Boost for leads?

[jdr94]

Yes, which is why i used to go eq in the loop. I personally didnt like using the lil alligator. I later decided i needed a mesa w the solo boost then the jvm410 w the dual vol then...well u get the picture.

[jgcable]

Isnt the Gator passive though? That would be no different than rolling the volume knob.

Thats exactly what the Lil Alligator does. Its like having somebody standing at your amp and turning your master volume up or down. You set the Lil Alligator so that when it is full heel the amp is at your rhythm volume. As you rock the pedal to the toe position the overall volume of the amp goes up. Your tone and your amount of gain remain exactly the same. The only thing that increases is your volume. PERFECT for solos and fills.

Now, if you are talking abotu rolling the guitar volume knob thats not what it does. When you roll your guitar volume down on an overdriven amp you lose gain and volume.

[jgcable]

Yes, which is why i used to go eq in the loop. I personally didnt like using the lil alligator. I later decided i needed a mesa w the solo boost then the jvm410 w the dual vol then...well u get the picture.

A volume pedal in the loop of a 6505 is the exact same thing as the solo boost knob on the Mesa. The only difference is that its on the floor and you can control it with your foot rather than setting it at the amp and turning it on with a switch on the floor.

[jdr94]

Yup hes right. Now that i think of it i was boosting infront w the alligator, not in the loop like i shoulda been doin.

[corpse-juice]

I use the Little Alligator

[MortenP]

So, a little alligator in the loop - is it possible to set the 'gator at a certain level, and control it with the effects on/off on the footswitch or do I have to use it as a volume-pedal on the floor, rolling the volume on and off for each lead?

[darrellm]

I've tried loads of things over the years included complicated channel-switching, but by far the best is what I'm using at the moment - home-made one-pot-one-footswitch clean boost pedal in the effects loop. Mate of mine got the cct off the 'net somewhere, apparently modelled on one of the famous pedals, but it works a treat, and almost seems to clean up the distorted sound slightly.

[jgcable]

So, a little alligator in the loop - is it possible to set the 'gator at a certain level, and control it with the effects on/off on the footswitch or do I have to use it as a volume-pedal on the floor, rolling the volume on and off for each lead?

You have several options.
If your amp has a footswitchable effects loop you could set the Lil Alligator at a certain volume level.
What most players do is set the Lil Alligator so that at the full heel position the volume level would be your normal rhythm guitar sound. As you step on it towards the toe position the volume increases to the preset boost level which is controlled by a volume knob that is on the Lil Alligator pedal.
Setting it up is super simple. This way you can have a variable solo boost which is very handy because sometimes you don't need as much boost for fills as you do for solos.

[jgcable]

I've tried loads of things over the years included complicated channel-switching, but by far the best is what I'm using at the moment - home-made one-pot-one-footswitch clean boost pedal in the effects loop. Mate of mine got the cct off the 'net somewhere, apparently modelled on one of the famous pedals, but it works a treat, and almost seems to clean up the distorted sound slightly.

The reason it is "almost seems to clean up the distortion sound slightly" is because most likely you have an impedance mismatch. Many people think they can just throw a volume control in the loop with a switch on it and vary their solo boost. If it has the proper circuitry it will work fine. If it is changing your sound its wrong.

[micha]

So the Alligator is always on, isn't it?
There is no on/off switch like a Crybaby would have?
Do I have to unplug it to save batterie-life?

This thing looks really interesting, just wanted to make sure it works the way I think it does.
I always hated the idea of having to find my rhythm level again after soloing, that's what kept me from getting a volume pedal so far.

[guitarsjb]

You have several options.
If your amp has a footswitchable effects loop you could set the Lil Alligator at a certain volume level.
What most players do is set the Lil Alligator so that at the full heel position the volume level would be your normal rhythm guitar sound. As you step on it towards the toe position the volume increases to the preset boost level which is controlled by a volume knob that is on the Lil Alligator pedal.
Setting it up is super simple. This way you can have a variable solo boost which is very handy because sometimes you don't need as much boost for fills as you do for solos.

Yep.

[VitaminG]

So the Alligator is always on, isn't it?
There is no on/off switch like a Crybaby would have?
Do I have to unplug it to save batterie-life?

This thing looks really interesting, just wanted to make sure it works the way I think it does.
I always hated the idea of having to find my rhythm level again after soloing, that's what kept me from getting a volume pedal so far.

yea, it is always on. I wouldn't imagine it has a huge current draw though. Everything on my board is hooked up to the power supply anyway. Changing batteries sucks (and gets expensive), especially when everything is velcroed down.

[jgcable]

yea, it is always on. I wouldn't imagine it has a huge current draw though. Everything on my board is hooked up to the power supply anyway. Changing batteries sucks (and gets expensive), especially when everything is velcroed down.

I have changed the battery in mine twice in 5 years. Its always on. I think the battery is just for the red LED to tell you its on. As soon as you plug into the right side.. its on. Virtually no current draw and 100% transparent.

[corpse-juice]

So the Alligator is always on, isn't it?
There is no on/off switch like a Crybaby would have?
Do I have to unplug it to save batterie-life?

This thing looks really interesting, just wanted to make sure it works the way I think it does.
I always hated the idea of having to find my rhythm level again after soloing, that's what kept me from getting a volume pedal so far.

I set the lowest volume to my rhythem so its all up or all down

[micha]

@corpse-juice:
Yes, that's what's starting to convince me on the alligator...


Thanks guys!