Pricing and availability
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Price
Average Price: $238
High-end/Boutique
$60
$151+
Price Tier
Budget
Standard
High-end
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Description
Add a touch of magic to your sound with the ZVEX Super Hard On Boost, a celebrated choice among guitarists seeking to revive and enhance their tone. This compact yet potent pedal is designed to breathe new life into your guitar’s voice, particularly if you're working with vintage pickups. With its singular, intuitive knob design, it offers a seamless way to dial in the perfect amount of boost to cut through any mix. Whether you're looking to add a touch of sparkle to your clean tones or push your amp into delightful overdrive, this pedal delivers with impeccable clarity and warmth.
The Super Hard On Boost is not just about power; it's about precision. The pedal's high-impedance input ensures that your instrument's natural tone remains uncolored, preserving the nuances that make your guitar unique. Its robust build and simple operation make it an ideal addition to any pedalboard, ready to deliver reliable performance whether you're on stage or in the studio. Experience the unmistakable difference with the ZVEX Super Hard On Boost, where simplicity meets sophistication for a sound that's undeniably yours.
Key Features:
- Single volume knob for intuitive control
- High-impedance input preserves natural tone
- Designed to enhance vintage pickups
- Compact and durable construction
- Ideal for adding clarity and warmth to your sound
Product specs
| Brand | Zvex |
| Model | Super Hard On Boost |
| Finish | Hand Painted |
| Year | 2010s |
| Made In | United States |
| Categories | Overdrive and Boost Pedals, Preamps |
| Pedal Format | Standard |
FAQs
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What type of power supply does the ZVEX Super Hard On Boost require?
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The ZVEX Super Hard On Boost operates on a standard 9V DC power supply, commonly used for most guitar pedals, or can run on a 9V battery.
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How does the ZVEX Super Hard On Boost affect my guitar's tone?
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The ZVEX Super Hard On Boost is designed to enhance your guitar's natural tone by adding a clean boost without altering the original sound, providing more clarity and presence.
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Is the ZVEX Super Hard On Boost suitable for use with bass guitars?
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Yes, the ZVEX Super Hard On Boost can be used with bass guitars, offering a clean boost that enhances low-end frequencies without distortion.
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Can the ZVEX Super Hard On Boost be used in front of an overdrive pedal?
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Yes, placing the ZVEX Super Hard On Boost in front of an overdrive pedal can increase the gain and saturation, allowing for more dynamic control over your sound.
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Does the ZVEX Super Hard On Boost have true bypass?
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Yes, the ZVEX Super Hard On Boost features true bypass, ensuring that your guitar signal remains unaffected when the pedal is turned off.
Videos
ProGuitarShopDemos
ZVex Super Hard On Boost Preamp Pedal
ZVex Super Hard On Boost Preamp Pedal
ProGuitarShopDemos
Zvex Super Hard On Guitar Pedal
FlyingTex
ZVEX Super Hard On Boost | Reverb Demo Video
Reverb
Z-Vex SUPER HARD ON boost drive guitar effects pedal demo
gearmanndude
ZVEX Super Hard On Preamp Booster
Coleman's Music
Zvex Super Hard On Ultra-transparent Boost Preamp
Gear Station
Z Vex Super Hard-On Booster Pedal Video Demo
tunnelvisionmusic
Reviews
PROS
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Enhances touch sensitivity and harmonic richness, especially on bass
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Delivers a full, bigger tone without coloring the sound
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Adds gnarly grit and sizzle when cranked
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Single "crackle okay" knob offers a unique grinding effect
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Custom painted models offer aesthetic uniqueness
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Pairs well with both Fender and Marshall amps
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Versatile sound from soft and round to tight and fizzy with different transistors
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Effective when used in both early and late signal chain positions
CONS
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Some consider the price high for its components
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about ZVEX Super Hard On Boost.
Features and functionality
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Owners confirm the "crackle ok" label on the pot is present in all versions of the Super Hard On as a unique characteristic.
Source -
The Super Duper 2-in-1 contains two complete Super Hard On circuits in series, offering increased versatility with cascading options for more complex sounds.
Source -
The ZVEX Super Hard On is noted for having dual mono outputs, which can potentially be used for a faux wet/dry setup in stereo configurations.
Source
Use cases and applications
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When used at the start of a chain, it pairs exceptionally well with old single coil guitars, enhancing brightness and clarity.
Source -
For dark amps, placing a Super Hard On at the end of the pedal chain can effectively brighten and push the amp.
Source -
Some owners utilize the Super Hard On as an always-on boost to enhance clarity, especially effective in cleaning up pickup noise at the start of the chain.
Source -
Some owners report achieving a Jimi Hendrix-like tone using the Super Hard On, highlighting its suitability for vintage-inspired soundscapes.
Source
Comparisons
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The Box of Rock includes SHO circuitry, suggesting its boost function is similar, but the pedal's compactness can be problematic.
Source -
The Bad Bob booster is noted as a similar option but produces a darker tone, while the Micro Amp and DOD 250 offer alternative boost characteristics.
Source -
The Super Hard On is noted to be brighter than the Box of Rock, which has been engineered with different resistors to add bass, affecting its sparkle on lower settings.
Source -
The ZVEX Channel 2 is essentially a Super Hard On with a master volume, offering an alternative for those interested in similar tones at a lower price.
Source
Mods and upgrades
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Users mention that modifying the Box of Rock's resistors can revert its boost to the Super Hard On's original brightness, offering a customizable tone option.
Source -
Modding the Box of Rock to Super Hard On specs requires changing a couple of resistors, allowing for socketing components to alter sound dynamically.
Source
Critic Reviews
4.5 out of 5
Based on 1 Review and 21 Ratings
Artist usage
Add artist
A Zvex Super Hard On can be seen on Carrie's board.
Efrim Menuck is listed as using the ZVEX Super Hard On Boost, as documented in the Memoire Online article "Le post-rock et sa sous-estimation au cinéma" by Alexis Tanet.
According to this Guitar Geek rig diagram, Richard Fortus used a Zvex Super Hard On boost pedal with the Psychedelic Furs.
Jamie shows his pedal collection in his Xiu Xiu studio tour for Dear God, I Hate Myself, starting at 7:35 in the video.
Se lo ve utilizando este booster en la colaboración con David Lebón en la canción "Mundo Agradable". Lo usa basicamente para darle un empujon a un pequeño amplificador Vox a pilas.
"Right now, it’s a Les Paul with P-90 pickups & a bigsby trem into a Z-Vex Octane 3, an SIB Mr. Echo, a Z-Vex Lo-fi Loop Junkie, & then a Z-Vex Super Hard On. Amps vary, but I like the 1965 reissue Fender Twin with the 15 inch speaker, &/or a Traynor Bassmaster head into a 1x12 cab. With Low, I’ll use smaller amps - a Carr Mercury, Fender Vibroverb, or just a Champ."
What's On Tim Pierce's Session Pedalboard And How He Get's Sounds.
In this Rig Rundown with Nick Harmer of Death Cab for Cutie, he talks about not just the pedals on his board, but also four others of which he got rid of sometime between the beginning of the tour and at the time of filming this Rig Rundown.
The first was the Super Hard On by Zvex, removed for adding "too much grit".
Bo talks very briefly about his guitar effects rig in this Q&A.
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In this pedalboard photo posted by Chislett on his official Instagram profile, one of the pedals that can be seen is the ZVex Super Hard On.
Nick Wheeler - "Z.Vex makes great pedals – one of my go-to pedals is the Super Hard-On."
Wheeler posted multiple photographs of his pedalboard on his Instagram with the caption "I’ve been rebuilding this spaceship over the last few months. Anyone want to go to outer space?". One of the pedals that are part of his pedal collection is the ZVex Super Hard On.
Album Usage
The ZVEX Super Hard On Boost 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 ZVEX Super Hard On Boost, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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Community setups
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