Diaz Texas Ranger Germanium Treble Booster | RCA 2N1304 | Limited Run of Four

Description

Description of Product
Four pedals. Serial numbers 001 to 004. Once these are gone, I will never build another.

This is my take on the legendary Cesar Diaz Texas Ranger, the germanium treble booster famously used by Philip Sayce.

If you’ve ever listened to Philip Sayce and wondered how he gets that enormous, aggressive guitar sound while still being able to clean everything up from his guitar volume, the Texas Ranger is a rather important part of that story.

There’s also something particularly interesting about this circuit.

Cesar Diaz reportedly told Philip that he could use the Texas Ranger in its Low setting instead of his Texas Square Face fuzz. That’s quite a statement when you consider how much of Philip’s sound revolves around his fuzz pedals.

And that’s exactly what makes the Texas Ranger worth exploring. It’s not simply a treble booster. Depending on how you set it and the amplifier you’re driving, it can cover a surprising amount of ground.

For this particular run, I’ve built four individual pedals using vintage RCA 2N1304 germanium transistors.

Each transistor comes with its original RCA packaging, which I’ve preserved and secured inside the enclosure. I rather like keeping that little piece of component history with the pedal.

The controls follow the original Diaz arrangement, including the three position rotary clicker switch with High, Medium and Low settings.

Each position changes the frequencies being boosted, rather than simply giving you three different volume levels.

The enclosures are finished in aged yellow nitrocellulose lacquer, with proper Bakelite knobs and Stevie Ray Vaughan inspired jewel details across the enclosure.

The finish has been deliberately aged, and being nitrocellulose, it will continue to develop its own character through handling and use.

I’ve built quite a few treble boosters over the years, but I genuinely think these are amongst the best I’ve ever put together.

They also happen to be some of my favourite looking pedals.

All four were built for the video accompanying this release.

Description of Sound

The interesting thing about the Texas Ranger is just how differently it can behave depending on the rotary switch position.

High

This is where you’ll find the traditional Rangemaster character.

It concentrates the boost further up the frequency range, reducing the amount of bass being pushed into the amplifier.

Into an amplifier that’s already beginning to break up, the result can be a much more focused, cutting lead sound with excellent note definition.

Medium

Move the rotary switch into the middle position and the sound starts to fill out.

There’s more midrange and body, while retaining that familiar germanium booster response.

This is a particularly useful setting if you want to push an amplifier harder without removing quite so much of the guitar’s lower frequencies.

Low

Now this is where things get rather interesting.

Instead of concentrating on the treble, the circuit allows considerably more low frequency content through.

Into the right amplifier, this can produce a thick, aggressive drive with plenty of sustain.

It’s this setting that makes the story about Philip Sayce and the Texas Square Face so interesting.

A Texas Ranger isn’t electrically the same thing as a fuzz pedal. But when you’re driving an amplifier hard enough, the resulting sound can become surprisingly rough and saturated.

For some players, that may be all the fuzz they actually need.

And because this is a traditional germanium booster design, the guitar volume control remains a very useful part of the circuit.

Set the pedal for your louder, more aggressive sound, then back the guitar volume down to clean things up.

The character of the sound changes as you reduce the input signal, not just the volume.

One pedal, three different frequency responses, and quite a bit of control from the guitar itself.

Real World Testimonials

“Excellent Rangemaster. One of the best and most useful ones I have played.”

Reverb feedback, Hello Sailor Effects Rangemaster listing.

Call to Action

There are only four of these pedals in existence.

Each one is individually numbered

All four feature the vintage RCA 2N1304 germanium transistor, original transistor packaging preserved inside the enclosure, the three position Diaz style rotary switch, aged yellow nitrocellulose finish, Bakelite knobs and SRV inspired jewel details.

These are the actual pedals built for today’s Hello Sailor Effects video.

I’ve decided that this will be the complete run. There won’t be a second batch, another colour variation or any more serial numbers.

Four built. Four available. That’s it.

If you’ve been looking for a Texas Ranger inspired germanium treble booster, or simply want one of the four pedals featured in the video, they’re available here.

Hello Sailor Effects. Built individually, by hand, in the UK.