A brand new Maestro Ranger Overdrive pedal.
Inspired by the overdriven tones of some of the world’s most cherished vintage tube amps, the Ranger is a modern, all-analog overdrive pedal featuring a Mode toggle switch that provides two different tonalities; a warm, expressive, amp-like overdrive and a second tonality that’s slightly cleaner and exceptionally touch-sensitive; it blends in some of the clean signal and is a great choice for use as an “always on” effect that can be controlled with your pick attack and your guitar’s volume control. The Ranger’s classic 3-knob layout provides intuitive adjustment of Gain (amount of overdrive), Tone, and output Level, with plenty of volume on tap to go well beyond unity gain. You can easily use the Ranger Overdrive as a boost to hit the input of your tube amp harder for even more grit and dirt. The true bypass footswitch triggers the LED lights in the bugles in the Maestro logo when it’s on, so you’ll always know when the effect is active.
A LITTLE HISTORY ON MAESTRO PEDALS --- HATS OFF TO KEITH RICHARDS:
When Maestro first debuted with the FZ-1 Fuzz-Tone, in 1962, no one could have predicted its trailblazing success. By that time, Gibson, then operating under parent company Chicago Musical Instruments (CMI), had already used the Maestro brand name on accordions, accordion amplifiers, and the legendary Echoplex Tape Delay. When the FZ-1 was released, the guitar pedal market was nonexistent, and this odd effect, intended to conjure something resembling a horn sound, fell largely on deaf ears.
But then Keith Richards came along, and the Rolling Stones guitarist used the FZ-1 as a demo track on “Satisfaction” to signal how and when a horn section should enter the mix. “But he never meant for the part to be used on the final recording,” says Phil O’Keefe, Senior Editor, Gibson Brands. “It was strictly a demo. He thought, well, this is what we want the horns to do... Then that scratch track winds up on the final version, and ‘Satisfaction’ turns out to be the song of the summer in ‘65.” Gibson sold every FZ-1 in stock. It was really the first commercially successful pedal,” O’Keefe continues. “And it set the entire pedal world into motion.”
Gibson has relaunched the Maestro brand with an all-new line of effect pedals. The Maestro Original Collection includes a new Fuzz-Tone FZ-M, reminiscent of the instantly recognizable tones of the first-ever Maestro pedal, the much-mythologized FZ-1. Alongside it, the Orbit Phaser, a descendent of the very first phaser pedal ever produced - the legendary Maestro PS-1. Other hits in the range are the Ranger Overdrive, the Invader Distortion, the Comet Chorus, and much more.