Rangemaster confusion

[JCM1959]

I just built the vero board Rangemaster that Dragonfly has in his gallery.  I have a couple of questions.  One, the way the layout looks has both parts and "strip" facing you.  I assume that the componants go on the reverse side of the board and are there only for visual reference.  AM I correct in this?  Two, when I hit the switch I get signal and when I hit the switch again I get no signal.  This is what is bothering me as I thought that I would still get some signal passing through when the pedal is off.  The pot does nothing.  All of my solder joints are good.  I used a heatsink when connecting the OC-44 as well so I do not think that that is damaged.  Is there any way to tell if it is?

[jimbob]

I just about finished mine as well but i used the GGG layout. I would have socketed you trannie- that way you didnt risk damaging it and you could try out other ones. Good luck w the build!

[JCM1959]

EDIT:  What I posted earlier was not relevant to my question.  I figured out what I did wrong.  I cut the traces as they are sitting on the layout as you are looking at them, but I was thinking when I did them that where they were cut was how it was supposed to look on the strip side of the board.  My cut traces are mirrored to how they should be.

Will rebuild the board tomorrow at lunch and report back tomorrow night on how this sounds.

[JCM1959]

Ok I just got done redoing the board and gooking everything up.  WOW what a cool little pedal.  Granted I was using my Roland Cube for the test amp.  I cannot wait til I try this through a Marshall.  It adds that perfect grit to a clean signal.  I was amazed at the low volume I was able to pull some natural sounding feedback.  Im hooked.... Need to build one now for myself as this first one was payment for my Overlord to a friend.

[aron]

Contratulations!

[jimbob]

I finished mine but was unimpressed. I used a ac128 - probably low hfe- i didnt chk. I wonder if the origiinal would make a bigger difference. Besides, isnt this supposed to be just a little boost? Ill hold onto it and wait till i have a chance to place an order w smallbear.

[JCM1959]

I didn't notice a boost persay, but more of a tonal filter with a tad of grit added.  The grit I got (I used a Mullard OC-44) sounds similar to an old condenser mic (the type that was shock absorbed by springs, era early 1930's on) distorting.  Think "Man of Constant Sorrow" vocals.

Makes bridge pickups sound really sweet.

[jimbob]

That would be cool! Ill give that a try.

[jimbob]

I listened to some online samples and it sounds great- mine sounds more like a boost. I guess ill have to use oc44?

[brian wenz]

Hello Hello---
    I have a stock RM circuit with a OC44 in it and it can get gnarly at extreme settings of the boost pot........at lower settings it does act like more of a high-mid boost.  I've found that I have to tweak the bias for each transistor a little bit in order to get the most from each tranny.  Try adjusting the values of the two resistors  [470K and 68K] and see if that makes a difference. Maybe your transistor is just really low gain???   Some of them can sound real "flat" if they are too low.
Brian.

[formerMember1]

brian wenz:
my OC44 is 73 hfe.  Is that low?
one other thing, if i make my boost pot 20k instead of 10k will i get more gain and still be able to clean up the sound via volume on guitar?  Also, my pot turns counterclockwise to increase gain. should i switch the wires going to outside lugs of pot to make it "normal"?
thanks man

[petemoore]

Go to GEO, schematics 'n more, then find Dallas Rangemater, then click on how to build one.
 I printed that one, and hacked on some trimpotted 1Q Ge Pos Gnd booster boards with I/O cap sockets.
 Then start at point 1, with the trimpots not set, using a different transistor.
 I'm sure it doesn't take all that, but that showed me what it takes, but I still don't really know.
 If I were to try it again, I'd start with new transistor 'n trimpot biases, or see if I could order a transistor with recommended R values for biasing it.
 Raising the emitter R value will lessen the headroom and change bias numbers
 Collector R changes bias, clipping sound, may turn the transistor 'off' or saturate it.
 The base bias R...sets input impedance, and helps hold the base bias, if I were to leave one alone I think it'd be this one.
 I don't know what , I'm just typing, read GEO about it.
 Building a testtrimpotted board helped me figure out what some of the bias equations 'sound' like, figuring whether a CW trimpot turn increases resistance is a good measure to take.
 Being able to bias and misbias one stage is a learning experience.
 I'm asking if PNP Ge's can have their E connected to 9V+ and collector to V+ without burning out, I was cautious about zeroeing out the pots.

[brian wenz]

Hello Hello---
    Nope, that's not to low.  Try the 20K pot and see if it works better.....sometimes they used higher value pots to compensate for different trannys.
Brian.

[jimbob]

I rebuilt the Range Master last night and tried the germs from my ToneBender MKII- Not too impressed. Does this effect really take an oc44 to sound like the online Tonefrenzy samples?

[JCM1959]

I didn't notice that much gain with the one I built.  But as I said before I was testing it through a small SS bedroom amp.  I still need to test it through my Marshall later today.  I was also using a half dead battery so it may very well get that much hair.  More tests later today.

[jimbob]

All i want is that Rangemaster sound from Tonefrenzy.com.. Is that too much to ask from such a small part count project.

[formerMember1]

i went to the tonefrenzy site and clicked the dallas rangemaster audio demo link.  It kept linking me to a fuzzface audio demo.  Are you sure you heard a RANGEMASTER DEMO and not a FUZZFACE  MOD DEMO?

What guitar are you using and what amp?
Is the pedal stock?

[jimbob]

try this http://www.tonefrenzy.com/effects/dallas_rangemaster.html

Im using http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/fg=141/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/481355/ on the clean channel.

[bwanasonic]

I don't find the Rangemaster to be a good candidate for use with the clean channel of an amp. It works best with a slightly dirty and slightly dark amp. Try using a *crunch* type amp setting, with the gain rolled off to the edge of breakup. Kick in the RM and EQ the amp to taste.

Kerry M

[formerMember1]

yeah that worked.

when i put my rangemaster on a clean amp channel, ex. marshal tsl602 combo.  It sounds like a tubescreamer set to a very low setting.
When i put the rangemaster on my 5 wattkay amp set with vol on full and tone at 11:00 clock. and RM boost pot on full, it gets really really close to creams crossroads and sunshine of yuor love.  You have to definitley use the RM on a amp channel that is jsut barely breaking up.  If you put it on a heavily distorted channel, it will sustain better, but the sound won't clean up via the volume knob on guitar.
Try setting the pedal on full and the amp's master volume on 10, using the crunch channel set the preamp volume like 1, and set the gain around 11:00 oclock or so. MY marshall works well like this but i dont know if your amp has a master volume along with a preamp volume and gain pot.

hope that helps, let us know what happens.