Variable frequency boost
The Rickinator
Built to cut through the mix regardless of instrumentation or room configuration — without ripping off faces in the front row.
What it does
Every room is a different argument. Different band, different stage, different night, and the frequency that lets your guitar through the wall changes every single time. A plain volume boost doesn't help with that — it just makes the same problem louder.
The Rickinator takes elements of a parametric EQ, tailored specifically to guitar, and combines them with an overall boost. You find the frequency that gets you heard in this room, lean on it, and bring the level up behind it. That's the whole idea.
Dialling it in
Start with the Level at unity gain, fully counter-clockwise. Add a little Boost — or Cut, if that's what the room wants. Then use the Center control to sweep through the frequency range until you land on the setting that works with your rig. Once it's sitting right, roll the Level up until you reach the boost volume you want.
If all you need is a clean boost, leave Cut/Boost and Center at twelve o'clock and use the Level on its own. It'll do that job perfectly well and stay out of the way.
There's also an internal trim pot that sets the width of the resonant frequency curve — how narrow or broad the affected band is. Adjust it to taste, screw the back on, and never give it another thought.
Controls
- Cut / BoostDecreases or increases the specified range of frequencies, along a logarithmic curve.
- CenterShifts the centre of the affected frequencies. This is the one you sweep to find your spot in the mix.
- LevelIncreases the post-effect volume boost.
- On / OffSwitches the effect in and out.
- Internal trim potSets the width of the resonant frequency curve. Set it once and forget it.
Where it goes
Ideally most of your effects sit before the boost, which normally makes the Rickinator the last piece of gear in the chain, right before your amplifier. That way it's lifting the finished sound rather than pushing something further down the line into places you didn't ask for.
Plugging a 1/4" cable into the input grounds the negative power terminal, which is what switches the unit on. Unplug it when you're done and it's off.
Build
Like every TEN Effects pedal, the Rickinator is true-bypass — when it's off, the signal is mechanically routed around the active circuit. That switching is done with relays rather than a traditional mechanical stomp switch, so there's no click coming through your amp when you kick it in.
The enclosure is rugged, with a custom anodized aluminium faceplate and laser-etched graphics, built to take years of use. I soldered, sanded, polished and tested it myself. Every unit gets my full attention, and my only hope is that you love it as much as I do.
Specifications
| Power requirement | 9V DC |
|---|---|
| Power connector | 2.1mm barrel |
| Polarity | Tip / negative (−) |
| Audio connector | 1/4" phone |
| Current draw | ~40mA |
| Dimensions | (h) 4.4" × (w) 2.6" × (d) 2.1" |
| Bypass | True-bypass, relay switched |