Dallas RangeMaster

Dallas RangeMaster

Big Tone Does Come In Small Packages!
The Dallas Rangemaster is one of the most famous treble boosters in musical effects history. It is known for a very sweet sound, not harsh or shrill like other treble boosters. This could be due to the fact that it uses a Germanium transistor instead of Silicon transistors that modern-design boosters use. I used a NPN Germanium transistor (2N388A) instead of a PNP so that I can use a negative ground so that I can use the same power supply as all my other effects. My also version incorporates some modifications that are intended to improve it’s sound and to possibly prolong it’s lifespan. I have added a reverse-biased Germanium diode between the base-emitter junction of the transistor to offset the effects of temperature variation on the transistor (this modification is outlined in the “Britface” article on the Plate-to-Plate site). The second modificiation is a 1N4001 diode in parallel with the power supply to protect the circuit from any accidental reverse bias that may occur. I also added 1M resistors to the input and output to prevent popping with my true bypass arrangement. As RG said in his article about the RangeMaster, you REALLY need to use 1% metal-film resistors for this circuit because they are less prone to noise…and this thing will amplify hiss and hum and anything else that happens to find its way in. You also need a WELL REGULATED power supply to get rid of that 60-cycle hum or you will have a very noisy circuit.

Below is the schematic of the original Dallas Rangemaster:
http://fuzzcentral.ssguitar.com/rangemaster.php

Posted by Jean Paul Agnesod