From Smitty Pedals:
Powered by a NOS AC128 PNP germanium transistor. This treble boost uses the same circuit as the original Dallas Rangemaster. Hand wired point-to-point just like the original. Beautiful brown hammered finish. True bypass.
The pedal is wired positive ground like the original Dallas Rangemaster and uses battery power only. Like the original there is no LED which also increases battery life. This type of pedal has a low current draw so a battery will last a very long time. Do not use with any other type of power supply. It may damage the pedal.
This pedal sounds awesome. It should be the first in your signal chain with no other effects before it.
It is best used straight into a cranked tube amp set to just a bit of breakup or overdrive. Click on the treble booster and it will drive your amp into sweet, singing distortion. The more you crank the volume of the amp the more creamy sustain there will be. Use your guitar’s volume and tone controls to adjust the sound. Cleans up nicely when you turn down your guitar’s volume knob.
It can also be used before an overdrive pedal to as part of a two pedal overdrive setup. It will add sparkle and life to your solos. It is normal for the gain control to make a “scratchy” noise when turned.
This is a 40 year old circuit design so some hiss is also normal as it is with all germanium treble boosters. The original Rangemaster used carbon composition resistors which tend to induce hiss, but that has been greatly reduced in this pedal through the use of metal film resistors. I take care to be sure that the transistor is biased correctly and if it appears to be exceptionally noisy when installed, I throw it out and replace it with a quieter one.
Note: The picture is of an actual Rangemaster from Effects Database as I was unable to locate a picture of this Smitty pedal. Sorry.
More information here:
