Pricing and availability
We compare 600+ stores and found this item at 3 stores. Prices updated .
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Reviews
Price
Average Price: $176
High-end/Boutique
$60
$151+
Price Tier
Budget
Standard
High-end
Price History
Based on price data from 2 merchants for "Xotic Effects RC Booster". Prices shown reflect NEW condition. Tracking began Apr 2, 2026.
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Description
The Xotic Effects RC Booster is every guitarist's secret weapon. This versatile pedal delivers a wide spectrum of tonal possibilities, from subtle boost to rich enhancement, with the ability to finely adjust your sound. The active Gain, Treble, Bass, and Volume controls offer nuanced tone-sculpting, allowing you to perfectly dial in your tone. With a two-band EQ and up to 20dB of clean boost, the RC Booster is a must-have for those seeking to add a touch of magic to their sound. Whether you’re into blues, rock, or jazz, this pedal is designed to give your performance that extra edge. Plus, it's available in a variety of color schemes to match your style.
Key Features:
- Active Gain, Treble, Bass, and Volume controls for nuanced tone-sculpting
- Two-band EQ for further tone refinement
- Provides up to 20dB of clean boost
- Available in a variety of color schemes
Product specs
| Brand | Xotic |
| Model | RC Booster |
| Finish | White |
| Year | 2010s |
| Made In | United States |
| Categories | Overdrive and Boost Pedals |
FAQs
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What type of boost does the Xotic Effects RC Booster provide?
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The Xotic Effects RC Booster offers a super-transparent 20dB clean boost, allowing you to enhance your guitar's signal without altering its original tone.
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Can the Xotic RC Booster be used with both electric and acoustic guitars?
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Yes, the Xotic RC Booster is versatile and can be used with both electric and acoustic guitars to enhance your instrument's natural sound.
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Does the Xotic RC Booster have any additional tone-shaping controls?
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The Xotic RC Booster features treble and bass EQ controls with a +/-15dB range, allowing you to fine-tune your tone for added clarity and presence.
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Is the Xotic RC Booster suitable for use in a pedalboard setup?
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Yes, the Xotic RC Booster is compact and pedalboard-friendly, making it an excellent choice for guitarists looking to enhance their setup with a clean boost.
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What power requirements does the Xotic RC Booster have?
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The Xotic RC Booster operates on a standard 9V DC power supply, making it compatible with most pedalboard power solutions.
Videos
ProGuitarShopDemos
Xotic Effects RC Booster AC Booster BB Preamp
Xotic Effects RC Booster AC Booster BB Preamp
ProGuitarShopDemos
Xotic Effects RC Booster
Prymaxe
Xotic Effects RC Booster
shnobel
5 Minutes with the Xotic Effects RC Booster - Pedal Demo
Ryan Kiesshauer
Xotic Effects RC Booster | Reverb Demo Video
Reverb
Xotic Effects RC Booster | N Stuff Music Product Review
N Stuff Music
Interview with Jone Herington Part 3 "Xotic Effects RC Booster Demo"
The Official Xotic Guitars and Effects Channel
Reviews
PROS
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Enhances solos, making them loud and clear
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Versatile, offering extensive control over tone
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Improves amp sound quality significantly
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Compatible with a wide range of guitars and amps
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Maintains clarity with gain or distortion added
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Can be used as both a clean boost and a mild overdrive
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Works well with other pedals, including wah and overdrive
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Effective in both pedalboard and amp's effects loop setups
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Adds warmth and responsiveness to tone
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Durable and reliable for live and studio use
CONS
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May sound too harsh with certain amp setups
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Brightness can be overpowering with newer versions
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Signature versions may color sound too much for some
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Xotic Effects RC Booster.
Features and functionality
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The RC Booster is praised for its clean and subtle boost, making it ideal for those seeking a transparent "always on" pedal effect.
Source -
The Scott Henderson version includes an extra channel, providing additional versatility for varied tonal needs.
Source -
The RC Booster's tonestack is based on a James circuit, offering flexibility to achieve both Tube Screamer and Klon-style mid-focused sounds with careful knob adjustments.
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The clipping diodes in the feedback loop of the op-amp create a unique level of clipping, subtly incorporating clean tones without overpowering the mix.
Source
Use cases and applications
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Works exceptionally well with passive basses, providing a clean tone boost that complements instruments like the Jazz Bass in pop/rock settings.
Source -
Particularly favored by Telecaster players, the RC Booster complements the guitar's natural tone, enhancing its clean sound for country music.
Source
Comparisons
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Users often compare the RC Booster with the BB Preamp for more drive and gain, and with the Timmy model in the HX Stomp for additional grit.
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The RC Booster offers a subtle, barely dirty tone reminiscent of the Rolling Stones, distinguishing it from other clean boosts.
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The RC Booster differs from a typical Tube Screamer by not heavily blending clean tones, resulting in a more amp-like response at lower gain settings.
Source
User experience
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Some owners find the second gain level unnecessary, preferring to pair it with other pedals like the 1981 LVL for more diverse sound options.
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Owners report long-term satisfaction, with some using the pedal continuously for over 15 years, highlighting its durability and reliability.
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Some users note that the RC Booster can lose clarity or "flub out" if not adjusted carefully, indicating the importance of precise settings for optimal performance.
Source
5.0 out of 5
Based on 9 Reviews and 48 Ratings
349
Just leave it ON all the time!
I'll keep this one short 'n sweet: This pedal is the "Secret Sauce" of my entire effects chain and overall tone! I never turn it off. The day I added it to my pedalboard was like the proverbial clouds lifting and the sunlight breaking through! When other cats we'd gig with asked about it, I'd always tell them that it's like removing a huge blanket covering your speakers--it's night and day difference. I used to run it in front of the amp, but after seeing some studio cat run his through his amp's effects loop, I tried it in there and haven't looked back. Sounds so much better (and bigger) in the efx loop! And even though the "RC Booster" stands for "Really Clean Booster" (and it really is super-clean), this stomp allows one to add a little hair to their signal via the 'Gain' knob if you don't like your cleans too pristine. Would buy it again in a heartbeat, and won't leave home without it!
195
It's really an overdrive. Or is it?
Sure you can use it as a clean boost, and it sounds great and transparent. But give it just a bit of gain and it produces a really full, compressed sounding tone that's not quite overdrive, but not quite clean. I have two overdrives and two distortions, but this little pedal surprised me. Now I'm using it as much as any of the other drives. It also does a fantastic job of goosing the overdrive and distortion pedals. Xotic is killing it with some awesome products!
479
An awesome lead boost pedal
My xotic RC Booster is quite different from the original. Mine is homemade by my father and it has a different chip in it. The chip that's in the normal RC Booster has a Mosfet-preamp. Mine has a J-fet preamp which makes it a little warmer and more responsive than the normal RC Booster. I use it for a lead boost for both my Brian May and hard rock sounds. I love this thing to pieces!
928
for a clean boost, probably
an ultimate clean boost for my overdrive solo section
Top!
Best stompbox I ever bought, it's a equalizer, booster, makes your guitar sound as you wish.
41029
no its not, it sure is, maybe it does... what are your wishes for a guitar sound? apparently not the same as mine....
Artist usage
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"The signal chain starts with a Dunlop MC404 CAE Wah into an Ernie Ball 6166 volume pedal. Next is a Wampler Ego Compressor, a Boss GE-7 Equalizer customized by Analog Man, a Visual Sound V2 Truetone Clean Boost, a Xotic Effects RC Booster, a Xotic Effects BB Preamp, and a Creation Audio Labs MK 4.23 Clean Boost."
"I’ve been using a GigRig Pro 14 for a few years now. It’s a great switching system that allows me to have all of my pedals in front of me but I can have patches set for certain effect combinations so I only have to hit one switch. It also allows you also turn things on and off individually. It’s all true bypass so I don’t lose any tone. The pedals on the board at the moment are an RC Booster, Providence Compressor, Keeley Mod Tube Screamer, Eternity Love Pedal, Fulltone Octafuzz, MoonPhase (phaser), Arion SCH1 (chorus), Demeter Trem, Eventide Time Factor, McCoy Wah, and a GigRig Wet Box which allows me to use both sides of the Eventide Delay pedal. One side is set for my normal delays and the other side is set so that I can have Dub style delays which I can call up just by hitting a switch on and off on the GigRig Pro 14 leaving the delay trails carrying on while I’m playing another part. I switch things round every so often, always looking for new overdrives etc. I have a Providence SOV-2 which I love."
Here's a rig I did for guitarist Dann Huff.
My buddy Tom Bukovac has been a long time friend and go-to session man for Dann at his recording studio in Nashville. Dann noticed Tom's rigs and really liked how they sounded and wanted to get something for himself along those lines with a few changes.
According to his gear page on his official website, one of the items he uses for studio purposes is the Xotic Rc Booster.
"For the last two years, Kirk has been using a larger pedalboard that I built for him, however he was finding that with frequent trips to Europe and smaller sit-in gigs around town, that having a pedalboard with everything on it wasn't very practical to transport." - Vertex Effects.
In an Instagram post by Ryan Knight (@ryanknightguitar), he confirms the use of the Xotic Effects RC Booster pedal, stating, "rocking the @xoticusa RC booster."
An Xotic RC Booster can be seen in this photo of Wayne's pedalboard from Vertex Effects on Twitter.
According to this photo of Audley's pedalboard, posted by Mojo Hand Fx, he uses an Xotic Effects RC Booster.
Here are the effects that he is currently using on his pedalboards
Oz Noy lists all of his current gear, including this one on his website.
This video of Phil Wickham recording with a Hammertone OC-12 gives us a peak at his pedalboard just to the right of the video. On this pedalboard is an Xotic Effects RC Booster just to the left of his Boss Vibrato.
Album Usage
The Xotic Effects RC 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 RC Booster, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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Community setups
Show yours
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