VS Audio's Jangle Master AC30 Top Boost style Preamp and Marshall Silver Jubilee style Platinum Preamp take on the mantle of slots #18 and #19 in my Pedal Chain

Controls - TOP BOOST } Gain, Bass, Treble, Boost Footswitch; BOOST TYPE } Treble Boost / Clean Boost; MASTER } Volume, High Cut, Main Bypass Footswitch. Plus internal Presence Trim-Pot (default set to Min / CCW).

I've actually further tweaked my preferences since I did the original review.

I referenced the following settings then : Gain @ 3 o'c, Bass @ 3 o'c, Treble @ Max, and Volume on Max, with High-Cut dialled all the way back. I had also adjusted the internal Presence trimmer - where it was raise circa 2mm from FCCW - but I decided even that was too much, and dialled it back down to circa 1mm from Minimum values - which feels perfect!

My new settings are now Gain @ Noon, Bass @ Noon, Treble @ 3 o'c, Volume on Max, and High Cut on Minimum - so substantially different settings all-round - those definitely deliver a better balanced output.

So I have the core saturated Brian May sound that I so love, it's not quite the same as the slightly more searing tone of the Tanabe May Queen, but still has a wonderful saturated texture to it. Do be careful how you adjust the Presence Trim-Pot through - that really just needs the tiniest of movements, if any at all - for most it's going to be best in the default FCCW position.

It's a little funny too with certain settings in how the Treble Booster section doesn't seem to add too much on top of the main saturation - it more adds certain harmonic textures, not always the kind of sear you associate with the deployment of certain Range Masters. A number of RangeMasters I have are quite a bit more visceral and full on - while VS Audio have somewhat refined that for use on the Jangle Master - it's definitely been somewhat tamed. Also with certain Range Masters you get a lot more volume output with that added, while in how this pedal works - it is mainly in the harmonics and texture department.

There's certainly a lot of different tones onboard - right across the gain scale, and at times you can really feel the impact of that Triad Magnetics MIL-T-27E Audio Transformer - which does much to add further dynamics to the output profile.

I do have a few pedals now with audio transformers onboard - including that wood facia lineup for Bogner - and there's a distinctive feel and textural element within a pedal's output profile when the circuit is augmented by an audio transformer.

As I said previously - I well understand all the logic behind how and why the pedal was engineered in the way it was - for a core darker tonality to match those original source vintage Vox AC30 amps. All those decisions make a lot of sense, while the final outcome isn't necessarily entirely optimised for use within my own rig, where interestingly the Platinum Preamp is totally perfect for my rig - whose details are up next!

I still think the Jangle Master is a rather masterful take on its Vox source amp - while there is one slight flaw in its makeup that prevents it from being 100% compatible with my pedal chain!

Controls - Input Gain, Presence switch, Output Master, Bass, Middle, Treble, Bypass, Lead.

So the immediate aspect that I quickly became aware of with the Platinum Preamp - is just how much range there is onboard. You've got really amazing extension in every direction - with wholly plentiful volume and gain, as well as expanded EQ-range / shapeability! I was instantly impressed with the potency of this pedal.

I actually acquired the Platinum Preamp at the same time as the Jangle Master - both went on the board at exactly the same time, and by quirk of exactly how and when I wired them up - I actually played the Platinum first - which made the difference in output between the two pedals much more evident.

For the Platinum Preamp I was somehow far more attuned to its working - and was able to dial it in within a lightening fast time. Really for me - the Platinum was instant satisfaction, while I needed to work a little bit more to get to the same sort of optimal tones out of the Jangle Master.

I guess the control topology is a little more straightforward for the Platinum Preamp - while the Jangle Master, in taking after its source amp is a little more quirky. For pedal engineers there's always that balancing act between trying to be as authentic to the original as possible while also delivering the most usable effect and control interface. Several of my voxy pedals have that Baxandall plus High Cut topology - which doesn't necessarily make that much sense for humbucker style guitars - you pretty much have the High Cut permanently set to Minimum - which means it's kind of a waste of a control knob in many ways. If you have a control knob dialled 'Off' all the time near enough - then it's surely surely surplus to requirements - and you would have been better off with a more conventional 3-Band EQ most likely!

Everything with the Platinum Preamp comes really easy - as I mentioned - it really was a case of instant satisfaction where those dials have been in a few different arrangements already, but are currently mostly stuck on :

Input Gain @ 9 o'c, Presence : On, Output Master @ 3 o'c, Bass @ Noon, Middle @ 10 o'c, and Treble @ Noon. Both Rhythm and Lead outputs sound amazing! And the fact that my preferred Gain occurs at 9 o'c - points to just how potent that side of the pedal is.

The Platinum Preamp is very much one of my favourite Marshall pedal - and right up there with a number of my other favourite MIAB types.

The Platinum Preamp is totally perfect for me as is, while the Jangle Master needs that little bit more juice on the output volume!

I'm glad to have both on the board in any case!