The Xotic RC Booster is a Xotic boost pedal, currently around $180. Close alternatives include the Behringer PB100 Preamp Booster and the Keeley Electronics Katana Boost. It pairs well with the Hiwatt Park P50B Super Bass Handwired 50W Bass Head and the Supro 1933R Royale 50W 2x12 Combo.
Xotic RC Booster
Xotic · pedal
The Xotic RC Booster, named for Really Clean, is a transparent clean boost that reaches into mild overdrive, offering more than 20dB of boost with a two-band active EQ for treble and bass plus volume and gain controls. It is prized for being essentially transparent, keeping the tone big, clear, and noise-free while adding level, and it stays transparent even when pushing other pedals or an amp front end. It is dynamic and sensitive to a player's touch, and with a little gain it produces a full, lightly compressed tone that sits between clean and overdrive. Used to add a solo boost, goose a clean channel, or drive an amp over the top, it is a pedalboard staple for players who want a pristine, uncolored level lift with optional EQ shaping and a hint of grit, across blues, rock, country, and beyond.
- clean
- clear
- transparent
- overdrive
- treble
- clean boost
- bass
- eq
Price updated Aug 26, 2026
Genres the Xotic RC Booster is commonly used in
- Blues
- Blues Rock
- Rock
- Country
- Indie Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Xotic RC Booster
Hiwatt Park P50B Super Bass Handwired 50W Bass Head
Hiwatt
9% matchWhat Xotic RC Booster brings here leans toward transparent — that's worth building a pairing around
Supro 1933R Royale 50W 2x12 Combo
Supro
9% matchXotic RC Booster's own transparent character is the real reason this is worth trying
Supro Royale 50W Head
Supro
9% matchWhat Xotic RC Booster brings here leans toward transparent — that's worth building a pairing around
Ceriatone Crème Brûlée
Ceriatone
9% matchXotic RC Booster's own transparent character is the real reason this is worth trying
Synergy SL2 Module
Synergy
tonal matchInto a transparent tone, Synergy SL2 Module brings the high gain it's missing
Friedman BE-Mini Head
Friedman
tonal matchThe transparent tone has headroom to spare — Friedman BE-Mini Head gives it high gain to fill it with
Egnater Tweaker 88 Head
Egnater
tonal matchRun Egnater Tweaker 88 Head into that transparent platform and it finally gets some low gain
Ceriatone 2202H
Ceriatone
tonal matchInto a transparent tone, Ceriatone 2202H brings the high gain it's missing
Pedals that stack with the Xotic RC Booster
Ibanez Tube Screamer
Ibanez
38% matchThe RC Booster's clean, transparent treble boost stacks with the Screamer's own mid-forward drive.
Beetronics Overhive
Beetronics
37% matchThe RC Booster's clean, transparent treble boost stacks with the Overhive's own transparent medium-gain drive.
Walrus Audio Monument CS
Walrus Audio
28% matchRun the Monument's warm, synth-like tremolo after the RC Booster's clean, EQ'd boost, so the pulse rides a shaped signal instead of a raw one.
MXR Dyna Comp
MXR
25% matchThe Dyna Comp's squash evens pick dynamics before the RC Booster's clean, transparent treble boost.
Dawner Prince Boonar
Dawner Prince
22% matchThe RC Booster's clean, transparent treble boost feeds the Boonar's Echorec-style repeats a brighter signal to echo. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Carl Martin Purple Moon
Carl Martin
22% matchThe RC Booster's clean boost just turns up the volume going into the Purple Moon's fuzz circuit, pushing it harder without changing its character.
Fairfield Circuitry ~900 About Nine Hundred Fuzz
Fairfield Circuitry
18% matchPut Xotic RC Booster in front and the fuzzy tone leans further toward clean boost
Black Arts Toneworks Dual Revelation Custom
Black Arts Toneworks
17% matchXotic RC Booster pushes a saturated tone toward clean boost
Cheaper alternatives
Fender Engager Boost
Fender
74% similarityShared character: pedal, boost, treble
Electro-Harmonix Spruce Goose
Electro-Harmonix
74% similarityShared character: pedal, grit, boost
Dunlop MXR Timmy Overdrive, sold as Dunlop CSP027
Dunlop
74% similarityShared character: grit, boost, treble
Black Arts Toneworks -Skyboost
Black Arts Toneworks
73% similarityShared character: pedal, boost, treble
Mad Professor Ruby Red Booster
Mad Professor
72% similarityShared character: boost, treble, touch
Demon FX Full BB Preamp
Demon Fx
71% similarityShared character: boost, treble, amp
Boutique & premium upgrades
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Behringer PB100 Preamp Booster
Behringer
74% similarityShared character: pedal, low_noise_floor, amp
Keeley Electronics Katana Boost
Keeley
74% similarityShared character: quiet_operation, pedal, grit
Xotic BB Preamp V1.5
Xotic
73% similarityShared character: boost, treble, amp
Klon KTR
Klon
73% similarityShared character: grit, boost, touch
Airis Effects -Nemesis Preamp
Airis Effects
73% similarityShared character: treble, pedal, clarity
J. Rockett Archer
pedal
73% similarityShared character: pedal, boost, treble
See all alternatives to the Xotic RC Booster (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Xotic RC Booster?+
The closest matches in character are the Behringer PB100 Preamp Booster, the Keeley Electronics Katana Boost, the Xotic BB Preamp V1.5. Budget picks: Fender Engager Boost, Electro-Harmonix Spruce Goose, Dunlop MXR Timmy Overdrive, sold as Dunlop CSP027. Boutique upgrades: Analog Man King of Tone, Free The Tone ODL-1 Overdriveland Standard.
What pairs well with the Xotic RC Booster?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Hiwatt Park P50B Super Bass Handwired 50W Bass Head, Supro 1933R Royale 50W 2x12 Combo, Supro Royale 50W Head — What Xotic RC Booster brings here leans toward transparent — that's worth building a pairing around.
How much does the Xotic RC Booster cost?+
Around $180 (live listing price, updated Aug 26, 2026).