The Treble Booster Appreciation Thread

[JVG]

Hey guys

I realise this thread might not go far, since the poor old treble booster still struggles to get the love (I think) it deserves, but anyway

For years I was one of those who dismissed them without even giving them a go. But.....I was converted a few years back and have become a TB preacher! I can't help thinking that the name is what puts a lot of people off - maybe if they were called "frequency drivers" or something like that people would be less apprehensive.

Anyway, my first foray into treble booster land was a fairly cheap one I bought off eBay - a "Beano Boost" style thing from a UK builder called Hubcap John. I think he's still making them. It was cheap as chips, and remains my favourite treble booster of the ones I've tried - it has a beautifully rich, throaty sound. It's Germanium, and has the 3-way tone toggle that many of them have nowadays. I love it - and it may even be my 'desert island' guitar pedal!

Since then I've tried a few others. I bought a fairly old Java Boost with the CV7003 (did I get that right?) transistor. It's also very nice, and has the benefit of the additional tone control.

One I've fairly recently picked up is the Dazatronyx "Germanium Amplifier" with an OC42 transistor (yes Keeley has a product of the same name, but Dazatronyx actually got there first!), which is by a local Aussie builder. It's also very nice, with a character of its own - thicker than the others.

Who knows what else I might pick up in the future - I know there are a LOT of great options out there

I'd love to hear from any other Treble Booster enthusiasts!

[Shadoweclipse13]

I'm the weird one, because the name alone always interested me. I've always prefer trebly set-ups over bassier ones. My all-time favorite gain sound is a Catalinbread Naga Viper (set for a bit between the treble and full-range boost closer to the treble side, with a little bit of gain from the heat knob) driving an EQD The Dunes, into a Fender Hot Rod (not sure Deluxe or Deville) 410. Friggin' glorious. Treble boost is the only type of booster I use, and I totally get why some people swear by them.

[pad]

Ive built one of Musikdings diy kits what is supposed to copy the classic rangemaster and at the first part of playing music with pedals i often loved it, then the interest in it stopped somehow but i think i need to use it again!
I mean the sudden "overdrive+clearity" it adds to your tone is really beautiful and helpful for leads.

[somanytoys]

I had a friend that bought a Keeley Java Boost over 10 years ago, and didn't particularly care for it, and I don't know if he was using them with tube amps, but I had never tried it. But around that same time or a little later, I bought 2 of Keeley's Black Glass fuzzes (and another one later), and loved them, especially when I learned that they have to be used first in the chain, and that was why they didn't have the same great sound as when I had played them alone.

Mostly because of the love of those Keeley Mullard Black Glass fuzzes (OC44 & OC81D), I've bought quite a few versions of the Jext Telez OC44 Range Lords, as well as an OC44 Dizzy Tone, and a couple of Uni-Drives (which I don't think even use OC44s).

I like the Range Lords much more than I thought I would, even though I'm not really using them at a respectable amp volume. I didn't realize at the time that those were based on on treble boosters, but they all sound really good on tube amps, even at lower volumes. And they aren't shrill at all. I have a Catalinbread Galileo that emulates a treble booster slamming a Vox AC30 for the Brian May/Queen sound, and it's cool, but it is kind of shrill, even with the tone cranked down fully.

Considering all that, I enjoy the Range Lords a lot more than I thought I would have, but I think that the Uni-Drives and the Dizzy Tone are probably more what I was originally looking for.

I'm still keeping all of them....

[jthomas]

Interesting and coincidental thread...

I pulled out my EH Screaming Bird boost that I picked up with a guitar (an original Ampeg Dan Armstrong) in 1974 or so. I sold the guitar but kept the boost, but had not used it for... well forever (44 years or so- OY!). This is a box that plugs directly into the amp. I pulled it out to have something that would cut through the band... and boy, I was surprised at how good it sounds. I don't think that I can use this regularly given that it doesn't have a foot switch. That has led me to consider buying one of the newer ones that is in the standard footswitch form, but I guess these things accentuate different frequency ranges. I wonder if anyone has done any direct evaluation on what specific frequencies are accentuated by different commercially built treble boost pedals?

[stevejamsecono]

I've wanted one for a good long while, they just always seem to pricier than I expect. I'm inclined to grab the Naga Viper due to the flexibility though...

[parry]

I've come to learn (first-hand) that their usefulness depends almost entirely on your guitar/amp combination. I couldn't understand why more people didn't use them - for about six years, I had an Upstate Analog Rangemaster that was true to the original on my board. It loved my Jazzmaster! It worked beautifully with the amps I was using (a Bassman, Super Reverb, Vibro Champ and Musicmaster bass). The way it reshaped the EQ was absolutely delicious and cut through like nothing else

I rarely play my Jazzmaster and sadly, the Rangemaster doesn't get along with the single-coils in my Sheraton AT. ALL. Nothing but ice-pick-y bad. Bummer. Now, I'm a KLONe guy.

[somanytoys]

I've wanted one for a good long while, they just always seem to pricier than I expect. I'm inclined to grab the Naga Viper due to the flexibility though...

Read a lot of good things about that pedal, and Catalinbread makes good stuff, but I haven't tried it. My other Catalinbread pedal is a Karma Suture, Interfax harmonic percolator expanded clone - love it.

The only thing that I can vouch for is the Jext Telez Range Lord, the circuit is supposed to be very true to the original, and at least on my guitars (with humbuckers) and amps, they have all worked really well. And they have a switch for high, mid and low frequencies. They do limited runs with different transistors, and there are usually a few available on Reverb, new and used. They are kind of pricey, but most good pedals in that vein are ($200 - 300).

No idea how it compares to a Naga Viper, in performance or price.