Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hello Don. I just wanted to say that I purchased one of your Rangemaster booster pedals about a year ago and it is by far the best pedal I have ever had. It gives the thickest lead tones thru my Korg AC30 even if I'm using a Strat. Great Product!!

What do we do when the germanium transistor stops working in 20 years or so however? Should we stock up on some now or do they have a limited shelf life also?

Thanks!
Greg

Greg; Good question on the Germanium's! Each one's a bit different. I've got a couple old pedals from the sixties that still have the original's in them and sound great and a couple other one's that were in dire need of new transistors.
This is one of those "should I or shouldn't I" dilema's. What's to say the one in the pedal still works great in 20 years but the spare you bought doesn't. I think that enough of us will still be around and demanding germanium devices that you should be able to find a new one in 2023 that's as good as what was made in 1965/66 or made in 2003.
BTW, the two old one's that work: Vox U.K. made "Tone Bender" & Gibson/Maestro FZ-1A.
The two that didn't: Arbiter Fuzz Face and Sola Tone Bender.
Funny as the Sola and Vox units were made by the same guy, Carl Nielsen who spends his time between his home in Thousand Oaks, Ca. and London (he has a shop called Rockbottom Music in Croydon). He's become a friend of mine over the last few years and is an absolute well of info on U.K. musical equipment and the scene in London during the mid to late sixties.
Both the Sola and Vox units were designed by Dick Denny who was the genius behind the original JMI Vox AC-15, 30, 50 & 100 for starters.
The Fuzz Face was designed by Johnny Dallas who invented the Rangemaster, Sound City Amps and all the Arbiter pedals.

Don - I have an a late '60's Sola Sound Tonebender (three knobs, orange graphics) that has the original Germanium's that is still going strong. I play it through a Tweed Champ and it is a mighty sound, indeed. I have just bought a Maestro FZ-1A on ebay which hasn't arrived as yet. I hope it sounds as good. I plan to use it with a '58 Gibson GA-5 "Skylark". Thanks for the bit of history on the pedals of that era.

Jeffery; If you want to fatten up that FZ-1A then replace the .0033 cap going to the volume control with a .01 or .022. That will take alot of the shrill high end off and make it more useable.

Thanks Don - it should arrive any day now. Can you recommend a compression pedal to give a Rick-12 that McQuinn sound? Does your treble boost give the Brian May tone? I only have the two little 6V6 open ended amps - 8" Jensen in the Skylark, 8" oxford in the Champ.

Jeffery; My friend, the late Howie Epstein, had the second prototype Roger McGuinn Ric 12-string(signed by Roger thru the slash soundhole!). Howie didn't like the compressor in that guitar and used two of the Boss CS-2 units. He felt they were a better compressor than what was in the guitar and offered a better "McGuinn" sound. Even though he could certainly afford to buy vintage tube one's, Howie thought that the Boss units sound nearly as good as a Fairchild and Altec tube compressor/limiter's.
Brian's original Treble booster is a Rangemaster. I've had several people who have worked with Brian buy one of mine. I don't know how but Brian knows of the one's I build and tells people to buy mine. Of course this was before Vox started making the little "Brian May Amp" recently that features a Booster output jack...

Don: Is the Rangemaster powered by battery only or is it designed to be powered by a 9 volt adapter as well?

Peter; Thanks! It can run off of one 9v carbon battery or can be ordered with an optional DC adpator socket.
Seriously thinking of going to a bigger box (like MXR Phase 100 size) and making the dual mode ft. switchable and adding the battery eliminator socket. The socket is a positive tip. Most pedals are negative tip except the one's that use a germanium transistor like mine. Those two items would push the price up around $25.00 more though.