The AMI Effects Rough Cast is a (great-looking) boost pedal hailing from France that does both clean and colored in a rather unique way.
At its core, the circuit sports an ultra-transparent studio quality Boost with up to 20db of clean gain that doesn’t add any saturation to your tone, maintaining all the originally dynamics as well.
The Pre knob, on the other hand, progressively adds compression and warmth (therefore color) to your tone, a smooth harmonic distortion that gradually thickens your guitar sound.
Through these two controls, the pedal allows players to find their preferred balance between warmth and dynamics.
A tone knob named B • T allows you to sculpt your sound further, adding body or shine.
Here’s the first video of the Rough Cast.
AMI Effects Rough Cast, Builder’s Notes
The Rough Cast is a clean boost that can gently color the sound if you want it to and that can stay clear even when you hit it with a guitar armed with humbuckers. An ultra transparent boost, which does not modify the impedances perceived by the amp or the guitar.
All this is made possible thanks to the use of a transformer ensuring the output coupling, a supercharged internal power supply, as well as a pre-gain circuit allowing the addition of a progressive compression bringing warmth to the sound. All in all, a simple and effective studio quality clean boost.
The Rough Cast’s BOOST potentiometer offers up to +20dB of clean boost without saturating, even with an input signal of a few volts. Enough to keep all the dynamics of your guitar, whatever its pickups. A straight boost that keeps the bass tight and percussive.
To this we have added a PRE function. This is a pre-gain that adds volume while gradually coloring the sound. Ultra-smooth warmth and harmonic distortion gradually thicken your guitar sound.
The trick is to mix these two settings to achieve the desired balance between warmth and dynamics.
A small EQ potentiometer completes the picture. Neutral in the middle position, it adds body or shine. A final touch for the most demanding.
The Rough Cast responds exceptionally well to lowering the volume knob on the guitar. We worked on the input of the circuit in its interaction with the guitar in order to slightly improve the behavior of the volume button which becomes more usable and loses less treble at low volume.
