Naga Viper
Catalinbread Naga Viper Treble Booster. Developed by Catalinbread to emulate the Trebleboosters/Range Masters of the 1960s with the following acknowledged design constraints:
- The germanium transistors that were ubiquitous in the 1960s are no longer reasonably available, and
- Provide additional controls to the pedal for maximum versatility.
Controls
- Knob 1 - "Range": Sets the tonal range for the boost; turning clockwise increases treble.
- Knob 2 - "Boost": Sets the volume level of the boost; turning clockwise increases boost.
- Knob 3 - "Heat": Sets the ??? level of the ???. Gotta plug this thing in and see WTH it does. It's been a while.
- Footswitch 1 - "On/Off": toggle the pedal on and off.
Bypass:True
The Naga Viper is True Bypass.
General Information
YOOZE IT LIKE TOE-KNEE TO BOOST YER TOOB AMPS! (yes, we'll be back to correct this!)
Pedal Manual
http://www.catalinbread.com/manuals/NAGAmanual.pdf
Phase Inversion: Yes
Not having a schematic, but being able to review a layout of the Catalinbread Naga Viper PCB, we can confirm two things:
- The Naga Viper has a single transistor, and
- The path through the transistor to the output is from base to collector, not base to emitter.
We can therefore state affirmatively that this pedal inverts phase. We will shortly update this article with some pictures that demonstrate this signal flow to show that this pedal inverts phase.
| Schematic ID | Electronic Part | Action | Phase State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 2N2222 | Inverts | Inverted |
Schematic
None available!
We compared the parts and layout of a Naga Viper with the schematic of the Serpent Boost from Rullywow. The name Serpent Boost suggests it's a clone of the Naga Viper, but our inspection shows that it's not a clone, but a similar work-alike. Until we draw, or someone else draws and submits to us a schematic for posting here, we don't have a schematic. We can examine the layout (not the schematic) of the Naga Viper to come to a conclusion about phase inversion. However, we know that most boosts have just one transistor. The layout shows just one transistor, so it's not unreasonable to conclude that the single transistor inverts phase. We'll keep on the lookout for a schematic.
Artists
We are currently unaware of any artists actively using the pedal now, or who have in the past.
- Additional Sources
