Are you looking for a great boost / distortion pedal that will provide you with some very clean boost?  If so, the HipKitty Chameleon Boost / Distortion Pedal may be exactly what you want.  This pedal was originally created to provide clean boost to a player who wanted his Marshall tone to stay intact while using a pedal.  The result, the HipKitty Chameleon, is capable of providing some amazingly clean boost while at the same time being one of the most versatile pedals out there.  The pedal can also serve as a medium gain distortion pedal, where it provides the player with some very rich gain with absolutely no shrill notes or other issues.  The pedal also features true bypass.

The Chameleon also includes a few unique features that HipKitty added to the pedal to make it even more diverse.  In addition to volume and distortion control, the Chameleon also features a harmonics control that allows players to dial in second and even third order harmonics.  This makes your tone even richer and fuller, and it makes for incredible clarity, something you don’t often get with a distortion pedal.  In fact, the Chameleon has unmatched clarity, placing it a step above almost every other boost / distortion pedal out there.  While you may think you’d have to pay a fortune for this, the HipKitty Chameleon is only $135.

The 65 London Boutique Amp from 65 Amps is based on some of the greatest low powered amps built in the mid 1960s.  These amps were the favorites of many top musicians, and the 65 London is just as popular.  If you need an amp that provides that great British sound and tone but isn’t huge and bulky, the 65 London is exactly what you want.  The amp is used by just about everyone in the business for many different events, including in the recording studio, on tour, on large and small stages, and even at home for practice.  It truly is quite the versatile amp.

This Class A amp features two EL84 tubes, a 12AX7 tube, a EF86 tube, and is cathode biased.  This combines to allow the amp to create a deep, warm tone with some very rich harmonics.  You truly get that big amp sound no matter where you’re playing.  The 65 London produces two very distinct sounds, so it’s like having two amps in one.

The amp’s color channel is driven by the EF86 pentode tube and features a six-way switch and a tone knob.  You can adjust it mid-focus to create both sounds you’d hear during the British Invasion and very rich, harmonic tones like you’d get from today’s modern amps.  The trem channel, driven by the 12AX7 tube, features only one knob and a Bias tremolo controlled by the footswitch.  This feature gives you more classic British, blues, and rock sounds.  More about this great amp is available at www.65amps.com.

If you’re looking for an awesome guitar pedal that provides some very rich tube tones when turned on and a true signal bypass when you’ve got it off, then take a look at the DigiTech HardWire CM-2 Tube Overdrive Pedal.  True bypass is really the only way of making certain your tone sounds exactly like you want it to sound after it travels from your guitar to your amp, which is why pedals like the HardWire Cm-2 are in such demand by the pros.  How does true bypass differ from traditional pedals?  In true bypass, the signal actually goes right through the box when the effects are turned off, so your tone never gets colored or distorted in any way.

Need more?  The CM-2 also provides improved headroom via its high-voltage capability, plus it has level, gain, high, and low controls and a two position voicing switch with both classic and modeled options.  This high-voltage capability makes the CM-2 compatible with many more guitars since it won’t cause any clipping when used with electric guitars that have high-output pickups. You don’t have to worry about any odd sounds when using the CM-2 with you instrument.

With these two features, the HardWire CM-2 Tube Overdrive Pedal stands a bit above many other pedals.  Most would think, then, that this pedal would be much more expensive, but it’s not: the CM-2 retails for $99.

When it comes to the line of tweed deluxe clones, you’ll find many different versions out there.  5E3 tweed clones seem to be a dime a dozen.  However, the Fargen 54’ tweed deluxe clone boutique amp is one of the best.  It isn’t just a 5E3 clone, it’s an amp that provides a great amount of tone, sound, and options.  The pre amp input section features an input section with individual volume control for both sides of the tube.  This was something missing in the original 5E3 amp, which limited players to having both sides voiced identically.

Fargen Amps have been in operation since 1998.  Created by Ben Fargen, the company is dedicated to creating top quality amps.  What’s interesting is that Fargen himself had no knowledge of building amps at first.  However, he learned how to build amps and then created his own prototypes.  Once word of his amps spread, he began getting orders form others.

The Fargen 54’ amp is a Class AB amp that features a 1 x 12” tweed deluxe cabinet.  Everything in the amp is hand wired and built and features 15 watts of power.  It’s a cathode biased amp and includes 2 matched JJ 6V6 tubes, a Sovtek 5Y3 tube, a JJ 12 AX7 tube, and an EH 12AY7 tube.  As far as speakers go, the Fargen 54’ uses a Jenson C12Q that pulls eight ohms and 35 watts normally.  More information can be found at www.fargenamps.com.

Many people consider the Fulltone FB-3 Fat Boost 3 to be the top pedal created by Mike Fuller, one of the best pedal engineers at Fulltone.  The FB-3 Fat Boost 3 features everything that made the FatBoost 1 and 2 great, plus it has been improved in a few areas.  For those who have used one of the previous Fat Boost pedals, the Fat Boost 3 is a definite upgrade.  It even provides you with the option of clipping in a way that makes it sound very similar to a tube amp.

The Fat Boost 3 is classified as a Discrete Class A FET pedal, and it can add as much as 35 decibels of gain that includes no distortion, so your tone will be perfectly clear.  The pedal features true bypass switching thanks to the 3PDT switch.  This means your sound will still be excellent even when you have your pedal turned off.  The pedal includes the 11 step FET Bias drive knob, a volume control, and two controls for treble and bass frequencies.  This is the boost pedal for you if you want to get that great tube amp sound without actually having a tub amp.  This makes it perfect for practicing since you won’t have to worry about the volume on your amp disturbing your neighbors.  New, the Fulltone FB-3 FatBoost 3 is around $130.

The Laney Lionheart Boutique Amp is a 20 watt all-tube amp that provides great sound.  The Laney Lionheart is often seen as the accumulation of Laney’s 40 years of experience in creating amps.  It offers great tone and is very expressive and warm no matter what output level you’re using.  The amp is very versatile and can be used in just about any venue, plus it holds up to everyday use as well.

This amp has two channels and is a class A amp that features parallel output from four EL84 tubes.  These tubes give the amp 20 watts of very rich power.  For preamp tubes, the amp uses three 12AX7s.  You’ll also find gold contact relays and gold plated PCBs and two input jack sockets that generate a very minimum amount of sound coloration.  The amp also features type 4 large spring line reverb that is great for classic guitars.  As far as equalization goes, you’ll have passive bass, middle, and treble options, and the amp features both clean and drive channel controls.  The Laney Lionheart Boutique Amp also features an FX loop and allows for impedance at four, eight, or 16 ohm.

All in all, the Laney Lionheart only weighs about 17 kg and is small enough for transporting to any gig.  You can find more about the Laney Lionheart at http://www.laney.co.uk/.