TREBLE BOOSTER
I DO NOT HAVE A TREBLE PROBLEM
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!!!
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.
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
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.
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.
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!
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
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.
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.
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.
There is absolutely zero proof that Clapton used a rangemaster. Most now acknowledge that he did not. Good friend of mine has a number of original rangemasters and is an audio file as well. He says no way he used one on the Beano album. Being a Clapton fanatic as I have been for almost 50 years, it seems out of character for him at the time...and oh yes, I own an original ‘66 JTM45 combo and with my ‘50s LP conversion with real PAFs, a rangemaster is not necessary to get the Beano tones...one just needs Clapton’s fingers and attack and the recording board and mics used for that recording.
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