Pricing and availability
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Average Price: $137
Standard/Professional
$60
$151+
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Based on price data from 6 merchants for "Xotic Effects EP Booster". Prices shown reflect NEW condition. Tracking began Apr 2, 2026.
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Description
Introducing the Xotic Effects EP Booster, a unique pedal that brings the magic of legendary guitarists like Page, EVH, and Johnson right to your fingertips. This pedal is more than just an effect; it's a sonic experience, a journey through the tones of some of the world's most renowned artists.
Drawing its inspiration from the pre-amp stage of the iconic EP-3 echo machine, the EP Booster is designed to elevate your sound, providing up to +20dB of pure, unadulterated boost. With its discrete FET design and low impedance output, the EP Booster delivers shimmering highs and lows that promise no ear fatigue, even after hours of play.
Its compact size is deceptive, as it houses internal DIP switches that let you tailor the boost frequencies and EQ settings to your liking. This ensures that your tone maintains its unique character, even when pushed to its limits.
Whether you're looking to add some volume to your solos or drive your amp into a rich overdrive, the Xotic Effects EP Booster is a versatile addition to any pedalboard.
Key Features:
- Based on the preamp stage of the classic EP-3 echo effects processor
- Provides up to +20dB of boost
- Discrete FET design and low impedance output for high-quality sound
- Internal DIP switches for adjusting boost frequencies and EQ settings
- True bypass for pure signal path when disengaged
- Can be powered by 9-volt battery or optional AC adapter (sold separately)
Product specs
| Available since | December 2009 |
| Effect Types | Booster |
FAQs
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What kind of boost does the Xotic EP Booster provide?
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The Xotic EP Booster offers up to +20dB of boost with a warm, rich character, enhancing your guitar's natural tone with added clarity and presence.
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Can the Xotic EP Booster be powered with different voltage levels?
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Yes, the EP Booster can be powered by 9V to 18V, allowing you to adjust the headroom and tonal response to your preference.
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Does the Xotic EP Booster color the guitar's tone?
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The EP Booster is not entirely transparent; it adds a slight coloration with a subtle enhancement to highs and lows, which many players find musically pleasing.
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Are there any internal settings on the Xotic EP Booster that can be adjusted?
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Yes, the EP Booster features internal DIP switches that allow you to adjust the boost frequencies and EQ settings for a customized sound.
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Is the Xotic EP Booster suitable for use with both electric guitars and bass guitars?
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While primarily designed for electric guitars, the EP Booster can also be used with bass guitars to enhance tone and presence, though tonal preferences may vary.
Equipboard's Expert Review
Equipboard tested this
Essential Boost Pedal for Any Board
This little stompbox has quite the reputation, and we had high hopes for it. From the moment we unboxed it, the EP Booster impressed us with its solid construction. It's built like a tank, and we can see it surviving many gigs and studio sessions. The compact size is a huge plus too, making it easy to fit on even the most crowded pedalboard.
Operating the EP Booster couldn't be simpler, thanks to its one-knob design. We were initially skeptical about the internal dip switches, which require opening the pedal, but they offer an impressive range of tonal customization. While the included documentation could be clearer, we managed to dial in some great sounds with a bit of experimentation.
When it comes to sound quality, the EP Booster genuinely shines. It added warmth, sparkle, and clarity, enhancing clean tones and making them fuller and richer. We tried it with various amps—Fender, Vox, and yes, even Marshall—and found it worked well across the board, though it didn’t pair as well with Marshall’s clean tones.
The pedal's versatility is another standout feature. Whether we used it as a clean boost, slight overdrive, or EQ shaping tool, it consistently improved our sound with minimal coloration. However, it can be a bit bassy in certain applications, and we found it to be somewhat "boomy" on acoustic setups.
Overall, the Xotic Effects EP Booster is a stellar addition to any pedalboard. It's especially great for guitarists and bassists seeking to enhance their clean tones with added warmth and clarity. However, if you're looking for a pedal that offers a lot of tweaking without opening it up, or if you primarily play acoustics, you might want to consider other options. For us, it's a reliable, well-made piece of gear that’s worth every penny.
Videos
ProGuitarShopDemos
Xotic EP Booster
Xotic EP Booster
ProGuitarShopDemos
Xotic Effects EP Booster
Prymaxe
Vintage MXR Micro Amp vs EP Booster Xotic Effects
shnobel
Xotic Effects EP Booster echoplex preamp guitar effects pedal demo
gearmanndude
Xotic EP Booster, SL Drive, SP Compressor, & Voltage Doubler - BestGuitarEffects.com
Best Guitar Effects
Xotic EP Booster | Reverb Demo Video
Reverb
Interview with Kenny Greenberg "Xotic Effects EP Booster"
Xotic Video
Xotic Ep Booster
Mike Hermans
Xotic EP Booster demo of internal DIP switches
andrewandthecatfives
Xotic Effects Ep Booster vs Super Sweet Booster - Demo by Simon Gotthelf
Simon Gotthelf Gear Demos (Simon Gotthelf Music)
Xotic EP Booster guitar effects pedal demo
TotalGuitar
Xotic Effects EP Booster Effects Pedal Demo
Guitar Center
【日本語字幕】Steve Millhouse - EP Booster by Xotic Effects - 2015.09.01
PCI JAPAN VIDEO
Reviews
PROS
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Mimics Echo Plex preamp tone authentically
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Versatile usage across musical genres and instruments
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Simple, one-knob design for easy use
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Can be powered at 18V for improved performance
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Offers up to 20dB of gain without distorting tone
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Built like a tank, ensuring durability
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Internal DIP switches provide tone customization
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Enhances natural guitar tone without unwanted coloration
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Works well with both clean and distorted signals
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Small footprint, easy to fit on pedalboards
CONS
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Internal DIP switch adjustments require opening the pedal
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May produce a bass-heavy sound for some setups
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Documentation on DIP switch settings can be confusing
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Some find it slightly "boomy" on acoustic guitars
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Xotic Effects EP Booster.
Features and functionality
Setup and maintenance
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Internal dip switches allow custom setup; users recommend adjusting them to prevent unwanted boost when pedal is at minimum.
Source
Use cases and applications
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Works effectively as an "always on" pedal to warm up tones on Jazzmasters and Teles, but may overly fatten tones on Les Pauls.
Source -
Some users prefer running the EP Booster before dirt pedals to enhance input signal dynamics and EQ flexibility.
Source -
Doug Martsch of Built To Spill uses three EP Boosters stacked for varied tonal layers, from fuller rhythm to cranked fuzz for solos.
Source -
When combined with single coils and a clean Fender amp, the EP Booster is often described as enhancing tone, whereas with humbuckers and a Marshall it can become muddy.
Source -
Some users utilize the EP Booster to achieve a fuller tone at lower volumes or to push amps into overdrive, showcasing its versatility.
Source -
The EP Booster can muddy effects like the MXR Deep Phase when placed in certain positions within a pedal chain, affecting overall sound clarity.
Source
User experience
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Some users experience battery drainage issues, especially when using the pedal in specific setups like with pedal steel guitars.
Source -
Rare intermittent issue reported where pedal stops passing signal, then resumes functioning after disconnecting and waiting.
Source -
Owners frequently describe the pedal as having a "pendulum" effect, alternating between loving its tone enhancement and feeling it dulls their sound.
Source -
Owners report a noticeable difference in tone when the EP Booster is used with Strats or Teles, providing creamy warmth and subtle coloring.
Source
Comparisons
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The EP Booster's added low/mid frequencies are praised for thickness, but users seeking transparency often favor alternatives like the DOD Bi-FET preamp.
Source -
The Chase Tone Secret Preamp, also based on the Echoplex preamp, offers more immediate tonal options without opening the pedal, making it more of a tone "shaper".
Source
Critic Reviews
5.0 out of 5
Based on 38 Reviews and 210 Ratings
1262
Sprinkles magic dust onto your amp!
I read a review that made the "magic dust" comment, some time ago...and it perfectly describes what this pedal does. When set low and always on, it just does something subtle and almost indefinable to your sound. It just gives you...more.
The pedal is based on the preamp of the legendary Echoplex Delay. Jimmy Page famously used one; not for the delays but because of the tone that he got from the unit's valve preamp.
I can't recommend the EP Booster highly enough. It's small, very solidly built...and one of only a couple of pedals that will never be leaving my board! (The other being an Analogman King Of Tone. )
989
Perfert clean boost
I used to have the level at minimum and use this as an always on pedal in front of a Princeton reverb. It was the perfect clean boost, the boost was only slight but the smoothing effect it had on the amp was perfect for single coils, it took away any kind of harshness and gave a more pleasing balanced sound.
335
Booster
One push from this piece of equipment you got a new rig. Captures the sound of your guitar with a little clarity and enhancement.
822
Bold and thick sound, bring back your stored drives, this might be what they needed it.
There are many ways to describe this pedal... Bold and thick sound, but has some drive sparkle that produces a nice and classic overdrive when is all the way turned on. I'm playing with this one since two weeks ago and it helped to refresh my pedalboard signal.
As my only amp is the Vox AC15C1, which is not cleanest at all, I'm using the EP Booster directly from the amp input by using a patch cable, then I plugged a long feet cable to the last pedal in my effects chain (right now the Empress Echosystem), and by this way I'm getting a good sound from the AC15C1, as I'm not having a transparent tone but I'm not feeling losing dynamics as I usually do because the guitar cables that I'm currently using.
Other uses can be put in the last spot in the chain to bring a boosted sound in the general sound (recommended for clean amps and transistor amps) and the common using in the first spot of the signal chain,
I'm just missing trying the Ep Booster into the Ibanez TS Mini, and some tries with the Dyna Comp but I suppose that the EP Booster will bring low frequencies into the TS Mini so it will feel and sound thicker (as I did this with a borrowed Fulltone Full Drive 2 ending in this result).
If you are going to dismiss a thin sounding drive pedal, you might want to try the EP booster along with any drive and listen to the result.
822
Right now, I put this pedal on Flat Eq mode at the end of the chain, still bringing magic tones.
822
I'm thinking of putting this pedal after the reverb, on the Fender side, to push the mids. I'll try it tomorrow.
822
So, right now I have only 5 pedals, in this chain: Dyna Comp>Micro Amp>FD2>Echosystem and the Ep Booster goes into the Fender CDR68 custom channel side. Once the Ep Booster is on, it feels like playing a real Fender Deluxe Reverb 65 reissue.
822
This pedal helps a lot in the context of a full band. It enhances your sound bringing a mid-push.
Mainstay.
It is simple to use and effective at fattening up the sound while remaining articulate, open and fun to play. It is not a totally clean boost, which becomes apparent when turning it up. Then it adds more of its own gain structure. It loves being boosted too, and combined with an other booster or od-pedal it gets more compressed and feels a bit like a vintage and fat low gain fuzz. Internal dip switches helps tilting the eq from a low end emphasis to a more mid-focused sound or somewhere in between. This helps tailoring it to the pedals around it and the instrument you play. Sounds great on bass too.
1704
Amazing..
It's a pedal that not only acts as a Booster, but when you turn it on, it colors the signal, it improves it, just by turning it on, it's hard to explain, you're only going to notice it if you can use one of these on your guitar...
This review has been translated automatically into English. See original
241
Need to Go Above 11?
This little pedal is great when you just need... more. It doesn't really alter tone in so much as it just makes everything louder, bigger, and richer sounding. Perfect for when you need to just give your tone a nice push. I don't consider it a necessity in my pedal chain, but it is better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
EDIT: Okay so I recently changed the rating of this pedal from 4 to 5 stars because I recently acquired a power supply that allows me to run it at 18 volts. It is like night and day. There is so much head room now I have dialed it in to a point where I consider it an 'always on' pedal. Necessity achieved. Never leaving my board.
I love this boost.
I really love this little boost. Currently I haven't been using it as a boost, I use the xotic SP compressor more for that. However, I keep this at the end of my chain, sitting on my amp; and I keep it on all the time. It sweetens up single coil tone so well!
713
Xotic EP booster
The Xotic EP Booster is based on the pre-amp circuit of the legendary EP-3 tape echo The discrete FET circuit allows thomann a volume boost of up to 20 dB The internal DIP switches allows for the selection of different boost frequencies and EQ settings The EP Booster can be operated from 9 -18 V
340
Always on the board.
For over a decade the EP booster has been a big part of my sound.
From my experience, it is best left on all the time,
Artist usage
Add artist
The EP Boost can be seen sitting next to the Digital Delay during the 2020 SNL performance
This user-uploaded photo shows Billie Joe Armstrong with an Xotic Effects EP Booster, highlighting its role in his guitar setup.
In a Guitar World article by Phil Weller, published on February 3, 2025, Steve Vai's guitar tech, Doug MacArthur, states that "The Beat rig is different from the normal Vai rig. It’s basically a wah, overdrive, MXR Phase 90, and a DigiTech Whammy DT. There’s also an Xotic EP Booster which Steve’s really liking lately," confirming Steve Vai's use of the Xotic Effects EP Booster."
"We've got the EP Booster that just seems to work best. We don't really experience a lot of signal loss, weirdly. You would've thought with all these pedals, even if you compare it with the strength of the amps, it is beyond me why there's even any signal coming out at the end of this. It really is, but the EP Booster seemed to give the best of itself at that point in the chain," says Josh Klinghoffer's guitar tech.
An Xotic EP Bosster is seen (with its blue led on) behind a Boss tuner at 52:04 into the video.
In this picture, captured during a 5SOS rehearsal in London, and posted to Zoom Sound Factory's Instagram, Luke Hemmings' pedalboard shows that he is using a Xotic EP Booster pedal.
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Dan Steinhardt (from That Pedal Show) posted a picture of that pedal on a board on instagram, mentioning it was build for Graham: "A few tweaks but finished this #pedalboard and delivered it to its new home with none other than #grahamcoxon huge thanks to Joe@thegigrig for being a superstar and helping me get this done"
In the premier episode of Pedal Power, Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighter) talks with Dweezil about his favorite pedal, the Xotic EP Booster.
It says so on the Aristocrats website
A photograph of Tosin Abasi's pedalboard clearly shows the Xotic Effects EP Booster positioned on the far right, nestled between the Empress ParaEq and the Ditto Looper. Further insights into this pedalboard setup can be found in a discussion on Reddit here https://www.reddit.com/r/animalsasleaders/comments/14y7vfy/tosin_abasi_gear_setup/
Album Usage
The Xotic Effects EP Booster has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Xotic Effects EP Booster, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
Community setups
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