Get Loud with Skid Row’s Scotti Hill and the Hooligan Boost Pedal Kit

Stop chasing the perfect boost and build it yourself with the new Hooligan Boost Pedal Kit from Skid Row's Scotti Hill and StewMac. Scotti spent a lifetime chasing the elusive perfect guitar tone. He kept returning to boost pedals.

After a year and a half working with StewMac, the Hooligan Boost Pedal Kit is finally here. Whether you are a beginner or a veteran solderer, this DIY project provides a straightforward way to add that necessary edge to your sound. By assembling it yourself, you gain a deeper understanding of the tone-shaping electronics that define your signature guitar playing.

Video Transcription

Scotti Hill: Hey, this is Scotti Hill from Skid Row, and this is the StewMac Hooligan Boost Kit.

[Scotti performs a riff on his guitar.]

People say there's a million guitar pedals out there. Do we need another one? Yes, you need this one. So being a guy that bought pedals as a teenager, all of a sudden one day somebody says, "What do you want to build?" I always liked to use a boost pedal.

I used to step on my wah pedal and kick that in for a solo. It was giving me a boost, but it wasn't giving me the tone that I needed. Okay, now which boost are we going to base this on? The Dallas Rangemaster is a top boost, so it boosts the high end. To make it a good utility pedal, we'll add the dial to give it a little more versatility.

Let's listen to what it can do. This is without...

[Scotti engages the pedal and continues playing.]

Scotti Hill: Gain, that's gain. Gain is good. This will be the sharpest position here- a lot of high end top boost. As you dial through, you're cutting the highs and adding the lows all the way over here. You've got a real doomy tone.

I've been playing guitar for about 50 years. In that time, you become a little opinionated about certain things, and the old school pedals are where it's at for me and a lot of guys of my generation. The digital world is cool too, but these are really cool.

You can find the Hooligan Boost Pedal Kit at www.stewmac.com.