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GuitarPlayer.com >> This Month >> Moollon Treble Boost
Moollon Treble Boost
December, 2007
The limited-edition Treble Boost ($390 retail/ $343 street) is based on the Dallas Rangemaster of the 1960s, and features a genuine vintage Mullard OC44 germanium transistor (hence the reason why only 100 of these pedals have reportedly been made). The rest of the circuitry in the Treble Boost is in keeping with ’60s code, with tag strip assembly and all connections wired point-to-point. It’s one of the coolest looking circuits of the group, reflecting the care and attention to detail that Moollon puts into all of its products. The company took the liberty of adding an LED to indicate when the unit is active, along with a 3-position switch that provides three different response curves. As with all Moollon pedals, the Treble Boost has a polished and engraved aluminum case with the control labels etched into the metal.
You really have to think old school to appreciate what the Treble Boost has to offer, as it does pretty much what the name implies. Plugged into the front end of a moderately gainey tube amp—like the early Marshalls and Voxes used by Clapton, Page, and Beck in the ’60s—the Treble Boost kicks down a strong, bright signal that pushes the first gain stage into clipping—adding little or no transistor grit of its own. I found it worked great for overdriving all of our test amps, but a master volume model is recommended as this pedal jacks up the volume substantially when the Boost knob is up three-quarters or more. The Treble Boost’s voicing switch gives you three degrees of treble intensity: Treble 1 is less bright than Treble 2 (which also has a bit more gain), while the Mid setting offers the warmest response and the most gain. With a little experimentation you’ll be amazed by the sweet overdrive tones you can get with this pedal—such as a snarling Bluesbreakers-era Clapton vibe with a Les Paul. It doesn’t bang you over the head like most distortion boxes, but what it does is kind of magical and makes you realize why so many British guitar stars relied on treble boosters to get their sound.
Kudos Excellent vintage-style overdrive. Superb build quality. Voicing switch adds flexibility.
Concerns Limited availability.
Contact Moollon, 011-822-351-4201; moollon.com
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