# How well do Tonebenders clean up?



## gtone (Nov 1, 2009)

Most fuzzes to me are pretty much "one trick ponies" or a bit of a novelty unless they can clean up well like a nicely dialed-in germanium Fuzz Face circuit, for instance. Must confess - I've never owned or even played through a Tonebender circuit. Every demo of them shows them pretty much dimed, so my question is this - do these pedals clean up well or is that just defeating their purpose?


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

It depends on what you call "cleaned up". The Tonebender does clean up, but in my experience (I only own a tonebender clone) it's still quite splatty in low attack mode which is definitely an acquired taste for some I'm sure. Personally, I think the Tonebender circuit sounds great either way, but if you're not into splatty fuzzes, then this one's not for you.


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## zdogma (Mar 21, 2006)

Yeah, not that well. I usually switch on/off, using the volume knob doesn't work for me.


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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

Steve moratto built a version it works fantastic at reducing gain/fuzz with volume . It also acts as a compressor and going while just cleaning up the guitars sound.


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

My MJM Brit Bender and EQD Tone Reaper cleaned up pretty well. Clean being in "low gain OD / Fuzz "territory. 

My Colorsound Supa Tone Bender doesn't really clean up at all, sort of like the Big Muffs I've used. I assume it's a Germanium vs Silicon thing.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

I have a kit I've yet to build that's supposedly a decent Mki Bender but I'll wait for a rainy day.... 3 more years from now.

For those of you who have experienced more than one of these pedals, what's been your favourite?


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## gtone (Nov 1, 2009)

hardasmum said:


> My MJM Brit Bender and EQD Tone Reaper cleaned up pretty well. Clean being in "low gain OD / Fuzz "territory.
> 
> My Colorsound Supa Tone Bender doesn't really clean up at all, sort of like the Big Muffs I've used. I assume it's a Germanium vs Silicon thing.


Wow - my '77 Big Muff Pi cleaned up quite well. Went from a violin tone dimed down to a fuzzier tone rolled back, never quite got the gritty OD tones you'd get from a rolled back FF like a Fulltone '69/Ge AM Sunface, however, but useful all the same.


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## Mr Yerp (Feb 24, 2006)

While my clone doesn't clean up all that well, it behaves a bit more with singles rather than humbuckers, as expected.
That being said, I just love this pedal, and it was made by our very own Keto.
Great pedal!


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## JerS (Jun 16, 2014)

A decent tonebender MKII will clean up to a nice chunky OD/rhythm sound when using single coils and rolling the vol knob back. In my experience they will not go to the sparkling cleans of say a Fuzz Face. I find the tonebender to be a really terrific and versatile circuit once tuned in. Germanium or silicon versions can both sound great. Adding an external bias control for the third transistor really adds a wide range of possible sounds.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

I have a SkinPimp MKIII, cleans up really well.
One of the best fuzz that I've tried for cleaning up.

It'll go from a mild O/D up to a roar!

Looks like they'll be putting out a Limited edition again, that's what I have.


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

What type of Tonebender are you inquiring about? There are several models which are all very different - MK1, MK1.5 MK2, MK3/4 and the various takes on those models.


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## gtone (Nov 1, 2009)

Any/all. Which ones clean up the best/worst in your experience?


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

First off, the transistor selection - in terms of both the transistor type and the specific devices' properties - will have an impact on the pedal and there can be a huge variety to be had. Hell, even the same type of transistor can sound a lot different from device to device. In my books this is why some builders have a better reputation that others and it is certainly part of what a player should be thinking about when deciding what pedal to purchase. Some builders "paint by the numbers" whereas others have put in the time and energy to develop their ear and preferences along with their building technique. As a caveat, you can build any one of these circuits to respond differently or tailor them to the player's preferences. It is a matter of give and take. 

The traditional take on the MK3/4 is not meant to be clean. You can get many shades of fuzz from them but they do not shine at cleaning up like a Fuzz Face.

The MK2 is the same idea. You can clean it up with your guitar's volume control but not like a Fuzz Face. However, you can tune them to be more responsive.

The MK1 is a fickle beast. You can build them anywhere from gated, spitty and nasty to refined and all out mean and everywhere in between. There is good reason why these are not made extensively. Getting them to work properly can be a chore and building a great sounding pedal can be difficult.

The MK1.5 is basically a Fuzz Face with different values involved.


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