The Expresso FX Germanium Boost "Mojo Edition" is a hand-built germanium boost pedal built on vintage germanium boost circuits such as the Dallas Rangemaster. Expresso FX describes it as taking the player "ever so close to the mojo of vintage germanium boost (such as Dallas Rangemaster) units"1. It sits in the broader family of boost pedals, which players use to push an amp harder, lift a solo above the band, or add a touch of color without changing the core tone.
Seven voicings, one switch
Where a Rangemaster offered one fixed treble-heavy voice, the Mojo Edition offers seven. Expresso FX explains the intent in its manual1:
"we opted for 7 distinctive sounds that go from treble-focused, to mid-focused, and to bass-focused"
The voicings are accessed through a stepped rotary switch, so each position is a distinct, repeatable setting rather than a continuously variable tone control1. Expresso FX is specific about how this is done:
"The effect is achieved using 7 separate high quality NOS capacitors, and not by simply adding a tone stack"
For a player, that means each switch position changes the character of the boost itself, in the spirit of the original single-voiced circuit, rather than sweeping a conventional tone control over one basic sound1.
Construction and components
Expresso FX builds the pedal around a hand selected NOS germanium transistor, with NOS Mullard "Tropical Fish" C280 polyester capacitors in the voicing circuit1. NOS stands for new old stock: components made decades ago and never used, which vintage-circuit builders prize for their period character. The circuit is housed in a genuine large Hammond enclosure, professionally powder coated to Expresso FX's specification in Gray Hammerite1.
The Germanium Boost's voicing selector is a stepped rotary switch that accesses the pedal's 7 voicings, which Expresso FX achieves using 7 separate high quality NOS capacitors rather than a tone stack. The components include NOS Mullard "Tropical Fish" C280 polyester capacitors and a hand selected NOS germanium transistor1.
Related Expresso FX pedals
Expresso FX applies the same Mojo Edition approach to a germanium fuzz. The Germanium Fuzz "Mojo Edition" is a special limited edition of the company's Germanium Fuzz, based on vintage Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face units, fully hand wired, and described by the maker as "an amazing pedal that displays all the fine subtleties of the original units but without the price tag"2. Like the boost, it is true bypass and carries a 3 year warranty to the original owner with proof of purchase2. Players looking for a smaller footprint boost in the same family can also consider the Expresso FX Germanium Boost Mini, and the maker's range extends to combined fuzz and boost designs such as the Expresso FX Custom Ge Fuzz / Ge Boost / Octave Up and the Expresso FX Custom Dual Ge/Si Fuzz & Ge Boost.
Warranty
All Expresso FX Mojo Edition products carry a 3 year warranty to the original owner with proof of purchase, per the Germanium Boost manual1.
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Questions
Is the Expresso FX Germanium Boost Mojo Edition true bypass?
Yes. The maker's manual lists the pedal as true bypass, so when it is switched off the guitar signal passes straight through without passing through the boost circuit. That matters on a pedalboard where several pedals sit in the chain, since buffered stages can each add their own character to the signal. The Mojo Edition Germanium Fuzz from the same maker is also true bypass.
What is a germanium boost pedal?
A germanium boost is a clean-to-gently-colored volume lift built around a germanium transistor, the type of transistor used in effects from the 1950s and 1960s before silicon took over. Germanium circuits are known for a softer, warmer character than silicon ones. Expresso FX describes its Germanium Boost Mojo Edition as taking you close to the mojo of vintage germanium boost units such as the Dallas Rangemaster.
How is the Germanium Boost different from the Dallas Rangemaster?
The original Dallas Rangemaster was a single-voiced treble booster. The Expresso FX Mojo Edition keeps the Rangemaster-style germanium circuit but adds a stepped rotary switch with seven voicings, running from treble-focused through mid-focused to bass-focused. Expresso FX achieves this with seven separate high quality NOS capacitors rather than adding a tone stack, so each position is its own fixed voice.
How long is the warranty on Expresso FX pedals?
Expresso FX Mojo Edition products carry a 3 year warranty to the original owner with proof of purchase, according to the Germanium Boost manual. The Germanium Fuzz manual states the same 3 year warranty to the original owner with proof of purchase for Expresso FX products generally.
What is the Mojo Edition Germanium Fuzz?
It is a special limited edition of the Expresso FX Germanium Fuzz, a germanium fuzz pedal based on vintage Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face units. Expresso FX describes it as fully hand wired and as displaying all the fine subtleties of the original units but without the price tag. It is true bypass and carries the same 3 year warranty as other Expresso FX products.
Sources (2)
- Germanium-Boost-Manual.pdf, Expresso FX, 2019
- Germanium-Fuzz-Manual.pdf, Expresso FX, 2019
