedal when buying?
- Conclusion
The 6 Best Treble Booster Pedals (2023)
Let’s look at them in more detail:
1. Catalinbread Naga Viper
The Catalinbread Naga Viper is a great vintage-style treble booster pedal that can provide you the high-end boost you need to reach the iconic 70s and 80s hard-rock tones. It is the renewed version of the original Rangemaster booster pedal, with added control for more control over your sound.
Pros
- Great vintage Rangemaster sounds
- True Bypass footswitch
- Versatile with added Range and Heat controls
- Can be used as a treble booster or a full-range booster
- Durable well-built design
Cons
- Increases the noise floor in the signal
- Not fully transparent
With the added Range and Heat knobs to the traditional Boost knob, you get more flexibility on your tone. The Range knob is used for switching the pedal from a treble booster to a full-range booster, and the Heat knob is used to adjust the gain saturation level.
The pedal works great for boosting cleans but shines with overdrive, especially during the solos. It is not a fully transparent booster as it adds a bit of its character to your sound, which sounds great, in my opinion, but some guitarists may not like it. Also, this pedal can increase the noise floor in the signal chain, which you should consider, and maybe use a noise gate pedal to prevent it.
| Controls | Range, Heat, and Boost ControlsTrue Bypass footswitch |
| Power Supply | 9-18V DC power adapter |
| Bonus Features | True Bypass |
Overall, the Catalinbread Naga Viper, based on the original Dallas Rangemaster, is a great vintage-sounding pedal with modern versatility to make your tone shine with high-end frequencies.
2. TC Electronic Spark Booster
TC Electronic Spark Booster is not a simple treble booster pedal but a full-range booster with great controls to adjust the boost range as you like. With the gain, level, bass, and treble control knobs, as well as the fat-clean-mid switch, you have an impressive amount of control over your tone and boost style.
Pros
- Great value for the price
- Plenty of control options
- Can be used as a treble booster or a full-range booster
- Very transparent sound
Cons
- Not the best gain effect
The pedal provides up to 26 dB of boost, and it can act as a light overdrive too. But, the gain effect of the pedal is a bit muddy and decreases the clarity of your tone. You can choose between three different boost styles with the pedal. The Mid mode is the typical treble boost, the clean mode is for the clean boost, and the fat mode adds a bit of girth to your tone.
With the 2-band EQ, you can adjust your boost to any frequency range you like. When you set the knobs to the middle, the pedal is perfectly transparent without coloring your tone.
| Controls | Gain, Level, Bass, Treble knobsFat-Clean-Mid switch |
| Power Supply | 9V DC power adapter, 9V battery |
| Bonus Features | True Bypass |
In short, TC Electronic Spark Booster is a highly versatile and handy booster pedal with a great value-for-price ratio.
3. EarthQuaker Devices Tone Job V2
The EarthQuaker Devices Tone Job V2 is another highly versatile EQ and booster pedal that offers up to 20 dB of boost for any frequency. It comes with a 3-band EQ section and a level knob, which can boost your tone up to five times its input.
Pros
- EQ and booster pedal in one stompbox
- Great sound quality and sweet tone
- Up to 20dB of boost for any frequency range
- Simple controls
- Well-built chassis handmade in the U.S.A.
Cons
- The knobs are located too close to each other
The pedal is quite easy to use with a simple four-knob design. You can adjust your equalizer and use the level knob to adjust the boost you want to get from the pedal. However, the knobs are quite close to each other, which makes them a bit harder to control, especially if you have big fingers.
The pedal also has a True Bypass footswitch in order not to color your tone when it is not engaged. Plus, like all EarthQuaker pedals, it is handmade in the U.S.A., so it comes with a highly durable and well-built chassis.
| Controls | Level, Treble, Bass, Mid knobs |
| Power Supply | 9V DC power adapter |
| Bonus Features | 3-band EQ, True Bypass |
If you are looking for more than just a simple treble booster pedal, EarthQuaker Devices Tone Job V2 is a great choice. It allows you to boost any frequency range and use the EQ to finetune your sound as you like.
4. JangleBox JB Nano
The JangleBox JB Nano is a tiny yet powerful compressor and treble booster pedal. It features a preset treble booster footswitch along with gain and attack knobs to adjust the amount and intensity of compression. It performs great with clean tones as it delivers bright, compressed sound with an increased noise floor.
Pros
- Compressor and pre-set treble boost in the same pedal
- Great for clean tones
- Easy-to-use design
- High-quality build
- True Bypass switch
Cons
- It can bit a bit noisy
- The booster is not very tweakable
While the preset treble booster switch decreases the versatility and tweaking options some guitarists may have liked, the boost sounds quite good and makes the pedal easier to use.
The pedal is the simpler version of the JangleBox compressor series JB2 and JB3. It offers the same sound with fewer control options and in a more compact stompbox. You still have two footswitches; one for the True Bypass and the other for activating the Treble boost.
| Controls | Gain, Attack knobs and On-Off, T-Boost switches |
| Power Supply | 9V DC power adapter, 9V Battery |
| Bonus Features | Compressor, True Bypass |
The JangleBox JB Nano is for guitarists who want a sweet clean tone with a nice preset treble boost and a great compressor to finetune their sound.
5. Xotic Effects RC Booster V2
If you are looking for the utmost versatility from your boost pedal, Xotic Effects RC Booster V2 is a great choice. With its 2-band EQ, up to 20dB of boost, transparent sound, gain control, and extra gain channel for fatter tones, it offers many options to boost your tone.
Pros
- Highly versatile with many control options
- Up to 20dB of boost
- Transparent sound
- Two-band EQ for fine-tuning
- True Bypass footswitch
Cons
- Not easy to adjust the Gain 2
- The volume knob changes the tone slightly
The pedal is the newer version of the discontinued RC Booster. The core sounds are the same, but the new version comes with new features that increase the versatility, like the second footswitch for gain and the added gain channel.
There are many controls on the pedal, including 2-band EQ, volume, and gain knobs. But the knobs are a bit small, making them harder to use. Also, the added gain channel control is quite tiny, making it a hassle to adjust the level.
| Controls | Gain 1, Treble, Bass, Volume controls Gain 2 button, Gain 1+2, and True Bypass footswitches |
| Power Supply | 9V-18V DC power adapter, 9V Battery |
| Bonus Features | Added gain channel, True Bypass |
All things considered, Xotic Effects RC Booster V2 is a great booster pedal with many possibilities to adjust your sound. If you need control over your sound, this pedal is ideal for you.
6. Blackstar Dept. 10 Boost Pedal
If you like the tube-like warm tones and are looking for a booster pedal with an authentic tube circuit, the Blackstar Dept. 10 Boost Pedal is the right pedal for you. It features an ECC83 preamp tube, offering a fully dynamic and harmonically rich boost along with low, high, and boost controls to finetune your sound.
Pros
- Offers tube-like warm tones
- Has a genuine ECC83 preamp tube
- Full dynamic and harmonic range
- Durable solid construction
Cons
- High power usage
- Buffered Bypass
The pedal’s high and low controls are built with James Baxandall’s passive tone circuit, which means they deliver an organically gradual sweep. So, you have great control over your sound. With the tube circuitry, the pedal delivers complex harmonics and punchy attack while breaking up the clean tube amps in lower volume levels.
It must be noted that the pedal draws a high current, so choose your pedalboard power supply with that in mind. One drawback of the pedal is the lack of a true bypass switch, as your tone will be colored with the buffered bypass pedal features.
| Controls | Boost, Low, and High controls, Buffered Bypass Footswitch |
| Power Supply | 9V DC power adapter |
| Bonus Features | Tube-based circuit |
In short, if you want the tube warmth in your tone, and boost your high-end or low-end accordingly, Blackstar Dept. 10 Boost Pedal is a unique choice.
7. Friedman Buxom Boost
The Friedman Buxom Boost is one of the highest-rated clean boost pedals thanks to its high amount of controls, providing maximum tonal flexibility. It features a 3-band EQ, tight control for the low-end punch, boost level control, and an EQ-bypass switch to keep your tone uncolored.
Pros
- Versatile with 3-band EQ and EQ bypass switch
- The Tight knob is great to control the low-end
- Highly flexible on the level of the tone coloration
- Works great with clean tones
Cons
- Not for high-gain territories
The freedom you get with the pedal over how much you want your tone to be colored makes this pedal unique. The EQ, EQ-bypass switch, and True Bypass switch provide high flexibility on your tone to adjust it as you like. The pedal is also highly transparent and silent.
While this is a clean boost pedal, it also works great with low-gain tones. The high-gain territory is out of the comfort zone of the pedal, but with some tweaks, you can also use it successfully.
| Controls | Mid, Bass, Treble, Tight, Boost controls, Bypass-EQ switch, True Bypass Footswitch |
| Power Supply | 9-18V DC power adapter |
| Bonus Features | EQ bypass switch, True Bypass, |
The Friedman Buxom Boost is a highly popular all-rounder clean boost pedal that can perform brilliantly in any scenario with its high amount of controls and high-quality inner circuitry installed by Buxom.
What is a Treble Booster pedal?
As the name suggests, a treble booster pedal increases the high end of the tonal spectrum. They were very popular during the 60s and 70s and were used by many iconic guitarists like Tony Iommi, Brian May, and Ritchie Blackmore to make their lead tones stand out in the mix.
How do Treble Booster pedals work?
Treble Boosters have simple circuits that alter the dynamics and frequencies of a guitar signal. They also work on the gain to excite higher frequencies above the lower mids. Rather than increasing the treble, they add harmonics and a light overdrive to your tone to make the high-end shine.
What to look for in a Treble Booster Pedal when buying?
When buying a treble booster pedal, control options, durability, and price are things to consider. A good treble booster pedal should have at least level and EQ controls, while any extra control is welcome for increased versatility. A strong construction and reasonable price are also important.
Conclusion
Treble boost pedals are great devices if you want your leads to be brighter to stand out in the mix. While they are quite straightforward devices, there are many models with different levels of versatility, sound quality, and inner circuitry for different occasions.
My top recommendation is the Catalinbread Naga Viper, as it offers a great vintage-style boost inspired by the Dallas Rangemaster of the 70s, which many iconic guitarists used.
My budget recommendation is the TC Electronic Spark Booster, a highly versatile booster with a reasonable price and great controls to shape your sound.
