Tone Bender is the name of several fuzzboxes. David Andrew Main of D*A*M Stompboxes currently owns the Tone Bender trademark. Korg used to own Tone Bender trademarks in the 1990s.
Sola Sound Tone Bender MKI
The first incarnation of the Tone Bender was a three
transistor 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.
Sola Sound Tone Bender MKI.V
This version of the Tone Bender is a two transistor circuit, very similar to the better known
Arbiter Fuzz Face. 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.
Sola Sound Tone Bender MKIII, IV, V
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.
Colorsound Supa Tonebender
The Supa Tone Bender is a four transistor circuit, based on the
Electro-Harmonix Big Muff π.
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 thin 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
topology as the MKI.V version. It was made for Vox by the Jen company in
Italy.
References
External links
D*A*M - Differential Audio Manifestationz
Macari's Musical Instruments of London
Fuzz Central - Sola Sound ToneBender Professional MKII; schematics
Fuzz Central - Colorsound Jumbo Tonebender; schematic
Fuzz Central - Vox Tone Bender; schematics
Category:Effects units
