Based on two of the most valuable distortion/fuzz pedals of all time, the Massive FX DallasDevilsPlay and G.O.A.F. deliver coveted vintage tones but go well beyond with expanded tonal range and professional-quality construction.
Pros
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DallasDevilsPlay nails that early Sabbath vibe.
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G.O.A.F offers a wide range of tones and textures - more than its inspiration.
Cons
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Nothing!
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The Burns Buzzaround and Dallas Rangemaster are two of today’s most valuable vintage effects boxes for good reasons. The former was a critical element of Robert Fripp’s tone from King Crimson’s 21st Century Schizoid Man thru David Bowie’s Heroes and beyond; the latter helped shape the sounds of Brian May, Tony Iommi, Marc Bolan, Judas Priest and more; and both are extremely rare.
Fortunately for those of us without deep pockets, Massive FX recently introduced a bunch of cool pedals inspired by these classics that deliver the original sounds and much, much more for modern fuzz fanatics and demonic distortion divas.
We took a closer look at Massive’s Rangemaster redux the DallasDevilsPlay and their G.O.A.F., which starts with a Buzzaround-inspired circuit but goes well beyond.
Features
(Image credit: Massive FX)
Like the original Rangemaster, the DallasDevilsPlay features a dirt-simple circuit featuring only two capacitors, two resistors and an OC44 germanium transistor, but it delivers a range of tones well beyond those of the original thanks to its three-position mode switch.
This provides vintage treble booster tone (a la Brian May), Tony mode with boosted bass and slightly scooped midrange and Hell mode with deliciously deep, dark bass and heavier grind. A master volume knob lets users match or boost levels.
Massive says that G.O.A.F. stands for Golden Order of the Alchemist Fuzz, but we think it could also mean Greatest Of All Fuzz. This pedal’s circuit is much more complex, featuring a combination of AC125 and Russian germanium transistors, and much more lurking under the hood.
It delivers highly distinctive and musical fuzz/distortion tones as well as Octavia-style octave-up fuzz effects that are engaged via a secondary footswitch in addition to the fuzz on/off footswitch. The octave-up effect can be used without fuzz and vice versa. Controls consist of master volume, tone shape, fuzz/sustain depth and timbre/tone/attack knobs.
Performance
(Image credit: Massive FX)
As a treble booster fanatic/collector, I can attest that the DallasDevilsPlay has got to be one of the most versatile Rangemaster-style pedals available today, delivering everything from classic treble booster tones to modern stoner dirt. The Tony mode is particularly impressive, nailing the sound of Iommi’s modified Rangemaster heard on early Black Sabbath albums.
The G.O.A.F. is even more versatile, providing wondrous fuzz with a smooth buzz that is highly musical and retains note-to-note definition when playing chords. The octave-up effects are classic, sounding best on a single-coil neck pickup with the volume backed slightly down. Both pedals are properly noise-free and sound best using old-school 9-volt carbon zinc (not alkaline) batteries.
Chris is the co-author of Eruption - Conversations with Eddie Van Halen. He is a 40-year music industry veteran who started at Boardwalk Entertainment (Joan Jett, Night Ranger) and Roland US before becoming a guitar journalist in 1991. He has interviewed more than 600 artists, written more than 1,400 product reviews and contributed to Jeff Beck’s Beck 01: Hot Rods and Rock & Roll and Eric Clapton’s Six String Stories.
