Hey everyone,
I thought it would be fitting for the first post to be a reviewing of the ClinchFX Burnish Boost pedal. This one has certainly made the rounds in all the harp forums and groups on Facebook, but there is a real lack of videos demonstrating what it does out there. It definitely has gotten a big pop because of the fact Kim Wilson has been using the company's EP preamp pedal and now the Burnish Boost for quite awhile now.
In this video I am playing through a T3 with a 1953 CR and the amp is a Victoria Bassman with 4 1028K Eminence alnicos. Bass is at 7, Treble at 5, Mids at 5, Presence at 12, Bright at 2.5 (I was in bright 2), and Normal at 6.5.
I think it's pretty clear right away the amp is incredibly clear and tight sounding. The low end is really apparent and the room only made it better. This amp has the incredible ability of throwing the sound very far, and because of that you hit a volume very quickly where it is way too loud to use in many venues. The volume I was at was comfortable but just nudging the knob would be where I set it for small to small-medium gigs (and that's only like half the volume it can hit if that). So this is where the Burnish boost really shines. It is an incredibly basic pedal with one knob and it simply changes the ouput. Setting it around 9:00 is approximately unity and this is essentially where I set it. You can use it as a volume knob as it doesn't overdrive the amp too hard until it is over noon.
Very quickly you notice the mids on the amp are stronger, the lows are punchy, and just an obvious compressing breakup sound. That's all the pedal, thanks to the small output transformer ClinchFX specifically put in the pedal to act as a means of replicating the sound of a small class A amplifier. I find you can lower the mids some when using this pedal, and as a benefit you gain a lot more clarity in the mix. For those who are prone to not dialing in much treble or presence in their sound, this will help with the problem of not seeming loud enough.
As a quick note, I have also tested this pedal through a "smaller" amplifier, a 310 Victoria Bandmaster. This amp is approximately 26-28 watts vs the Bassman's 45 watts and has a very apparent built-in mid character, not to mention a much smaller low end presence. It has a bit less headroom, and I'm including a clip showing how the Burnish Boost works with an amp like this. In an amp like this I find the sound is still good, but you go more from "big thick overdrive" to "exploding small amp" sound. I suspect it's the high mid push that really alters the character of the amp, but different microphone elements and their output levels can have a major effect, too.
I hope this review helps someone with their decision as I recognize it can be tough. Over the next few weeks I'll feature other pedals and some amps I have. Thanks for reading!
Burnish with the Bassman
Burnish with the Bandmaster