Buying Guides
Popular Articles
Popular Articles
by Guest Author August 15, 2020 3 min read
Chris Buckley, founder of Practical Patch, takes a look at the benefits of owning a good guitar cable.
Here at Practical Patch, our cable of choice for nearly all our products is Van Damme XKE Pro Grade and its thinner counterpart, Pro Patch. Why? Well, it's all about a quality tonal foundation.
Consider the following: Why are certain cable and connector manufacturers preferred? Well, it's simple: it's about longevity and reliability, specifically on the road. And in the UK, Van Damme cable is the industry standard for live music and studios up and down the country.
Not everyone uses Neutrik or Van Damme in their bedroom, but imagine you're preparing for a Wembley or Glastonbury gig in the pouring rain...you’ve got way over 1,000 Neutrik connectors soldered to thousands of metres of cable, and every single cable must function as it should first time and every time it is used. Need a fix? You can't always just pull out a soldering iron and start fuming up indoor venues. Reliability and efficiency are key in these arenas, so why not apply the same quality and peace of mind to your home setup?
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Boost Guitar Pedals (@boostguitarpedal) on
You may already be aware of cable capacitance and how it can impact tone, but here's a recap: the longer the cable, the more treble roll-off you can expect and conversely, the shorter the cable, the less roll-off. Are there lower capacitance options than Van Damme XKE Pro Grade? Yes, there most certainly are. Are they always going to be the solution? Well, if what a lower capacitance cable offers is something you really need, then you are going to have to go down a long and expensive road to maintain that tonal quality.
Van Damme cable offers a good foundation for tone. It sits at under 90 pF/m and is good for cable lengths of up to 10m - however I would try to avoid a 10m cable if at all possible!
Here's a quick and simple way to figure out if your current cable is up to the task:
So now down to the nitty-gritty. There are many factors to consider when it comes to guitar tone. For example, do you have a large pedalboard running straight into an amp, or a more complex setup involving the four-cable method or other devices such as rack units or attenuators with built in effects loops?
Is your pedalboard currently connected with a variety of different patch cables? Are both longer and shorter cables being used over the same distances? Do they differ in construction and materials? Do they all have equal capacitance and DC resistance? Has the conductive sheathing been removed by the manufacturer? Do they all work as they should?
These are all questions you need to ask yourself, and in the name of peace of mind then you should aim for an all-identical cable set wherever possible.
This leads us onto buffering, which is vital for more complex setups or those with long cable runs. Even if all your cable is all identical, low capacitance and well made, a buffer can make a difference. Whether it's a standalone buffer or a pedal with a fantastic buffer built in, consider using one in your setup.
The good news is, a better cable does make a difference - to reiterate, start with a good cable foundation and work your way forward from there.
If you are only at the beginning of your guitar and pedal journey then I would highly recommend picking up some quality instrument cables that are going to last a lifetime. We build ours using Van Damme cables and Neutrik jacks. And to add an additional layer of protection (and eye-candy), we wrap it in strong Techflex braid.
I would like to reiterate one last time that, in the endlessly absorbing world of instruments, amps and pedals, your cable foundation should not be the last thing you think about!
by Jim Button April 18, 2023 12 min read
by Guest Author August 26, 2022 3 min read
by Jim Button June 24, 2022 5 min read
This Pedal is easy to use and has many sweet spots! Perfectly tuned combination of two legendary circuits! Highly recommended!
super fun trem, decent sound, huge volume. havent spent a lot of time messing about with it, but did have a play with the slide and drift feature which are a nice bonus. cant wait to have more time to play around with it.
Boost Guitar Pedals are great as always, fast delivery
been playing it a few days now, and have it set up so it works with with whatever i thow at it. its in my chain after OD but Before Distortion. feedback dial is great and can have it very far clockwise before it sends you in an infinity loop, mix is a bonus, i haven't messed about with the shapes much yet because i found a dreamy setting i dont want to change. would highly recommend isolated power suppy, it did not like daisy chain or cheap single wall one, but works smooth with isloated brick
Boost Guitar is great again to got it within 24 hours of shipping
Perfect for that traynor amp growl on bass. There’s a lot of scope with gain and EQ controls (which sound ace wherever you dial them in). Had the Tronographic Rusty Box before this which I regrettably had to sell; this is a perfect (and smaller, less power hungry) substitute.
I spent months searching for an affordable vibe pedal that actually sounded authentic.
Not only does this have the very sound that I was after, without a ton of tweaking, but it is priced reasonably too. It is not at the cheap end of the market, but for a hand-built pedal with dual speeds this is unbeatable.
The sound is spot on. Warm and rich with the throb missing from many of the lower-priced pedals. The second speed makes it easy to switch between chord and solo settings.
The delivery was amazing too - ordered in Friday afternoon and delivered on Sunday morning!
I can’t recommend this highly enough to anyone looking for the best univibe around.
add another 5 stars, im no pro but i know what sounds i like and the Bloom is the sound i like. ive had Boss BD2, donner dumble drive, Tumnus and Tumnus deluxe but to me The Bloom tops them all. its a well built easy to dial in. having full gain is so clear and not nosiy. only tried with my strat single coils atm. the distortion isint the best but im comparing it to the Drunk Beaver Batv2 and have a feeling that its a layer distortion for another distortion pedal. fuzz is lush. the chip and fat switch really bring it to live and gives you more options for sound. i cant believe this is made by 1 guy. To me Drunk Beaver are up there with the best pedal makers. could send hours going on about the great things. and im only useing a boss katana mk2 no tube amp but you can get some faux tube headroom with the right switch. if you like the demos, well i got good news, it sound way better in person
Boost Guitat Pedals are great too, fast delivery, great communication. couldnt ask for a better store
Bone white Davies 1611
The Bleak District Tapescape is one of the best delay and ambience style pedals ever invented. The controls are all intuitive but highly flexible, the sounds are rich and detailed, the modulation can go from dreamy to nightmarish very quickly, and all of that inside a small footprint with a low power requirement. It's difficult to get a bad sound out of it, honestly.
Add in that Boost shipped it out quickly and it arrived with a nice note written on the invoice, is there anything else you could ask for? Definitely will be buying more from both Boost and Bleak District in future.
Part came as described. Website was easy use.
very cool pedal
Awesome service and communication all along!
Will gladly order again
I ordered a set of strings from Boost, that did not initially turn up. After contacting Boost via the website they immediately sent out another set (no questions asked). Both sets arrived a few days later (Thanks Royal Mail!). Boost were prompt in dealing with the issue (gave) me a set of strings and got things sorted out. Highly recommend you use these guys.
My favourite strings, at a great price! Very reasonable postage rates and speedy service. My first purchase from Boost, but will definitely not be my last. Hassle free, excellent...
Jazzmaster happy🙏
I didn’t know that particular manufacturer from Italy, but I definitely recommend their "Vintage Vibe”. It’s simple, intuitive, it looks awesome, the build quality seems impeccable, and most importantly, it sounds fantastic.
Pre-ordered the Tapescape through Boost Pedals. Great pedal, great order experience
I'll be away from my pedalboard from 6th - 18th April...but you can still browse!
I'll ship all outstanding orders on Friday 19th April.
All the best,
Jim