The history of the treble booster is distinctly intertwined with the history of rock and roll music in 1960s Britain. The treble booster emerged as a workaround born of financial necessity. As a stand-alone effect, the treble booster had a relatively short life span. However, its importance to the development of guitar playing styles in the 60s and 70s is paramount.
Originally, the treble boost effect was a distinctly British phenomenon. American-made Fender amps were more difficult to come by and expensive to ship, but they had a certain brighter and more chime-like character that was highly desirable. Consequently, most British guitarists at the time primarily used homegrown Marshall or Vox AC30 amplifiers. These guitarists found that the mixture of a heavier, solid-body humbucking guitar like a Les Paul with a Marshall or Vox amp produced a significantly darker and more muddy tone. This darker tone combined with the increasingly heavy sound of contemporary music and the very real sonic constraints of early PA systems meant that the guitar sound would often be missing that crucial, cutting high-end that allows it to fly over the top of the band.
Enter the treble boost. The Dallas Rangemaster was the product of musical instrument firm John E. Dallas & Sons, Ltd., of Clifton Street, London. Founded in 1875, by the 1960s, the company was offering Dallas and Shaftesbury guitars plus Dallas, Shaftesbury, and Rangemaster amps. In 1965, Dallas bought Arbiter and soon launched the Sound City amp line, and later the famous Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face.
The Rangemaster’s original engineer is somewhat of a mystery, but the brilliant simplicity of its design remains a powerful statement of electronic wizardry: one germanium transistor, three resistors, four capacitors, a Boost Set pot, on/off switch and a battery. Painted a nondescript battleship gray and housed in a folded-metal box with a small screen print of musical notes ascending to rock and roll nirvana, the Rangemaster was designed to be heard and felt, not seen, unlike some of the more flashy effects pedals of today.
The Rangemaster’s secret ingredient was that single germanium transistor. Germanium transistors are considerably less potent than the silicon transistors that rose to prominence towards the late 60’s, but their unique sound produces a more luscious and glossy distortion that is ripe with harmonics and rich in personality. Most Rangemasters featured a Mullard OC44 transistor or an NTK275, the same transistor used in the Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face. You can still find these transistors available on online marketplaces. Later designers began to experiment with different transistors, like the Soviet military transistors inside of Iridium’s Spiral Architect Germanium Treble Booster.
The Rangemaster really hits its stride with a slightly-overdriven amplifier and is capable of driving the amp directly into the netherworld of sonic intensity. The Rangemaster solved the problem for these British guitar gods; they could retain the fat low-end of their Marshall and Vox amps while riding the high-end waves of the Rangemaster straight to the resonant realms of heavy metal glory.
However, the Les Paul/Marshall/Vox combo was not the only situation where the Rangemaster could exercise its prowess. A who’s who of British rock royalty called upon the services of the Dallas Rangemaster to bolster their axes, including Jimmy Page, Marc Bolan, Ritchie Blackmore, Rory Gallagher, Tony Iommi, and Brian May to name a few. These guitarists used a range of instruments including SG’s and Stratocasters as well as various Orange, Hiwatt, and Fender amplifiers.
Nobody knows for sure exactly how many Rangemasters were produced and finding one today can prove to be elusive. As such, the Rangemaster has left a profound legacy in its wake that has inspired the creative minds of circuit wizards for at least 5 decades. Vintage gear will never go out of style for those guitarists dedicated to the pursuit of a powerful tone. Join us at Iridium FX as we continue to twist, conjure, and concoct the rarest, dirtiest, and darkest boost tones of your metal nightmares.