The BSM RM Velvet Treble-Booster is a boost pedal from the German builder BSM, built as a treble booster in the style of the British Range Master units of the mid 1960s. BSM's manual says the RM is based on the British Range Master produced between 1965 and 1969, and the Velvet version is loaded with a highly selected OC76 germanium transistor, the same transistor type BSM uses for its OR model12. Gearnews, describing the wider family, calls the design "a germanium Rangemaster -style treble booster"3.
Where it sits in the signal chain
BSM is explicit about placement:
"The Treble Booster is inserted between guitar and amplifier, not into the FX loop"
That is how the original Range Master was used, and it matters because the circuit is voiced to hit a tube amp's input stage with a boosted treble signal, not to drive an amplifier's effects return1.
Sound and pickups
The OC76 transistor sets the Velvet apart from BSM's other Range Master style models. BSM's product page says it "therefore sounds much smoother and silkier than it's brother with the OC44. The tone of the RM Velvet is rounder and warmer than a stock RM"2. The page also notes a quirk carried over from the original: "By turning the volume pot, the special circuit design makes noises - just like the orginal does!"2
The circuit is voiced around a particular kind of pickup. BSM states the RM Treble Booster "has been specifically designed for single coil and humbucking pickups with a relatively low/medium inductance, such as pickups in Fender, Gretsch, Burns or Gibson guitars"12. Players with higher inductance, hotter pickups are outside the design brief BSM describes.
Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Treble Booster pedal1 |
| Circuit basis | British Range Master, produced 1965 to 19691 |
| Transistor | Highly selected OC76 germanium2 |
| Power | 9V battery1 |
| Current consumption | Approximately 250 µA1 |
| Battery polarity | Positive pole of the battery is ground1 |
| Average output level | 10dBm1 |
| Maximum output | 7V when the strings are struck really hard2 |
| Origin | Made in Germany1 |
The RM Velvet's battery polarity is the reverse of the center-negative standard used by most modern pedal power supplies: BSM's manual warns, "Note:-The positive pole of the battery is ground"1. A standard daisy chain supply is not a drop-in option for this pedal.
BSM and the RM family
BSM builds the RM Velvet in Germany1, and the company's product page names Bernd C. Meiser as its "tech-head and mastermind"2. The Velvet sits in a wider RM family of Range Master style boosters, alongside models such as the BSM RM Treble Booster, the BSM RM Early Days Treble-Booster, the BSM RM Majestic Treble Booster and the BSM RM Metal Treble Booster, as well as the BSM RMG Clean Boost and the BSM VX-T Treble/Mid Boost elsewhere in the range.
BSM's own reviews page carries owner comments on the RM Velvet, including one owner who wrote, "I recently acquired a BSM RM Velvet treble booster"4.
Videos
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Questions
Does the BSM RM Velvet go in the effects loop?
No. BSM's manual states that the Treble Booster is inserted between guitar and amplifier, not into the FX loop. Like the original Range Master units it draws on, it is designed to interact with the front end of a tube amplifier, where the boosted treble pushes the amp's input stage.
What pickups is the RM Velvet designed for?
BSM designed the RM Treble Booster for single coil and humbucking pickups with a relatively low or medium inductance, such as the pickups found in Fender, Gretsch, Burns or Gibson guitars. Pickups of that type present the load the circuit expects, so the boost keeps its intended character.
What battery does the BSM RM Velvet use?
The unit is powered by a 9V battery with a current consumption of approximately 250 microamps. BSM notes that the positive pole of the battery is ground, which matters if you plan any external power arrangement, since that polarity is the opposite of most modern pedal supplies.
Who designed the BSM RM Velvet?
The RM Velvet was designed by Bernd C. Meiser, whom BSM's product page describes as the company's tech-head and mastermind. BSM builds its treble boosters in Germany, and the RM Velvet is part of a range of Range Master style models.
Where is the BSM RM Velvet made?
The manual states the RM Velvet is made in Germany. BSM is a small German builder whose range centres on treble boosters and boost-oriented pedals, including the RM, VX and RPA families.
Sources (4)
- Neutral_neu, treblebooster.net, 2025
- RM Velvet Treble-Booster, treblebooster.net, 2025
- Dinosaur Jr tones on tap with the Wren and Cuff J Mascis Garbage Face, gearnews.com, 2020-04-10
- Reviews | BSM - Finest Treble Booster, treblebooster.net, 2025
