Phoenix Custom Electronics Ranger

Boought mine in December 2006, a two-knob version. No switches. One knob controls the level and the other determines what frequencies get boosted. Goes from a traditional treble booster (all the way right) to a much darker -- though still sharp and grainy -- full-range boost (all the way left. Nice sparkly blue paint job with silver knobs, like on old stereo components. I chose this pedal over some other Rangemaster clones because it allows you to fine-tune the range of boost with a knob, instead of just offering two or three settings with a switch. Also the price was reasonable.

The pedal basically adds a small amount of fuzz-tone hair to the signal while boosting it in the selected range. Treble setting can really brighten up an amp that gets too dark or thick at high volume. When the amp is clean, a fuller-range boost will dirty it up nicely.

I'm using it with two single-coil guitars: a MIM 1996 Powerhouse Strat and a 2002 Epi 56 Goldtop Reiusse (P90s). Amp is either a Swart Atomic Space Tone (Tweed Deluxe-like) or an Epiphone Valve Jr. Head into an Eminence Red White and Blues speaker. The treble boost setting is a little too bright with this amp-guitar combo unless either amp is up all the way. I usually turn the amp up about halfway and keep the pedal's volume knob at 11 o'clock (unity volume) and the boost knob at 11 o'clock. This adds just the right amount of grit to the sound. I leave it on most of the time (unless I want a very clean sound) and use a ZVex SHO to boost for solos. I can also turn the Ranger's volume up and use it as a solo boost. Sometimes I put a Barber Tone Press first in the chain, which juices both pedals up a bit.

I believe this pedal can produce a classic treble-booster sound, though that's not what I'm going for. Playing around, I can get some Sabbath-y tones from it, and a little of that Jimmy Page Tonebender sound, though with less fuzz. You can also get some odd, lo-fi, AM-radio sounds by turning the volume on the pedal down, using the treble setting on a very clean amp, and making the high end bareable with the tone knob on your guitar. Fun.

Seems solidly constructed. Switch clicks with reassuring firmness.

I basically custom-ordered this from the maker, and he was very enthusiastic and kept me posted during the entire process. Nice guy.

I've been playing since I was 12. (I'm 37.) I've never owned a treble-booster before, but I'm very pleased with this one and would probably buy it again, as it does what I wanted.

This pedal is extremely easy to use and dial in a great tone. It has two knobs, an in and out jack, what could be better. The small size of this pedal also adds to the versatility. This thing can fit anywhere on you pedal board. In fact once you hook this up and start playing, it's amazing how the other pedals will move on to greener pastures!

When I first got the Ranger I used it for about a week without any other pedals. I slowly added my Keely BD-2 and baked mod tube screamer along with a few other effects (tremelo etc) Well the Ranger litteraly is the Lone Ranger. It has replaced both Keeley pedals, not that they didn't sound good, but the Ranger gave me the sound, tone, and versatility I've been looking for. You can go from a creamy mellow tone to all in your face blues tone that won't quit with a single turn of the knob. The thing I like about this pedal is the tone never drops, it's a constant presence.

My rig is very simple, Les Paul classic with burst bucker pro pickups (awesome) The Ranger pedal, a voodoo labs tremelo, and a Fender Blues Junior w/celestion green back. I get so many compliments on the pure tone, it really does just seem to come alive with the Ranger.

I've never had a single issue, except for battery replacement getting expensive as I leave it on all the time! I will be adding an AC adaptor soon. The construction is top notch no issues at all. Alex was extremely helpful and really interested in how the pedal performed, communication was first class.

Alex at P.C.E. sent me the pedal overnight, and it was a real overnight not this three day thing some companies promise. I purchased it in the A.M. the next morning it was in my hands, simply great people to deal with. If it was lost or stolen I would purchase another without any hesitation.

I generally play blues oriented music, and some jam-band stuff Gov't Mule,Cream etc. This pedal nails the sound right from the start, seriously if you like the tone of Warren Haynes or Clapton this is your starting point. I have not compared this to any other Dallas Rangemaster pedal, but I really feel no need to. This does everything I need at a fraction of the price the others are going for. I could never concieve another $100.00 could make this sound any better.

very easy to dial in sound ,great fun playing with the settings, also find i can alter the switch for the three settings with my foot if i want to.
instructions are included and are very straightforward.

wow!!! i bought this on ebay for a freind who doesent have the internet, when it arrived i tried it out and decided i had to have it!!
he will have to have another.
im using this with two vintage marshall tube amps like this,heads into>marshall se100 load ,split into dry cabs>load >into eventide>into carvin f300>into marshall cabs for wet ,typical wet dry wet setup.
i use variuos pedals and gain devices depending on the sound i want .
i use this for boosting the sound of a marshall that is producing the typical angus young,free or blackmore kind of sound also eary status quo im big on clapton its definitely in the tin as well.
it can be a gentle boost or quite gainy depending on setting or just leave it on for the whole song depends on what your playing .
it really is very very good i love it!! it absolutely sings on leads
and is very harmonically rich. awesome ,beautiful.

time will tell seems to be excellent build quality,would use without back up.

dealing with them was great, answered my questions in a polite and helpful manner, ive had good and bad experiences on the net, ever tried dealing with fulltone customer support what a fucking prick!!!
these people are very nice though.
one week money back guarantee if you dont like the product
lifetime warranty free repairs , very impressed.
took five days from date of purchase to arrive in the uk from the states.

harmony ask not to give glowing reviews, i feel it is well justified
in this instance , i have equipment worth approx 20,000 uk pounds this is one of the cheapest items yet easily one of the best and most useful pieces and changes the sound of my marshalls in an awesome way

Features are (1) 3-way toggle for low-med-high treble boost and (1) level/shut off knob. Very easy to use.

My current chain looks like this: American Standard Strat-- Boss Tu-2--Ranger Treb boost--Boss DS-1--Boss SD-1--Ibanez chorus--1964(AA864 circuit)Fender bassman head and closed 2x12 VibroKing cabinet. In this set up I leave the Ranger on all the time. I love the smooth(I cant find a better word than creamy as used above)creamy sound when run alone with just my bassman. It really brings out the clean glassy tones of the bassman, add in a bit of chorus or run it in stereo and you won't believe the tone that fills a room. Depending on the gig and if I don't need any heavy crunch sounds I'll take the tone sucking DS-1 out of the chain. I'm still working on getting my overdrive/crunch sound together and found that running the ranger at about 12 o'clock-med toggle and the ds-1 at minimal distortion(for sustain) level and the overdrive drive at 11 oclock and the bassman at about 5--whew!--on the neck pick up I'm getting some great bluesy bite and growl, just wish I could play a bit better.

When using this set up through an LP, you can get the Led out with some nice tones, but will need to tweak the EQ settings.

This pedal will color your sound and by increasing the level it will add more gain.

I sent one email to the maker with a question and he was very helpful. The shut off feature is an excellent feature for battery life since there is no power adapter input.

see above

I started out looking to improve my tone(I'm not a great player so I want my tone to be superior) and did some research on the bassman and found out I had a highly sought after amp and plugged it in and found great clean tone, but with only one channel I was limited. So I picked up the Ranger based on some research(I like the idea of cranking the bassman power tubes and having a colored pedal limit the output) and I got lucky. This pedal can give you the boost you might one for leads and really shines on clean to medium break up. I'd have to reccommend one for anyone with a similar set up.

One knob, one toggle swtich, one-page "manual": one heckuva pedal

I really really like the sound of this pedal, as well as its versatility. The actual treble boost on the selector switch is not harsh at all. The middle selection adds some body, but still retains some "treble-boostiness." The third selection is full-bodied like a one-ton bull. I haven't played any treble boosters in the list price range of over $150, let alone an original Dallas Rangemaster, but I really can't imagine any sounding better than this one. I have the Germania, the Beano, the Crispy Cream, the Aramat and have a couple of other makes on the way. The Crispy Cream (the second one I've owned) has the best single tone (better than the first one I had) so far of all of these models, but doesn't seem as musically versatile as the Ranger. The Aramat was OK, the Germania sounds great for that neck pickup Jimi thang and the Beano seems to manage the higher frequencies where the others leave off (even on its "warm" setting).

The Ranger, though, seems to be the quietest (for a treble booster, which are notoriously noisy) and most versatile.

i haven't used the Ranger on my big amps (Top Hat Club Royale 212 pair), but it makes my Super Champ sing and Pathfinder warm and embraceable. (Don't forget to turn down the treble knob on your amp!)

So far so good after a couple of months.

Quick and thoughtful e-mail replies.

Brian May and the whole EL84/Class A dealio freak. The Top Hats due the Vox thing to perfection, so I continue to look for a combination of those amps and the exact treble booster for them. The Ranger is a pedal I'll keep for the TB function AS WELL AS the other boosts it has to offer.

One knob, very easy to use. In fact that one knob not only controls the overall level, but if you turn it all the way down until it clicks it shuts it down and disconnects the battery so you can leave your cord plugged into it. Very cool feature!! Very easy to get a great sound out of. Also has a 3 way toggle switch: up for the original Rangemaster sound (perfect for humbuckers) middle adds a little more bass to the sound and down it becomes a Full Range Booster(this is probably best for single coil guitars although it sounds great with humbuckers too).

I've had the unit for a couple of weeks now and have tried it in front of a Tech 21 Trademark 60 which for those who do not know is a solid state amp and I've tried it through a 100 watt Marshall 1959 SLP and also through a Traynor YCV40 which is also a tube amp. For a guitar, I used a 2003 Les Paul Standard with the stock Burstbucker Pros, and a 1980 B.C. Rich Mockingbird with a Bill Lawerence L-500 Pickup. The Ranger is more than a treble booster,,,it can also be used as a full range booster. It is a true by pass pedal, no tone leakage at all. For those who think they cant get a treble booster to work with a solid state amp, they are missing out of some great tones. Run the amp clean and use an overdrive to get the dirt and put the Ranger in front of that and you got pure, creamy (that word always pops up whenever I describe the sound of a treble booster)screaming lead tone!!! Of course in front of a Marshall or any tube amp for that matter this unit will sound awesome. AND theres virtually no noise coming from this at all,,,ok, well maybe a SLIGHT hiss if you turned it up past 3 o'clock, but I've found the setting that works best for me to be at around 2-2:30. Also it works well after a wah which was one of my concerns. I hate to give anything a 10, and I've tried many treble boosters in my time and have given other boosters a 9 or 10 also...on this one I cant give anything but a 10!!

First of all, and I've stated this in other reviews also, I ALWAYS gig with a backup, no matter how well built the unit may be, you just never know, ie: some drunk steps on it and does some damage..etc. That being said, the Ranger is a very solid pedal, with proper use this thing will last a lifetime.

I found this pedal through E-bay. Phoenix Custom Electronics is a one man operation run by Alex Anest. I've talked to him through emails and was very friendly and had the unit shipped to me in a matter of days. He has a one week money back gurantee and there is a lifetime warranty!! He also states in his one page manual that if you have an idea for a pedal he will custom make it for you...Very very cool. I got some ideas cooking already :)

Another 10. I play mainly Rock, some blues rock. Been playing for close to 30 years, tried many a pedal and this one ranks as one of the best. I know it sounds like I'm gloating, but when I get excited about a pedal, I can't help it. The sound of this thing definitely inspires me to play and play and keep on playing!!