I installed a Germanium Boost into my Zemaitis (Dallas Rangemaster Style)

[rockabilly69]

Now this was a fun project. Along with the boost, I changed the typical 2 volume 2 tone setup, to the G&L PTB circuit (master volume, treble cut, bass cut) leaving me an extra hole in my Zemaitis top plate to mount the gain pot for the Rangemaster circuit! I only had to drill for the on off switch! Of course I had to gouge out some wood in my control cavity to make it work

The reason I did this is because I love the tone circuit in my G&L Legacy as it lets you thin out the neck pickup when needed. And to be able to shape the tone before hits the Rangemaster is GREAT. It sounds killer through my Clark Beaufort, my Marshall 18 watt, and my Vox AC15. All these amps get dark when wound up and the Rangemaster is tailor made for them all...


Not for the faint of heart...

removing all the parts...


hogging out the wood


mounting the switch...


From this...


To this...


TaDa

[Coop47]

That's a really cool guitar and a neat idea. Enjoy!

[rockabilly69]

Thanks, it made a cool guitar even cooler

[blue]

Nice! A non-germanium rangemaster clone is the only "clean" boost I've kept around. Its always on when I'm playing my lipstick equipped SSO (strat shaped object).

Always loved the metal fronts. Surprising how beautiful the wood is under it! I love your "it's a tool and I'll do what I need to to make it better" approach.

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by blue

Nice! A non-germanium rangemaster clone is the only "clean" boost I've kept around. Its always on when I'm playing my lipstick equipped SSO (strat shaped object).

Always loved the metal fronts. Surprising how beautiful the wood is under it! I love your "it's a tool and I'll do what I need to to make it better" approach.

Thanks Blue, you are right, it's tool, and it's amazing how much more useful this guitar became after the mod. I have 5 Zemaitis guitars, so I figured using one as a sacrificial lamb would be worth it. And it's common knowledge that Tony Zemaitis, when he built the originals, used Germanium boosters and low cut filters in many of his builds. And the guys that I like most, who played the originals, Ron Wood and James Honeymoon Scott, both had the boosts and the filters in theirs. It's amazing how well the Rangemaster works, especially with the pre-EQ of the PTB circuit. Today I spent hours playing the Z through my Clark Beaufort amp, a Fender 5E3 variant, which are famous for getting too dark and sqiuishy when cranked. I had so much fun!!! I'll make a demo in the next few days, but first, I want to find my favorite tones

[blue]

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

It's amazing how well the Rangemaster works, especially with the pre-EQ of the PTB circuit. Today I spent hours playing the Z through my Clark Beaufort amp, a Fender 5E3 variant, which are famous for getting too dark and sqiuishy when cranked. I had so much fun!!! I'll make a demo in the next few days, but first, I want to find my favorite tones

Is the PTB similar to the control scheme in some G&L guitars?

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by blue

Is the PTB similar to the control scheme in some G&L guitars?

The same, I used the G&L schematic, except that I used a 500K volume pot on mine because my humbukers, G&L normally uses a 250K pot. And I didn't ground the Bass cut pot as it is not needed. Zemaitis guitars are grounded exceptionally well though, with a really cool star ground system that I kept in my wiring, and every cavity is grounded. The whole purpose of the metal top is shielding.

[Dru Edwards]

Hey Rock - I always enjoy your posts and your guitars. When you started and you mentioned "Not for the faint of heart..." I was thinking of Bob Ross the painter where he would make changes to a fantastic painting he was already in the progress of painting and changing it on the fly ... and it always turned out fantastic.

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Hey Rock - I always enjoy your posts and your guitars. When you started and you mentioned "Not for the faint of heart..." I was thinking of Bob Ross the painter where he would make changes to a fantastic painting he was already in the progress of painting and changing it on the fly ... and it always turned out fantastic.

Bob Ross always cracked me up

[midwinter]

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

Bob Ross always cracked me up

The first time we went on the road for a run in California, we ended with a late-night video/recording session (to make it easier for the promoter to book us in the future). Everyone in the room was a seasoned musician. What were we talking about? What we use to get to sleep. People were talking about apps and whatnot.

Shane said "Every episode of Bob Ross is on Youtube. I just put on an episode and put my phone under my pillow. 20 minutes tops until Bob Ross's soothing voice has you sleeping like a baby!"

[redir]

Looks like you are handy with a chisel and a hammer! Nice!

So what is this Rangemaster circuit? I googled it but find the Dallas Rangemaster which looks like a box. It fits in the guitar now? What does it do and what controls does it have? You say it occupies a spot where a tone knob was, is it a potentiometer or a switch?

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by midwinter

...Shane said "Every episode of Bob Ross is on Youtube. I just put on an episode and put my phone under my pillow. 20 minutes tops until Bob Ross's soothing voice has you sleeping like a baby!"

A tip to remember!

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by redir

Looks like you are handy with a chisel and a hammer! Nice!

So what is this Rangemaster circuit? I googled it but find the Dallas Rangemaster which looks like a box. It fits in the guitar now? What does it do and what controls does it have? You say it occupies a spot where a tone knob was, is it a potentiometer or a switch?

A Rangemaster is a classic treble boost circuit. It's a very musical sounding boost because of the germanium transistors! Hitting the front end of a Vox AC30 amp with one creates some seriously cool sounding overdrive (think Brian May of Queen fame). They really work well with darker sounding amps, like Marshall Bluesbreakers, and tweed Fenders. I love how mine sounds into my Tweed Clark amp which is based on a 5E3 Fender!

And yes the originals were in a box, yet the circuit itself is very small. What occupies the spot were the tone knob was in my guitar is just the gain pot for the circuit, but I had to route out quite a bit a wood behind the control plate to mount the circuit board itself. I also drilled a hole in the top plate to mount the on/off switch.

In this picture, the blue box (with the silver capacitor attached), and the black switch, are part of the rangemaster circuit, the rest of the pots are part of the G&L PTB tone circuit.



This picture clearly shows the Rangemaster circuit board, and the battery (wrapped in blue tape) needed to power it. The circuit doesn't require a lot of power, so batteries last quite awhile...

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by redir

Looks like you are handy with a chisel and a hammer! Nice!

So what is this Rangemaster circuit? I googled it but find the Dallas Rangemaster which looks like a box. It fits in the guitar now? What does it do and what controls does it have? You say it occupies a spot where a tone knob was, is it a potentiometer or a switch?

A Rangemaster is a classic treble boost circuit. It's a very musical sounding boost because of the germanium transistors! Hitting the front end of a Vox AC30 amp with one creates some seriously cool sounding overdrive (think Brian May of Queen fame). They really work well with darker sounding amps, like Marshall Bluesbreakers, and tweed Fenders. I love how mine sounds into my Tweed Clark amp which is based on a 5E3 Fender!

And yes the originals were in a box, yet the circuit itself is very small. What occupies the spot were the tone knob was in my guitar is just the gain pot for the circuit, but I had to route out quite a bit a wood behind the control plate to mount the circuit board itself. I also drilled a hole in the top plate to mount the on/off switch.

In this picture, the blue box (with the silver capacitor attached), and the black switch, are part of the Rangemaster circuit, the rest of the pots are part of the G&L PTB tone circuit (volume, treble cut, bass cut).



This picture clearly shows the Rangemaster circuit board, and the battery (wrapped in blue tape) needed to power it. The circuit doesn't require a lot of power, so batteries last quite awhile...

[redir]

That's pretty sweet! Great looking guitar too.