Tone Bender
Encyclopedia
Tone Bender is the name of several fuzzboxes. Macari's Ltd currently owns the Tone Bender trademark
. Korg
used to own Tone Bender trademarks in the 1990s
.
circuit based on the Gibson
Maestro Fuzz-Tone. Gary Hurst, a technician, began selling these in mid-1965. By September he was selling them through the Macari brothers' Musical Exchange shops.
Fuzz Face
. It is essentially a negative feedback amplifier.
This successor of the original Tone Bender was available by February 1966. It was also simply called Tone Bender but is now commonly referred to as the Tone Bender MkI.V or Mk1.5 The electronics are contained in a sand-cast aluminum enclosure with sheet metal (steel) base plate.
stage.
Sola Sound produced the circuit for Vox
, Marshall
and RotoSound
as well. These units were named Vox Tone Bender Professional MKII, Marshall Supa Fuzz and RotoSound Fuzz Box. In early 2010 another variant was discovered, called the Rangemaster Fuzzbug.
The Sola Sound and Vox version used the same sturdy metal enclosure as the MKI.V version, but with different prints.
By November 1966 the pedal was being advertised in Beat Instrumental
magazine.
After being out of production for over 40 years, the Sola Sound Tone Bender Professional MKII is available again from Macari's since 2009.
Big Muff π
.
as the MKI.V version. It was made for Vox by the Jen company in Italy
.
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
. Korg
Korg
is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments, audio processors and guitar pedals, recording equipment, and electronic tuners...
used to own Tone Bender trademarks in the 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
.
Sola Sound Tone Bender MKI
The first incarnation of the Tone Bender was a three transistorTransistor
A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify and switch electronic signals and power. It is composed of a semiconductor material with at least three terminals for connection to an external circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals changes the current...
circuit based on the Gibson
Gibson Guitar Corporation
The Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
Maestro Fuzz-Tone. Gary Hurst, a technician, began selling these in mid-1965. By September he was selling them through the Macari brothers' Musical Exchange shops.
Sola Sound Tone Bender MKI.V
This version of the Tone Bender is a two transistor circuit, very similar to the better known ArbiterDallas Arbiter
Dallas Arbiter is a company formed by the merger of John E. Dallas and Sons musical instrument company and Arbiter Electronics. Dallas Arbiter Ltd. produced a number of guitar effects which changed the ordinary sound of the electric guitar into something more noticeable...
Fuzz Face
Fuzz Face
The Fuzz Face is an effects pedal used mainly by electric guitarists, and by some bass players. It is a stompbox designed to produce a distorted sound from an electric guitar. This "fuzz" sound is sometimes compared to the sound of a damaged speaker...
. It is essentially a negative feedback amplifier.
This successor of the original Tone Bender was available by February 1966. It was also simply called Tone Bender but is now commonly referred to as the Tone Bender MkI.V or Mk1.5 The electronics are contained in a sand-cast aluminum enclosure with sheet metal (steel) base plate.
Sola Sound Tone Bender Professional MKII
The MKII Tone Bender is a three transistor circuit, based on the MKI.V version, but with an additional amplifierCommon emitter
In electronics, a common-emitter amplifier is one of three basic single-stage bipolar-junction-transistor amplifier topologies, typically used as a voltage amplifier...
stage.
Sola Sound produced the circuit for Vox
Vox (musical equipment)
Vox is a musical equipment manufacturer which is most famous for making the Vox AC30 guitar amplifier, the Vox Continental electric organ, and a series of innovative but commercially unsuccessful electric guitars and bass guitars...
, Marshall
Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...
and RotoSound
RotoSound
-History of Rotosound:Started in the late 1950's by James How -a musician and engineer by trade. How started manufacturing music strings for many famous artists across the world. Still a family run business all Rotosound strings are made in England....
as well. These units were named Vox Tone Bender Professional MKII, Marshall Supa Fuzz and RotoSound Fuzz Box. In early 2010 another variant was discovered, called the Rangemaster Fuzzbug.
The Sola Sound and Vox version used the same sturdy metal enclosure as the MKI.V version, but with different prints.
By November 1966 the pedal was being advertised in Beat Instrumental
Beat Instrumental
Beat Instrumental was a UK monthly pop and rock magazine. First published in May 1963 as Beat Monthly it became Beat Instrumental Monthly with issue 18 and Beat Instrumental from issue 37. Like the weekly Melody Maker it aimed at musicians, emphasizing instruments, production and equipment in its...
magazine.
After being out of production for over 40 years, the Sola Sound Tone Bender Professional MKII is available again from Macari's since 2009.
Sola Sound Tone Bender MKIII, IV, Tone Bender Fuzz
This is was the first version of the Tone Bender to feature a tone control. It's a three transistor circuit that came in several different enclosures. It was available under a number of different names and brands, including Vox (Tone Bender MKIII), Carlsbro (Fuzz), Park (Fuzz Sound) and CSL (Super Fuzz).Colorsound Supa Tonebender
The Supa Tone Bender is a four transistor circuit, based on the Electro-HarmonixElectro-Harmonix
Electro-Harmonix is a New York-based company that makes high-end electronic audio processors. The company was founded by Mike Matthews in 1968. They are most famous for a series of popular guitar effects pedals introduced in the 1970s and 1990s....
Big Muff π
Big Muff
The Big Muff is a fuzzbox produced in New York City by the Electro-Harmonix company, along with their Russian sister company Sovtek, primarily for use with the electric guitar...
.
Colorsound Jumbo Tone Bender
The Jumbo Tone Bender is a three transistor circuit, based on the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff π. Sola Sound made this pedal under various names, in various enclosures and for various distributors. It can be found in a narrow Colorsound enclosure with the same graphics as the late germanium Tone Benders, a wide Colorsound enclosure with different Jumbo Tone Bender graphics, in some Vox Mark III Tone Benders, in a different thin enclosure rebranded as B&M (Champion) Fuzz, B&M Fuzz Unit, CMI Fuzz Unit, G.B. Fuzz, G.B. Fuzz Unit or Pro Traffic Fuzz Unit or in a smaller enclosure labeled as the Eurotec Black Box Fuzz Module. It was also part of the Colorsound Supa Wah-Fuzz-Swell.Vox Tone Bender
The Vox Tone Bender is based on the same circuit topologyTopology (electronics)
The topology of an electronic circuit is the form taken by the network of interconnections of the circuit components. Different specific values or ratings of the components are regarded as being the same topology....
as the MKI.V version. It was made for Vox by the Jen company in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
