Catalinbread unveils Naga Viper MKII treble booster at NAMM 2024
January 22, 2024 · 2 sources
Catalinbread has unveiled the Naga Viper MKII, a revised version of its treble booster pedal, timed to NAMM 20241. The pedal is inspired by the vintage Dallas Rangemaster units, which MusicRadar describes as "classic but unwieldy" and much loved by Brian May, Rory Gallagher and Tony Iommi1.
The MKII swaps out the transistor to make the circuit hotter and adds an attenuator control, which MusicRadar says lets players fine tune the amount of gain fed into the pedal and preserve some of its tonal character1. The other controls are Heat, which MusicRadar calls effectively a gain control; Boost, which sets output volume; and Range, which adjusts how much bass is let into the booster1. MusicRadar says Catalinbread claims the Boost dial "wooshes" as it is turned up, like the original Rangemaster units1. Gearnews describes the added control as a dampening controller paired with an updated transistor, and says the footswitch is true bypass2.
The pedal runs on 9 to 18 volts from a pedalboard power supply or from a battery12. Gearnews gives the weight as 180g and lists 6.3mm input and output jacks and an LED status light2.
"Catalinbread has unveiled the Naga Viper MKII, a newly improved take on their treble booster pedal"
Pricing is reported differently. Gearnews lists $206.00 at Thomann and describes the pedal as "setting you back over $200"2. Gearnews calls it competitively priced, saying it is "not just a one-trick pony"2.