Kit of parts to make a Rangemaster / Texas Twang treble boost style pedal. Uses a low gain silicon transistor to get as close as possible to the vintage sound whilst being affordable.
The original Rangemaster had a single fixed treble frequency boost and was modified by many famous guitar players to give boosts at a different frequency. This pedal has a 3 way switch to give a range of boost frequencies.
Famously used by guitarists in the 60s and 70s such as Brian May and Marc Bolan as well as the Beatles. The sound also reminds me of the "jangly" guitar sound of 80s indie music.
The Rangemaster pedal had nothing to do with Texas but was originally sold in the 1960's by a shop in London where the owner had the surname Dallas so the variations that followed used variations on this theme for their names.
Kit contains high quality parts including 1590b sized Hammond/Eddystone alloy case pre-drilled, heavy duty jack sockets, Alpha Pots, Panasonic audio grade capacitors for the electrolytics and metallised film for the non electrolytics. Tinned copper stranded wire. Genuine Fairchild Transistor. These parts cost more than the cheap generic Chinese parts but are more reliable and improve the sound quality.
Includes 6 pages of instructions inclosing circuit diagram, large clear photos showing the wiring and written instructions aimed at a beginner. There is a lot of information on the internet about building variations of the Rangemaster. Suitable as a first project for people wanting to try soldering.
All the parts are included except for a battery (you need a standard 9v one). I have made a pedal using the same parts and it sounds very nice!
The parts included are listed below:
1 x 1590b Sized Hammond/Eddystone Metal Case Pre-Drilled
1 x Footswitch : A standard 3 pole dual throw switch. Good quality and allows “true bypass”, that is sending the signal around the pedal when it's turned off.
Sockets:
1 x 3 pole 1/4” jack socket, 3 pole acts as a switch
1 x 2 pole 1/4” jack socket
Components
Custom Made PCB with all part positions marked
1 x Genuine Fairchild low gain transistor to get as close as possible to the vintage feel.
Resistors - Chunky large size carbon films, easier to read the stripe codes and carbon is again closer to the vintage parts used.
Capacitors:
2 x Panasonic for Audio type
4 x Polyester box capacitors (as used in hifi equipment)
1 x 10k Linear pot for volume control/Gain made by Alpha
1 x 3 way toggle switch
1 x knob
9v Battery Clip
Stranded hookup wire various colours
The only extras you should need are:
A soldering iron and solder
Some wire cutters to cut and strip the wire (scissors can work)
Some pliers or an adjustable spanner to tighten the socket and potentiometer nuts
Small flat screwdriver to tighten the knob
Crosshead screwdriver for tightening the case lid
A battery 9v Rectangular type
LED Option (I have not included an LED as it uses a fait bit of battery power and adds complexity, however I have added a page to the instructions on how to add an LED if you wish to do so. )
DC Socket option, there is space in a standard 1590b case for a side mounted socket, there is a diagram included on how to wire it up, the supplied case does not have a hole for a DC socket, you will need to drill a hole and buy the socket to do this.
The case can be primed and painted with car paint, or something like hammerite which you don't need primer for. Another option is to give it a brushed finish with sandpaper. Or you can leave it as it is.
Shipped from the UK with Royal Mail