The MMK Electrics Custom Shop PNP Boost Type 32 is a boost pedal built with Element #32 germanium transistors and inspired by the Rangemaster Treble Booster. It is one of two Custom Shop PNP Boost pedals from MMK Electrics, the other being the Type 14, which uses silicon transistors instead. As of June 2024, both were available from the MMK Electrics website custom shop.1
The circuit it comes from
The Rangemaster Treble Booster was a pedal made by JMI, and it has become a reference point for boost designs that lift the treble range and push an amp harder.12 The circuit uses a germanium transistor at its core: a technical analysis published by GuitarPCB describes the Rangemaster type circuit as built around a germanium transistor, noting that diagrams often show the NPN type to simplify the negative and positive voltages involved.3 Modern makers still build pedals on the same idea: ThroBak Electronics describes its Strange Master as "a recreation of the Germanium Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster",4 and gearnews.com has described another design as "a germanium Rangemaster -style treble booster".5
The Type 32 follows that germanium tradition. Pedal of the Day's review states plainly that "the Type 32 is built with Element #32 Germanium Transistors".1
Standard and Low-Gain versions
Each Type 32 is available in two configurations, Standard or Low-Gain, and the difference between them comes down to the transistors fitted1:
| Version | Transistors | Gain (beta) |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Gain | Low leakage transistors | 70-100hFE1 |
| Low Gain | Metal can low leakage transistors | 30-60hFE1 |
Both versions are biased from two points in the circuit, which MMK Electrics does, in Pedal of the Day's words, "for reliability and best possible function".1
On how the Low-Gain version sits in a rig, Pedal of the Day's reviewer wrote: "The lower gain option is really great for a first gain stage in your signal chain, but don't be misled, there is plenty of boost to breakup the front end if need be."1 In other words, the Low-Gain pedal can act as a gentle first stage of dirt, or be pushed harder to drive an amp's input into breakup.
Germanium transistors vary from unit to unit, and the two configurations use different transistor grades, so a Standard Gain and a Low Gain Type 32 are not interchangeable choices: the beta figures above, 70-100hFE versus 30-60hFE, describe noticeably different amounts of gain.1
Type 32 compared with the Type 14
The Type 32 and the Type 14 share the same Custom Shop PNP Boost platform, the same Rangemaster inspiration, the same two-point biasing, and the same Standard and Low-Gain configurations.1 The dividing line is the transistor type:
Pedal of the Day also notes that MMK Electrics uses a wide variety of transistor brands across these builds, including GE, RCA, Teledyne, JAN, Toshiba, Raytheon, Philco, TI, STI, and Amperex BJTs, with each one hand selected and tested one by one.1
Availability
Pedal of the Day covered the Type 14 and Type 32 as new releases on 11 June 2024, and directed readers to the MMK Electrics website to buy either pedal.1
Videos
Pedal of the Day
Mark Hopkins
Questions
What is the MMK Electrics PNP Boost Type 32 based on?
Pedal of the Day describes the Type 32 as one of two Custom Shop PNP Boost pedals inspired by the Rangemaster Treble Booster, the germanium treble booster originally made by JMI. The Type 32 carries that circuit idea forward using Element #32 germanium transistors, while its sibling, the Type 14, uses NOS Element #14 silicon transistors instead.
What is the difference between the Type 32 and the Type 14?
Both are Custom Shop PNP Boost pedals from MMK Electrics built around the Rangemaster Treble Booster idea, and both are offered in Standard or Low-Gain configurations. The difference is the transistors: the Type 32 is built with Element #32 germanium transistors, while the Type 14 is built with NOS Element #14 silicon transistors.
What do the Standard and Low-Gain versions of the Type 32 do?
Each Type 32 is available in Standard or Low-Gain configuration, distinguished by the transistors used. The Low-Gain version uses metal can low leakage transistors with a beta of 30-60hFE, and the Standard Gain version uses low leakage transistors with a beta of 70-100hFE. Pedal of the Day found the lower gain option well suited as a first gain stage, with plenty of boost available to break up the front end of an amp if needed.
Is the Type 32 a germanium boost?
Yes. According to Pedal of the Day, the Type 32 is built with Element #32 germanium transistors, which is what sets it apart from the Type 14 in the same Custom Shop range, that pedal using NOS Element #14 silicon transistors.
Where can the Type 32 be bought?
As of the June 2024 review on Pedal of the Day, the Type 32 was available from the MMK Electrics website custom shop, alongside the Type 14.
Sources (5)
- MMK Electrics Custom Shop PNP Boost Type 14 & 32, Pedal of the Day, 2024-06-11
- TONEHOME, TONEHOME
- Analysis-of-the-PURP.pdf, GuitarPCB, 2023
- ThroBak Strange Master Treble Booster, ThroBak Electronics, 2026
- Dinosaur Jr tones on tap with the Wren and Cuff J Mascis Garbage Face, gearnews.com, 2020-04-10
