When we made the decision to make MKI Tone Benders again after 52 years we decided they had to be the best - so we worked with four MKI magicians - these ones were made by Steve Williams at Pigdog FX

words by David Main . . .

The 'Sola Sounds Ltd' MKI. Visually based upon the final incarnation of the MKI and the only version to sport the manufacturers moniker. A MKI produced by Stephen Williams. You know the score. Perfectly executed and what most would tonally consider the classic MKI flavor. Superbly smooth with a tight and focused fuzz tone, offering a stout and workable tone at zero Attack and a hugely saturated yet stable tone at maximum levels. Working at high volume this thing will almost play itself. The higher frequency content being centered in the upper midrange makes for a deep and brooding fuzz tone when used in conjunction with PAF style humbuckers: you are now entering Ronson territory.

The construction style is what you'd expect from Mr. Pigdog. Clean lines and a tidy house. The wire routing has a slightly more modern approach though still retains a vintage old school quality. The components are of a vintage nature, Hunts and Iskra capacitors and 2 watt Allen Bradley resistors. The transistor arrangement comprises of a single black glass OC75 and 2 x NKT OC81's.

So why the BUM FUZZ ?  - well legend has it that a 'U' sticker was put over the '&' on the original making it into the BUM Fuzz - we thought that was pretty cool so we went with it .

Part section and specification on this first run are all based exactly upon Edwyn's own personal B&M Fuzz Unit. Resistor values and even potentiometer types can vary greatly within the vintage units so performance and tone can differ greatly from one example to the next. These reissues are built with exacting attention to tonal detail so those raunchy and sleazy fuzz tones are easily achieved. The circuit's are loaded with gain selected BC184 silicon transistors that offer a very low signal to noise ratio. The fuzz tone is smooth with a broad and very even EQ balance. The lows are full and chunky, the highs a bright tangly sizzle. The available sustain goes from a dirty low gain drive tone to a full-on high energy fuzz. The Sola Sound BUM Fuzz Unit is simple but very versatile fuzz box that is equally at home with a small tube driven combo or larger high powered amplification.

RARE FIND

The Sola Sound Bum Fuzz Unit V2, AKA the 'Blue Moon'. Bum, moon, mooning... ya get it? The evil sister to the Collins Bum Fuzz. Bad attitude, aggressive tendencies, that kinda annoying loud talky thing bad drunkards do. Old timey wisdom under the hood in the form of the occult level ZETEX (ZTX) 109

Less talky more noises. Not only does this sound clip further prove that Philip is definitely a wizard but that he also possesses telekinetic and psychic abilities. 
Mind wandering, thinking - it would be kinda cool if the sound clip for the blue Bum was like an 'eavy 'eavy type of thing, hmmm, maybe I'll ask Phillip if he could do something leaning in that direction...
About an hour later...mind blown.

I'd say the above pretty much outlines the intent here. Bigger, badder, bolder. A searing blanket of fuzz with enough low end to crush bones. Bass fuzz? Why yes. Anything with lower tunings this will most certainly be friends with. That said, this isn't freakish mutant of some kinda, it is still a 70's fuzz circuit. In actuality the main reference pedal was a Eurotec Black Box Fuzz Module.

SUPER RARE FIND - Only 30 in existence. 

The D*A*M Fuzz Sound, nicknamed the 'Blue #22'....there are a few components on the board with the value of either 22 or 220, the fine folks at D.A.M. thought it was kinda like Johnny 5!?!...yea, it was funny at the time, you had to be there I guess.

Extended.

Extended is the word. David Main took the MKIV circuit and stretched it out, dense and yet bright, heavy but crisp. The EQ throw is much more open on both registers, it's a little more full range than midrange with enough amplitude to upset your neighbors neighbor.

There are elements taken from both the Grease Box and D*A*M Fuzz Sounds so this is a much more modern sounding fuzz device in many ways, but still, its an archaic circuit so the 70's flavors are very much present. It's still dirty burgers, yellow aviators and too fat an ass stuffed in blue denim. 

Super Charged.

High stability high quality components on our stock MKIV circuit board powered and lovingly smushed into your ears by a trio of NKTOC84N's, the same device as used in our turquoise and grey Tone Bender MKIV's.

Tune to taste?

That funky looking blue structure is a thumb wheel trim pot. This controls your fuzz and sustain levels. The 'factory setting' if you will, is at approx. 90%. There is a little more juice in the can if required, but under test this amount was more than ample for both single coils, humbuckers and even bass instruments. But 'tis there if you need it, fiddlers gonna fiddle.

RARE FIND

Based upon Steve's vintage two knob Park Fuzz Sound the Pigdog rendition is as the man says himself, warts n all.

Delivering a choppy fast attack with a guttural throaty bark, the stylized tones contained within the Pigdog Fuzz Sound are truly antique to the core.

Displaying an almost MKI feel in note break-up and note punctuation with pleasingly rounded highs and more than ample punch in the lower mid range. This Pigdog creation displays great tuning and biasing skills with a spookily low signal to noise ratio.

One thing to note. Tonally vintage - yes. Vintage output level - hell no! This thing can get bulldozer loud and then some.

As with both the Pigdog and D*A*M Fuzz Sound; and to be true to the vintage counter parts, the Attack control is in fact the tone filter. Yay! Go Colorsound!! The kings of mislabeled control dials.

What this means dear user is that your Pigdog Fuzz Sound is wired for maximum sustain and fuzz delivery, there is no 'set to stun' mode here. Kill or be killed. 

Collars and cuffs.

The 60's feel is felt from the inside out. A finely crafted reverse style circuit board is featured populated by juicy NOS parts with the driving force delivered by a trio of black glass OC75 germanium devices.

There is a grand total of 53 Pigdog Fuzz Sounds in total.

THE FREAKIEST TONE BENDER YET
So what's going on here exactly ?

Well , when we heard David Raingers Fuzz pedals we kind of thought they were so crazy and intense that they started where ours stopped !

So we stocked and sold his pedals and then . .

Well it seemed an obvious move to embark on a project together and in true Freakenstein style this is just a little bit different to anything else out there

Its our top selling TC Tone Bender morphed with the signature Freakenstein Fuzz

In fact it looks like out poor pedal has been invaded by some strange alien monster

Having said that they have learned to inhabit the same space and are quite happy together - in fact they compliment each other !

THE FREAKIEST TONE BENDER YET
So what's going on here exactly ?

Well , when we heard David Raingers Fuzz pedals we kind of thought they were so crazy and intense that they started where ours stopped !

So we stocked and sold his pedals and then . .

Well it seemed an obvious move to embark on a project together and in true Freakenstein style this is just a little bit different to anything else out there

Its our top selling TC Tone Bender morphed with the signature Freakenstein Fuzz

In fact it looks like out poor pedal has been invaded by some strange alien monster

Having said that they have learned to inhabit the same space and are quite happy together - in fact they compliment each other !

 . . . . i just heard them  . .. that's a nice jumper you have there  . . . . goodness me what a cool hat ! etc etc etc

A few years ago we decided to build the best Sola Sound MKII Tone Bender in the World - we used Mullard OC82D Transistors and called it the MKII Supreme - it soon became known as THE GREEN BASTARD !

So here is its logical offspring - it's been a while but we are using those green jacket OC82Ds again - possibly the best transistors known to man  = house in very elegent green and gold - still in those cases pressed by the very same tools that spouted forth the early Colorsound pedals in the 70s 

The coolest looking MKIV thus far!?!? ...yeah, yeah, yeah I said that when we did the yellow ones....and then again when we did the orange ones. Cool new project 5.6!! The Son of the Green Bastard. It had to be called that really didn't it? British Racing green paint with the mighty OC82D green jackets in the belly. High class attitude but with skeletons in the closest. 

Please note: It has the appearance of the opening scenes of the Empire Strikes Back outside today so indoor seedy looking pictures it is. Just pretend like it's 1973 and all will be okay.

The first MKIV's of 2018 and a slightly different approach. Carbon composition resistors and polypropylene capacitors replace the metal film resistors and the polyester capacitors of previous incarnations giving the SOTGB a slightly more vintagey appearance that goes hand-in-hand with the circuit set-up. 

Bias strings and amplitude. These psychedelic horrors are constructed with the 680k/100k bias network. This arrangement along with the careful selection of NOS NKT OC84N's offer your auditory processors with a rather delightful fuzz tone that is yet very much a fuzz box but with a good deal of liquidity and movement in its tonal repertoire. In other words it's not static in its dynamics or overly clumpy. This effector will handle overdriven tube amplifiers spectacularly well and has a very low noise floor even a high volume levels. The theme of function that I wanted for this project can be summed up as, flexible vintage. To accomplish this I have made two teeny tiny circuit modifications. Firstly, the tone controls treble cap was slightly increased in value to give the brighter side of the tone control a hair more volume thus making the full span of the tone control useful and capable of matching unity with the bypassed tone. Secondly, and a continuation of the above theme, the limiting resistor was slightly lowered in value enabling the MKIV of boosting volume rather than struggling to match the output of slightly hot humbucking pick-up. Subtle alterations that, to me at least, make the pedal a hair more flexible in a modern scenario.

THE BEST TONE BENDER EVER ???
A few years a go , a prototype hybrid Tone Bender turned up from our genius in residence Jake Rothman. He had taken our regular TC Tone Bender and somehow made it work with a combination of silicon transistors and some germanium NKT 214s and a germanium diode . The result was jaw-dropping - a tone bender with the sizzle and sparkle of our much loved TC but with the throaty transparency of a nasty garagey germanium unit.

Since that day the yellow Tone Bender has turned up in various guises but the one we loved the most housed a black sausage shaped OC75 - this was the one Kevin Shields from My Bloody Valentine bought , then returned the next day for four more , saying , this does something no other fuzz pedal does !!!

IT MAKES THINGS LOUDER !
Much louder !!

So the story goes that we'd made the power boost pedal - the one people refer to as the 'Gilmour and Beck' one, and everyone loved it!

Well nearly everyone

When it went to a trade show in Dallas, the Americans decided it was just about the best sounding thing ever but it looked a bit dated in its flower power orange and funky yellow imagery

So what happened?

we took the circuit , this is about 1972 , and rehouse it in a mean looking black case and called it  . . .

Well legend has it that Marc Bolan suggested the name. .OVERDRIVER

So here it is again in all its glory - the totally superb Colorsound Overdriver as used by Jeff Beck and Marc Bolan

This batch has been made by the incomparable Stu Castledine who builds our 18v Power Boost (amongst other things )

It is frankly  . . . jaw dropping !

SUPER RARE

WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE . . . .
Analogue genius has put together a bunch of our amazing Power Boost Pedals

yes the Gilmour one - yes the Jeff Beck one

BUT

they're in the Vox style Wedgie case - a manufacturing mistake on our part ( we were going to make Tone Benders n them )

This is the 9v version but interestingly , it will handle 18v if you want a bit more sparkle and headroom

The pedal itself needs little introduction - monstrous tone – shimmery glassy treble boost – huge bass boost then easing its way through crunchy overdrive into aggressive nastiness – how can anyone not LOVE that !?
 

So here it is - our current version of our classic Fuzz . The TC evolved from the 1975 Jumbo Tone Bender and although we're not using NOS parts it's still built lovingly by hand by top fuzz nerd Jake Rothman and sounds just like a vintage version - see Clint in the video below.

Our current batch have power supply inputs and LED indicator lights

If you want to hear it with your own ears the check out any mid 70s Thin Lizzy track or check out The Isleys, Bernard Butler or Primal Scream.

The origin. An expertly crafted and meticulous replication of Stuart's own vintage Tone Bender MKI, which is likely one of the, if not thee, oldest known example of a metal bodied MKI in existence. An all together different beast to our other three MKIs. If you desire the primitive well this is it. Dark, ripping, raspy, very stylistically 1960's, the FZ-1A origins are very much in play here. Heavy bottomed and well rounded with a choppy almost percussive attack. Sincerely wonderful and inspiring tones to be had at lower gain settings, dense and chewy at maximum fuzz settings. A much dryer and less saturated tone than the aforementioned devices. Clean amp at volume, big reverb, fuzz tone heaven. Mr. Castledine seriously knows his shit. The skillful approach in all areas of this pedals creation affirms this tenfold.

The assembly here is 100% old school. Old timey all the way. For all intents and purposes this is a vintage Tone Bender visually and sonically. Construction differs in that Veroboard is used over the paper based phenoilc types (Paxolin, Tufnol, etc) and there is no battery door access. Stuart's original unit is made in this way so the replication follows suit. Three black glass OC75's deliver the goods along with Arcol carbon composition resistors and Vishay and Sprague capacitors.

THE PEDAL USED BY JIMMY PAGE

This is the Sola Sound Pro MKII Tone Bender, the one we originally made in 1965, the one we supplied to Jimmy Page just before Led Zep 1, the one Dick Taylor used in the Pretty Things , the one that has been called the most important stompbox ever made 

We know many may people copy our MKII and to be honest we take it as a huge compliment ( apart from when they use our trade marks and sell their pedals using our name and history - not nice !!!!! ) 

So, it is very important to us that ours is the very finest version of the circuit available - we don't think about cost , we just go out to make the best pedal possible - we find the best sand casters to make the case , the best painters to paint it , painstakingly go through thousands of transistors ( 80% get rejected) and source the very best components. Then we employ David Main , possibly the most knowledgeable and talented pedal builder on the planet to put it all together . On top of that, with the help of the Worlds most eagle-eyed artwork man ( who we call Electric Warrior ) we have gone through an incredible process of perfecting the graphics until they are millimeter perfect. The result is what you see and hear - a beautifully built, beautiful looking, amazing sounding fuzz pedal.

We like to think this is a great tribute to our fathers - Larry and Joe Macari and to the original designer Gary Hurst 

GHOST MKI 

Like the Pigdog the construction style here is an clean and orderly presentation with a pleasing combination of more modern wiring techniques and the old timey style one would expect to see in a MKI. The transistor line-up comprises of a single CV7005 (military grade OC71) and 2 x CV7007 (military grade OC77), the military style selection being a smart move on Ian's part, really does help to keep things from going too AWOL when this thing is wide open. Capacitors are a mixture of Jupiter and ICEL Polyesters, Sprague Atom Electrolytic's. Resistors are mixture of NOS/New 1 watt and 0.5 watt Carbon comp/Carbon film types.

Crazy noisy germanium fuzz pedal for guitar. Can produce a wide range of distinctive fuzz tones from polite to full self oscillation.

Metal Distortion Pedal 

2 High Gain amp tone circuits (Tight and Loose modes)
Controls: Level, Low, High, Mid Frequencies , Mid Level, Gain.
True Bypass
Stomplock knob guards to prevent tampering or accidental knob adjustments on stage. 

Dunlop JHF1 Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Face Pedal - Perfect condition and accompanied by batteries. 

Put your best vocal tone forward:
VoiceTone T1 automatically reacts to your voice and applies studio quality dynamics and EQ to bring out your most exciting vocal tone. Now you can put a recorded sheen on your live singing without the setup and adjustment of complex equipment normally required to achieve "that sound".

In perfect condition!

The Fuzz Face Mini Germanium accurately recreates ’66-’68 era pre-silicon Fuzz Faces with slightly mismatched transistors (i.e. warm vintage fuzz) but in an all new pedalboard friendly size! So if the unwieldy shape of the original put you off you're going to love getting the classic warm 60s fuzz tone from a pedal that now fits happily on your board!

In perfect condition!

The DS-1 Distortion is a true icon in the world of guitar effects. Introduced in 1978, BOSS’s first distortion pedal defined a bold new sound, delivering hard-edged attack and smooth sustain that’s been a staple of players for generations. The DS-1 is the top-selling BOSS compact pedal ever, and its original, unchanged design continues to inspire the creation of great music everywhere. The classic DS-1 tone is behind the signature sounds of numerous rock legends, and is ready to fuel your own signature sound today.

In perfect working condition

Battery operated light overdrive. Please DM for any queries!

A classical Boss FZ-3 modified. Still a great Fuzz pedal

This is a classical Boss DS-1 Modded for a different sound. It's still a distortion with a classical 80's-90's sound

Tone, level and distortion dials. Battery included but can be plugged into mains. Leads available on request. 

Perfect retro remake. Based on the 1960's SAM ASH FUZZZ BOXX and ASTROTONE FUZZ made in New York City in 1966-68 by the Astro Amp company, it's even built from a stock of transistors from 1966. 

The Analog Man gang worked really hard to create a rounded sound, as true to the low-end as the high-end. And they've nailed it. Classic 60s fuzz and distortion.  

Loved by: Retro effects lovers the world over, seeking the characteristic fuzz of the 60s. 

In near mint condition, in original packaging, and works perfectly.

Happy to meet personally in London to hand over. And if this isn't the one for you, check out my other guitar, amp and pedal listings on Fat Llama!

Aguilar Tone Hammer Pre Amp/Pedal with agro drive

An incredible pedal - crafted (and autographed) by Roger Mayer, famed for designing pedals used by Jimi Hendrix himself.

This is an original Axis Fuzz, a rare pedal that you will be hard pressed to find anywhere!

If this isn't quite what you're looking for, please feel free to check out my other listings!

Best played LOUD. Famously warm sound. Classic blues tones, sounds like a tube amp.
Comes fully charged in it's box. Works perfectly.

Make it even louder with the DS-1 distortion pedal.
 
 Any questions just ask!

Great pedal, delivers a really smooth distortion. You can get everything from '60s fuzz to heavy metal out of it.
Works perfectly and comes will fully charged battery and box.
Other guitar pedals available - combines really nicely with the Blues Driver 2.

Any questions just ask!

Classic Zoom Multi-Effects unit. Over one hundred effects in one box. Infinite pre-set or user-set combinations. Pretty much every classic amp ever emulated. Every favourite pedal. And a brilliant digital display, which tells you exactly what (or who's) sound you've landed on. 

Really easy to use, and just the one if you prefer every sound under the sun in one box over all those pedals, and all those cables. 

In excellent condition outside and inside. A world of sonic possibilities.

Happy to meet personally in London to hand over. And if this isn't the one for you, check out my other guitar, amp and pedal listings on Fat Llama!

A brilliantly designed overdrive that takes an amp at reasonable settings, and makes it sound like it would sound if it were naturally driven to pure, smooth, tube distortion. 

It's actually two overdrive pedals in one box, each with separate controls, and internal DIP switches to vary the level of Clean, Overdrive & Distortion output. Basically the freedom to set and dial in a range of overdrive levels that you'd need 2 or 3 pedals to achieve. Modern-day classic! 

Such is the demand, and such is the Analog.Man commitment to quality hand-built production, you'll be on a 2-year waiting list for one of these beauties.  

Loved by: John Mayer, Wayne Sermon, Noel Gallagher, and many more. 

In excellent working condition, with light scuffing to the body, as you'd expect.

Happy to meet personally in London to hand over. And if this isn't the one for you, check out my other guitar, amp and pedal listings on Fat Llama!

The legendary Big Cheese, a fantastic recreation of that valve-channelled fuzz of the 60s & 70s, and some. In Lovetone's own words, "a loving homage to the nasty, buzzy yet gorgeous and harmonically rich early fuzz". 

Plenty of permutations here with the variety of tones and drive. And plenty of fun to be had: set to Cheese, turn up the Curds, and you're straight into that world of gated fuzz cut-out that runs from late 60s Stones to mid-90s Radiohead.  

One of a trio of original 1995 Lovetones owned by Henry Olsen, bass guitarist with Primal Scream, and multiple subsequent collaborations.  

Loved by: Johnny Marr, The Edge, Ed O'Brien, Colin Greenwood, Henry Olsen, and many more. 

In excellent working condition, with minor scuffing to the external case, as you'd expect. 

Happy to meet personally in London to hand over. And if this isn't the one for you, check out my other guitar, amp and pedal listings on Fat Llama!

Massive distortion pedal for heavy rock lovers everywhere. Rothwell don't make clones or repros. They make pedals from the ground up. 

And this one has everything you need, from boost to full-on distortion for a truly huge heavy rock sound, rhythm or lead. This one should be cloned by other pedal builders!  

Loved by: Heavy rock guitarists that want to push it to 11. 

In excellent condition, with only some light minor staining to the case exterior.

Happy to meet personally in London to hand over. And if this isn't the one for you, check out my other guitar, amp and pedal listings on Fat Llama!

It's just a graphic equalizer, it's just a row of frequency sliders. Which is what I thought when I first plugged this in. But start to experiment with it and you're hooked. From thin & reedy (think Nutbush City Limits) to full-fat cream, can make any guitar sound like any guitar. As a floor-pedal graphic equalizer, it takes a lot of beating.  

Loved by: Gary Moore, Bob Dylan (for his vocals!), Adrian Belew, and The Chemical Brothers - quite a range! 

In near-perfect condition and original DC adaptor. Great fun to experiment with.

Happy to meet personally in London to hand over. And if this isn't the one for you, check out my other guitar, amp and pedal listings on Fat Llama!

Famed and loved for his beautiful custom amps, Reinhold Bogner has taken it all one step further with a limited range of pedals designed with audio pioneer Rupert Neve (whose equipment has underpinned recordings as diverse as Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" and Nirvana's "Nevermind"). 

And the result: "fire-breathing pandemonium". Nice touch too with the central jewel lamp that reacts to the dynamics of your playing.  

Loved by: Lovers of beautifully engineered design, lovers of rich tone and dynamic distortion. 

A small scratch on the front panel, but otherwise in perfect condition - and a great crystal-clear distortion pedal from two sonic masters in partnership.

Happy to meet personally in London to hand over. And if this isn't the one for you, check out my other guitar, amp and pedal listings on Fat Llama!

More often seen in purple, this is one of a Limited Edition run of 300 Riots in metallic green, with lovely cream vintage control knobs. 

All the quality and versatility you'd expect from the Suhr brand. Lovely range from overdrive to full-on distortion, and some very nice modulation from dynamic to high gain vintage with the 3-way voice toggle.  

Loved by: The ones that need that little bit more, not just overdrive, but a heavy sprinkling of distortion on top, pretty please. 

Light scuffing to case, but otherwise in perfect and awesome-sounding condition.

Happy to meet personally in London to hand over. And if this isn't the one for you, check out my other guitar, amp and pedal listings on Fat Llama!

Here’s my Deluxe Bass Big Muff. One of my absolute favourite pedals. It is the latest in the line of EHX bass specific effects. Like the other Bass Big Muff pedals, this pedal can also be used by guitarists, providing more sounds and versatility than the traditional Big Muff Pi.

It delivers enhancements to the classic Bass Big Muff Pi that are specifically tailored to the needs of the modern bass player and gives you more tone shaping options than ever before. A -10dB pad is switchable on the input, which will cater both active and passive pickup users. Advanced tone blending controls allow you to perfectly balance the dry and wet signal outputs, with a choice of XLR and 1/4" jack outputs to get the perfect sound to your back line.

Heavy distortion pedal. Works great for bass guitar.

SOLA SOUND MK I TONE BENDER BY STEVE WILLIAMS - Pigdog MK1 - Fuzz Box - Distortion Unit

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SOLA SOUND MK I TONE BENDER BY STEVE WILLIAMS - Pigdog MK1 - Fuzz Box - Distortion Unit

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