recommend a Rangemaster-style treble booster?

[dubkitty]

Again, I'm going to suggest the BAT Black Forest (even though it's Overdriver based, not Rangemaster based). It's a very flexible box, it can go from cleanish boost to fuzzy with a broad tonal range. I don't think it really has a distinct sonic character all its own. Which may be a good or bad thing, depending on what you're looking for.

I've got a Plum Crazy The Squawk. I like it a lot, but I'm not totally crazy about it. There's something about it (which I can't put my finger on) that I'm not completely happy with. I keep going back and forth with how I feel about it. It can get searingly fuzzy (which I do like about it).

I've been wanting to try a ThroBak Overdrive Boost (and to a lesser extent the Strange Master) for a long time, but haven't really wanted to shell out the cash.

dubkitty, are you wanting to place the boost towards the beginning or end of your signal chain?

i think i know what you mean about the Squawk. there's something about its frequency response i can't put my finger on, an oddly compressed character to the sound. maybe it's the tone switch array. i like the Black Forest a whole lot as a general overdrive, but not for this application...i now know that i'm after some kind of Rangemaster.

if i build one myself, i'm totally going to put a stove knob on it.

[dubkitty]

what kind of amp/guitar are you using, doood? btw, I don't find the Sugar Boost to be fuzzy as you suggested - again, probably has more to do with the other gear you heard in the demos than the Sugar Boost.
any kind of straight up treble booster is going to be pretty similar with each other, I think. Something like a Beano Boost that can also be more full-range is a different kind of thing, for sure.

the amp is a Laney VC30 with low-frequency Greenbacks. the guitars are mainly Tokai Les Pauls, PAFs or P90s.

this is the only demo of the Sugar Boost i could find:



it would have been nice if they'd turned the gain down into the lower range at some point. but i found this box to be rather grainer than, say, the HBE and Throbak units, and i don't want that much grain.

[Chankgeez]

I think that if you go with a Rangemaster style boost, going with the full traditional mode of pedal placement may be a mistake. Rangemaster style circuits like to see an unbuffered signal. When I use The Squawk, I run it near the beginning of my chain. Yeah, I'd definitely try putting it in different spots, but I think it'd sound best early on in the chain.

Well, Bolan did use a Rangemaster, but I think you could cop his tones with a Colorsound Overdriver style circuit as well.

Bolan info: http://www.analogman.com/bolan.htm

[dubkitty]

if it needs to see an unbuffered signal it'll have to go up front, then...the Octave Multiplexer has to go close to the front or it'll go batshit trying to track notes, so the treble boost will have to go between the Phantom Ring (which has to go first so it sees the correct impedance to operate properly) and the OM by default because the OM's buffered.

[univalve]

sorry to ask this, but you really want a Range Master / Trebel Booster? Or just something that colors? Or something that does not color? I do not get what you really want...

[devnulljp]

after or just before the compressor which is currently the last device in the chain.

If you put a rangie in front of a compressor you're going to get a lot of HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[dubkitty]

sorry to ask this, but you really want a Range Master / Trebel Booster? Or just something that colors? Or something that does not color? I do not get what you really want...

i want a Rangemaster specifically, because of its combination of coloration and additional crunch. having compared a ton of demos and samples, i know now that i prefer this to the Colorsound tone from e.g. Jeff Beck's early 70s stuff. i don't want something that gets all loose and grainy like a modern fuzz when the gain is cranked...i want a Rangemaster, not a Torn's Peaker. i don't need a clean boost; i already have one. and i don't need an overdrive.

obvious yet missed point about the compressor noted, mudz. it's probably going to have to go somewhere else anyway, because by that point the board's got more buffers than a bottle of Excedrin. well, that's an exaggeration, but apparently four buffers won't make it happy, and i bet it'd HATE the buffer in the TC SCF.

[univalve]

sorry to ask this, but you really want a Range Master / Trebel Booster? Or just something that colors? Or something that does not color? I do not get what you really want...

i want a Rangemaster specifically, because of its combination of coloration and additional crunch. having compared a ton of demos and samples, i know now that i prefer this to the Colorsound tone from e.g. Jeff Beck's early 70s stuff. i don't want something that gets all loose and grainy like a modern fuzz when the gain is cranked...i want a Rangemaster, not a Torn's Peaker. i don't need a clean boost; i already have one. and i don't need an overdrive.

Thanks. Understood (me Euro-Trash).
Go for the BS/SS Sparkle Motion or the Ghost The Horn. I'm sure they should exactly fit your needs. (I have the Sparkle Motion and really love the additional features.)

[ghost_effects]

the horn 'as is' only overdrives a little when cranked, i wanted it pretty clean, however increase the value of the larger input capacitor and you can overdrive the transistor as you turn up the 'tone' control, easy mod.
I'm also going to be doing a version to rangemaster specs soon, same layout, just different resistor values!

[dubkitty]

how soon is "soon," and how much would it be in $USD? i'm confident you'd deliver the goods for a Rangemaster, and could send you a deposit. if it's going to be ₤80 that's not just a deal, it's a steal

[ghost_effects]

feel free to email me - info AT ghosteffects.co.uk and I can give you the lowdown! In a nutshell - about 2 weeks, and yes same price!

[univalve]

Ian brings the goodies!

[Chankgeez]

Ghost Effects to the rescue

[CBA]

I've always been a fan of anything Marc Bolan does, and was always wowed by his "fuzz" tone on Electric Warrior and The Slider like waaaay back in the day before I was ever into pedals.

So I see that there are Rangemasters with an OC44 or an OC71, and APPARENTLY Bolan's (although he had a few) was the OC71. So does anyone make a Rangemaster clone with an OC71 or are those impossible to get? It's all coming down to fucking chips and parts and transistors and numbers again, but what, the OC44 is "smoother" and the OC71 is "crunchier"?

We're just putting together a lot of fun T. Rex covers, and if I can get something close to the tone at the beginning of "Cadillac" or "The Slider", then sign me up!

C

[madmax1012]

the Strangemaster is pretty interesting and looks super versatile. i don't know anything about technical stuff though.