Military Spec NKT Rangemaster with FAT Switch

Description

Description of Product

If you have ever plugged into a Rangemaster and wondered why it sounds bigger rather than brighter, you are not imagining it.

Despite the name, the best treble boosters were never really about treble.

They were about pushing an amplifier into that rich, vocal territory that sits somewhere between clean and overdriven.

This build takes that idea and adds something many players have been asking for: a FAT switch that moves the emphasis lower into the mids for a thicker, fuller voice.

At the heart of the pedal is a military specification NKT germanium transistor, selected for the character that made these old British circuits famous in the first place.

Around it sits a collection of vintage components including Mullard mustard capacitors, vintage WIMA capacitors of the type found in old Selmer Crocskin amplifiers, vintage resistors, traditional tagboard construction, and point to point hand wiring throughout.

The FAT switch is operated by a stainless steel push button rather than the traditional toggle switch. It feels more substantial underfoot and allows you to move between the classic Rangemaster voice and a thicker mid focused setting instantly.

Unlike many traditional germanium Rangemasters, this pedal runs happily from a standard centre negative 9V power supply. No battery only operation. No polarity headaches. No voltage inverter cables.

Everything is built by hand and finished in nitrocellulose lacquer.

Description of Sound

The easiest way to misunderstand a Rangemaster is to judge it by the name.

Used into a clean amplifier it adds focus, presence, and clarity.

Used into an amplifier that is already working hard, it becomes something else entirely.

Notes seem to push forward.

The amplifier feels more responsive.

Single notes take on extra harmonic content and chords develop a richness that is difficult to achieve with conventional overdrive pedals.

In its traditional setting, this pedal delivers the familiar upper mid emphasis associated with the great British recordings of the 1960s and 1970s.

Engage the FAT switch and the character shifts lower into the mids. The sound becomes fuller and more muscular without losing the immediacy that makes a Rangemaster special.

The gain control allows everything from a subtle push into an already cooking amplifier through to rich vintage overdrive, whilst remaining highly responsive to your guitar volume control.

Real World Testimonials

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

Reverb feedback

This is a one off build.

The combination of transistor, vintage components, finish, and hand assembly will not be repeated in exactly the same way again.

If this particular Rangemaster speaks to you, it is available.