GuitarSystems TrebleTool Junior review

Rangemaster-style boost pedal

  • £179
  • €195
  • $219
The T.M.F. knob stands for treble, mid and full and allows you to fine-tune the frequency range

MusicRadar Verdict

Vintage-style treble boost to excite your amp into action.

Pros

  • +

    Germanium transistor. T.M.F. dial offers useful shaping control.

Cons

  • -

    Narrow in application.

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The GuitarSystems 'Junior' range comprises smaller, less fully featured versions of the Dutch company's 'Standard' pedals, which can be adjusted for use in setups with active input signals, such as guitars with EMG pickups.

"The TrebleTool Junior is a single Germanium transistor-based treble boost in the style of the classic Dallas Rangemaster"

The TrebleTool Junior is a single Germanium transistor-based treble boost in the style of the classic Dallas Rangemaster, designed to add edge to dark-sounding British amps in the 1960s and used by Brian May, Rory Gallagher and Tony Iommi.

Three knobs control the action - you can turn up the gain, adjust the treble with the tone knob and alter the signal's low-frequency content with the TMF (Treble Mid Full) knob, common to all of the firm's Junior range pedals. Fully clockwise, you get the full frequency range, and winding it back reduces bass - useful for dialling in the amount of low-end for specific guitars.

The TrebleTool will kick your amp up a gear, but it's more of a specialised tool than a general booster.

Trevor Curwen has played guitar for several decades – he's also mimed it on the UK's Top of the Pops. Much of his working life, though, has been spent behind the mixing desk, during which time he has built up a solid collection of the guitars, amps and pedals needed to cover just about any studio session. He writes pedal reviews for Guitarist and has contributed to Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Future Music among others.