Germanium Boost advice - Does this look any good?

CloudNine

Recently bought a Top Hat Club Royale and fancy trying a treble booster type pedal with it. The CR is pretty much perfection on it's own, ridiculously good gain tones, I am just using the master volume and no other drive of any kind, but as well you know, got to experiment... And these sort of pedals apparently work well with these amps!

What do the learned folk of the forum make of this? Worth a shot?

http://www.expressofx.com/products/mojo-series/germanium-boost-new/

merlin

I have a Homebrew Electronics Germanium 44 if you're interested! 

simonk

I've no experience with that particular one, but can highly recommend the Williams Ranger:

http://www.williamsaudio.co.uk/Williams-OC44-Ranger.html

CloudNine

Thanks guys. Will check out that Williams one.

@merlin - PM me the price you are after for the HBE.

Any of the Fretboard pedal gurus able to comment on whether this Expresso FX one seems like a decent bit of kit?

bingefeller

Looks good, I like the idea of the 7 voice rotary knob.  I say go for it.  

Sassafras

I've got an HBE Germania and it's a very versatile treble booster. In fact it's probably my favourite TB, I've been through quite a few over the years.
Not so good through a clean amp, though.

bingefeller

I have the Keeley Java Boost and it's very nice, especially the full range mode.  If you could pick one up second hand then it may be worth checking out.  

Cols

Looks very tidy indeed, and the added tonal flexibility over a standard treble booster is a big plus.

I'm always amazed at the cost of treble boosters; they're a pretty simple circuit and an easy self-build.

merlin

Cols said:

Looks very tidy indeed, and the added tonal flexibility over a standard treble booster is a big plus.

I'm always amazed at the cost of treble boosters; they're a pretty simple circuit and an easy self-build.

I suspect that it's the rarity of the Germanium transistors that makes them expensive. Maybe. 

english_bob

merlin said:

Cols said:

Looks very tidy indeed, and the added tonal flexibility over a standard treble booster is a big plus.

I'm always amazed at the cost of treble boosters; they're a pretty simple circuit and an easy self-build.

I suspect that it's the rarity of the Germanium transistors that makes them expensive. Maybe. 

It might be the perceived rarity of Ge transistors, and the faff involved in weeding out the ones worth using from the ones that aren't, since they were notoriously inconsistent. Still, they're not that rare and expensive. I think it's more a case of charging what the market will stand.