Legendary Tones Time Machine Boost

This is a COMPARATIVE review of several pedals, some of which I own and some of which I have had a chance to try in guitar stores through high quality equipment. The pedals evaluated are the following models of treble boosters: BSM RM, BSM RM-Metal, BSM HS, BSM HS-Custom, Homebrew Electronics (HBE) Germania, HBE Germania 44, Robert Keeley Java Boost, Legendary Tones Time Machine, and Scott?s Crispy Creme. Most of these treble boosters use Germanium transistors, except Scott?s Crispy Creme, which uses a Silicone transistor. Of those that use Germanium transistors, the BSM pedals, the Java Boost, and the Germania +44 use NOS OC44 Germanium transistors, while the plain Germania and the Time Machine use the modern varieties of Germanium transistors. The BSM HS has the fewest features, flowing the traditional Hornby-Skewes unit, not a single knob, not even a volume knob. The BSM RM, RM-Metal, and HS-Custom are single mode units with one volume knob, and so is Scott?s Crispy Creme. The HBE Germanias have two modes and a volume knob. The Java Bost has three modes, as well as volume and tone modes. The Time Machine would be the most flexible: two channels, two modes on the Germanium side, one on the Silicone side, a volume knob, etc.

There are a couple of other treble boosters out there that people have mentioned ? Divided by 13 Dyna-Ranger and Cesar Diaz Texas Ranger. I have not had an opportunity to try those.

I have spent the most time playing these pedals through a 1993 Marshall 1987X 50W reissue non-master amp, into 4x12 cabs with Celestion 25W, 30W, and 75W speakers. I have also tested them through an Orange Retro 50W head, into a 4x12 cab with Vintage 30?s, and several other amps in guitar stores. I have tried various guitars with these pedals, and each has behaved very differently: Gibson Flying V?s with Classic 57 pickups (one with a rosewood and the other with an ebony fretboard), SG and Les Paul with Burstbucker (Alnico 2 non-potted) pickups, and two Fender Strats with rosewood and maple fretboards.

BSM RM: This would be the pedal that sounds the most like the Rangemaster tones on the records by Clapton (Bluesbreaker and Cream), early Judas Priest, and Rory Gallagher. I have obtained the best results through the bass low-sensitivity channel on the 1987X and with humbucker guitars. The optimal amp settings were Volume 7, Presence 8, and everything else about half way. With humbucker guitars this might be the best sounding of all the pedals, although RM-Metal is comparable and shines on slightly different amp settings.

BSM RM-Metal: Quite similar to RM but with more gain, bass and treble. It sits somewhere in between the RM and the HS. This pedal instantly gives the Tony Iommi tone on some of the records from the second Sabbath album on. I have not tried any of the stuff tuned to C# but with the songs in regular tuning the Iommi tone is so ?there? that it is hard ?dial it out.?

BSM HS-Custom: This pedal is better with Strats than with Gibsons. It really has the sweet spot set perfectly for them. I rarely play Strats but have to admit that, with this pedal, not only is the Ritchie Blackmore tone immediately available, but perhaps the Strats sound better than the Gibsons.

BSM HS: This is a replica of the original Hornby-Skewes, whereas HS-Custom has an added volume knob, following a mod by Blackmore in 1974. HS and HS-Custom sound similar but not identical. I have compared two pairs, one in a store, and another pair that I own, and they both sounded different. Additionally, the sound samples on the US importer?s web site for BSM pedals display those same differences. HS sounds warmer, whereas HS-Custom sounds more aggressive. I personally prefer the sound of the plain HS.

HBE Germania: This pedal has two modes, one would be a straight Rangemaster clone, and the other would be a mode with more gain, bass, and highs, kind of an Iommi mode. In theory, the first mode should be similar to the BSM RM. While this pedal sounds quite decent on its own, the BSM RM sounds much better. There is a big difference in price, however, Germania is around $100, while the BSM RM is more than twice that. To my ears, this difference is justified. There are many good reviews on Harmony Central for the Germania and they are particularly complementary about the price. I suspect that these reviewers have not had an opportunity to try the BSM pedals.

HBE Germania 44: This is supposed to be a ?better? version of Germania, containing the ?original? OC44 transistor as in the Rangemaster (which is standard in the BSM pedals and the Java Boost). To my ear the plain Germania actually sounds better. There is some spikiness in the Germania 44?s tone that cannot be tuned out with amp EQ. For example, going from the Germania 44 to the BSM RM is a switch from a somewhat ice-picky and thin treble boost, to a sparkly but warm and responsive boost. In addition, the Germania 44 is somewhat microphonic, while the BSM?s are dead quiet due to the circuit being soaked in epoxy. I think the plain Germania came out first and the 44 was a subsequent ?upgrade? to match the offering by other manufacturers like BSM and Keeley. I conjecture that the original circuit was optimized for the newer Germanium transistors and then the OC44 was added ad hoc, without redesign. Even as such, this pedal sounds better to my ears than Scott?s Crispy Creme which uses a Silicon transis

These are all hand-built pedals and exude confidence. However, there is still difference among them. The BSMs? circuits are soaked in epoxy to make them less noisy. Outside and inside they look like tanks. The Java Boost?s insides are also very impressive in a different way, see the www.javaboost.com website.

I have communicated with BSM and with Robert Keeley. Keeley is swamped with e-mail and took almost a week to reply to a very simple, short question. With Bernd S. Meiser I have communicated extensively. Always prompt in response, very detailed, volunteering lots of information on the gear (unrelated to pedals) of the 1970?s guitar legends, and a big Ritchie Blackmore fan(atic). My opinion on his pedals however was formed before I got in touch with him, so his courtesy did not influence my opinion on the sound of his pedals.

Looking at the reviews on Harmony Central, one finds numerous reviews for the Germania, Java Boost, Crispy Creme, etc. At present, only one for each of the BSM pedals. If this is an indication of how many people have actually bought BSM pedals in the US compared to the other pedals, it is said that guitarists have not discovered these superior products.

A final comment on sound samples that can be found on the web. You can find samples for BSM, Java, Time Machine, and Crispy Creme on the manufacturer?s or the importer?s web site. Beware, ?your results may vary!? :) Crispy Creme samples are done through Brian May type of equipment and what I have obtained is far from those sounds. On the other hand, the samples for the BSM pedals are not even close to how good those pedals sound. I asked the importer what guitars and amps they used for them. Here is an example: A Strat type guitar through a Fender Blues Junior for the BSM RM and HS. So, a Strat on a neck pickup to illustrate the Clapton Bluesbreaker bridge-pickup Les Paul tone! And using a small single-speaker EL84-based combo to illustrate the Ritchie Blackmore tone! Your results are likely to be much better than what you hear on that web site (http://www.europeanmusical.com/BSM/bsm.html). The sound samples on the Java and Time Machine sites display good but generic tones. The Java samples especially seem to have been recorded by average guitarists. Someone with more tone ?in their hands? would have made them sound better.

Very easy to use.As you start with the modern channel set at 12 o'clock you're already in tone heaven!
Manual very helpful,but it would be easy to get great sounds even without it.

Various Fender Custom Shop Teles and Strats,Gibson Les Paul Special TV yellow with Fralin's P-90's>Fulltone Clyde Deluxe Wah>Menatone Foxy Brown>Time Machine Boost>Menatone Red Snapper>Keeley mod Rat>Dunlop Rotovibe>Digitech X-Series Delay> '65 Reissue fender Deluxe Reverb,with NOS tubes and Tone Tubby hempcone speaker.

I don't own this pedal long enough to tell...but I have other keeley's pedals and never had a problem.

I spoke to Robert in person and he was incredibly nice and friendly. I call from Italy.

Rock and Roll and Blues. perfect!
I have been playing for 34 years and I always look for great tones.
I would buy another one in a minute,tough it took quite some time to get it.On the vintage channel the 66 position is lacking some bass for my taste,so I keep it on the 73 position.I also own a Klon,and the TMB sounds quite similar on the modern channel,but it's not noisy at all.

Simple as pie. Plug the guitar in, plug the pedal to the amp. Easy controls. you got volume, which is also going to drive the amp, and you have intensity on the vintage channel. I like to think of intensity as blend. It controls the amount of harmonics the vintage channel has to offer. The modern channel is one knob, and that's volume. It can't get easier. The vintage/modern mode is toggled by a footswitch, and some for on/off of the pedal.

This is the pedal to get if you really don't need too much change in tone, but want that thick powertube overdrive from your amp. I happened to have the unfortunate pleasure of plugging this thing into my friends 10W solid state marshall. Conclusion: this pedal will work ONLY with decent tube amps. Don't try to push a SS amp into powertube overdrive kids ;-). Anyway, with that said, I used a Peavey Classic 30 tubed amp (JJ tubes, celestion greenback speaker) and an Agile Les Paul 2800 guitar with a Duncan 59 in the bridge. The sound is awesome on the vintage channel with the amp on clean. It adds nice soft harmonics to the clean. It does not overdrive easily w/ the clean channel on my amp but it does add gentle harmonics and softens the tone. Now I turned the amp to the drive channel and put it into light overdrive sans pedal. NOW I turned the pedal on and this amp was really singing! I turned my amp well into its saturation point (pre ~5) (Post-8) and I put the pedal on full drive, 1973. The tone I got was a PERFECT JIMMY PAGE LIVE tone. The 1966 mode adds some nice sparkle which is the same idea but a little on the trebly side. The modern mode is great for boosting the drive of your tube amp, without the pedal coloring the sound. The intended idea of the modern (clean) boost is to allow your tubes to really soak up the guitar, and not the pedal. Works great, minimal noise.

Only had it 3 days but it's built like a tank. I dont think it will ever fail me. Inside this thing is amazing solder work and awesome craftmanship.

N/A...like I said, only 3 days w/ this.

Overall this is a kick ass pedal. The vintage modes will color your sound to suit any classic rock/blues player in dirty clean or screaming overdrive. The modern channel will add an intense clean boost that can get from light overdrive to near metal distortion on my amp. This pedal rocks, really. Buy one..now. A little disclaimer though, and I think it's obvious by now: You need a good tubed amplifier. No real way around that. \m/

This pedal is very easy to use. Set the toggle boost on whichever treble boost you prefer, set the dials, and set the dial on the modern boost side. You have a foot switch to switch between the treble booster side or the volume boost side and you have a foot switch to engage the pedal.

I use this pedal with an American Standard Tele with Bill Lawrence pick-ups. I play through a 1987X Marshall 50Watt Re-Issue Head. The only other pedal I usually use is a Keeley Mod Boss CE-2 Chorus pedal.
I also use a THD Hotplate for volume control. This pedal does exactly what I wanted it to do. It "hits" the amp harder and produces more sustain and guts without major tone changes. The modern side is almost transparent tonally other than the extra sustain and drive. I also like the 73 treble boost. This is the pedal I was looking for. I didn't want a huge amount of overdrive or distortion, and I can't stand scratchy pedals. I wanted a pedal to make my amp sing and this pedal accomplished it.

I have had this pedal about three months. I would gig without a back-up. This is the most solid looking pedal I have seen in a long time.
Looks real dependable. Time will tell.

If I remember correctly, the fellows name was Dave and he was very polite and friendly. I believe he will stand behind his product.

I play a mixture of rock, blues, some country with an edge. I am in my
early forties now and have been playing since my early teens. I would
immediately replace this pedal if lost or stolen.

Very easy to use, a by-pass, 2 channels Vintage & Modern (in vintage position the choice between 1966 / 1973)

First, sorry for my poor English, I'm from Belgium...
I use a SRV Strat, a 52 Telecaster reissue and a Gibson Les Paul Stdt
through a Fender 65 Super Reverb or a Fender Hot Rod DeLuxe. Before My "Time Machine Boost" I used 2 Ibanez Tube-Screamer. Now, exit the tube screamer I only use this wonderful little blue box. This machine sound really GREAT. I'm creasy about my sound. It's difficult to explain exactly how this piece of equipment works but it works... that's all

Strong construction and very good finishing.

Very good contact with the company and very fast delivery. Only one week after my order and the machine was before my door ! (From USA to Belgium it's... very fast)

I only play blues, (more than 30 years now), and this is the best piece of equipment I ever had. I don't regret my noney. One problem: now it will be impossible for me to play without this "magical box"

This is a great boost machine indeed, simple to use and easy to get a great sound right out of the box. The Modern side is a super transparent boost (my favorite) the Vintage side has the 66 or 73 switch with Intensity control along with Volume so it is just a matter of taste the 66 is brighter and the 73 is darker think Clapton vs Brian May. Just twist the controls around and engage the TMB right after you turn up your amp to where its starting to clip. Awesome sound at any setting.

I have alot of modded pedals and I think you can use this TMB before any of them and really warm and fatten things up in a rich harmonic fashion. A few would argue that this would enhance any regular pedal too and I'm sure it would make a shoebox sound better. This is a needed pedal for me, I put it in front of my Keeley Fuzz Head and Java Boost and Holy Smokes what a great full sound, I then hit the selector switch during my solo and go over to the 1966 side with the Intensity dimed and it get really compressed and graphic, very fun stuff. I used it last week with my acoustic on the Modern side for a big clean boost...really kicked it nice...big boom sound when I hit the low strings...cool! It does however shin eth ebest when in front of your favorite dirt/od/fuzz it likes all its neighbors too...
It will cover all types of music I can do and I think this is a must have to sound your very best.

No problems here, it is a work of art inside.

Keeley Electronics reccomended this to me a while back an dI was not sure I need a boost machine with so many options on it. He was right on the money, Robert Keeley is a first class tone master. He has helped me sound better and will do the same for you. The Time Machine Boost is not a cheap noise treble boost. It is a well made machince that has changed my view on boosted tones. It is no wonder a lot of great artist use this concept in the past. Get one while you can.

I play mostly classic hard rock/blues and gig acoustic solo alot. There is no value you can put on such a great tone maker and it has helped me achieve "my sound". I love it with the Keeley Fuzz Head and Java Boost which is amazing all by itself. This is one pedal I'm sure glad I got and a big "Thank You" to Robert Keeley for getting me on my way to Toneland via the House of Blue Lights.

Couldn't be better, well thought out design.

Using this pedal with AC15TB and various guitars including Burns Red special and an Amercian strat. The modern boost is more of what I'm used to but a definite improvement over my DOD bi-fet pedal - I actually wasn't aware how much low-mid-range thunk the Bi-Fet was adding, the TMB is sweeter and a more even boost is obtained.

'It does what it says on the tin' and that is boost and shape the signal before another OD pedal or cranked tube amp. You need to work with it and modify your existing set-up/settings accordingly to get the most from it. True bypass is a must for me as I don't have switching system yet but to be honest the pedal is never off - just toggle between modern and vintage setting.

Still getting to grips with 1966/1973 setting but I know what it's there to do, just need to adjust my exisitng set-up accordingly to get the most from it.

Superb craftsmanship, opened the inside to remove the battery and it's so well put together by people who obviously take pride in their work.

Dealt directly with David (company president), he was quick to respond, he kept me up-to-date and shipped the pedal very quickly in addition to providing useful additional advice.

The craftsmanship and quality speaks for itself, it's up to the player to get the most from the unit.

Check out the site: legendarytones.com as it's an Aladins cave of information for guitarists on the quest for the best tone.

Controls are straightforward and intuitive. It pays to check the brief manual so that you know to start with max intensity (knob fully clockwise) for the vintage sounds. That's about it.

It's really superb in all three modes.

I use a modded Strat (with Hot Rails in the bridge pos), --> Maxon compressor-->ChoralFlange-->ToneBone Classic-->Danelectro Dan-Echo--> Rivera M60. I took the Maxon Comp out and replaced it with the TMB. The TMB's compression is more natural, so it was no longer needed. And the sound! Man, it is just first-rate. If there's such a thing as a "make everything better" pedal, this is as close as you're going to come.
This pedal also has the property of making the amp sound more consistent across different volume levels. I'm an actively gigging musician, playing funk-rock and pop-rock stuff, and I frequently have to adjust my volume levels for different sizes and shapes of the rooms we're in. Pre-TMB, I generally liked my sound at moderate volume, but wasn't satisfied at lower volumes. With the TMB, I *love* my sound at moderate-to-high volume, and like it almost as much at lower volumes. This pedal is a must-have. I can see why it is billed as a "secret weapon" -- it's not the kind of thing you realize how much you need, until you have it. Do yourself a favor. Just get one. I have no vested interest in saying that. Just get one, you'll love it.

Mine is #93, so it's all point-to-point, beautifully put together. Solid as the proverbial tank on the outside.

Haven't had it long, so can't say much more. There is a limited lifetime warranty.

Don't know. But Mr. Keeley appears to be a good fellow, by all reports, and really knows his stuff.

Killer for anyone who simply wants more fullness in their sound. It's also a great way to produce overdrive and sustain without losing definition. If it were stolen, I'd be on the website, ordering another one.

I compared it on paper to the Fulltone Fatboost, The Force, the DOD Bi-fet unit, and others. This just seemed to offer the most bang-for-the-buck. Those other products are fine, I'm sure. But I have zero regrets.

Very easy to use, 2 channels & 3 modes. Modern mode which is a transparent clean boost and the vintagew channel which has 2 modes being the 1966 treble boost and 1973 mid boost. It is VERY easy to get a great sound out of it, i plugged it and within one minute I had awesome tone which was 10 times better than before

I'm using a few guitars being : Ibanez JS1000, Epiphone Les Paul with a Seymour Duncan 59 in the neck and JB in the bridge and a Fender Strat with Bill Lawrences. So any of those guitars into the following : Guitar > Tuner > Crybaby > EHX Small Clone > TMB > Marshall TSL100 with a 1960A Cab. Noise....What noise ? This pedal is perfect and is totally silent. All the settings sound great, I tried getting a bad tone but that's not possible this pedal is God in an effects pedal (He does wonders for your tone). With this pedal I can nail anywhere from Brian May to Eric Clapton to SRV (all my favourites) and many many more, such as vai for example (with the modern boost). This pedal is VERY versatile and can nail any tone you want, on clean with the modern boost it gave me a very fat overdrive (when you turn up the volume on you get more break up) like SRV which sounds....well....Orgasmic. With the vintage modes on the clean channel you can get a nice cutting tone with the 1966 or get some sparkley tones with the 1973 mid boost. Now on dfistortion; WOW instead of using my lead channel for lead I used the modern boost on the crunch and man do I get a really fat lead tone ala Jimmy Page or change the amp settings for a really fat Steve Vai tone or Satch tone, switch over to vintage and I have instant Eric Clapton with the 1966 mode which I enjoyed very much and is a great treble boost (I'm a bit of a treble boost addict) and then for the 1973 mid boost which gaves me tones ala Brian May so I turned up and let rip on the Bohiemian Rhapsody solo which blew me away. Awesome.

I opened the box this morning and sweet jesus, this pedal is built like a tank, I've never seen anything like it. This makes boss pedals look as flimsy as a 3 wheeled mini. I'd definetly gig without backup....kinda makes me think whether my other pedals need back up now

I've got to say this has to be the best customer support ever, David at legendeary tones is the nicest guy in the whole world and is really, really helpful. So don't have any worries ordering from this guy, he's a disciple. Top Man !

I play anything from classic rock (which it nails perfectly) to blues to punk to instrumental rock, this pedal does everything. I've only been playing 2 years but I've learnt a hell of alot about effects and guitars and play a few hours everyday and this pedal is going to make me play even more. If this pedal where ever stolen I'd hunt the guy down hang him on a washing line20ft high in the air by a meat hook from both his nostrils then let everyone pelt with abuse and whatever they want to throw and while they do that I'll be in court getting the death penalty for him, I love this pedal. My favourite mode is probably the modern boost because it can give me a great break up or a nice fat rounded boost which is great for solos. I think I've pretty much covered everything but if I haven't check out www.timemachineboost.com to hear some clips and anymore information on it and if it's not on there pop David an e-mail and he should reply rather quickly in the friendliest way possible.

You don't need a manual to use this pedal. Basically there are two sides and each is footswitchable. The "vintage" side is based on old germanium treble boosters and has two modes, "1966" and "1973". The "modern" side is a full range clean boost. There is no battery compartment but a wall wart was supplied; it's a standard Boss type power supply. I would much prefer a battery because the cord gets annoying, but it obviously wasn't a deal breaker. I'm not sure why it was designed this way, but I'm sure there's a reason.

I use the Time Machine Boost with a couple of Rivera amps and Gibson Les Paul guitars. I occasionally use a Strat as well. I love the way the "vintage 1966" setting drives the input of my amp. The treble gives my sound a real cut that blends in well with the band. It's also cool in that it almost sounds like a notched wah, kind of like Mick Ronson's sound. I set the amp up dirty and use the boost to kick it up one more notch. The "modern" setting is more transparent and really increases sustain for leads. This pedal is perfect for giving your amp a couple of additional colors and is a nice secret weapon for solos. It really doesn't seem to be exceptionally noisy, but it does add a little when playing at high volumes. This is to be expected, to some degree, with any similar type of pedal though.

Sometimes I use the "modern" setting with the clean channel of my amp. The clean channel is set so that it's just barely breaking up and then the boost gives a really great electric blues tone.

I don't see a booster pedal as essential, just nice to have. In other words, I would not feel the need to bring a backup. It seems to be very solidly built and I'm confident that it won't break if I take care of it.

Davis Szabados has a really cool and unique product on his hands. He seems to be enthusiastic about it and I think he would go the extra mile to ensure his customers' satisfaction. I e-mailed him about the unit before purchasing it and he helped guide me through the pros and cons of how I intended to use the pedal. He was a salesman, but first and foremost it just felt like he was trying to help me make an informed decision. There was a trial period during which I could send the unit back for a full refund.

This is unit #0084 that I ordered in December 2002. I have to imagine that this is the best pedal of its kind and I don't know of any other dual function boosters. It really seems to help bring out the sound of a good guitar and amp rig by enhancing all the things that make them sound great. It isn't cheap, but when its versatility is considered, and you're in the market for a booster (not an OD), this is the way to go. I had intended to get Butler's Rangemaster, which I've heard great things about, but I'm really glad that I picked the TMB instead. Now I have both the rangemaster sound as well as the clean boost.