Vertex Landau Boost now available

[BlackwaterPark4]

To the people saying "just turn up the volume"...uhhh what if you use this for solos? Which is exactly what I'll be using it for when I get one

 

[joemesser]

This is awesome....when I first saw the boost on the website and read about the exp function I was so stoked, then I thought hmmm, I wonder if Mason would consider putting one of his buffers in there and...voila, here it is!

Mason, i read in an interview that you recommend buffers both at the beginning and end of the signal chain, right? Something about that helping to protect the system from interference? I already have a Sarno Black Box at the beginning so maybe I could put your boost at the end, 2 birds with 1 stone.

 

[Desperado]

This is awesome....when I first saw the boost on the website and read about the exp function I was so stoked, then I thought hmmm, I wonder if Mason would consider putting one of his buffers in there and...voila, here it is!

Mason, i read in an interview that you recommend buffers both at the beginning and end of the signal chain, right? Something about that helping to protect the system from interference? I already have a Sarno Black Box at the beginning so maybe I could put your boost at the end, 2 birds with 1 stone.

Hey Joe! How are you buddy! It is best to have an input and output buffer system...my Vertex Boost would be great at the end of your chain to condition the lines going back to your amp.

 

[les]

Another great product from Vertex.... Congrats Mason!

 

[parker]

When will these become available?

 

[Desperado]

When will these become available?

They're ready for pre-order now...will ship in the next 4-6 weeks.

www.vertexeffects.com/effects/store

 

[joemesser]

Hey Joe! How are you buddy! It is best to have an input and output buffer system...my Vertex Boost would be great at the end of your chain to condition the lines going back to your amp.

Hey Mason, man I am loving my wah. It is just totally addicting!!! Soaring sonorous succotash, oh my. I'll be checkin out the boost and exp as funds permit. You go boy!

 

[Desperado]

Hey Mason, man I am loving my wah. It is just totally addicting!!! Soaring sonorous succotash, oh my. I'll be checkin out the boost and exp as funds permit. You go boy!

Awesome! Thanks Joe!!!

 

[tonewave]

Thanks guys!

To clarify:

Both the Landau and Vertex Boost are sonically identical.

The Landau Boost is true bypass, and like the Vertex Boost, has EXP capabilities that can be used to attenuate the boosted level (set by the level pot on the pedal itself) by raising or lowering the foot-pedal on the EXP. The EXP (when connected), takes over the level pot on the pedal itself and re-calibrates the pot taper on the EXP so that it interacts in real-time with the boost to adjust your output level from whatever you've set as the max output (in the toe-down position on the EXP), all the way back to silent (in the heel position on the EXP).

This allows you to always be able to adjust your output in the mix for soloing or for just unity gain swells. The benefit of this over a volume pedal is 1) you can boost beyond unity gain, up to +16dB over unity, and 2) you have no sonic compromise with using the EXP as the volume pedal, as the EXP has no influence over the 100% analog circuitry of the boost. No tone suck as much volume pedals have.

The Vertex Boost is pretty much the same in function as the Landau Boost, however it has a few added features.

It is buffer/bypass (same buffer that is in all Vertex custom rack and pedalboard systems), so it is always conditioning your signal to be completely transparent, and the EXP control is also useable when the Boost is off. When the boost is off, the EXP functions a typical volume pedal (silent in the heel down position, unity gain in the toe-down position). Other than that, it will have the same useable and features as the Landau Boost.

Sonically both pedals are the same, the function of them is different however.

I'm really interested in this, I have been thinking of something like this for quite a while.
I'm not certain that I properly understand the differences between the 2 models.

Is it that the Vertex Boost is using a buffer, which enables it (when in bypass) to be a volume pedal via the EXP function?

otherwise are the Vertex and the Landau are exactly the same functionally when the boost is on?

does the buffer in the Vertex change the sound of the boost compared to the Landau?

will a standard roland exp pedal work with it?

sorry if these are obvious questions, I'm just trying to get my head around what the pedals do and what their differences are.


thanks in advance

 

[Desperado]

I'm really interested in this, I have been thinking of something like this for quite a while.
I'm not certain that I properly understand the differences between the 2 models.

Is it that the Vertex Boost is using a buffer, which enables it (when in bypass) to be a volume pedal via the EXP function?

Any pedal that is "ON" is a buffer, the difference is that the Landau Boost is true bypass so the buffer component of the pedal is bypassed, as well as the EXP function.

On the Vertex Boost, when bypassed the buffer remains on a unity gain to condition the signal, and allow you access to the EXP (as a volume pedal) if desired. You can opt out of using a Volume Pedal if you don't need one, and the Vertex Boost will still acts as an output buffer for your signal path.

This is the same output buffer that I've used in every single custom system that I've done for everyone from Robben Ford, Michael Landau, Larry Carlton, Joe Bonamassa, and others.

otherwise are the Vertex and the Landau are exactly the same functionally when the boost is on?

Yes, they are identical sonically, just functionally different.

does the buffer in the Vertex change the sound of the boost compared to the Landau?

As I mentioned above, any pedal that is "ON" is buffering, having the buffer remain active when the boost is bypassed has no influence on how the pedal sounds when it is ON.

will a standard roland exp pedal work with it?

Any EXP connected with a TRS cable will work, or you can even use a volume pedal with a TRS (stereo) to dual TS (mono) cable to connect it.

sorry if these are obvious questions, I'm just trying to get my head around what the pedals do and what their differences are.

No problem! That's what I'm here for!

 

[tonewave]

thanks for all the info
so in effect the Landau is for true bypass junkies
and a by-product of that is no EXP volume pedal in bypass
seriously thinking about getting a Vertex...

 

[Desperado]

thanks for all the info
so in effect the Landau is for true bypass junkies
and a by-product of that is no EXP volume pedal in bypass
seriously thinking about getting a Vertex...

Awesome!

 

[High Voltage]

Desperado,
So when the Vertex Boost is turned off and the exp pedal is plugged in, do you get the tone suck that you usually get with a volume pedal? Or is it still out of the path such as when the boost is turned ON? Sorry Im not super hip to pedal lingo.
I guess what Im trying to figure out is if there is a tonal change between using the exp pedal with the boost turned on vs. off.

Thanks!
Stephen

 

[Dexter.Sinister]

Just the concept of the EXP as a transparent volume pedal is very exciting!

Indeed!

Hmm. How much headroom is on the buffer/boost? I'd like something that can eat a dimed fuzz without blinking.

 

[Desperado]

Desperado,
So when the Vertex Boost is turned off and the exp pedal is plugged in, do you get the tone suck that you usually get with a volume pedal? Or is it still out of the path such as when the boost is turned ON? Sorry Im not super hip to pedal lingo.
I guess what Im trying to figure out is if there is a tonal change between using the exp pedal with the boost turned on vs. off.

Thanks!
Stephen

Hey Stephen!

When the Vertex Boost is turned off and EXP is connected, there is no tonal variation or suck of any kind. The EXP and Boost are completely isolated from each other and the the output buffer is also running at all times so you don't have any risk of cable capacitance after the Vertex Boost and EXP influencing the signal.

Does that make sense?

Indeed!

Hmm. How much headroom is on the buffer/boost? I'd like something that can eat a dimed fuzz without blinking.

The Vertex Boost has a ton of clean headroom, the rails are +/- 15.

 

[Dexter.Sinister]

The Vertex Boost has a ton of clean headroom, the rails are +/- 15.

Sounds dang fine, Mason. Hmm.

 

[High Voltage]

Awesome! Thanks for the reply, I really appreciate it!
Going to order the boost and volume pedal!

 

[joemesser]

Hey Stephen!

When the Vertex Boost is turned off and EXP is connected, there is no tonal variation or suck of any kind. The EXP and Boost are completely isolated from each other and the the output buffer is also running at all times so you don't have any risk of cable capacitance after the Vertex Boost and EXP influencing the signal.

Does that make sense?

The Vertex Boost has a ton of clean headroom, the rails are +/- 15.

When the boost is off then the volume/exp pedal works like a regular volume pedal, right? Heel down is no volume and toe down is unity, yes? I know your vol pedal is much improved but how could it not exhibit any tone suck whatsoever? I get that when the boost is on the exp controls the boost volume, but when the boost is off, how does the exp control volume?

 

[Desperado]

When the boost is off then the volume/exp pedal works like a regular volume pedal, right? Heel down is no volume and toe down is unity, yes? I know your vol pedal is much improved but how could it not exhibit any tone suck whatsoever? I get that when the boost is on the exp controls the boost volume, but when the boost is off, how does the exp control volume?

Joe...correct! The EXP on the Vertex Boost will work like a volume pedal when the boost is off (silent in the heel down position, and unity in the toe down position).

There is no tone-suck because the volume pedal is isolated from the boost, so your guitar isn't seeing the loading from the pot on the EXP pedal. It's totally different design than anything that has been done before to this end.

Here's a little blurb from Landau himself that will be in the manual:

"Greetings Fellow Tone Seekers,

I would like to share with you some info about a new pedal that I helped create with Mason Marangella at Vertex Effects. I’ve always been in search of the perfect volume pedal, they are a necessary evil for some of us when we play live and also for recording. I’ve tried them all, and as you know, they all color and degrade the natural tone and feel of your guitar sound.

So over a year ago I asked Mason if he could modify a Jan Ray overdrive pedal of mine so I could control the level knob of the Jan Ray with an expression pedal in an effort to get rid of using a volume pedal, my though was that I would leave the Jan Ray on most of the time, it worked great but obviously I only had the volume control when the Jan Ray was on.

Mason suggested we do the same mod to a high quality, non-tone coloring clean boost. By doing this, I could now leave the boost pedal on all the time (set at unity gain) and use whatever overdrive and distortion pedals I desired in any combination. You can set the boost pedal to unity gain (which I prefer) or boost it as much as + 16db with the black trim knob.

It works beautifully! You can now control your volume as you would using a volume pedal but without any of the sound degrading problems of a volume pedal. Since your guitar signal is isolated from the expression pedal, your sound stays open and full range and most importantly, it feels like your plugging straight into the amp, it has none of the “dull blanket over the guitar sound” that all volume pedals have with pot inside.

If you use a volume pedal, please give this boost and volume expression pedal setup a try, I hope it brings you tone happiness!

Cheers!

Michael Landau"

 

[tinkercity]

^^^ very cool to read his take on it.