RichCI Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Treble booster. Specifically, the Analogman Beano Boost. Partial explanation from the web site: This is the Analog Man Beano Boosttm, a simple looking yet effective pedal. This pedal is based on the 1960s British Dallas Rangemaster, which was needed at the time to give a treble boost to the dark British amps. This allowed them to get a sound more in tune with the time, as guitars were starting to become a loud, bold, lead instrument. This pedal is a type of BOOSTER, not really a distortion pedal nor a clean boost- it does modify your sound quite a bit. It excites certain frequencies and pushes your amp to allow it to create rich tube distortion. The pedal colors your tone, with a crunchy overdrive, boosting certain frequencies, and warming the tone with NOS germanium transistors. It does not have a lot of compression and sustain like most OD pedals, but a more raw, open sound. This pedal has three tone settings from the tone switch- Center is a treble boost, the same as the original Dallas Rangemaster. UP is a fuller-frequency mid range boost (MID setting). Down is a LOW range, also quite a full frequency sound. Optionally we can install a push/pull switch (built into the volume knob) for 2 tone selections (treble and mids) but this option is not as good so we rarely build them. The Beano Boost is spectacular into an amp that is already cranked up pretty well. It will also work well into a clean amp, but you probably need to turn the volume on the pedal up, to make the tone thicker by hitting the amp harder and making it work more. I don't totally agree with the part about is sounding good through a clean amp unless you're into some pretty funky tones. Where it really shines is using it with a cranked up tube amp so don't expect anything miraculous when using it in other applications. I play a Strat (yeah, yeah... save the comments) with my band and this pedal is like an ace up my sleeve; it's become a core part of my setup. As seen in the picture above, there is a three position switch - Mid, [center - treble] and Low - which changes the voicing how you would expect: midrange, treble, thick. For me, I use the Mid selection most which, when used with my overdriven amp, puts my Strat with bright single coils into a more old school metal sound which is also great as a boost for some of my leads; the low setting does something similar, but the mid cuts through better in the two guitar situation I play in. The treble setting is great for stinging leads with a bridge pickup or getting a brighter sound out of the neck pickup with a Strat or getting a more cutting tone out of a bridge humbucker. The single knob both increases gain and output. The real beauty of this pedal, aside from it sounding outstanding and being versatile, is that it's dead simple to operate which makes changing settings between songs a snap. I keep the knob set a little over 12:00 and just flip the switch to whatever voicing/EQ setting I want for the particular song. I don't use it for everything we do which makes it possible for me to use it for more tones when I do switch it on, kind of like having an extra amp channel with several different voicings. There are several other Rangemaster clones on the market but I don't have any experience with them. The Beano Boost sounds awesome so I never felt the need to try any others. In fact, I might buy a second one just for goofing around at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichCI Posted January 6, 2009 Author Share Posted January 6, 2009 By the way, I bought this pedal back in 2005 so this isn't like a Harmony Central review where some dork got the thing last night and ran to their computer to write about it two minutes after first plugging it in. I've been using the pedal extensively for quite a while now and any chance of a quick honeymoon disappeared a long time ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thermionik Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 . . I wonder just how many tracks we all know and love have a Rangemaster or variant (or clone) on the guitar. Back in the day nigh on everyone used 'em..... and tubes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichCI Posted January 6, 2009 Author Share Posted January 6, 2009 Well, aside from Clapton, I know that Brian May, Tony Iommi and Marc Bolan used Rangemasters; the Analogman page mentions some others. The Beano Boost is one badass pedal and I get a lot of use out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichCI Posted January 8, 2009 Author Share Posted January 8, 2009 I'm tellin' you guys... One of these days, one of you is going to buy this thing and be like, "Holy crap, Rich! Why didn't I listen to you sooner?" And I'll just smile and nod knowingly with a very smartassed I-told-you-so look on my face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Well I do not get to crank up my tube amps but I will keep it in mind... It looks like you are in love with this pedal a much as I am with my BBE Sonic Maximizer... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichCI Posted January 8, 2009 Author Share Posted January 8, 2009 It is second in line after my overdrive/boost pedal as "Indispensable" in my setup. It's a really great, versatile pedal that sounds great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Rory Gallagher was all about the treble booster too. In fact Brian May reportedly went to a lot of Taste gigs (Gallaghers late 60's blues/rock band that, if you have not heard, you should hear). Apparently the young Brian May hung around after the show often to ask Rory about his rig (AC30 and treble boost just like May ended up using). I picked up BBE Freq Boost cheap recently and it's a great little treble booster too. Probably not as good as the Analog Man Beano Boost - but a bargain at around $50! It sounds great in front of my class A, EL84 tubed amps - especially with a Strat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homz Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I'll be the first to admit I am no peddle guru, but how is that peddle different from an overdrive with the tone adjusted up? Or perhaps that's the point that you can have the both set differently? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rybass Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 +1 Rich. I've been pushing rangemaster clones for a couple years. I'm working on building my third as we speak. I like them best infront of single channel low wattage amps. Homz, they up your signal and volume a bit and can push a tube amp into some sweet harmonics. I don't know exactly how they work but the holy grails are the ones with Mullard transistors. You can google rangemaster and there are a ton of articles on them. I think Greg Orman has a good grasp on all things pedal related and has written a bunch on them. Billy Gibbons speaks highly of them in the Fuzz documentary I have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepblue Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Guys this pedal sound cool, but isnt it like a Tube Screamer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rybass Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 TS is IC based and pretty warm for it but the rangemaster is germanium transistor based and naturally warm and pushes a richer breakup due to said transistor. Two different animals and both have their own place but try a rangemaster with a good transistor and you'll hear the difference. From what I'm gathering it's not just a volume boost but a signal output boost also. I guess like a higher output pup... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar slinger Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Rich, thanks for sharing this. First, I liked how crude and honest (and presumably precise) the partial explanation was. The second great thing was to see that not only you made your point and but that you are talking about a gear that you had years to get used to. I never had the chance to play with this peddle but it caught my atention a while ago. Actually, anything that might refer to treble boosters, brian may, beano and clapton early sounds ALWAYS caughts my attention. I have a peddle very similar to the beano booster and it rocks hard (so, should we talk about pushing Fender Champions?) but I still haven't mastered all the ways to use it. But the fact that it is simple and easy to handle helps very very much! Good one, Rich! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichCI Posted January 9, 2009 Author Share Posted January 9, 2009 How rybass described it is very accurate. It can dirty up your signal like an overdrive, but it does it in a very different way with much less compression and that's what makes it such a great match for an overdriven tube amp which already has plenty of compression going on. It's also not a subtle effect at all; where many players are often looking for something that is fairly transparent, a treble booster alters your signal quite a bit in both distortion and frequency range/curve. Transparent is good for many applications, but sometimes you want something that is going to be more dramatic or you just want to stand out from the crowd a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar slinger Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Transparent is good for many applications' date=' but sometimes you want something that is going to be more dramatic or you just want to stand out from the crowd a bit.[/quote'] + 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichCI Posted March 4, 2009 Author Share Posted March 4, 2009 Just a reminder. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myspace.com/jessenoah Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 I'm tellin' you guys... One of these days' date=' one of you is going to buy this thing and be like, "Holy crap, Rich! Why didn't I listen to you sooner?" And I'll just smile and nod knowingly with a very smartassed I-told-you-so look on my face. [/quote'] this is why axe thinks you are so mantastic isnt it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichCI Posted March 4, 2009 Author Share Posted March 4, 2009 this is why axe thinks you are so mantastic isnt it? No, it's because of my giant sack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myspace.com/jessenoah Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 ;) not quite the humorous answer i was expecting that was as blunt as carving a watermelon with a TV remote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichCI Posted March 4, 2009 Author Share Posted March 4, 2009 Sorry, man. I'm suffering from a bit of insomnia tonight so my wit is pretty much in the crapper at the moment. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myspace.com/jessenoah Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 its ok, you are still a chuck norris-y man beast ;) god that is sooo flamingly-not manly sounding LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstMeasure Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 By the way' date=' I bought this pedal back in 2005 so this isn't like a Harmony Central review where some dork got the thing last night and ran to their computer to write about it two minutes after first plugging it in. I've been using the pedal extensively for quite a while now and any chance of a quick honeymoon disappeared a long time ago. [/quote'] There only $175? That's low for a boutique pedal, I fully expected $300-$400. Do they sell them in Music stores, or just on their website? I'd like to try one out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Californiaman Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Rich that's a cool pedal man. It got me looking into other treble boosts. Where can I pick one of them up? Are they only sold on the web sight? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swmcv2007 Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Oh man this is EXACTLY what I want for my bands CD. Thank you very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichCI Posted March 4, 2009 Author Share Posted March 4, 2009 The Beano Boost is sold only through the Analogman web site although they turn up on Ebay now and then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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