In this series we already covered the bender fuzz model, based on the tone bender from the 60s, made by macarissola sound uk. Vox tone bender this popular fuzz sold like hot cakes and was marketed from the spring of 1966, as oemrelease produced by solasound. Tone bender pro mkii fuzz now directconnect compatible, though the image doesnt show the updated pcb alltime classic fuzz. Colorsound tone bender mk iii clone project documentation.
Twin bender has a long list of features that make it the most versatile and user friendly tone bender available. We later started making a 3 transistor mkiv sun bender. For a simple and great sounding tonebender, build the silicon transistor version. My early experiences with the colorsound tonebender professional mark ii were a long and confusing ordeal, with no real answers to show for it. Dam 1965 tone bender mk i replica guitar effects pedal demo duration.
Produced by sola sound in reasonably small amounts, you are more likely to pickup rocking horse sht than one of these. Sola sound and vox had been using the same circuit topology for their tone bender pedals earlier in 1966. Mk1 tonebender fuzz owners what do you consider to be. Keeley fuzz bender 3 transistor hybrid fuzz pedal white. The mk ii is about the same circuit as an old marshall supafuzz, you can hear the comparison below.
Tone bender mk1 on perfboard exact repro, full offboard shielded wiring. Colorsound tonebender mark ii replica complete kit. Sola sound ltd tonebender mki hornby skewes zonk machine dam fz673 the sola sound tone bender mki was one of the first fuzz pedals available in the uk. Korg used to own tone bender trademarks in the 1990s. I first built the circuit, using steve daniels schematic, in may 2001. As only difference, the input and outputcapacitors were kept. A good tone bender has everything to do with how the builder doesnt tune it.
The one that started it all, the legendary mk1 tonebender. The jfuzz is a faithful recreation of the wellknown early 70s jennings fuzz, equipped with the original silicon transistors from. Yes there would be less artifacts in the decay of bone bender as compared with typical mk1 circuits and. I just built one like this too with the pulldown capresistor. Boutique guitar effects pedals and music instruments by kasleder fx, handmade for musicians, anywhere in the world. The circuit itself predates the fuzz face, which means that the famous arbiter electronics fuzz face was probably based on this circuit. Fitted with 3 nos germanium transistorsthe huge amount of sustain comes from those germanium transistors. Diode schematic symbol and actual picture of a common 1n914 diode the black stripe in the picture is the cathode. Tone bender mkii professional oc75 germanium transistors. Tonebenders for dummies page 2 telecaster guitar forum. A transistor consists of two pn junctions formed by sandwiching either ptype or ntype semiconductor between a pair of opposite types. Rob mcnelley bob seeger band fuzzing it up in nashville turns it on at 1. The circuit is based on the shuntseriesfeedback amplifier topology a standard in engineering textbooks. Earthquaker devices park vintage germanium fuzz tone.
Several versions would come out after the sola sound tone bender was first introduced. There is some controversy of when and where the 2transistor topology appeared. The circuit schematic symbol of a diode is shown in figure 5. Professional mkii tone bender oc81d british pedal company. The mki was a three transistor circuit that was based upon the gibson built maestro. The fuzz face is particularly similar to the sola sound unit known today as the mk1. Note that voxjmi engineer and vox distortion booster designer dick. Best guitar effects is a community for people who love making music with guitar, pedals, and effects. Im a huge fan of way huge, so i want to try the havelina. Others recommend bc108s and bc109s because they appeared in early silicon fuzz faces. Electroharmonix muff fuzz crying tone fuzz guitar effect.
Hi there, for the sparkle face and bone bender research projects i have. The prescription electronics yard box the prescription electronics yard box is a more recent take on the sola sound tonebender 3knob. The fuzz face predecessor the vox tonebender was another pedal in the tonebender series, but it differs from most because of its greatly increased treble response and two transistor circuit. The only difference is that the 2200pf capacitor in the tone control section was changed to 2000pf. The tone is a little heavier and denser when compared to that of the professional mkii. It consisted of the twostage amplifier circuit of the solasound tone bender mk1. The bpc mkii tone bender oc81d is a detailed replica of the 1966 professional mk ii tone bender pedals created by gary hurst. Looking at the timeline, the fuzz boxes were likely the new mki tone benders, but gary claimed in 2010 that one was the twotransistor tone bender we now call the mk1. Hence comparing the schematic symbol to the pn junction in figure 4, we see the anode is the ptype semiconductor and the cathode is the ntype semiconductor.
The park fuzz sound is a germanium fuzz from the tone bender family that produces a brighter, almost distortionlike tone compared to. Best tone bender fuzz distortion guitar effects pedal. Looking at the timeline, the fuzz boxes were likely the new mki tone benders. The kit includes everything you need if you use silicon transistors. Designed by gary hurst it was the british response to the american made gibson maestro fuzz tone fz1. This my tone bender mkii professional oc75 germanium transistors pedal that is listed on ebay. Influenced by the landmark tone bender mkii that was used by jeff beck and jimmy page in the yardbirds and its all over the first led zeppelin lp. Mkiv is more saturated and early 1970s sounding, and has a tone control that can go from. Colorsound tonebender mark ii professional this is the classic, vintage colorsound tonebender mark ii professional. The instructions are the pdf files he has online, you have to sort out your resistors etc yourself. This isnt about particular brands of pedals, but the circuits they employ. Here are the 3knob tone bender versions that can be built on the pcb for this project. Semiconductors module 3 bipolar junction transistors semiconductors module 3 pdf 3 e.
Used by jeff beck, jimmy page and famously also used by mick ronson, the mk1 really has its own distinctive tone. If you want to build a germanium transistor version, you can get your own transistors small bear carries them. A heavily modified version of the tone bender mk1 circuit. This is the very first one from the whole family, originally build point to point on perfboard.
The kit contains all the parts to make a great sounding npn silicon transistor version of a colorsound tone bender mark ii. Since this is a positiveground circuit, it requires pnpstyle transistors. The tone bender timeline history the big muff pi page. Recorded using a flip video camcorder, fender custom shop esquire and fender pro junior amp. Ive noticed that 2g381 loaded mkis tend to gate more, but thats just because generally the 2g381 is an extremely crappy transistor. Ac188 datasheet, equivalent, cross reference search. Dallasarbiters original fuzz face 1966, uk is based on the tone bender mk1. Colorsound tone bender mk ii project documentation. Below is the schematic of the vox tonebender mkiii thanks to stuart castledine for the schematic. It was my fifth or six fuzz, following two fuzz faces. Designed by gary hurst it was the british response to the. Twelve germanium fuzz circuits compared and analyzed.
The first incarnation of the tone bender was a three transistor circuit based. Colorsound tonebender mark ii professional general. Sun bender mkiv this fuzz pedal is a blueprinted version of the old sola sound colorsound vox tonebenders that had three germanium transistors and a. Colorsound tonebenders 3knob general guitar gadgets. Bender tonebender analogman sunface fulltone 70 fuzz analogman sun triangle big muff boss fz2 hyper fuzz sovtek green russian big muff sun face fuzz analogman nkt275 rams head big muff electro harmonix sovtek big muff pi vintage germanium fuzz black russian big muff fulltone 69 fuzz sunface fuzz skreddy style fuzz super fuzz guitar vintage univox super. Macaris ltd, who also own the sola sound brand, and who have built and sold the pedals since 1965 now own the tone bender trademark. Click the button below to add the transistor set 3knob tone bender npn generic to your wish list. There are the three variations of the mark ii professional. Kasleder fx boutique effects pedals music intruments. Germanium transistors tone benders and similar page 1. Biasing part of the characteristic sound of the tone bender mk ii is the uneven bias. The concept of the british pedal company is to deliver classic british effects to a modern market in a choice of authentic vintage enclosures or compact modern enclosures using the correct transistors and circuit designs of the original iconic effects to the highest quality possible.
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