The Díaz Texas Ranger is a Diaz boost pedal. Close alternatives include the Dallas Tuxedo Treble Booster and the Hudson Electronics Sidecar 24V. It pairs well with the Swart MOD 84 and the Divided by 13 FTR 37.
Díaz Texas Ranger
Diaz · pedal
The Diaz Texas Ranger is a treble booster built by Cesar Diaz around the Dallas Rangemaster circuit, the same late-1950s design behind the classic British treble-boosted lead tones of the 1960s. Diaz extended the original with added treble and gain controls plus a high/mid/low EQ switch the Rangemaster never had, giving considerably more tonal range than the vintage circuit it is based on. Diaz built and repaired gear for artists including Bob Dylan and Stevie Ray Vaughan over a career spanning more than thirty years. Warren Haynes uses one as part of his rig.
What stands out
“• [Sound] Germanium treble boost with deep tonal authority — the Hi switch delivers biting, glassy brightness; Mid gives fat tube warmth; Lo adds woody growl — all with exceptional vintage character”
— from the community notes
“[Pros] ✓ Three distinct EQ voices (Hi/Mid/Lo) transform it from a bright Vox-style treble booster to a warm fat mid-push or throaty low-end growl in a single unit ✓ Absolute bypass leaves zero footprint on your tone when disengaged — …”
— from the reviews
“The Diaz Texas Ranger is a treble booster built by Cesar Diaz around the Dallas Rangemaster circuit, the same late-1950s design behind the classic British treble-boosted lead tones of the 1960s”
— from the listing
“Diaz extended the original with added treble and gain controls plus a high/mid/low EQ switch the Rangemaster , giving considerably more tonal range than the vintage circuit it is based on”
— from the listing
“• [Use] Best deployed as a clean boost into an already-driven tube amp, pushing the front end into harmonic bloom; most effective with single-coils and PAF humbuckers at lower drive settings”
— from the community notes
Trade-offs
“or signal interaction ✓ germanium nte103 transistors deliver authentic vintage character with a harmonic richness silicon circuits cannot replicate”
— from the reviews
- mid
- germanium
- transistor
- treble booster
- vintage
- growl
- fat
- treble
Genres the Díaz Texas Ranger is commonly used in
- Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Blues Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Blues
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Classic Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Glam Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Díaz Texas Ranger
Swart MOD 84
Swart
35% matchgain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (mid-forward → high gain)
Swart MOD 84 leans toward lush, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes later in the signal chain
Divided by 13 FTR 37
Divided By 13
35% matchDivided by 13 FTR 37 leans toward harmonically rich, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes later in the signal chain
Hiwatt Park P18LH 'Little 45' Handwired18W
Hiwatt
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Hiwatt Park P18LH 'Little 45' Handwired18W's warm balances out the bright tone
Orange BT1000H Terror Bass 1000-Watt Bass Amp
Orange
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Where this leans bright, Orange BT1000H Terror Bass 1000-Watt Bass Amp answers back warm
Orange Terror Bass
Orange
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Where this leans bright, Orange Terror Bass answers back warm
Orange Little Bass Thing
Orange
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Orange Little Bass Thing's warm balances out the bright tone
Gibson GA-50
Gibson
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Gibson GA-50 leans warm right where the bright tone needs it
Victory Amplifiers V50 The Earl
amplifier
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Run Victory Amplifiers V50 The Earl after it and the bright edge settles into something more warm
Pedals that stack with the Díaz Texas Ranger
Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere MKII The Analog Leslie Simulator
pedal
21% matchUsed together by 1 artist
sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Run Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere MKII The Analog Leslie Simulator after Díaz Texas Ranger in the signal chain, clear of Díaz Texas Ranger's own gain stage
Comes later in the signal chain
Ashdown Velvet Compressor
Ashdown
17% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → smooth)
Ashdown Velvet Compressor's own compressed character is the real reason this is worth trying
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Catalinbread SFT
Catalinbread
17% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → warm)
Run Catalinbread SFT after it and the bright edge settles into something more warm
Comes later in the signal chain
ZVEX Fuzz Factory
Zvex
16% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → smooth)
Run ZVEX Fuzz Factory after it and the bright edge settles into something more smooth
Comes later in the signal chain
Walrus Audio Fable
Walrus Audio
16% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Put Walrus Audio Fable after Díaz Texas Ranger in the signal chain, clear of Díaz Texas Ranger's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler
pedal
13% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler after Díaz Texas Ranger in the signal chain, clear of Díaz Texas Ranger's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
SolidGoldFX Commodore Breaker Overdrive
Solidgoldfx
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Where this leans bright, SolidGoldFX Commodore Breaker Overdrive answers back smooth
Dunlop Blue Hippo Optical Tremolo
Dunlop
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Dunlop Blue Hippo Optical Tremolo's warm balances out the bright tone
Alternativessee all similar tone character →
Dallas Tuxedo Treble Booster
pedal
64% similarityShared character: 8 impedance, bright, boost
Hudson Electronics Sidecar 24V
Hudson Electronics
62% similarityShared character: reliable performance, treble, bright
Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster
Dallas
60% similarityShared character: bright, boost, treble
Suhr Brighton Treble Booster
Suhr
60% similarityShared character: glassy, bright, boost
Catalinbread Silver Kiss Reissue
Catalinbread
59% similarityShared character: treble, bright, boost
1959 Dallas Tuxedo Treble Booster
pedal
58% similarityShared character: bright, treble
Catalinbread Silver Kiss MK2 2007 Reissue
Catalinbread
57% similarityShared character: treble, boost, vintage charm
Benson Amps Germanium Boost
Benson Amps
55% similarityShared character: 8 impedance, boost, treble
EarthQuaker Devices Special Cranker
EarthQuaker Devices
55% similarityShared character: reliable performance, bright, middle
Spaceman Mercury IV Germanium Harmonic Boost
Spaceman
54% similarityShared character: boost, vintage charm
Vox VTB-1 Treble Booster
Vox
54% similarityShared character: treble, bright, boost
Hornby Skewes Treble Booster
pedal
53% similarityShared character: true bypass, treble, vintage charm
See all alternatives to the Díaz Texas Ranger (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Díaz Texas Ranger?+
The closest matches in character are the Dallas Tuxedo Treble Booster, the Hudson Electronics Sidecar 24V, the Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster.
What pairs well with the Díaz Texas Ranger?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Swart MOD 84, Divided by 13 FTR 37, Hiwatt Park P18LH 'Little 45' Handwired18W — Swart MOD 84 leans toward lush, and that's a real, usable character to pair with.