spi
Well-known member
I discovered how awesome the treble booster circuit can be after building a Naga Viper. I recently bought a few Ge transistors so decided to build a Rangemaster. Prior, I breadboarded it and auditioned some transistors, and ended up selecting a 2n1039 with 134 hfe for this build (they all sounded good but this one was a bit sweeter).
I ordered the GuitarPCB version without noticing that the schematic is slightly tweaked, especially the biasing components. And it has 2 trimpots which adjust both the collector bias voltage and the overall gain/volume/grit of the circuit. Despite the added flexibility, I don't know why they decided to mess with a stone cold classic circuit. I don't think it's better than what I breadboarded, and really only gets a lot of boost with one of the trimpots maxed out, while I recall the breadboarding one had plenty of boost by default. Regardless it still sounds great.
Regarding the rats nest of wiring: On a prior build I accidentally mounted a switch PCB upside-down. I figured because this PCB had its I/O pads all over rather than in a tight line, and a lot of space between the PCB and switch, I could easily wire things across and salvage the switch. I took caution to route the right connections, using solid core for a pretty clean (for me) look. But I totally forgot to cross over the jack wires. When I powered it up, all I got was radio signal coming through my amp. Then I realized my mistake. I had the then move my carefully measured wires to new positions, which also pinched and messed up the positions of the others wires, resulting in a jumble that resembles my early builds.
BTW, did I mention this sounds awesome? All 3 switch positions, which change the input capacitors between hi-mids, mid and fuller sounds, do something special to the tone.
I ordered the GuitarPCB version without noticing that the schematic is slightly tweaked, especially the biasing components. And it has 2 trimpots which adjust both the collector bias voltage and the overall gain/volume/grit of the circuit. Despite the added flexibility, I don't know why they decided to mess with a stone cold classic circuit. I don't think it's better than what I breadboarded, and really only gets a lot of boost with one of the trimpots maxed out, while I recall the breadboarding one had plenty of boost by default. Regardless it still sounds great.
Regarding the rats nest of wiring: On a prior build I accidentally mounted a switch PCB upside-down. I figured because this PCB had its I/O pads all over rather than in a tight line, and a lot of space between the PCB and switch, I could easily wire things across and salvage the switch. I took caution to route the right connections, using solid core for a pretty clean (for me) look. But I totally forgot to cross over the jack wires. When I powered it up, all I got was radio signal coming through my amp. Then I realized my mistake. I had the then move my carefully measured wires to new positions, which also pinched and messed up the positions of the others wires, resulting in a jumble that resembles my early builds.
BTW, did I mention this sounds awesome? All 3 switch positions, which change the input capacitors between hi-mids, mid and fuller sounds, do something special to the tone.
