Handmade Effects - Est. 2006
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BFX Ge Booster #007

$180.00

The BFX Ge Booster is a germanium treble boost based on the 1960's Dallas Rangemaster. This treble boost circuit is responsible for so many classic guitar tones used on countless albums by famous musicians, such as - Tony Iommi, Billy Gibbons, Brian May, Eric Clapton, and Ritchie Blackmore.

At its core, the BFX Ge Booster stays true to the original design but with a few modern improvements and modifications. Unlike the original amptop designed Rangemasters, the Ge Booster is housed in a much smaller, pedal board friendly size enclosure. Other modifications include a bias stabilization diode that helps maintain transistor bias when exposed to hot or cold environments, and pull down resistors to eliminate any switch pop when the pedal is engaged. The Ge Booster is also compatible with any standard center negative power supply and can be daisy chained with other pedals. Isolated and regulated power supplied are always recommended, but if all you have is a wall wart "one spot", you'll be just fine.

The original Rangemaster circuit boosts a lot of treble frequencies which is very desirable, but not always the sound you want. This is due to the .005uf input capacitor that filters out the low and some mid frequencies before the signal gets boosted by the transistor stage. The BFX Ge Booster includes a three way toggle switch that selects three different input capacitor combinations. I did a lot of testing to come up with a combination of sonic options that sound great and cover a wide range of music styles. With the flick of a switch you can select a traditional treble boost tone with a slightly smoother top end than the original. Perfect for darker amps and that classic lead tone - Or, a mid range boost that retains that smooth treble boost character but also adds some lovely mid range frequencies. This setting really nails that 70's mid forward sound - And last but not least, the low setting that I call "Roast Beef". This will give you a really thick mid range and tight low end that is perfect for nailing those Iommi riffs. Push this setting into an over driven amp and you'll get into some sweet fuzz territory.

Like all Breña FX pedals, every component is meticulously measured and tested for reliability and compliance with the required component values in the circuit. This is especially important when it comes to transistor selection. Each transistor is measured for "gain" (hfe), "leakage" and then auditioned with my personal Rangemaster test box. This is where I listen to each transistor in the circuit before I decide if it meets my final requirements - tone, sustain, and low noise operation. I couldn't be happier with this current batch of OC140 transistors going into this batch Ge Boosters.

Features Include:

- NOS OC140 NPN germanium transistor
- 1/2 Watt metal film 1% tolerance resistors
- NOS Capacitors - Sprague, Nichicon, STK, GE, Cornell Dubilier
- Taiway 3 position toggle switch
- Internal bias trim pot (preset, so no need to adjust.)
- Turret Strip, terminal strip board
- Silver plated hookup wire
- Red jewel lamp power indicator
- Lumberg input and output jacks
- Lumberg 9v DC jack (center negative)
- GØRVA Design soft click foot switch
- GØRVA Design C65 enclosure - Textured Black

*Due to the nature and design of this circuit, it sounds best when placed first in your signal chain. Some pedals have output buffers that mimic the output impedance of guitar pickups and will work great when placed before your Ge Booster. As with all things, experiment with pedal placement so you can hear what sounds best to your ears.

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