# make your own Rangemaster



## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

well, I'm pretty well done with my Rangemaster clone.

I used the instructions from GeoFex: www.geofex.com

It was pretty straightforward. Here's some pix:

First, the originals used OC44 Germanium transistors, I picked up a couple of Mullards off of Ebay from England - CV7003 - the milspec version.









I used a PC test board to layout the components









The caps (vintage from my drawer) and the double back tape hold the board in. Lots of room with this tiny a circuit.









Just a sticker for now, I may paint it, put some kind of graphic on it.









All in all, a reasonably simple project. I really, really like the sound from it.
By the way, being a PNP transistor, you can only run this on battery, not from your power supply.


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## Wheeman (Dec 4, 2007)

Nice build, very simple. Do you have anything holding the 9V battery in place?

I might just have to build one for my next project. Is it possible to use Si PNP transistors or do Ge have the best tone?

Its this one, right?


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

nice job dwagar,
i have the pdf here for that project, wanted to build it for ages but cant find any germaniums locally. so i gave up. after seeing yours i will try harder.


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## PaulS (Feb 27, 2006)

It's a great circuit to start with. I have built three all with variations. You can add a selector switch to change caps thus the range of emphasis.


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## Guest (Feb 17, 2008)

That's a really nice build. And is that a JTM reissue it's sitting on? I used to own a 3 x 10" JTM-60...nice amp.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

re the transistor, I went with Germanium, that's supposedly the best. They aren't hard to find, watch Ebay. I think I paid about $10 apiece. OC44s seem impossible to find, but CV7003s (the mil spec version) aren't.

re the battery, that was an early picture, I hadn't done anything with it yet. There's a piece of foam holding it right now, lol, cause I misplaced the spring clip. When I find it, or pick up another, I'll put it in.
and Wheeman, yes, that's the one from Geofex.

Yes, that's a JTM60 2x12, good eye! I use my '84 JCM800 4010 for gigs, the JTM 60 is home right now.


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## Vincent (Nov 24, 2007)

Its pretty decent that you can make your own...:bow:...Ive always wanted to build a pedal or something however i have no clue how to do these types of things.


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## Wheeman (Dec 4, 2007)

Vincent said:


> Its pretty decent that you can make your own...:bow:...Ive always wanted to build a pedal or something however i have no clue how to do these types of things.


Can you solder? Can you read? If you answer yes to at least one of these questions, you can build a pedal.

This booster pedal is pretty simple and almost all of the parts can be found at your local Radioshack (aka The Source). This one is laid out step by step for perf-board. It also does a similar job to what the Rangemaster does.


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## Vincent (Nov 24, 2007)

Wheeman said:


> Can you solder? Can you read? If you answer yes to at least one of these questions, you can build a pedal.
> 
> This booster pedal is pretty simple and almost all of the parts can be found at your local Radioshack (aka The Source). This one is laid out step by step for perf-board. It also does a similar job to what the Rangemaster does.


Can I read?...that comment is a bit harsh dont ya think...I was kind of reluctant to post in this thread because I dont know anything about this type of thing however I have interest in how people build things however being asked if I can read is a bit harsh...sorry i even posted now.


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## Guest (Feb 17, 2008)

Vincent said:


> Can I read?...that comment is a bit harsh dont ya think...I was kind of reluctant to post in this thread because I dont know anything about this type of thing however I have interest in how people build things however being asked if I can read is a bit harsh...sorry i even posted now.


I think it was meant as a light hearted joke. Learning how to solder might seem daunting, but it's not too bad. Here's a great little tutorial:

http://www.streettech.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=68


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Vincent...It was an innocent remark to mean if you can read and learn to solder (it's not hard), you can build. It's that simple. Take heart friend, you'll be in real good company when you do it, with lots of on line help. 

Peace, Mooh.


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## Vincent (Nov 24, 2007)

Ok thanks guys...sorry for the comment...i guess im a little to over sensitive sometimes...When I posted I just wanted to say thats its decent that people can build their own pedals and wanted to praise that they can do it.

Peace..:food-smiley-004:


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## dobsont (Jan 7, 2008)

Nice job dwagar!
I recommend the geofx rangemaster clone to anyone. Easy build, great sound -- if vintage tone is the thing you're after, its here.

I lucked into a NOS oc44 from the parts bin at work. Apparently (late 70s?) Mazda dashboards are full of them. Forget where I heard that.

Anyway, I love mine. It's the only 'effect' I use.


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## Guest (Feb 17, 2008)

Vincent said:


> Ok thanks guys...sorry for the comment...i guess im a little to over sensitive sometimes...When I posted I just wanted to say thats its decent that people can build their own pedals and wanted to praise that they can do it.


Such is the problem with the written word on the internet. You just can't hear the inflection so it can all be taken very...literally...at times.

To quote one Wild Bill: :food-smiley-004:


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## Wheeman (Dec 4, 2007)

><, My bad. I have that habit sometimes to say the wrong thing.

Back on topic: I'm seriously considering building one.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

I can recommend this one to jump into building your first pedal. It's an easy build, doesn't cost much, and requires only a few tools.

And it sounds great. I used it at practice this afternoon for the first time. As Dobsont said above, it has a great vintage sound.


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

you can build this vincent, providing you can find a good transistor, there are substitutes for the oc44 but i have no idea of them. otherwise i woulda built one.dont let these guys bother yu- they are wankers- :smile:lol
its a very basic and good circuit, yu can do one no probs


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## Kapo_Polenton (Jun 20, 2007)

Good job.. i hate perf board now though.. love me those premade PCB's for the various designs from BYOC and Geofex


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## Guest (Feb 18, 2008)

Kapo_Polenton said:


> Good job.. i hate perf board now though.. love me those premade PCB's for the various designs from BYOC and Geofex


I have a mental block when it comes to perf board layouts. I can't seem to get things packed densely on perf board. I always end up with things in 'BB' sized boxes.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Perfing footprint reduces steadily with experience and practice. As much as I like the ease of making a PCB that someone else has already laid out, sometimes you can't accommodate the chassis layout or mods that you want from an existing PCB layout, and perfing provides an easier path to those conveniences.

I strongly recommend you to check out some of those SIP-style dual op-amps like the AN-6551. Because it is the builder's choice whether to put a component on *this* side of the pins or *that* side, it can dramatically reduce the difficulty of putting a perf project together....at least as far as any op-amp based circuits are concerned.


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## Guest (Feb 18, 2008)

mhammer said:


> Perfing footprint reduces steadily with experience and practice.


It's definitely a mental thing for me. I've been at this (not pedals, but electronics in general) for almost 12 years now (gasp! time flies!). I think it's a bit to do with my prototyping setup. I spend perhaps too much time on my protoboard and not enough time making things permanent on perf board. For example, I'm building this for the drummer in The Apollo Effect right now. And you'll note the page says it's easy to wire it up point-to-point in a 35mm film canister. Good luck! I was hoping to put it in a Phase 90 sized enclosure but I'm looking at my protoboard thinking, as usual, it's going to be a BB-sized box again. Nuts.



> I strongly recommend you to check out some of those SIP-style dual op-amps like the AN-6551.


Those look like nice packages. I'll order some SIP-style packages next time I need some opamps.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

from lack of knowing what to buy or where to buy it, I ended up using (in the above pics) what was called a PC test board. I think it worked great. And made for a very tight, small circuit.

The reverse has copper strips along 7 holes in each row, so I didn't have to worry about making connections. Row 1 is all the grounds, etc. And I skipped a row in between each to try to avoid shorts.


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## Budd (Mar 4, 2014)

Possibly going to build a rangemaster & have a germanium transistor tested for gain & leakage . The kit I was going to purchase is modified to use common power supply . The trans I have is npn , I'm wondering if I could use it in the kit being that it's modded to be neg ground , if I don't like the kit transistor ?
Anybody had this situation ? Let me know if you know . Thanks. Budd


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

If you have a suitable NPN germanium transistor, you're in good shape, since that will permit sharing the power supply with other pedals.

I must have a couple of hundred germanium trannies, and I have never been able to replicate the tone of a Rangemaster I sold to someone about 10 or more years back. Small Bear does a good job of buying up NOS transistors, testing, and sorting them into units optimized for this pedal or that.

I recommend including a toggle to add more capacitance to the input and transformit from a treble-booster toa full-range booster. More as a tonal option than any sortof "improvement".


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