Is the Rangemaster worth it?

[joegagan]

i complained about EJ's tone the last time i saw him here, about 8 yrs ago. his lead tone was wimpy and mushy. no bite.

[Philippe]

i complained about EJ's tone the last time i saw him here, about 8 yrs ago. his lead tone was wimpy and mushy. no bite.

*hmmm* Maybe a number of those articles about his ultra-sensitive sense of tone is borderline hype. Wouldn't surprise me...stuff like using rubber bands instead of screws to secure the base of a FF in order to improve the fuzz tone makes one wonder. Then again, when one is EJ (or David Gilmour et al) the masses will often cling to certain unfounded idiosyncrasies as gospel.

[DougH]

I saw him a few years back and he sounded really good. Didn't like his sound with the SG though.

Not sure what this has to do with Rangemasters, but anyway...

[joegagan]

though i didn't quote his post, i was responding to philippe and 'no one seems to complain about..."  - my quirky sense of humor, apologies to the families of those affected.

-back to the off topic new topic- doug, i agree, the problem i was referring to would have been worse if he had been using a HB equipped guitar. the night i saw him , it was pure strat.  his clean tones were beautiful.

[DougH]

Okay, gotcha, heh-heh! 

BTW Phillipe- the Si "Brian May Boost" is a different circuit than a Rangemaster (IIRC). Sounds *really* good though. I remember liking it almost better than a Rangemaster when I tried it.

[DiamondDog]

Okay, gotcha, heh-heh! 

BTW Phillipe- the Si "Brian May Boost" is a different circuit than a Rangemaster (IIRC). Sounds *really* good though. I remember liking it almost better than a Rangemaster when I tried it.

Brian May has used a treble booster made by my good friend Greg Fryer since the 90s. He's the guy who restored the Red Special and built a couple of replicas for Brian, and recently released a copy of the Deacy amp. He also provided the sound-alike guitars, FX and AC30s that we used for "We Will Rock You".

About half way down his blog you'll find a schematic for us DIY-ers to play with, and that isn't a million kilometres away from the aforementioned treble booster, with some suggested component ranges. It also use the usual NPN-Si suspects.

I'm still working with an awful lot of trim pots to nail the ideal sound- but then I haven't dedicated a lot of time into it yet.

[DougH]

The "Brian May Boost" is not the Fryer thing, I don't think. But it sounds pretty good. Do a search and you can find schems for it.

[DiamondDog]

The "Brian May Boost" is not the Fryer thing, I don't think. But it sounds pretty good. Do a search and you can find schems for it.

l

I can tell you factually that Brian May has not using the "Brian May boost" since the early 90s- and my source is Brian May and Greg Fryer. Brian has definitely used the Fryer from mid 90s on. I was in the "We Will Rock You" ensemble in Australia, and worked with Brian and Greg. So-you want to argue with me??? (Lust jokin'! No hassles!     Just saying I was privileged enough to see it up close. Close enough to have almost touched the Red Special- but Greg warned me off!!! I live about 3 miles from Greg's workshop, and he has looked after a lot more skilled artists than me. INXS, Cold Chisel, even some Floyd when they were on tour.)

The "May Boost" schem on geofex et al was from about "A Day At The Races" to after Freddie's death. But- in everyone's defence- each booster BHM has used has merits. But Brian now definitely uses a Fryer boost which he prefers over the Digitech Red Special (which I also have).

[DougH]

I never said that Brian May used or still used the "Brian May Boost" and could really care less anyway. I didn't know where it came from, it was just an interesting circuit to try AFAIC. It sounds nice for people who are looking for an NPN Rangemaster kind of effect.

[deadastronaut]

maybe a soundclip  with/without it  would help?...just a thought!....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wPX03I1pPY

[DougH]

How well an RM works for you depends completely on your amp. It serves as an input stage and you basically leave it on all the time. I have 2 but just modded the older one into a Hornby-Skewes kind of thing to use with my strat. Sounds great and I really love it too. Like the Rangemaster, it functions as a front end to the amp and I basically leave it on.

BTW: here's another RM soundclip if anyone's interested: http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/DougH/booster/NPN_RM/NPN_RM.mp3.html

[DiamondDog]

I never said that Brian May used or still used the "Brian May Boost" and could really care less anyway. I didn't know where it came from, it was just an interesting circuit to try AFAIC. It sounds nice for people who are looking for an NPN Rangemaster kind of effect.

Now, now, Doug... Have you had a look at the schem on Fryer's site that I mentioned? Given your NPN Ge RM (which I have breadboarded and quite liked), I would be interested in your thoughts of a circuit comparison.

[DougH]

I haven't tried the BMB for a long time. I used it as a front end for my highway89 though. I remember liking the sound of it, but it gets extremely trebly when you turn your guitar vol down, moreso than a rangemaster or hornby-skewes. Looking at the schem now I wonder if it's due to the 47n on the output, which is a little "thin".

In any case you can definitely tune these things however you want. They are all simple CE gain stages.