Great Eastern FX Co.
Transformer Boost LTD
Transformer Boost LTD
FREE 2Day Shipping
FREE 2Day Shipping
USA Free 2 Day Shipping
(Next Day in New England)
Canada NOW FREE
Worldwide 30USD Flat Rate*(Wherever you are)
Flat Rate means no additional charge for more than one pedal.
No Hassle Returns
No Hassle Returns
Pedal Features
Pedal Features
● Germanium boost designed to add texture and colouration
● Low Cut knob controls bass and shapes low-end saturation
● NOS General Electric 2N1175 germanium transistor
● Triad Magnetics output transformer
● Limited edition of 100 only
● Designed and built by hand in the UK
Couldn't load pickup availability
Limited-edition boost
featuring NOS germanium transistor and transformer-coupled output
Limited to 100 pieces, the Transformer Boost is another unique creation from Great Eastern FX’s Obsolete Devices’ range. Specifically designed around a particular batch of General Electric 2N1175 germanium transistors, the Transformer Boost features a Triad Magnetics output transformer that is directly driven by the transistor for maximum saturation and character.
The result is a boost, preamp and tone enhancer that lets you increase the level of the signal by up to 18dB while also introducing desirable texture, harmonics and transient shaping. Alongside an output level control, the Low Cut control lets you roll off low end for a tighter, cleaner boost or push the bottom end for maximum fatness and growl.
It works brilliantly for adding warmth to clean and almost-clean tones, or for pushing your amp or other pedals to create more overdrive, with all of the excellent volume knob clean up you would expect from a germanium device. You can use it as a solo boost, but it sounds so nice you may want it on all the time.
Got the two Transformer Boost pedals I ordered last week. It sounds amazing and feels expensive. With single-coils, it adds body and authority to Strat and Tele pickups, delivering harmonic richness without pushing your amp into unwanted breakup.
Placement matters - After a fuzz, the Triad transformer and germanium stage act like an analog master bus, rounding off fizzy, abrasive transients, while the Low Cut knob trims woolly sub-bass. Before a low-to-medium gain overdrive (JHS Morning Glory, Analog Man King of Tone, Chase Bliss Brothers AM, Greer Lightspeed, Paul Cochrane Timmy), it feeds germanium harmonics and iron weight into the overdrive's clipping diodes for thick, singing lead sustain. Here the Low Cut shapes low-end saturation, keeping the low E tight and percussive.
You don't need to crank it - With only Output Level and Low Cut knobs, it's tempting to assume the transformer only comes alive near full output. It doesn't:
1. The iron shows up early - Around 10:30–12:00 on the Output Level, the pedal starts to breathe. Notes round off, harmonics bloom, and the signal feels more charged, all well short of the full +18 dB.
2. Letting the lows through adds weight - With the Low Cut at 7:00–9:00, more bass and low-mids hit the transformer for a warmer, thicker, more physical feel.
3. It responds to your guitar's volume knob - The germanium front end reacts to your pickups, so rolling back the volume changes how hard the transformer is driven. You can move from clean shimmer to saturated bloom from the guitar alone.
Transformer Boost vs. Hudson Broadcast - I also own the Hudson Broadcast, the obvious comparison. Both use a Triad transformer, but the Broadcast leans toward gritty, raspy console breakup, while the Transformer Boost is rounder, smoother, and more hi-fi, more of a harmonic-saturated tone sweetener. They're complementary, not redundant. The Transformer Boost acts like an extension of your amp, making it feel like your amp, only better. The Broadcast acts like a second voice: punchy, gritty, and vintage-console flavored.
The Transformer Boost is an outstanding "more better-er" pedal--the kind of pedal that enhances your tone and makes your other pedals sound "more better". Overall, I'm very pleased with the Transformer Boost and glad I got one for each of my pedalboards.