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Bender Fuzz (based on: Sola Sound/Vox Tone Bender)
For a long time I didn’t understand why people love fuzz and why fuzz boxes still are popular. Why would any player make his or her guitar sound “bad”, deliberately? I was such a fool and came to my senses: fuzz is great!
Fuzz was one of the first “transistorized” guitar effects. Transistors amplify the signal and when they clip, distortion is generated. When the clipping is hard instead of gradual, the distortion is harsh and buzzy, named “fuzz”. The tone of fuzz depends greatly on the type of transistor used: germanium, silicon etc. (available as Clip Types in the Drive block). Common opinion is that germanium transistors sound warmer/rounder, while silicon ones have more gain and are harsher.
The USA-made Maestro (Fractal Audio’s “Master” Drive model) was the first fuzz pedal. It became famous after being used in Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones.
Back then the idea behind fuzz boxes was not only to approach the sound of a cranked amp (many vintage non-master amps sound like a fuzz when cranked: try the Brit JM45 model with Drive at 10), but also to emulate instruments like violin, cello and organ. While the latter is open to discussion, fuzz pedals never disappeared.
In real life fuzz pedals can pose players for challenges:
So here you have it, the introduction to the almighty Tone Bender from the 60s, made by Macari’s/Sola Sound (UK). The Tone Bender name was used for their range of fuzzes, which they also licenced to JMI (Vox Tone Bender). Sola Sound later designed the Colorsound range of effects, including famous wah pedals (also modeled by Fractal Audio).
The Tone Bender was used by Jimmy Page in Whole Lotta Love. As demonstrated in the documentary It Might Get Loud (video below). Other famous users include Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck.
According to Wikipedia the first Tone Bender had 3 transistors, based on the Maestro. The 2nd edition, later named “MK1.5”, had 2 transistors, essentially a negative feedback amplifier. The Arbiter Fuzz Face and Vox/JMI Tone Bender were based on it. The Professional MKII version again contained 3 transistors, basically a MK1.5 with an additional amplifier gain stage. It's probably the most popular and most-copied design and was rebadged by Marshall as the Supa Fuzz. The MKIII had an additional Tone control, followed by the MKIV.
Lots of clones and replicas were made. D*A*M Stompboxes in the UK builds authorized authentic reissues for Macari’s, see post #2.
Macari’s:
“The Tone Bender MKI.5 is said to be the first circuit type used in any Sola Sound sand cast enclosure and the only Tone Bender made with two germanium transistors. So sonically what can you expect? The tone is a little heavier and denser when compared to that of the Professional MKII. Has some of that beefy woolliness of a good germanium Fuzz Face but still has enough cut and shove to not completely loose it in the mix. The saturation levels are lower too so works pretty neat for driving a big ballsy amplifier over the edge but never to the extent that things completely fall apart.”
"Some would say that it all about the place it holds in the world of rock’n’roll. When I demo a MKII in the shop these days I am still blown away by the sound – for me it is the epitome of great guitar tone – loads of headroom, warm fat crunch through to aggressive rock tones suitable for downtuning, then back off your volume and there are all those huge blues tones. That’s today... what it must have been like back in 1964 I can only imagine – It must have been like a spaceship landing – most people walking into Macaris back then would have only heard a fuzzbox on record – this pedal played through an old Marshall or Selmer or Vox – well, for a guitarist, it must have been life changing."
Article in Premier Guitar
Tone Bender Time Line
While it’s unclear which Tone Bender circuit has been modeled by Fractal Audio, it doesn’t matter much because it sounds just great. While Tone Benders used germanium transistors, Clip Type in Fractal Audio’s corresponding Bender model is set to "Hard", representing the circuit's hard clipping.
The Tone Bender MK1.5 and MKII are simple pedals with just two knobs:
Of course the Drive block allows us to adjust far more things: Slew, Mix, Low Cut, High Cut and other parameters are available to us. Bias in particular is a lot of fun to experiment with. But that's beyond the scope of this thread (see manual and wiki).
When the Bender is providing considerable fuzz, notes on the low E-string can get real spitty, indicating some kind of impending implosion. Nothing to worry about, that's fuzz. But if you want to change this, there’s an easy trick: first turn up Level a lot, then dial in Drive as desired, instead of the other way around.
About CPU:
Link to the list of published threads
Bender Fuzz (based on: Sola Sound/Vox Tone Bender)
For a long time I didn’t understand why people love fuzz and why fuzz boxes still are popular. Why would any player make his or her guitar sound “bad”, deliberately? I was such a fool and came to my senses: fuzz is great!
Fuzz was one of the first “transistorized” guitar effects. Transistors amplify the signal and when they clip, distortion is generated. When the clipping is hard instead of gradual, the distortion is harsh and buzzy, named “fuzz”. The tone of fuzz depends greatly on the type of transistor used: germanium, silicon etc. (available as Clip Types in the Drive block). Common opinion is that germanium transistors sound warmer/rounder, while silicon ones have more gain and are harsher.
If you want to read more about the origin of fuzz and guitar effects in general, I recommend Analog Man’s Guide to Vintage Effects, written by Tom Hughes (For Musicians Only), a joy to read.
The USA-made Maestro (Fractal Audio’s “Master” Drive model) was the first fuzz pedal. It became famous after being used in Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones.
Back then the idea behind fuzz boxes was not only to approach the sound of a cranked amp (many vintage non-master amps sound like a fuzz when cranked: try the Brit JM45 model with Drive at 10), but also to emulate instruments like violin, cello and organ. While the latter is open to discussion, fuzz pedals never disappeared.
In real life fuzz pedals can pose players for challenges:
- Germanium transistors are unreliable. The later silicon ones are more consistent but many players prefer the sound of germanium.
- Many fuzzes rely heavily on a direct connection to the guitar’s pickups. Put a buffered pedal or a Wah inbetween and you’ll often lose your beloved fuzz tone.
- Guitar pickups and the guitar’s volume also matter. Which is the beauty of fuzz.
Cliff:
"The Fuzz in the Axe-Fx reacts as though there is a buffer in front of it (because there is). It's a limitation inherent to all modeling products. I modeled it using a nominal source resistance. I forget what I used for the source resistance but it was probably around 100K ohms. To really simulate it you would need a controller to simulate the changing output impedance of the guitar.”
"The Fuzz in the Axe-Fx reacts as though there is a buffer in front of it (because there is). It's a limitation inherent to all modeling products. I modeled it using a nominal source resistance. I forget what I used for the source resistance but it was probably around 100K ohms. To really simulate it you would need a controller to simulate the changing output impedance of the guitar.”
So here you have it, the introduction to the almighty Tone Bender from the 60s, made by Macari’s/Sola Sound (UK). The Tone Bender name was used for their range of fuzzes, which they also licenced to JMI (Vox Tone Bender). Sola Sound later designed the Colorsound range of effects, including famous wah pedals (also modeled by Fractal Audio).
The Tone Bender was used by Jimmy Page in Whole Lotta Love. As demonstrated in the documentary It Might Get Loud (video below). Other famous users include Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck.
According to Wikipedia the first Tone Bender had 3 transistors, based on the Maestro. The 2nd edition, later named “MK1.5”, had 2 transistors, essentially a negative feedback amplifier. The Arbiter Fuzz Face and Vox/JMI Tone Bender were based on it. The Professional MKII version again contained 3 transistors, basically a MK1.5 with an additional amplifier gain stage. It's probably the most popular and most-copied design and was rebadged by Marshall as the Supa Fuzz. The MKIII had an additional Tone control, followed by the MKIV.
Lots of clones and replicas were made. D*A*M Stompboxes in the UK builds authorized authentic reissues for Macari’s, see post #2.
Macari’s:
“The Tone Bender MKI.5 is said to be the first circuit type used in any Sola Sound sand cast enclosure and the only Tone Bender made with two germanium transistors. So sonically what can you expect? The tone is a little heavier and denser when compared to that of the Professional MKII. Has some of that beefy woolliness of a good germanium Fuzz Face but still has enough cut and shove to not completely loose it in the mix. The saturation levels are lower too so works pretty neat for driving a big ballsy amplifier over the edge but never to the extent that things completely fall apart.”
"Some would say that it all about the place it holds in the world of rock’n’roll. When I demo a MKII in the shop these days I am still blown away by the sound – for me it is the epitome of great guitar tone – loads of headroom, warm fat crunch through to aggressive rock tones suitable for downtuning, then back off your volume and there are all those huge blues tones. That’s today... what it must have been like back in 1964 I can only imagine – It must have been like a spaceship landing – most people walking into Macaris back then would have only heard a fuzzbox on record – this pedal played through an old Marshall or Selmer or Vox – well, for a guitarist, it must have been life changing."
Article in Premier Guitar
Tone Bender Time Line
While it’s unclear which Tone Bender circuit has been modeled by Fractal Audio, it doesn’t matter much because it sounds just great. While Tone Benders used germanium transistors, Clip Type in Fractal Audio’s corresponding Bender model is set to "Hard", representing the circuit's hard clipping.
The Tone Bender MK1.5 and MKII are simple pedals with just two knobs:
- Level: controls the output level (model: Level control)
- Attack: sets the amount of fuzz (model: Drive control).
Of course the Drive block allows us to adjust far more things: Slew, Mix, Low Cut, High Cut and other parameters are available to us. Bias in particular is a lot of fun to experiment with. But that's beyond the scope of this thread (see manual and wiki).
When the Bender is providing considerable fuzz, notes on the low E-string can get real spitty, indicating some kind of impending implosion. Nothing to worry about, that's fuzz. But if you want to change this, there’s an easy trick: first turn up Level a lot, then dial in Drive as desired, instead of the other way around.
Personal note
Many of my presets have a two Drive blocks. The 2nd Drive block is set to Bender and Face Fuzz (X/Y). I prefer the Bender model for chordal work, on top of a clean or dirty Fender-ish amp model. I rely on it when playing The Black Keys, Editors, U2, White Stripes, QOTSA etc., with Drive just beneath 3 and Level at 7 or higher. Works with humbucker and single coils.
Many of my presets have a two Drive blocks. The 2nd Drive block is set to Bender and Face Fuzz (X/Y). I prefer the Bender model for chordal work, on top of a clean or dirty Fender-ish amp model. I rely on it when playing The Black Keys, Editors, U2, White Stripes, QOTSA etc., with Drive just beneath 3 and Level at 7 or higher. Works with humbucker and single coils.
About CPU:
- Fractal Audio's Drive models take up varying amounts of CPU. The Bender requires a moderate amount.
- When a Drive block is engaged, CPU percentage will rise during playing, because CPU usage is "amplitude dependent".
Link to the list of published threads
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