Maestro Original Collection pedals

T
he Maestro name is
synonymous with
some true classics,
like the FZ-1 Fuzz
Tone and PS-1 Phase
Shifter, as well as a
whole roster of
oddities like the USS-1 Universal
Synthesizer System. Gibson have
kept things on the sober side of
history with this new outing of the
Maestro label: overdrive, fuzz,
distortion, chorus and delay. While
the pedal world has increasingly
courted the wallets of non-
which carries a trio of coloured
LEDs. The screw-hinged bottom
plate allows access to the battery
clip, as well as trimpots for mode
adjustments in the Invader, Comet
and Discoverer. All five can be run
from a standard 9VDC supply and
draw very little current in operation.
Ranger Overdrive
The gentler end of distortion is
dealt with by the Ranger Overdrive
which features two gain modes (HI
and LO) via the toggle switch. The
three dials take care of gain, tone
and output level, with the latter
capable of driving an appreciably
hot signal into a valve amp’s front
end for extra crunch, or to pummel
another pedal’s input stage to
(sonic) destruction. The immediate
impression the Ranger makes is in
the midrange, particularly the lower
end. This pedal is an effective
thickener for guitars, basses and
synths, adding/enhancing
harmonics without overly
compressing dynamic range, though
there is some inevitable and rather
flattering peak clipping happening.
In LO mode, the Ranger can
keep clean-ish at the CCW end of
the Gain dial, especially when
riding the volume pot on a guitar,
while providing thickening and
plenty of level boost. It sums in a
little of the dry signal in this mode,
and this allows the source’s
dynamics to remain mostly intact as
the Gain is wound up. Unless the
input is extremely treble-heavy,
there’s no need to pull the Tone
control below 12:00, but there’s
plenty of reason to push up from
there (it’s a low-pass filter), backing
off as the Gain knob goes up. Even
fully CW, there’s still an audible
roll-off that will trim back the high
top of whatever passes through,
which is common with a great many
overdrives. LO is definitely the
mode for gritty funk, whether that’s
synth, keys, guitar or bass. On
electric pianos it produces a tube
amp-style breakup that can be fine
tuned and played with dynamics to
great effect, though at the heavy
end, single-note lines and solos
really feel the benefit.
HI is the non-subtle mode and
its pronounced mid-focus means
the Tone dial will stay regularly near
the top, source depending. The
distortion really growls without
getting nasty, which is tasty on
guitars and bass, and brings real
grit and girth to synths, from basses
to leads. The Ranger handles bass
well, as do all the pedals, and this
helps extend the usefulness of this
unit. HI mode is 100% overdrive
signal so it will readily munch into
dynamic range, enhancing sustain
and taming harsh transients while
adding attitude. The harmonic
distortion, probably due to the
low-pass filter, fills out the mids
without spitting out fizzy highs or
overwhelming the low end, even
when cranked right up.
guitarists, especially modular
synthesists, the new Maestro line is
pointedly guitar-centric, considering
60% of the pedals are variations on
distortion. That said, if a pedal
works well on guitar, it’ll likely bring
some joy to synths, and even more
so if it can handle bass well.
The sturdy, slant-topped
enclosures carry a unified design
with a colour palette that makes
them an attractive prospect when
lined up, as well as standing out on
a pedalboard. This is further aided
by the Maestro bugles emblem
THE PROS & CONS
+
Ranger Overdrive
definitely has ‘range’
from subtle warming
up to a hefty crunch
FZ-M brings the
slashing Fuzz Tone
sound with fuller
tones ready to dial in
Invader has a raw
mid distortion
character that is
uniquely amp-like
-
Comet Chorus is a
little limited in range
Discoverer Delay
repeats break up/
down too soon,
becoming a chirrup
if you’re at high
feedback settings
Maestro Original Collection pedals | Reviews
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