The Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster was an effects unit made for guitarists in the 1960s. Its function was two-fold: to increase the signal strength of the guitar going into the amplifier, and to increase tones at the high end of the spectrum (a

treble booster A treble booster is an effects unit used by guitarists to increase the high end of their tonal spectrum. Many units boost the overall volume as well. Treble boosters were commonly used by guitarists in the 1960s and 1970s. During the last coupl ...

). The need for a treble booster arose in the mid-1960s, as British tube amplifiers such as the Vox AC30 or

Marshall JTM45 The Marshall JTM45 is the first guitar amplifier made by Marshall. First produced in 1963, it has been called a "seminal" amplifier, and is praised as being among the most desirable of all the company's amplifiers. History Prototyping of the J ...

tended to produce a slightly dark, muddy sound when

overdrive Overdrive may refer to: Organizations * OverDrive, Inc., a digital distributor of entertainment media ** OverDrive Media Console, a media player developed by OverDrive, Inc. * Overdrive PC, a subsidiary of Velocity Micro Technology * Overdrive ...

n, particularly when used with humbucking pickups. A pre-amplifier that also boosted treble proved a solution. Additionally, the vintage components in the Rangemaster circuitry could add characteristic distortion and overtones to color the guitar sound, much in the way of the more modern

overdrive pedal Distortion and overdrive are forms of audio signal processing used to alter the sound of amplified electric musical instruments, usually by increasing their gain, producing a "fuzzy", "growling", or "gritty" tone. Distortion is most commonl ...

History and description

The Rangemaster Treble Booster was first made in the 1960s by London company ''Dallas Musical Ltd.'', incorporated in 1959. It made guitars and amplifiers under different brand names, including Dallas, Shaftesbury, and Rangemaster. The Rangemaster's engineer is unknown. The unit is simple and consists of a grey metal box with an on/off switch, a potentiometer for the booster setting, and in- and output jacks. It is made to stand on top of an amplifier rather than on the floor. Besides the potentiometer (usually 10k, sometimes 20k) and the on/off switch, the circuitry contains one

germanium Germanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ge and atomic number 32. It is lustrous, hard-brittle, grayish-white and similar in appearance to silicon. It is a metalloid in the carbon group that is chemically similar to its group neighbors s ...

transistor, four capacitors, three

resistor A resistor is a passive two-terminal electrical component that implements electrical resistance as a circuit element. In electronic circuits, resistors are used to reduce current flow, adjust signal levels, to divide voltages, bias active el ...

s, and a

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. The transistor was a Mullard or unbranded OC44 or Mullard OC71. By the 1980s, Treble Boosters had gone out of fashion. The number of Rangemaster Treble Boosters that were built is unknown. Due to limited supply on the second hand market, they are collectible, despite the price being a fraction of what it used to be in the mid-2000s. In '' Premier Guitar'', Kenny Rardin describes his quest for one of the effects, which started with puzzlement over how

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

and Ritchie Blackmore achieved their tone; he spent years looking for a Rangemaster. Other notable users whose sound depended heavily on the Rangemaster include Rory Gallagher, Brian May,

Tony Iommi Anthony Frank Iommi () (born 19 February 1948) is a British musician. He co-founded the pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and was the band's guitarist, leader and primary composer and sole continuous member for nearly five decades. I ...

, Marc Bolan and Billy Gibbons. Rumours of Eric Clapton having used a Rangemaster during his stint with John Mayall's Blues Breakers have never been confirmed. Photos of the recording sessions of the "Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton" exist, but a Rangemaster Treble Booster is not visible in any of them. It is assumed the rumours started in the late 1990s when clones of the Rangemaster Treble Booster began to appear.

References

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