Since 2015 NEW PEDALS EVERY DAY! Over 3300 REVIEWS!
I use other reviewers vids & then critique from them __ If a pedal appears killer I buy one __ I try it out & update the Post__ If the pedal is SH@T I literally say so!__ I publish the street price a no brainer but few do. __ I save you time finding the best pedals & you get a second opinion. __OVER A MILLION VISTORS__
NO ONE OWNS ME___ I MAKE ZERO $ FROM THIS
It takes a lot of research...a lot of trial and error...and lot of money. But that is not the main reason.
For example with a Marshall Plexi..you bring in a perfect example. Maybe even 2 or 3 stacks, a vintage Strat and a Les Paul...you bring in a good guitarist. Three years...yes years...you have a pretty scary clone!
BUT VERY FEW BUY IT!!!
WHY?
Well...I even owned a real Plexi for years...over which time I had a Strat...LP and a Flying V.
BUT LIKE EVERYONE ELSE I JUDGED THE PEDAL AGAINST A RECORDING OF SOME GREAT MUSICIAN.
Skip any studio stuff and you are still judging the tone you hear... Perhaps there was a Rangemaster Treble Booster and a Sola Sound Tone Bender placed between the guitar and amp. Or if you hear a Marshall JCM 800...the odds are it was being overdriven by a Boss SD-1 Distortion pedal.
So a successful OD builder takes this in mind. That is why so many can exist in the market place. at the same time...and this accounts for the endless variations and compromises that make up the pedal
Yes that perfect amp could be a clone of perhaps Jimmy Page of Zep. including his treble booster and Fuzz sound designed into the pedal.
The Pedals That Clones An Amp Perfectly
A FENDER DELUXE
There are 2 pedals that clone a 57 Fender Deluxe...The Tech21 Blonde ...and the Joyo American which is a clone of the Tech21. Watch the 2 vids. . Either pedal is good. The Tech21 is mildly tighter sounding.... ... the Joyo is slightly more open but as you will see just as impressive. . ...the YouTube vid...' Joyo American Sound Amp Simulation Pedal'....with Shane compares the pedal with the actual amp....If you have a Marshall...what a treat...get this and have 2 amps.
THE JOYO AMERICAN
Current Price $30.00 USD
TECH21 BLONDE
Current Price $134.00 USD
Tech21 vs Joyo American
I have owned 2 Twin Reverbs ...I always loved the clean sound.
Here at SBS we are all about great quality pedals that are totally pro and under $100.00 USD!!!
This is totally what we are about!!! THIS WILL NEVER CHANGE!!!
Think about it!!!
EVERYONE WANTS THE BEST
SOME PEDALS ARE DESIGNED WITH A "FIXED" SOUND...NO EXTENSIVE EQ OR FILTERS TO CHANGE IT...BUT IF DONE RIGHT IT CAN BE A CHEAP WAY TO GET AT LEAST ONE PERFECT SOUND ...BELLS AND WHISTLES DO NOT MAKE A POOR SOUNDING PEDAL BETTER. ...PEDALS THAT START WITH A GREAT SOUND AND ADD THE BELLS AND WHISTLES ARE A LUXURY...WORTH A SPLURGE...BUT THERE IS NO NEED TO HAVE NOTHING BUT THOSE KIND OF PEDALS.
A PEDAL THAT IS EXCEPTIONAL..
IF I FIND A GOURMET PEDAL THAT IS SO STUNNING IT IS TO DIE FOR...
I WILL REVIEW IT AND PUT UP A VID FOR YOU TO COMPARE IT TO THE SDS PEDAL. SOME GOURMET PEDALS ARE NOT SONICALLY BETTER THEN AN SDS PEDAL THEY JUST GIVE YOU MORE 'STUFF' FOR EXAMPLE ...I HEARD A CHORUS THAT SIMPLY PUT 2 CHORUSES IN THE SAME BOX...IT SOUNDED GREAT...BUT NOT BETTER THEN USING 2 SDS TYPE PEDALS...AND FOR THE PRICE YOU COULD HAVE 4 SDS PEDALS. ON THE OTHER HAND I HEARD A PLEXI TYPE PEDAL THAT COULD FOOL YOU IF THE PLEXI AMP WAS THERE TO COMPARE IT. NOW! THAT WILL BE REVIEWED SHORTLY. IN SHORT..'.MORE'...IS NOT BETTER...AND THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF 'MORE'TYPE PEDALS OUT THERE. SO IF OVER TIME..YOU NEVER SEE..FOR EXAMPLE A GOURMET CHORUS...IT IS BECAUSE IN MY ESTIMATION...IT IS A WASTE OF MONEY...IF YOU HEARD NEXT TO SDS PEDAL...PUT ON A SETTING THAT MOST OF US WOULD USE...IT WOULD NOT SOUND ONE BIT BETTER....NOW IT MIGHT HAVE A SWITCH AND 2 KNOBS THAT MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A GARBAGE CAN ROLLING DOWN THE STAIRS.. AND THAT'S WHY IT IS $225.00
ONE LAST THING; IF I FIND ANYTHING THAT IS CRAP OR BULL...I AM GOING TO SAY SO... NOTHING IS SACRED...THIS IS A ROCK & ROLL BLOG SO OUR ARROGANCE HAS NO LIMITS!
No not me. I have a buffer...a clean booster and 3 EQ pedals. So I do not need one!
WRONG!!! ..... because treble boosters are all about sizzling soaring sustain!!!
During the 60's musicians were starting to crank their amps looking for more sustain.
They found that when soloing at high volumes you could get feedback from the speakers that with a bit of effort could be controlled to make some very exciting effects.The problem was it was difficult to always do on command and difficult to control. But if you bought a treble booster that all changed.
Just listen to Brian May of Queen. Not only does he get amazing sustain and a 'lift off' on any note he wants...he can do it on command. He writes parts into the tunes that depend on it happening or those parts tank!! His secret weapon is the Treble booster.
A LITTLE HISTORY
DALLAS RANGEMASTER
This was the first company to build a treble booster. Early models were a box that sat on top of your amp...not a pedal. These were relatively simple circuits based on a Mullard JC-44 germanium transistor with only 4 other parts.
Although referred to as a treble booster...unlike other treble boosters that are boosting even the harmonics in the low end (as it sees them as treble)..it works on only the notes actually in the high end.The higher you go the more boost it gives you. It leaves your low end alone and intact. It works best on an amp or before a pedal that is distorting. In other words it works best when you stack it.
Another very important thing is that in the 60's the Marshall Plexi was voiced with very heavy low mids. This made the sound incredibly fat but the guitar could get swamped by the same frequencies coming from other band members. Although the Rangemaster and others like it are called treble boosters they would boost the upper mids as much as the highs so guitar riffs and leads jumped right out and were so much fuller.
They were soon discovered by guitarists like Brian May of Queen, Toni Iommi of Black Sabbath...Rory Gallagher and Marc Bolan. Eric Clapton used one with his Bluesbreaker amp.
Oh my...and all they want is $13,000.00 USD
for this mouldie goldie oldie
.
HORNBY SKEWES
Not long after the Rangemaster came along Horby Skewes brought out theirs. It was however when they intoduced a second generation model based on the silicon transistor that they took off.
Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple...put them on the map. He used his from 60 to 74
.
VOX
Jumped in with several models. In 1966 it was the V806 that got it right. Roger Mcguinn of the Byrds had one built right into his Ricky 12 string. Tom Petty was never without his.
This was a more conventional all treble no mids booster.
Used these suckers get $500.00 USD. They were actually made as a Vox AC30 amp accessory.
They became so popular for those buyers they simply put the Top Boost feature in the amp itself and stop making the 806.
11/11/2017 The only one on the planet making the Real Deal is Ananashead FX. The Byrd Song. It will come in a very nice mini pedal. I approached owner builder Pedro Garcia to make me a custom made one but in a sensible mini pedal. Pedro's attention to authentic parts. build quality & detail is second to none!!! Another bonus is it simulates a very, very passable Brian May of Queen sound with a Strat or other single coil without having Brian's unique home made guitar and vintage AC30. Just plug it into a medium gain Plexi type OD. For this alone it is a steal!!!!
.
COLORSOUND BOOST
This little orange stomp box was David Gilmours favorite. Who hasn't heard the Pink Floyd guitar sound??? It offered a boost for bass as well...but it was it's sweet high end that sold it. It is back in production at $375.00 USD. (if a reasonable China knock off were made it could go for $30.00.The company who made it could produce it cheaper then any pedal in their line of $30.00 pedals.)
ELECTRO-HARMONIX SCREAMING BIRD & SCREAMING TREE
DEATH OF THE TREBLE BOOSTER
By the 70's overdrives and better made Fuzz boxes took over and the treble booster fizzled away.
But now musicians are more demanding...many are searching for a nice clean soaring sustain. A sustain free of compressors...and the treble booster will do that.
BSM
BSM have revived every treble booster and every model that I think ever existed. They have 17...and will customize one for you if these are not good enough for you. I do not think they will stop here I am sure they working on pedal 18 as you read this little epistle of mine.
BUT if you do not have $300.00 in your pocket move on.
Gourmet...hand made or not...many of these pedals have a very,very modest circuit....So...I find them just a bit excessively priced. In fact the word GOUGE comes to mind!
ELECTRO- HARMONIX SCREAMING BIRD
Because resurgence of the treble booster EH has got back in. The Screaming Bird name has been revived with the new Nano line pedals. THIS PEDAL IS SO NEW THAT I COULD ONLY FIND ONE VID...& not in English.
Current Price $41.00 USD
MARITIME AUDIO BULLFROG BOOST
This is a simple straight up Rangemaster clone with the original circuit in tack..
There is a single Mullard OC-44 germanium transistor...that gives it ...'It's Rangemaster Sound! A few other companies out there doing the same thing but most add superfluous bits and pieces until most of them are really overdrive pedals. The Bullfrog has a toggle switch that gives you the original boost and adds one in the mids and one in the lows. The low boost sounds like a low mid boost to me. So you get the original tone and 2 others that are quite useful.
Other companies throw in a lot stuff you don't need...but with prices in the $200.00 plus area...the extras are a given to justify the price.
What does it do?
It adds a presence to the sound without sounding overly bright or harsh...It tightens the sound and gets rid of mush. It adds some sustain. If you plug in a geranium fuzz, especially if it is a Tone Master clone...it perform miracles ...it removes the harshness and make the harmonics richer sounding.
THE VERDICT
At $95.00 USD..... this is not priced in the 'silly zone'. All the parts are high end...so you do get your money's worth that way.
It really comes off as an alternative to a Tube Screamer but it is warmer...has more grit.
It falls into that transparent OD category
and like the Tube Screamer it likes to be stacked.
Put in front of your amp...or put it in front of a Marshall type medium gain OD and listen to the magic!
I can not help but like it. It has just enough
noticeable distortion to give it a real
punch. Like the original it has a bit of mojo.
Maritime Audio are merging with Butcher
Pedals. There is very little info on this. At
present all the former product have the Butcher
name on it except the Bullfrog Boost.
This could just be an old inventory thing
as the the Bullfrog Boost is listed with others
as part of the Butcher line up
Update: Further BULLFROG BOOST Pedals will be made with the BUTCHER LOGO...there are just a few of the old stock Maritime ones left. there is one less today because they have shipped me mine...and I love it!
Note the demo shows the old case...all new one are in a mini case
SUMMARY
Well I have listen to a lot of treble boosters in researching this toy. They seem to really make a BIG difference.
Right now only those into keeping up with the leading trends buy treble boosters. Some of Gourmet boys offer them...and as you might expect they are accurate repro models and many have superfluous bells and whistles.. The prices are up there. They are such simple things. One transistor and a few bits and bobs...so I feel a hundred bucks is the limit.
There are only 2 at the SBS price and the Bullfrog Boost just squeaks in and the EH.. just ain't gonna do it.
That said...the Rangemaster is a classic and the design is very simple so if the actual parts are not substituted it is hard to screw up. If the Chinese decide to do one the odds are great it will be good. But as it stands now as far as a cheap pedal is concerned there are only 2...and only one I can recommend.The Bullfrog.
If you are into Over Drives....(What a stupid Question)....then you have to check these out. The overdrive you already own might blow away a Gourmet jobbie you are dying to have...and a lot cheaper just by stacking this on it. Using a treble booster to push an overdrive is a great way to create your own personal original sound.
FINAL NOTE....to me personally getting a decent Rangemaster clone is a no brainer. When will my tastes and out side interests change so much that as a tool in my musical tool box I will not need it.
Things like serious overdrives are like power tools...one day the one I have will emotionally wear out and I will want...bigger...better etc. But a treble booster is like a screwdriver...and there always loose screws in my sound that need a bit of tightening.
One of my favorite sounds is putting my Hunger Bender germanium fuzz Tone Bender part for part clone into the Bullfrog treble booster... which is a part for part Rangemaster clone and then into the Dirty Little Secret perfect Plexi pedal. I get Jimmy Pages sound on the first 3 albums. Dead Cool!!!
Getting a Vox 806 sound is a totally different pedal The Vox does not boost the upper mids just the high end. It is worth owning for it's own sake. I have a custom made Ananashead pedal right now.
F-ing great!! it will soon be in production so get back here in a month or so.
First a quick look at digital. Put enough on/off digital messages together and you can have what works as a single transistor...in fact it is so easy with enough memory you can have hundreds. Its cheap...it's clean and the possibilities are quite endless.
The down side is it not only sounds as sterile as an algorism. LOL but..worse yet. If you make a pedal this way...your competitor can literally clone you...and both pedals will sound 100% identical.
Now an analog transistor is a real thing...it takes 3 to make a basic fuzz...in fact a basic fuzz only needs 7 parts. lol
Well you can hold one of these transistors between your fingers and read the info on it. So by digital standards an analog transistor is an extra large super jumbo size thing. LOL
There are 3 basic types...germanium...silicon and FET used for pedals. There are about 25 other types but they have a limited use for pedals. Each kind represents a succession of better technology...but when I say better...I am talking about clarity and mechanical performance. When misused in making them distort. Well that is another matter. They are in general considered basically obsolete. In so much as the consumer market who think digital electronic making is supreme.
In fact half of the "cool' ones are only alive in small obscure countries who either have some old stock gathering dust or they banged out a few to keep grandad's radio going a few more generations
. especially in the old Soviet Bloc.as well as parts of Asia.
The reason they sound good is that put an audio signal thru anything and out the other side comes distortion. In this case distortion means it goes in one way and comes another. The original idea was to distort the signal as little as possible. Often the best that came out was a pleasing distortion.
My ears love the distortion of a germanium transistor. Technically since it was the first kind of a transistor...it is scientifically crap But It makes some stellar guitar distortion. LOL
OK...we have 3 types of transistor...several values...or strengths...and a dozen company's making a few different models...perhaps one made in 1955 was upgraded to the new improved 1960 model.
So my point is. The practical choices are limited...the ways you can wire them together are limited.
So...one day...the new improved model will cease to be new. A clone will be as good and what pedal you choose will be on your board until it actually wears out...maybe years and years.
ONE DAY>>>THE MANUFACTURERS..... WILL.... BE IN A SWEAT
BUT JUST LOOK AT THAT THING !!! I THINK IT IS A EDWYN COLLINS BUM FUZZ CIRCUIT!!! MY GOD...LOOK AT IT!!! WHY THERE ARE 9 PARTS IN IT!!! NO! NO! LOOK LOOK ....JUMPIN JACK RABBITS THERE ARE 10!!!!! OH POOP.... I GOT IT WRONG THAT'S A RARE SOLA SOUND MKII OH DAMN! I THOUGHT IT WAS AN OLD ONE ITS ONE OF THOSE CHEAP $580.00 NEW ONES!!!
No the best players have the pedals they think are best. They got to your attention because they are successful...they are successful because they did things...THERE OWN WAY!!!
So should you copy them? NO!
Everyone has the potential to make the big time. Others will admire you only because you play and sound like YOU.
If you sound like... and are as good as your fav guitarist...who cares...you become about as exciting as a perfect copy of a Les Paul that was made in China!!!
So why don't you???
...... Peer presure is your biggest hurdle
NO ONE THOUGHT OF THE LES PAUL AS A COOL GUITAR UNTIL ERIC CLAPTON PLAYED ONE ON THE "BEANO" LP!!!
In fact Gibson had discontinued it when he got his. So if you find a pedal that 'no one' thinks is cool...
Stop there! You get it?? YES??
There is one thing as a guy that is 70 and is still trying with my original material that has got me thru.
ONLY A NOBODY IS FREE OF RIDICULE !!!!
and
NEVER LET OBJECTIVE REALITY INTERFERE WITH YOUR SENSE OF SELF IMPORTANCE !!
-the musicians you admire could not make it if they thought their ideas and music were not important. So...get with the program. Your ideas and music are important...without guys like you that said F. U. I am doing it my way. THERE WOULD BE NO NEW MUSIC.... without guys like you THE ONLY MUSIC TO BE HEARD WOULD BE THE BEATLES SO DO THE WORLD A FAVOUR...make your own choices for gear...start writing 'your' music. OR...for gods sake sell your guitar and buy some video games.
