- This topic has 8 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 3 years, 11 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
This pedal has taken me months to get built as it was somewhat complex layout-wise and took careful and painstaking planning and execution, a very deliberate process that included testing all solder points and component values prior to placement on the board. This way I did not have to go back and fix anything or diagnose any problems once the build was completed.
I got the concept for this pedal when Barry introduced the Plexi Plus years ago, as I knew Judas Priest in the early days (Downing and Tipton) got their sound from a Rangemaster into the Normal (Bass) channel of a Plexi amp. I also saw that they may have jumped the Normal and Treble channels as well, so the Plexi Plus fit the bill for such a pedal build. So basically this pedal has been years in the pipeline from concept to final assembly. I ended up using 6 total boards including 5 GPCB boards and a small piece of veroboard for power supply filtering. GPCB boards used include a Plexi Plus, Tone Tweq, GBOF, Rototone and 3PDT switch board.
The slow building process was interrupted by having to babysit or provide childcare for our 5-6 month old grand daughter, which was prolonged by two deaths in the family (son-in-law’s father and then his brother-in-law, who died within a week of being diagnosed with a multifocal Glioblastoma at age 40 – incredible family tragedy). I also was delayed by my own health problems – kidney stone to be exact.
I started the project in earnest back in April when I was building some other pedals and made a project of drilling multiple enclosures including the one for the JP Drive.
After this, I started working on plan drawings. First the overall interior layout of the boards.
Next, since I knew that wiring all of this together, I spent time figuring out and drawing an electrical wiring diagram.
Next I commenced with building the boards, wiring the switches, pots, boards and jacks as per the electrical diagram. Previous to wiring the boards and building the components, I spent a fair amount of time designing the pedal graphics, which should be pretty self explanatory for the build concept. Below are the finished pedal pictures. First is the gutshot.
And finally the end result pedal exterior.
I forgot to add. The two toggle switches are so the Plexi Plus with Tone Tweq mod and the NPN Rangemaster can be use separately or in combination with each other. Switch out the Rangemaster and you have a tweakable Plexi Plus. Switch out the Plexi Plus and you have a modded Rangemaster boost pedal with variable input cap for tone shaping (6.8nF, 17nF, 33nF and 47nF cap selections). The Rangemaster does not run through the ToneTweq.
you put some love into this one. looks good too 🙂
Bravo!
Very nice job, Big O. Much planning, forethought, and aesthetic skill on display here. Dig the Rangemaster very much.
Excellent and thanks for sharing!
I remember meeting many of the guitarists from 3 bands who were touring together back in 1981.
That was Iron Maiden (opener), Whitesnake and headliner Judas Priest. Iron Maiden was still at that time using Rangemasters due to not being able to crank their amps loud enough to sound proper for their music. They were the opener and all opening acts get the shaft. I had long discussions with all of Iron Maiden from which that story came up. I did not discuss that with anyone else but I am certain that Judas Priest and many others did the same thing for quite a while. When I met Randy Rhoads in 1982 at a guitar seminar in Greensburg, Pa he was basically using the Distortion+ for the same reason and then using a graphic EQ to wipe out the hiss and as a side effect created his own unique tone. Those who try to get Randy’s tone by just using the Distortion+ all by itself are not going to get it right.
Anyway just wanted to share that confirmation story since using circuits in tandem is a beautiful thing.
Thanks for sharing your story, Barry. I would have given my left arm to meet those guitarists!
I’ve been a Maiden fan since their Killers album came (with first lead singer Paul D’Anno). The radio station I listened to at the time in 1980 (the famed WMMS in Cleveland) had a show on at 11 PM called Grand Jury of Rock and Roll where they played 30 minutes of one band vs 30 minutes of another. The top vote getter went on to the next round. I remember Maiden’s debut on the show and listened to the show until they were picked the winner!
Many 60’s and 70’s guitarists ran treble boosters into their amps to get them to distort. The Sabotage Drive PCB is a version of this as Tony Iommi used his Rangemaster into a Laney Supergroup. Ritchie Blackmore, Brian May and Rory Gallagher all used a treble booster into an AC30. Back then there were no distortion pedals or gain controls on amps. You did what you had to do to get distortion from your amp.
Randy Rhodes sound is basically a MXR Distortion+ along with a 10 band EQ pedal into a Marshall amp. I have all the settings I found a few years ago on a spreadsheet. If you dial in those settings – you get a close facsimile to the Randy Rhodes sound. By the way, in the early 80’s Glen Tipton of Judas Priest was using a MXR Distortion+ while Downing stayed with the RM, at least from what I read. You never know what is truly accurate or not.
That’s a big ol’ YEOWZAH!!! from the Man from Cajah’s Mt.????????…
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.