Treble Booster wah/honk sound

[rangermaster]

Hi.

I made a treble booster again. Based on the dallas rangemaster. I have build a lot of boosters but this one really has his own way of saying hello when volume is on 10.

I made this one without a pot.. just 2 jacks and a on/off toggle switch.

The problem is that it is giving me a really annoying heal down wah/honky sound when the guitar volume is on 10. 1 - 8 is good. Any idea? It's way more then usual.

Bias is set perfectly -7v
Film caps are 10nf(output) and 4.7nf(input).
Elco caps are 47uF Rubicon's.
Transistor: OC44, Hfe=103, leakage less than 100 at 20°

Can anyone help? Schematic is the same as the electrosmash schematic.

Thanks.

[GibsonGM]

Do you have a 10k resistor on the collector, and take the output from above it?  Or did you split the resistor or some other trick there?  {contemplating}

[Silvio55]

Have you built other germanium Range Masters? What you describe sounds what a normal Range Master would sound, mine is like that and I tried several transistor on it and different bias points.

[rangermaster]

Do you have a 10k resistor on the collector, and take the output from above it?  Or did you split the resistor or some other trick there?  {contemplating}

Yes i have put a 10k resistor between Collector and +9v(black battery lead). The there is the 10nF cap from collector to output.

[rangermaster]

Have you built other germanium Range Masters? What you describe sounds what a normal Range Master would sound, mine is like that and I tried several transistor on it and different bias points.

I have built a lot of rangemasters but this one is just different. I don't think its normal that the sound is so much "Honk"

[rangermaster]

I made a fast drawing of the board.


(47uF on the right also goes to ground)

[Silvio55]

The polarity in that drawing is backwards, ground should be +9v, don't know if your circuit is wired like that or just a typo. Check the polarity of the electrolytics.

[rangermaster]

The polarity in that drawing is backwards, ground should be +9v, don't know if your circuit is wired like that or just a typo. Check the polarity of the electrolytics.

Oh sorry.

I did note the black battery lead in the drawing. Red lead is on the 47uF+/bias resistor  and the 3.9k resistor.

See edit photo

[Silvio55]

So, everything seems fine to me! Did you try another transistor?

[rangermaster]

So, everything seems fine to me! Did you try another transistor?

Not yet. I thought this one was good when i measured it

[Silvio55]

Well, that's the magic of the germanium! I don't even bother to measure them for a Rangemaster, just try and listen 

[rangermaster]

Well, that's the magic of the germanium! I don't even bother to measure them for a Rangemaster, just try and listen 

Thanks man. I'll try that  first thing tomorow

[Silvio55]

You're welcome!! Cheers!

[iainpunk]

i'd put it down to a wrong component value, or if that's not the case, ill side with Silvio:

Well, that's the magic of the germanium!

little secret; that magic is called ''miller capacitance''
by the way, i guess you are not the Silvio with the KLOK beer logo tattoed on the neck?

cheers

[Silvio55]

by the way, i guess you are not the Silvio with the KLOK beer logo tattoed on the neck?

cheers

Don't think so, I don't believe I have any tattoos, but let me check, I got very drunk last night 
Also, Klok beer is not very well known here in Argentina, if at all.
Cheers!!

[rangermaster]

Ok i couldnt wait. I replaced the trannies twice but didn't work.

The weird thing is that when i try other treble boosters i built they all sound fine.. same setup. Not that loud mids/wah sound en nice treble and volume sweep to clean..

[rangermaster]

i'd put it down to a wrong component value, or if that's not the case, ill side with Silvio:

Well, that's the magic of the germanium!

little secret; that magic is called ''miller capacitance''
by the way, i guess you are not the Silvio with the KLOK beer logo tattoed on the neck?

cheers

Component values are correct

[Silvio55]

Ok i couldnt wait. I replaced the trannies twice but didn't work.

The weird thing is that when i try other treble boosters i built they all sound fine.. same setup. Not that loud mids/wah sound en nice treble and volume sweep to clean..

That's strange... sorry if I ask but are the other Rangemasters you built exactly the same circuit with germanium transistors? Was there any resistor in series with the input, a cap blend pot, a buffer or other pedal or an active guitar driving them when you tried? That mid honk/wah sound you describe is the sound of a good Rangemaster with the guitar volume on 10, they are supposed to do that.

[rangermaster]

No all the same. Some with boost pot and some with blend pots. But layout is the same. Also all germanium. OC44 or OC71's

It's wired exactly like the drawing i made before. It's mounted in a strap-on enclousure. 1 output jack, and one input cable for in the guitar(like brian may). It has a dpdt switch(true bypass) and a dpdt on/off battery switch.

Weird that all the other pedals sound so different then 

[Silvio55]

No all the same. Some with boost pot and some with blend pots. But layout is the same. Also all germanium. OC44 or OC71's

Weird that all the other pedals sound so different then 

The boost pot wouldn't affect the sound but a blend pot does! It adds resistance in series with the input and increase the input impedance of the circuit, reducing the load on the guitar pickups and that treble roll off when you put your guitar on 10. A Rangemaster with a pot at the input no longer sounds like a Rangemaster. The same if you put anything between the guitar and the pedal. But if you built other clones with just the cap at the input and don't sound like this one, then I don't know what else could be the cause.