Owner’s Manual
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS:
• Read these instructions.
• Keep these instructions.
• Heed all warnings.
• Follow all instructions.
• Do not use this apparatus near water.
• Clean only with dry cloth.
• Be sure to use only properly rated power adaptors or
universal power supplies (pedal board power supplies)
with appropriate attention paid to proper voltage, am-
perage and ground schemes. Improper voltage/amper-
age being provided to the pedal may cause poor tone,
inconsistent performance, damage to the unit or all of
the above. Proper voltage, amperage and grounding
specs are supplied at the end of this manual.
• REPLACE THE BOTTOM LID after battery replace-
ment before the unit is used. Some electronic parts
inside are static sensitive and can be damaged from
even a small static charge from contact with carpet or
other conductive surfaces. DO NOT SET A POWERED
UNIT “CONTROLS UP” ON A METAL (or any) SUR-
FACE WITH THE BOTTOM REMOVED!
Congratulations on your choice of MESA/Boogie and wel-
come to the MESA Family! The same passion for excel-
lence, commitment to quality and dedication to customer
satisfaction is present in each and every product we make
in our one- and-only shop in Petaluma, California, U.S.A.
Rest assured that the very same people that hand-build
the finest amplifiers in the world built your pedal and you
have access to the same resources for help that all our
customers do. Call on us anytime and enjoy!
TONE BURST™
The TONE BURST offers a virtually transparent gain range
usually associated with devices in the Clean Boost cat-
egory. There is enough additional gain here to boost the
signal of your guitar to the threshold of clip and beyond. If
you are searching for an Overdrive device that can sub-
stantially boost your instrument’s gain, audition our GRID
SLAMMER™ or the more fully featured FLUX-DRIVE™
and THROTTLE BOX™ pedals.
The range of the GAIN control on the TONE BURST shines
for helping single-note lines pop out of a dense mix or for
adding edge and attitude to rhythm parts. You can also use
the LEVEL control to introduce additional gain and push
the first stage in your amplifier for a vintage-inspired clip.
This device features separate Tone controls for TREBLE
and BASS regions and these can be used to color the
boosted signal and further accentuate your boosted or
showcased parts. If you don’t want additional frequency
enhancement, simply set the Tone controls to 12:00 and
the instrument’s signal will remain virtually unchanged and
provide a nearly transparent boost.
FEATURES & CONTROLS
IN:
This ¼” phono jack is the Instrument Input for the
device. Plug the Output of your guitar - or an upstream
pedal’s Output - into this jack with a shielded cable of
good quality. The input jack is a switching type jack and
the circuit is activated by inserting a cable (even with the
footswitch off). Once plugged in, the internal battery is be-
ing used to power it – so be sure to unplug the cable from
the INPUT when it’s not in use.
NOTE: The internal battery is switched to an “ON” state
(drawing voltage) by a switching element in the INPUT jack.
To prolong battery life, disconnect the cable from the ¼”
INPUT jack whenever the unit is not in use.
NOTE: If you wish to leave the INPUT connected per-
manently – as in a pedal board scenario – it is advisable
to power the unit with an external 9V DC power supply.
When an external (plug-in) DC 9-volt power supply is used
to power the unit, the DC jack on the pedal automatically
disconnects the battery to avoid battery wear and preserve
its useful life. If you are going to use external AC power
either for long periods or permanently in a pedal board
set-up, remove the internal battery to prevent (forgotten)
battery corrosion.
OUT:
This 1/4” phono jack is the OUTPUT for the device.
Connect the OUTPUT to the Input of your amplifier - or the
INPUT of the next device in line in your pedalboard.
NOTE: A Word on Cables… Always use shielded instru-
ment cables of the best quality and shortest length possible
when connecting these types of devices. This will minimize
degradation of your sound, particularly high frequency
roll-off, due to the added capacitance in longer lengths of
cable. We recommend no more than 18-20 feet total (Input
and Output combined) between your instrument and the
termination at the INPUT of the amplifier. If you must use
longer cable lengths, you might consider the use of a Buffer
or Line Driver to keep the tonal integrity intact. While these
change the sound slightly, it will usually be preferable to
top end roll-off. And yes – those little 4” interconnects count
too, so count them in your cable length.
LEVEL:
This is the master output level and it controls the
amount of signal provided to the host amplifier. It can be
used either to balance levels to compensate for high GAIN
settings - so that no jump in level occurs when switched
out of BYPASS. Another application is higher LEVEL set-
tings to purposefully send a hotter signal to the host amp
and “slam” the input stage for increased clip, drive or gain.
GAIN:
This control determines the amount of gain (over-
drive) in the signal path.
Set low (8:00 – 11:00) is the least useful of the GAIN
control’s range. Low GAIN settings will require the LEVEL
control be increased dramatically to achieve unity gain
compared to the pedal bypassed.
The middle range (11:00 – 1:30) offers subtle and tasteful
increases of boost and gain. GAIN settings in this range
can add a dynamic punch that keeps notes expressive and
tight. This works well for both Rhythm and Solo work across
many styles of music.
The high range of the GAIN control (1:30 – 5:30) offers the
most useful and varied boost and drive options. For chord-
ing, this region adds bite, attack and punch. For single
notes, higher GAIN settings add cut and help solos stand
out in a mix. For any style, this range pushes the amplifier’s
input past the threshold of clip.
BASS:
This control works in tandem with the TREBLE
control to adjust low frequencies. Set low (7:30 – 12:00)
the sound will be skinny, tight and percussive. The higher
range (12:00 – 5:30) introduces rich, full low end that
rounds out the sound and adds low-end thump. Heavier
pick attack with higher BASS settings may produce a slow-
er, less articulate feel as you “drag around” the extra lows.
TREBLE:
This control adjusts the amount of high fre-
quencies present in the mix and – unlike devices with just a
TONE control - allows you to fine tune the high frequencies
separately from the low frequencies. The TREBLE control
makes up half of a more comprehensive tone control circuit
that offers greater flexibility over the entire frequency spec-
trum. Set low (7:30 – 12:00) the sound will be darker, more
rounded and seemingly compressed. The upper range
of the TREBLE (12:00 – 5:30) brings in the cut, bite and
more open top-end to create a sound that is bright, tight
and aggressive.
AC POWER:
This standard female DC Receptacle on
the pedal is the External Power Supply Jack and it accepts
the male plug from a standard 9-Volt DC“ wall-wart” power
supply. When installing your unit into a pedal board utilizing
a universal power supply (multi-output pedal board power
