Rangemaster and Treble Boosters

[James Freeman]

Who is using a Rangemaster or Treble Booster like it's 1965?

 

[la szum]

 

[HomespunEffects]

I have built a couple different versions and they’re fun but that hiss is wild.

 

[PLX]

Catalinbread® Naga Viper clone under construction..

 

[Chocol8]

I have one but I use it relatively rarely. Basically only for humbuckers into a pre-68 Marshall or Bassman circuit. I don’t like it at all with single coils, later Plexi/metal panel amps, and definitely not with anything blackface.

 

[Steinmetzify]

Man I’ll tell you something. My main rig is a Caparison into a Diezel into a Mesa cab, and I have a pedalboard that looks like a fuckin spaceship.

The only pedal that is always on is a Rangemaster clone made for another forum by a company called PLXFX.

That thing just SINGS. It doesn’t matter what guitar/pickups/pedals come after it, that thing just wicks em right up. I love me some Rangemaster clones. It’s straight up always on.

 

[James Freeman]

A big difference I've noticed between the real thing and digital models of the Rangemaster is the real box has much less treble due to input impedance being around 10k, it loads the pickups down and is effectively a high mid boost, it's usable with single coils.

 

[bikescene]

I sometimes use my Naga Viper clone into the normal channels of either my Plexo clone or AC15.

I play a Strat into the Naga Viper/AC15 combo when I want to emulate Rory Gallagher’s early tones.

 

[PLX]

Here's a short clip of my Rangemaster clone into a JCM800

 

[Chocol8]

A big difference I've noticed between the real thing and digital models of the Rangemaster is the real box has much less treble due to input impedance being around 10k, it loads the pickups down and is effectively a high mid boost, it's usable with single coils.

Only if it is before any buffers or other pedals that are engaged.

 

[dronerstone]

I'm using a Sound City (Fryette) Rangemaster as the first thing the guitar sees on my "band board".

Ordered it out of sheer curiosity after seeing one on Josh Homme's board. Didn't know if I was a Rangemaster person or not, ended up pleasantly surprised.

For some reason, these kept flying way under the radar, the first run of 50 was built by R2R Electric. It's unbelievable how good it sounds. "Lively" and "open", yadda yadda...

The range knob helps fine-tuning for whatever guitar I'm plugging in.

I agree about the behaviour of digital RM models. On the Helix Floor, lowering the impedance a bit to shave off treble gets it closer. Still, the real thing is a tad more "unkempt" and "irregular" in response, if that makes sense.

Oh, how I love throwing around random adjectives to describe sonic characteristics.