So What is the RBTC ?
The RBTC is a audio development designed to give your single coil style pickups an edge, a fat, smooth, quality edge. It does this extremely well.
It's a small high quality audio circuit housed in a plastic box filled with it's components and a resin compound to protect them. It's passive, which means it has no battery or other power source, so it's very quiet. It's made from very high quality components to give an excellent transparent sound.
Each unit is hand-made, tested and packed for despatch.
The RBTC has been developed from the ground up specifically for use with Stratocaster style guitars equipped with Single Coil style pickups( LACE, Dimarzio,Fender, Seymour Duncan etc ). It will work with any pickups but is recommended for use with single coils rather than full humbuckers.
What's the Background ?
The RBTC came about, like many good things, by accident and good fortune.
We wanted something different so designed and built it, and now we market it.
The RBTC was developed from the ground-up to give extra body to the Strat sound.
The type of sound we hoped to emulate was typified by players like Ritchie Blackmore and Uli Jon Roth and others who obtain a fat, full, high quality sound from their guitars.
Hank Marvin style players may also find this interesting for them as well.
It's about a quality sound, clarity and not distortion.
The RBTC delivers this full, fat sound but retains clarity.
What Does the RBTC do ?
First, what it won't do and isn't designed to do !
It won't radically alter the sound of your guitar beyond all recognition.
It won't give you a "pedal to the metal" boost either.
That is not what it's about.
Think quality, subtle but effective, think frequency changes.
The RBTC delivers a subtle, yet very obviously "happening" tone with a pleasingly smooth sheen. It is fully adjustable so you can increase or decrease that effect as you like when you hear it in action. The adjustment it offers allows you to match the unit to the exact pickups you are using in your guitar right now.
What Does the RBTC Sound Like ?
Here are some sound clips for the RBTC which we have produced and loaded to YouTube, they are rock orientated.
Sound clips 70's Rock and 90's Rock
Coming soon RBTC clips using a Tele.
The RBTC works incredibly well on the Tele too!
Customer Sound Clips
Here are a few sound clips produced by different customers:-
Jan 11th - Excellent RBTC Sound Clip, from Joe, have a listen Mp3
RBTC gives you the tone other circuits wish they could deliver, but just don't !
Squier Sidekick 10Watts Amp and
Mexican Fender Strat with Dimarzio Pickups HS-3s.
Does it sound great ? Does it sound very like Ritchie Blackmore
? Smooth and Rounded.
Yet more proof that the RBTC will give you that extra edge. Thanks Joe, a great clip.
Jan 25th - Excellent RBTC Sound Clip, from Richard, have a listen Mp3
This clip is a different style and shows how the RBTC will fatten-up any playing style.
The clip is in 3 parts, the RBTC effect is really clear to hear in the last section.
Richard's Clip was played on his AeroDyne Strat, from us, with standard Japanese pickups
As you can hear, it's a fat and full Strat, thanks to the RBTC.
Feb 5th - Fantastic RBTC Sound Clip, from Peter, have a listen Mp3
This clip is the intro for "Mistreated" played on a Custom Strat
RB Strat (mainly Eden wood parts, scalloped neck, Wilkinson tuners and tremolo, CTS pots, SD SSL-7 T (bridge), Schaller S-6 (neck) RBTC level above average, volume on guitar 8-9ish. Vox AC-30, Akai, through 2 Marshall Major heads, 4 4x12 Marshall cabs . . . . no not really ! It´s a actually Behringer V-amp 2 straight into the PC
As you can hear, it's a fat and full Strat, sounding very like one Ritchie Blackmore, thanks to the RBTC !
How Do I wire the RBTC ?
The RBTC is a four(4) wire installation which requires you to solder the product into your guitar. You need to be able to use a soldering iron to install this product yourself. Equally you can have a local tech do it for you, he may even be interested to hear it! We provide the necessary diagrams to connect it to your guitar and it is very simple. If you are not able to carry-out basic soldering then you may be more interested to buy it either already fitted to a guitar or on a scratch-plate, complete with pickups, ready to mount in your guitar. We can supply a scratch-plate with your choice of pickups, please ask for more details.
Once installed we recommend that you replace the scratch-plate with a couple of screws leaving the unit outwith the control cavity. Now test the guitar and tune the unit into your pickups to give the sound your prefer to hear. Some people want it full on a very fat, others prefer it more subtle. To ensure that you know it is working, try setting it to off, play, then full-up and play. You will certainly hear the difference. You can then adjust to a level that suits you. Once complete pop the unit back in the control cavity and re-assemble the guitar completely. Fit it and forget it. Remember you can always adjust it again, should you feel the need to tune the sound more.
Will my Guitar Be Changed ?
Yes but not cosmetically, only audibly.
The RBTC will not effect the appearance of your guitar. The RBTC is hidden under the scratch-plate, so nobody but you needs to know it's there unless you tell them!
Your tone controls will continue to work as before, but better, because they are operating through the RBTC and your tone will change as you would expect after installing the Really Big Tone Change !
Pickup Notes: The RBTC is designed to work with PASSIVE single coil pickups which it does very well.
RBTC has NOT been tested with EMG or other Active Pickups and as such may NOT work as expected with these types of Pickups. Active Pickups contain a pre-amp system which may not be fully compatible with the operation of the RBTC.
If you are unsure about your pickups or compatability concerns, please email us to check before you buy the RBTC.
RBTC has been tested with a large range of pickups including Lace Sensors, Seymore DUncans SSL4/7, Kinmans, Dimarzio HS-3's, USA Vintage, USA Texas Specials, Schaller S6, Schaller Mini Humbuckers, OBL's and many more and works well/exactly as designed with all of these.
Correctly installed, the RBTC does NOT cause ANY change to the operation of your volume control at all.
Full installation and setup instructions are provided with each unit.
What Does the RBTC Cost ?
The RBTC is available to purchase to fit to your own guitar, or it can be bought in a guitar from us. Options for scratch-plate assemblies will be available shortly. If you are interesed please email for pricing. Scratch-plate assemblies include some wring modifications as well.
RBTC - £ 75 GBP - 105 EUROS - $155 USD plus Shipping Charge.
Discounts are available for multiple units, so you can fit one in all your guitars. Shipping costs will not vary for between 1 and 5 units, prices below.
Shipping for the RBTC alone is
£ 5 GBP UK Only
£ 10 GBP Europe ( 14 EUROS )
£ 15 GBP USA / CANADA / AUSTRALIA ( $ 30 USD )
