The Tribute Audio Designs Dirty Bastard Germanium Boost is a treble booster pedal built as a tribute to the Dallas Rangemaster, the germanium booster that shaped the sound of British guitar amps in the 1960s and after. It uses a new old stock (NOS) Russian germanium transistor and adds a Fat contour control the original never had. Pedal of the Day's reviewer found that "It really acts as a harmonic enhancer of sorts, really bringing your guitar's tone to life."1
Controls
The Dirty Bastard keeps things to two knobs, in the manner of the original Rangemaster, with one addition for shaping the midrange.1
Pedal of the Day notes that the circuit "will get gritty and distorted if you crank it up, which adds a whole new level to your setup," so the Boost control doubles as a gain control of sorts, pushing the germanium transistor into overdrive territory as it is turned up.1
A Rangemaster-style circuit
The Dirty Bastard is based on the Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster. Pedal of the Day calls it "a tribute to the Rangemasters of old."1 British Pedal Company's history of the original explains what that circuit does to a guitar signal: "the vintage components in the Rangemaster circuitry could add characteristic distortion and overtones to color the guitar sound, much in the way of the more modern overdrive pedals."2 A treble booster sits at the front of the signal chain for exactly that reason; as the DIY Fever write-up of the Rangemaster puts it, "Having some sort of a treble booster at the front helps shape the sound of the guitar."3
The germanium Rangemaster-style treble booster design remains a reference point for pedal builders, and the Dirty Bastard's use of a NOS Russian germanium transistor follows that tradition.1 For where a boost like this sits among other gain stages, see Boost Pedals.
Power and connections
The Dirty Bastard is powered from a panel mounted 2.1mm Boss-style DC jack and runs negative ground, which Pedal of the Day highlights as allowing easy daisy-chaining with other pedals on a shared supply.1 Input and output are panel mounted Neutrik jacks, housed in a die cast aluminum enclosure.1
The pedal runs on negative ground, so it can share a daisy-chained supply with other negative-ground pedals.1
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Questions
Is the Dirty Bastard a Rangemaster clone?
Pedal of the Day describes it as a tribute to the Rangemasters of old, and the circuit is based on the Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster, a germanium treble booster design. It adds its own twist with a Fat knob, a treble and mid contour control that the original Rangemaster layout did not offer, alongside the Boost level control.
Is the Dirty Bastard true bypass?
Yes. The pedal uses true mechanical bypass switching, according to Pedal of the Day's review, so the signal passes through the mechanical switch untouched when the effect is off.
What does the Fat knob do on the Dirty Bastard?
The Fat knob, on the right of the pedal, is a treble and mid contour control. It works alongside the Boost control on the left, which sets the amount of boost. Together they shape how much grit and tonal coloring the germanium circuit adds.
Where is the Tribute Audio Designs Dirty Bastard made?
The Dirty Bastard is handmade in Canada, one at a time, according to Pedal of the Day. It is built into a die cast aluminum enclosure with panel mounted Neutrik jacks.
Can the Dirty Bastard be daisy-chained with other pedals?
Yes. The pedal runs on negative ground, which Pedal of the Day notes allows easy daisy-chaining with other negative-ground pedals on a standard shared power supply. It uses a panel mounted 2.1mm Boss-style DC power jack.
Sources (3)
- Tribute Audio Designs Dirty Bastard Germanium Boost, Pedal of the Day, 2015-03-11
- Dallas Rangemaster History, britishpedalcompany.com
- Effects > Dallas Rangemaster : DIY Fever, DIY Fever (diy-fever.com)