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S E P T E M B E R 1 8 T H , 2 0 1 5 W E E K L Y

P L A Y ‘ T I L Y O U R F I N G E R S B L E E D
ANALOG
For more info visit
BossUS.com/WazaCraft

SD-1W
Super Over Drive
TABLE OF CONTENTS ISSUE 93 SEPTEMBER 18TH

10 TONE TALK
TREMOLO LABORATORIES
FOR MAD TONE SCIENTISTS
20 TONE TALK
VASTLY UNDERRATED
(AND NOT CURRENTLY
MADE) CHEAP PEDALS:
REVISITED 10
34 TONE TALK
8 VINTAGE-STYLE PAFS TO
SUPER-SIZE YOUR TONE
44 TONE TALK
THE PHENOMENON OF
FRFR: THE WAVE OF 20 34 44
THE FUTURE

52 EARTHQUAKER DEVICES
DUNES
56 ROLAND
JC-40 JAZZ CHORUS
60 DEATH BY AUDIO
WAVEFORMER DESTROYER 52
64 TOMKAT PEDALS
BENDER FUZZ

56 60 64
6 ToneReport.com
Less is more

U D IO DESIG
TA NS
ET
J . ROCK

SPRING REVERB
 O
ne of the beautiful things
about tremolo is that it can be
as simple or as complex an
effect as one wants it to be.
Many wonderful sounding trem pedals
get by on two knobs or less, while the
most complex models seem to require an
associate’s degree in engineering (or at
least some serious woodshedding with the
owner’s manual) to operate competently.
For being based on such a fundamental
10 TONE TALK // Tremolo Laboratories for Mad Tone Scientists
concept as volume modulation, it can
be a gloriously multifaceted effect when
all possible parameters are in play and
available for tweaking. Of course, many
players prefer to keep things simple and
easy to dial in, and for these guitarists, the
basic two-knob, amp-style bias tremolo
usually satisfies their needs. For the
frustrated scientists among us, though,
the many-knobbed, fully featured, tremolo
mini-laboratory is the only way to go.
This type of trem pedal, one which offers
up every possible control parameter at
the user’s feet and fingertips, is a relatively
new development, with the last several
years seeing the release of many such
effects. Beyond advanced versions of
the basic speed and depth controls that
tremolos have had since the beginning,
more complex units typically feature
controls that provide comprehensive
governance over the LFO, with several
wave shapes and the means to mangle
and twist them in various ways. Expression
control, tap tempo, and a dirt component
are other relatively common elements
of the new breed of tremolo. With such
a broad and comprehensive range of
controls, a pedal like that can really take
one to into virgin, unexplored tremolo
territory rather quickly. Let’s take a look
at some of the most intriguing compact
tremolo laboratories available today.
ToneReport.com 11
 Chase Bliss Audio Gravitas
Chase Bliss Audio has a knack for taking
classic effects and squeezing every last drop
of tone tweaking potential from them, giving
the user unprecedented control over every
parameter, and putting a unique spin on
sounds that would otherwise be common and
familiar. That the company manages to do this
while still keeping tonal purity at the forefront
is a minor miracle. Chase Bliss’s Gravitas
Analog Tremolo marries a pristine, completely
analog signal path (based on the Analog
Devices AD823 op-amp) to a powerful digital
control brain, for a pedal that can sound as
classic and swampy as any vintage tube amp
trem, but has a control set that will boggle
the mind. That being said, it’s a fairly easy
pedal to just plug in—without looking at the
manual—and dial up a good sound, even if it
might take some old fashioned book-learnin’
to wrap one’s brain around the more advanced
features. Speaking of advanced features,
there are many. The bank of tiny DIP switches
on top is a dead giveaway this tremolo box
goes all the way and then some. I couldn’t
possibly cover all the options here, but among
its unique powers is the ability to mix, match,
and blend sine, triangle, and square waves
any which way one might desire, and then
alter the blend point with the “sway” knob,
which can result in some very inspiring and
innovative sounds. Then there’s the ramping,
tap and expression control, MIDI, momentary
bypass, and innumerable other tone warping
tools at one’s disposal. For the truly devious
tremolo torturer, Chase Bliss Audio’s Gravitas
is a must-have.

12 TONE TALK // Tremolo Laboratories for Mad Tone Scientists

Boss SL-20 Slicer
Boss’s TR-2 Tremolo is a simple and classic
stompbox, and while the company’s SL-20
Slicer isn’t nearly so simple, it’s definitely a
future classic. The Slicer is a less a tremolo
pedal, and more a robot samurai that draws its
wakizashi upon your guitar signal and precisely
cuts it into slivers before your eyes. These
slivers are then fed back to you transformed
and totally re-grooved into a form you could
not have previously fathomed. The Slicer has
fifty patterns in its repertoire of chops and
stutters, as well as a “Harmonic Slice” function
that not only creates a rhythmic groove from
the original signal, but also generates a
melodic element based on the notes played
into it. Controls include Attack, Duration, and
separate Effect and Direct Level knobs, Tempo
(which can be controlled via knob or tap), and
buttons for selecting from several luscious
stereo modes. As if that wasn’t enough to
keep one busy for a lifetime, the Slicer also
features an onboard 40-second looper,
allowing the user to create a sliced loop and
then play live over the top of it, which opens
up tremendous creative potential for the
clever instrumentalist. The Boss SL-20 Slicer is
much more than just a tremolo pedal. If given
the opportunity, it will do an awful lot of the
work of making music for you, but like a good
robot, it always lets you take all the credit. 

ToneReport.com 13
 Z. Vex Super Seek Trem
The name Z. Vex is practically synonymous
with innovation at this point, so when a new
Z. Vex pedal is released it’s safe to assume
that it’s going to do something surprising and
make sounds that have never been heard
before. The Super Seek Trem isn’t exactly like
that, because it’s really just a highly expanded
version of Z. Vex’s groundbreaking original
Seek Trem (which was totally like that). The
original featured an eight-step sequencer
that generated a wide range of alien tremolo
tones, as well as some other, less easy-to-
classify tones, such as long volume swells
and echo-like sounds. The Super Seek Trem
kicks this formula up a few notches, adding
another eight steps to the sequencer, for 16
total. You can select any number of steps for
the sequence, allowing the player to tailor
the rhythm to the time signature, even if it’s a
wacky one. It also adds a metric ton of control
options, from expression and tap controls,
to MIDI sync, a hold function, glissando
control, and eight user programmable presets.
The Z. Vex Super Seek Trem is a complex,
multi-faceted tremolo playground for the
budding trem scientist, but it also can do
some surprisingly mellow, throbby, and classic
sounding tremolo tones, so less adventurous
knob-twisters should not be put off by its
futuristic appearance and multitudinous
knobs. It’s available in a Vexter Series version,
or the hifalutin hand-painted model. 

14 TONE TALK // Tremolo Laboratories for Mad Tone Scientists

Spaceman Voyager I
Analog Optical Tremolo
Portland, Oregon’s own Spaceman Effects
has built its reputation on no-compromise
build quality, sonic innovation, and small
batches of handmade pedals that are expertly
designed with the intent to get pedals nerds’
hearts palpitating furiously.  Spaceman’s latest
creation creates palpitations of a different
kind as well, derived from a gorgeous optical
circuit that applies all manner of delicious,
artful tremulations to a guitar signal. This
creation is the Voyager I Analog Optical
Tremolo, and besides looking incredible and
sounding superb, it is blessed with a dynamic
control set that offers the compulsive knob
tweaker a lot of possibilities. It has some fairly
normal controls, including speed and depth,
as well as gain and level knobs for generating
some dirt, and a filter knob for transitioning
smoothly between varying degrees of warm
and mellow,  or sparkling and defined. The
real fun happens when the envelope control
section is engaged, however, as the Voyager
will then begin reacting dynamically to the
input. The envelope’s Freq setting causes
the LFO speed to ramp up as you play more
aggressively, slowing down as you back off
the windmilling and play with a more gentle
touch. Switch to the Fade setting, and the
effect fades out as your picking hand becomes
more manic, fading back in when it begins to
calm. This kind of dynamic response makes
the Spaceman Voyager I tremolo more fun
than a barrel of monkeys, and a top pick for
tremolo addicts looking for a fresh fix.

ToneReport.com 15
 100% analog
signal path with
unprecedented
digital control.

This tremolo pedal features an all-analog signal path

that can do any variety or shape of standard volume
modulation, harmonic tremolo (inspired by vintage
Brownface) or both simultaneously for a truly unique
and beautiful tremolo sound. Since the control of the
effect is digital, it opens up unprecedented effects
and features that have never been heard or offered
in analog stompboxes. chaseblissaudio.com
MUSIC
The Bitmap is a bitcrusher with
fractional bit reduction. Transform
melodies into video game music
with aliasing and quantization
noise. Add the warmth and grit of
a 12-bit sampler or crush your
guitar with 1-bit fuzz.

www.redpandalab.com

Explore New Sound.

 FREEPEDALFRIDAY
S EYE SEE PI
PRESENTED BY

EATURES

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 VASTLY
UNDERRATED
(and not currently made)

Discovering old albums that were

released during one’s youth is an
exhilarating experience. Shopping at used
record stores is a great way to ignite the nostalgia engine and
wonder what might have been. The same goes for guitar pedals.
For all the forgotten or never-known artists begging for a listen as
the industry grows larger, there are dust-covered pedals just the
same, waiting to be rediscovered. These, friends, are more pedals
that are more than worth the time to locate.

Cheap Pedals:
REVISITED

Words by Nicholas Kula

 FENDER
Starcaster
chorus

IT’S TOUGH TO forecast the placement of a pedal

such as this one on the list. Fender made it, and other than a
small handful of pedals, most of them stink. It also came in one of
those “action-figure” type packages: a plastic mold attached to a
cardboard back with a peg hole. Admittedly, most pedals sold like
this aren’t even worth trying, and the fact they were sold in big-
box retailers like Best Buy only drags their names further through
the mud. That said, there’s a lot going against the Starcaster
chorus, but none of these problems are insurmountable once
one hears this gem. It’s a certifiably great chorus pedal—rich,
lush and rugged. Upon viewing pictures, one might think it’s a
large beast—not so. The camera adds ten pounds, as it were,
and the Starcaster Chorus is actually just as wide as a Boss pedal
and only a little deeper. What’s more, a simple mod can add a
vibrato switch to the unit (Google it). At any rate, the Starcaster
chorus is a certified steal at $10 (yes, that’s right).

ToneReport.com 21
 DANELECTRO
Cool Cat CTO-1
Transparent
Overdrive

DANELECTRO caught some heat when

the original Cool Cat line was released, as many popular boutique
effects were gnashed in the gears of the Cool Cat cloning
machine. Perhaps no outcry was louder than the case of the
CTO-1 Transparent Overdrive. Once analyzed, forum dwellers
discovered that the TOD-1 bore a striking similarity to the Paul
Cochrane Timmy. Cochrane now sells pedals like everyone else,
but at the time the CTO-1 was released, the only way to obtain
a Timmy was to call Paul on the phone and chat with him about
gear. Of course, the idea of a suit at Danelectro, Inc. phoning Paul
and sweet-talking a Timmy out of him only to clone it rankled
a lot of gearheads. This rankling caused quite an uproar and
Danelectro quickly redesigned the circuit, and the original CTO-
1 fetched ridiculous money. Now that this is no longer true, it
is once again underrated. The Timmy sound is a super-versatile
low-to-medium gain drive used by countless artists the world
ever. Both the shape and ethics are a little unsavory, but the
price is certainly right—they sell for about $50.
22 TONE TALK // Vastly Underrated (and Not Currently Made) Cheap Pedals: Revisited
 OMPR one
R
ESSO
a t
Guy
ST-2 C

If a “transparent” compressor is the

name of the game, it’s time to look elsewhere. The Guyatone
ST-2 is likely my favorite compressor ever (right next to the Boss
CS-1, MXR Limiter and Effectrode PC-2A). Even though it only
has two knobs, the sound more than makes up for its dearth
of controls. So many compressors these days feature a bevy of
dials in order to minimize the “effect-ness” of the compression
and leave it on the entire time. Sometimes, players may question
whether or not the pedal is ever on, and if not for the LED, they
may never know. In the case of the ST-2, that’s never an issue—
the tone is so beautifully squashed when it’s on. Rather than a
vice grip, the squish of the ST-2 is more like a high-end juicer, as
it extracts the good stuff and pushes it through the amp. The
slide switch on the front is a sort-of blend control, and turning it
on is highly addictive. Best of all, the ST-2 sells for a paltry $50—
now that’s squish on a budget.

ToneReport.com 23
 PIGNOSE
DEtonator

The two pedals produced by tiny-amp

stalwarts Pignose are both heavily gooped inside, even though
they are budget-oriented. Usually, this means the circuit under
the slime is something worth the epoxy, and I’m sad to say that
the Detonator is actually a Craig Anderton Tube Sound Fuzz,
an often copied DIY circuit from years past. It’s relatively rare,
and it’s not based on any other piece of Pignose canon, so its
inclusion likely stems from the fact that this effect sounds great
with Pignose amplifiers. The thing is, the Anderton TSF sounds
great with any amp, be it tube or solid-state; the Way Huge Red
Llama is a great sounding box, and it is built off the endoskeleton
of the TSF. DIY-ers can build a TSF for relatively little money, and
it may cost them around $40, but the Detonator costs just as
much, and it includes a footswitchable boost, which changes the
resistor value in the feedback path to make quite a difference.
Plus, it probably looks cooler than any DIY pedal out there.

24 TONE TALK // Vastly Underrated (and Not Currently Made) Cheap Pedals: Revisited
 Danelectro
FISH AND CHIPS EQ

“Hey guys, what if we made a bunch of pedals whose

names are foods one might order at a diner,” said only one
person ever. The Danelectro Fish and Chips EQ has been a
very well-kept secret among more budget-oriented players
since its inception and subsequent discontinuation. We know,
the humble equalizer isn’t a glitzy rig component, but much
like a power supply, it’s a necessity in one’s sonic arsenal. While
some players might balk at the construction and footswitch,
this is an EQ we’re talking about here. Players will likely set it
and forget it, and sometimes may even mount it underneath
a pedalboard. And because the Fish and Chips is dead-quiet,
it excels in that role, and like many graphic equalizers, it can
be used as an ultra-transparent clean boost if need be. The
construction isn’t actually so bad, because the surface area is
so small; it’s engineered to stand up to any t-rex stomps one
might impart onto it. Plus, it’s cheap—around $30.

ToneReport.com 25
 Cyberdrive
Cyberdrive
Cyberdrive
Ibanez

There is a ton of pedals in

this Soundtank series, and most of the cool ones are not cheap,
which makes them not underrated by default. However, the
Cyberdrive is probably the coolest one of them all, and it is still
both cheap and underrated. The topology of the Terminator’s
favorite pedal resembles an MXR Distortion+ with LED (instead
of germanium) clipping and a twin filter circuit that resembles a
wah (think Tychobrahe Parapedal). Usually a banal combination
of fundamental building block effects is a total yawnfest, but
the description of this pedal is enough to make users comb
eBay in search of the Cyberdrive. Seekers of the most cyber of
drives will be handsomely rewarded, but good luck finding a
demo—it doesn’t exist. Just trust me on this; it’s awesome and
impossible not to love. Did I mention it’s pretty cheap? Finding
a Cyberdrive for around $50 is pretty commonplace.

26 TONE TALK // Vastly Underrated (and Not Currently Made) Cheap Pedals: Revisited
 Akai Variwah

Four wah pedals offer users the ability to

use a wah filter as an LFO-powered modulator: the Voodoo
Lab Wahzoo, Korg Mr. Multi, Sonuus Wahoo and this, the Akai
Variwah. On each of those pedals, the controls to drive this
one sound are pretty limited, save for the Variwah. There are
four expression-controllable knobs as well as a traditional wah
setting for you sticklers out there. The footswitch is located on
the side of the pedal rather than directly under the treadle, so
this means that dialing in the “Money for Nothing” cocked-wah
tone takes about 10 seconds, since players can position the
wah where they like and then engage it with the footswitch.
Fortunately for those traditionalists, the Variwah’s sweep is
enormous and extremely expressive, and best of all it takes
pedals like a champ. For some reason, it seems like some old-
school Akai effect shouldn’t have a bunch of headroom, but
here we are. And the thing costs like $60—a steal if enclosure
size isn’t a huge dealbreaker.

ToneReport.com 27
 Milk Box

my mother’s friend asked me if it

was possible to build him a compressor that was “better than
the one [he] has now.” Not knowing what he had, I scoured
BYOC, Madbean and the like, and settled on a very powerful,
talk-of-the-town compressor. After finishing it, I tested it and
it sounded great—I knew he would be pleased, no matter
what he had. Upon mailing it, he called to explain that it
wasn’t better than what he already had. I was pretty blown
away, and admittedly somewhat dismissive of his tastes. The
pedal in question was the DOD Milk Box. I acquired one, and
I have to agree—the Milk Box is just awesome. It sustains like
crazy and makes the tone that much sweeter. Apart from its
standard controls, there is a touch-sensitive hi-cut knob. It’s
worth mentioning that, in keeping tradition with classic DOD,
the older version has several knobs named dumb things. They
eventually changed the knob labels to regular names, but it’s
the same circuit. It’s about $50, but prices are creeping upward
as we speak.

28 TONE TALK // Vastly Underrated (and Not Currently Made) Cheap Pedals: Revisited
 DIGITECH EX-7
Expression Factory

PERHAPS NO EFFECT in history

has achieved such a post-flop cult status like the DigiTech XP300
Space Station. It’s warranted though, because the unit makes
sounds that newer pedals still haven’t been able to recreate.
The public has clamored for a reissue, and the prices reflect
this. DigiTech has been mum about a reissue of the unit, but
the company covertly equipped a newer pedal—the EX-7
Epression Factory—with a number of these hallowed patches,
plus many others. One of the most egregious gripes about
the Space Station (other than its outlandish price, though it’s
getting better) is its horrific bypass tone. Thankfully, the bypass
on the Expression Factory is just fine, and doesn’t obliterate
one’s tone as the original does. So yes, this is essentially all the
good bits of a real Space Station without the gripes of price or
spatial consumption. These aren’t the cheapest pedals (around
$130) but it’s half the size and less than half the price for the
greatest hits version of the almighty Space Station.

ToneReport.com 29
Reverberation Machine Mini-Ultimate Overdrive Analog Octave Up Dual Resonant Filter

Hand Made in Akron, Ohio | www.earthquakerdevices.com


TO SUPER-SIZE YOUR T
Can you hear me from the bottom of
the rabbit hole? I’ve fallen and I can’t get
up; my mind is a jumbled mess of alnico
PAF not gone through until after a few years
magnets, butyrate, 42 gauge enamel wire,
and snake oil. Trying to piece together any
sentence without the words “Patent Applied
For” in the last few weeks has proven to
be quite the task. I have subjected myself
to all manner of tonal buzzword torture for
the last few weeks at the bottom of this
can of worms for you, dear readers. If you
are in the market for new pickups (let’s
be honest, who isn’t?) for your Les Paul
or humbucker-equipped guitars, chances
are very high you have heard of PAFs. PAF
stands for Patent Applied For, and is the
colloquial term of the original early Seth
Lover and Les Paul designed humbucking
pickups for their Gibson made guitars (the
reason for this being that the patent had
34 TONE TALK // 8 Vintage-Style PAFs to Super-Size Your Tone
VINTAGE-ST
of production, hence the famous “Patent
Applied For” sticker on the backs of
the most sought-after PAFs). These are
considered by many to be the holy grail
of the humbucker design, and is sought
after for it’s rich, tonally balanced, and
harmonically complex tone that only comes
from those two coils. The early ’57 and ’59
humbuckers found in Les Pauls made in
those years are the most sought after, and
the most copied. Before the internet, you
had to rely on your ear, a vintage guitar, or
a local pickup winder to approximate the
tone of these hallowed pickups. With the
advent of the internet, literally hundreds
of different pickup makers from garage
dwellers to factory owners have sprung up
in every corner of the world, all promising
the same thing; we will get you that tone.
TYLE
FS
TONE
WORDS
BY
YOEL
KREISLER
Unfortunately, there is a lot of snake oil,
smokescreens, and “mojo” out there,
from pickup winders trying to sell you
their products at a higher price point, and
without any real facts or science to back
it up. In this feature, we will not discuss
whether aged nickel baseplates or maple
spacers add to the “vintage tone”, because
we would be here for a week (and the
tonal differences are so very minute and
hard to measure). Instead, I have stuck to
talking about tried and true specs of PAFs
that are proven make a difference in the
tone and response, and I have stayed away
from “vintage correct” specs, because in
my opinion, at the end of the day it’s your
fingers that make the tone, not the Alnico
magnets that were hand massaged and
read bed time stories for a year.
For the feature, we are
only going to focus on the two
main types of PAF, the ’57 and
’59 styles. The ’57 styles usually
use Alnico II magnets, while
the ’59 styles usually use Alnico
IV magnets. There is a lot of
information out there about
the differences between Alnico
magnets, and some can be
inaccurate. Speaking to different
pickup winders, and doing lots
of research, has gotten me this
list. Please remember to take
it with a grain of salt, because
everyone’s tone will sound
different in their own respective
situations.
ToneReport.com 35
 Alnico II: Lower output. Smoother,
warmer sound. Looser bottom end,
more “vintage”. Used commonly in LET’S
DIVE
’57 style pickups.

Alnico III: Lower output. A bit

dryer and airier in the mids. Close to
Alnico II but not as rounded and soft.

RIGHT
Alnico IV: Moderate output.
Mids are a little more scooped then
in Alnico IIs, but have the same
tonal characteristics, with a bit more

IN:
bottom end control.

Alnico V: High output: Mid

scooped, very clear and accentuated
in the high and low end.

The other specs you need to look

D. ALLEN
for are mismatched coils (gives it a
more 3D, open sound), wax or non-
ALLEY CAT
(NECK 7.28K, BRIDGE 8.6K)
wax potted (helps protect against
Designed by successful and well-loved San
squealing and microphonics), 42 gauge
Franciso-based pickup winder David Allen,
plain enamel wire (vintage PAFs are
the Alley Cat is a wonderful take on the ’57
almost exclusively wound with this),
style PAF. It has warmth, clarity, and a very
and butyrate (special plastic) bobbins.
balanced tonal spectrum for cleans, as well
Another important spec is resistance
as a nice grunt for dirt.
(measured in k), the higher the number,
Inspired by: ’57 Style PAF
the more output it will have. The other
Magnets: Alnico II
specs are more or less trivial, and are
Bobbins: Butyrate
non-essential when comparing PAFs in
Mismatched coils?: Upon request
terms of straight tone.
Wire: 42 gauge plain enamel
Wax potted?: Not specified
36 TONE TALK // 8 Vintage-Style PAFs to Super-Size Your Tone
ZHANGBUCKER
ORIGINAL SLUGBUCKER BRIDGE/
WOODBUCKER NECK
(NECK 7.6K, BRIDGE (8.3K)
David Plummer of Zhangbucker pickups
says he got into winding because most
humbuckers he tried were either to
muddy or too bright. His mission is to
provide a no-nonsense solution to the
PAF, with a balanced and 3D sounding
pickup. He offers Alnico II magnets as
standard, but he can put Alnico IVs in
as well. The tone from these are almost
tube hi-fi, and offer detail and clarity for
cleans, as well as a whole new dimension
of harmonic complexity for dirt.
Inspired by: Pickups being too muddy
or too bright. Seemingly ’57 inspired
Magnets: Alnico II or Alnico IV
Bobbins: Butyrate plastic
Mismatched coils?: Yes
Wire: Not specified
Wax potted?: Not specified
PORTER
CUSTOM SERIES ANTHEM PAF
(7-8K RANGE FOR NECK AND BRIDGE)
A very interesting take on the PAF,
using vintage specs and more modern
sounding Alnico V magnets, you get a
very interesting mix of complexity and
detail from the Alnico Vs in the highs
for cleans, and a nice body for dirtier
tones. They can also be underwound or
overwound for higher or lower output.
These pickups are totally customizable,
which makes building them and playing
them so much more pleasing.
Inspired by: Not clear, more of a custom
creation
Magnets: Alnico V standard, II, III, or IV
also available
Bobbins: Butyrate plastic
Mismatched coils?: Not specified
Wire: 42 gauge plain enamel
Wax potted?: Yes, but can also be
non-potted upon request
ToneReport.com 37
THROBAK
SLE-101 MXV (NECK 7.6K, BRIDGE 8.1K)
This PAF from Throbak Electronics is the
fascinating result of years of painstaking
PAF research by the Michigan-based guitar
company. Throbak is famous for being
D’URBANO
sticklers about having everything vintage-
correct, down to the coating process for the
MAGNETICS
LIX ’59 PAF (NECK 7.6K, BRIDGE 8K)
42 gauge enamel wire. The thing that sets
This charming little Australian compan
these pickups apart, is the vintage machinery
came up during my search about 3 page
and techniques the utilize to create their
into my results (basically the bottom o
pickups. The coils are wound on a vintage
the internet) when typing in “3D soundin
USA-made Leesona 102, and the slugs are
PAFs”. I was impressed by their specs
wound on an actual Kalamazoo Gibson 101
and their boutique approach to windin
Slug Winder. The slugs are cut with a vintage
pickups, without the boutique price. Th
automatic screw machine, and the alnico
sound is (unsurprinsingly) very 3D, wit
magnets are custom cast. There was no
open and articulate mids and beautifu
stone left unturned with this one, and what
note bloom.
you get is one of the most accurate, vintage-
Inspired by: ’59 Style PAF
correct PAFs on the market.
Magnets: Available with Alnico II, II
Inspired by: ’57 Style PAF
or V
Magnets: Long, rough cast (by hand) Alnico
Bobbins: Butyrate plastic
II magnets
Mismatched coils?: Yes
Bobbins: Butyrate plastic
Wire: 42 gauge plain enamel
Mismatched coils?: Unspecified
Wax potted?: Un-potted standard,
Wire: 42 gauge plain enamel (custom
but can be potted on request
coating process)
Wax potted?: No

38 TONE TALK // 8 Vintage-Style PAFs to Super-Size Your Tone

 SEYMOUR LOLLAR
DUNCAN
SETH LOVER SH-55
IMPERIAL
(NECK 7.6K, BRIDGE 8.4K)
ny (NECK 7.2K, BRIDGE 8.1K) Jason Lollar is one of guitardom’s most well-
es While world-famous pickup winder respected and well-loved pickup winders, up
of Seymour Duncan’s Antiquity line of PAF there with Seymour Duncan and TV Jones.
ng pickups gets a lot of the love, I’ve decided His pickups are known for having a very “hi-fi”
s, to focus on the SH-55, Seymour Duncan’s quality about them, and can be found in many
ng tribute to Seth Lover, one of the original guitars of the stars throughout many genres.
he inventors of the PAF pickup. This model His PAF is no exception to his well-known
th was designed by Lover together with quality work, and is a worthy contender to
ul Duncan to create a pickup worthy of the far more expensive options. There is also a
name. This pickup sports vintage-correct wide range of colors and styles to choose
specs, and a vintage-correct sound and from, a few of which are very unique and
II, character to match. brash compared to the boring old aged
Inspired by: ’57 Style PAF nickel covers of many other winders.
Magnets: Alnico II Inspired by: Custom creation
Bobbins: Butyrate plastic Magnets: Alnico II in neck and Alnico V in
Mismatched coils?: Yes bridge, specially degaussed for each position.
Wire: 42 gauge plain enamel Bobbins: Butyrate plastic
Wax potted?: No Mismatched coils?: Yes
Wire: 42 gauge plain enamel
Wax potted?: Not specified

ToneReport.com 39
 MANLIUS LANDMARK
PAF (NECK 7.5K, BRIDGE 8K)
Manlius Pickups are a very well-kept secret, with only a few souls outside of
deep bowels of the Les Paul forums knowing about their pickups. Thankfully,
for you I have dragged them out into the light. Based in Syracuse, NY, their
pickups are very warm, full, and clear; a product of combining the best of
each PAF to create this “new” invention. For your convenience, they can also
be slightly overwound or underwound for different responses.
Inspired by: Combination of vintage PAFs
Magnets: Alnico II
Bobbins: Butyrate plastic
Mismatched coils?: Unspecified
Wire: 42 gauge plain enamel
Wax potted?: Lightly potted

WHEW. Now that wasn’t so bad was it? The world of PAFs is
deep, confusing, and hard to navigate, even with the right tools. With so
many builders touting “vintage correct” specs that basically amount to
the tonal equivalent of snake oil, it can be hard to separate the fact from
the fiction. I hope today I have helped you understand this complex and
confusing world just a little better. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll see you next
week at the bottom of another rabbit hole.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Lindy Fralin Pure PAF (Neck 7.5-7.8k, Bridge 8-8.4k)
Skatterbrane Earthbrane PAF (Neck 7.6k, Bridge 8.4k)
D. Allen Tru-59 PAF (Neck 7.6, Bridge 8.4k)

40 TONE TALK // 8 Vintage-Style PAFs to Super-Size Your Tone

44
V
ery few people are unaware of the rise in
popularity of modelling preamps at the moment.
To some, they are the digital panacea for all our
amp and effects needs, but to others they are
nothing but mere upstarts, simply the new kids on the block.
What can’t be ignored, though: The technology is finally
here and at a level that, to many people, makes it a serious
and viable alternative to the valve amplifier.
Along with this technology has risen a cottage industry
of people building accessories and products designed to
take these systems from the home studio to the stage,
from expression pedals to MIDI controllers to solid-state
amplifiers and in particular, a new kind of speaker system
called “FRFR” speakers.
So, what is FRFR? The term started surfacing on the
modelling forums a few years ago and stands for “Full
Range, Flat Response.” Put simply: if players wanted to
use their modelling systems in all their glory—including the
speaker simulations—they would need a speaker that can
deliver a full range of 40 Hz to at least 18 kHz and be as flat
and neutral as possible without adding any peaks or troughs
in this range. A flat line if you will. Sounds simple, doesn’t it?
A look at the pro audio and pro-sumer market of full-range
speakers presented a wealth of products but many are
geared towards DJs or as pure vocal monitors, hyping either
the bass for DJ use or the midrange to allow the vocals to
cut through on stage. Add to this the fact that most of the
stuff was in a wedge format, something most guitarists use
only as a foot rest! While many took to the wedge format,
many others wanted the comfort and familiar feeling of a
cabinet behind them and preferably something that looked
like a traditional guitar cab.

ToneReport.com 45
 If something existed that hit all the above points, it
would be easy right? Well, no it’s not that simple.
You see, the problem lies within the technology of
capturing the cabinet simulation. This is called an IR
or Impulse Response and it’s basically a frequency
snapshot of the cabinet you choose. When played
through an FRFR system, the given IR should sound
like the original cabinet, but it doesn’t—at best, it
sounds like a recording of the cab you’ve just used.
It’s this lack of the “amp in the room” feel that is the
current biggest stumbling block to FRFR domination.
When taking an IR of a cab, it’s generally done with just
one microphone. When the human ear hears a signal
going through a cab, it hears all of the cone; it hears
the interaction inside the cab, the resonance of the
cab and reflections with walls, floors and general room
interaction more or less at once. With one microphone
or even lots of them, there isn’t a way to capture all of
that information from everywhere, so the reproduction
of the IR is not as lifelike as the real thing.
This isn’t a reflection of the FRFR technology however,
it merely points out that the weak links are the cab
sims within modelling systems. As soon as a traditional
guitar cab is used without cab sims, then the feeling is
back and everything sounds great. However, for many,
the feeling of using only a small part of the modeller’s
capability is not enough.
There are some other drawbacks to the FRFR systems
but they are surmountable. We’ll look at those shortly
but let’s look at some of the benefits of FRFR.
FRFR allows players to use many different modelled
amps with either the cabs they are most suited with
or go crazy and mix and match many different kinds
of combinations to get many different tones. Special
effects like shimmering harmonizers or guitar synths

46 TONE TALK // The Phenomenon of FRFR: The Wave of the Future

can also be used due to the extended range of
frequencies FRFR allow. Sonically matching a tone
from a sampled guitar part on a record is also possible
allowing in theory the tone of our favourite guitar gods
to us mortals without being coloured by a normal
guitar cab.
Some benefits are less obvious.
One such benefit is that we get to hear what the
audience is hearing, for the most part. While this can
be done with standard monitors, the EQ is limited
and often vocal-biased in smaller venues. Another
benefit—and one for all members of the band— is
that FRFR systems and the speakers used in them
have much better dispersion characteristics. By nature,
guitar speakers are very “beamy” with the guitarist
getting the best sound. Audiences standing in front of
the guitarist have it worst though, usually with a full-
on top-end assault. FRFR systems disperse the sound
to a much wider area, so more often than not, other
band mates will hear the guitarist playing better. This,
in turn, may allow on-stage volume to come down a
little as guitarists are no longer battling to be heard.
The audience also gets the benefit of the guitar sound
being much more pleasing. That wider dispersion also
allows guitarists to move around a little more as they’re
not tied to the “cone of sound” that emanates from a
normal cab. There’s also the benefit of being able to
dial patches in at home (either on the FRFR system or
studio monitors) and get the same tones on stage (with
minimal tweaking due to volume differences when
dialling in). That can often save precious rehearsal time
for playing songs instead of “getting the sound right.”
Perhaps the biggest drawback lies within the
presumption that by using a 4x12 cab simulation, we’ll
get the sound of a 4x12 cab through our 1x12 FRFR

ToneReport.com 47
 speaker setup. From a physical standpoint, it’s simply
impossible to get the same sound mass of multiple
speakers through just one. Yes, speaker design helps
them sound bigger than their physical size and porting
(and other factors) may lend a helping hand but the
information contained in an IR cannot reproduce that
to that extent. So why don’t we just build FRFR cabs
with more speakers in them?
Whilst FRFR systems generally have a wider dispersion
over guitar cabs, this can be a double edged sword.
At the moment, 1x12 FRFR systems seem to be the
norm but there is a want for bigger 2x12 and even
4x12 cabs. When putting two speakers with a wide
dispersion next to each other in a
cabinet, those cones of dispersed
sound overlap each other. This
isn’t much of a problem in a guitar
cab where the beams are narrow,
but in a FRFR cab it can sometimes
lead to phasing problems. Adding
speakers creates more of the same
as the beams overlap. Granted, the
average guitarist may not sound
terrible compared to the sound from
a normal cab, but the chaps that
design FRFR systems tend to be PA
types and not guitar types—to them
it’s a bit sacrilegious. A similar problem
arises with stereo setups. Most of the
sonic spectrum from a guitar is carried
in the upper registers and this means
providing multiple HF units. When the
setup is pure stereo, things are fine, but
when things move back to mono, there
are two closely-spaced units delivering the same
signal at a different time if the player is not equidistant

48 TONE TALK // The Phenomenon of FRFR: The Wave of the Future

between the two sources. This arrangement can result
in comb filtering where phasing issues become very
apparent.
From a pro-audio standpoint, there’s no use designing
an ultra-flat system and then ruining it in this way.
Perhaps some compromises need to come from both
sides, with designers lowering the standard regarding
multiple speakers for guitar use and guitarists realising
that stereo really needs more than one cabinet to work
properly. On the modelling side of things, we’ve already
started to see a shift in the way cab sims (IRs) are made
from their original single-microphone-single-
position captures to IRs built up from a number
of different mics trying to capture as much
information as possible. Many companies are
offering software to blend these IRs together to
get even better sounds. There may come a time
when an accurate enough cab sim is available,
one that captures more than just a small portion
of the speaker and also gives the 3-D quality
many guitarists mention when discussing “amp
in the room” sounds.
In conclusion, FRFR is still relatively nascent as
far as guitar applications go but it’s certainly
something that warrants more research and
consideration. There are great benefits to be had by
using such a versatile technology but there are still some
drawbacks. With a bit of compromise on both playing
and manufacturing sides and with the boffins adding new
discoveries, the guitarist may well get a one cab does
all solution...and it may even be lightweight! Personally,
I like the sound of these modellers paired with a good
FRFR cabinet and the versatility and the advantages I
have mentioned earlier outweigh the disadvantages. I
would recommend that you look into this and decide for
yourself—you may be pleasantly surprised.

ToneReport.com 49
 EARTHQUAKER
DEVICES
DUNES
REVIEW BY IAN GARRETT
STREET PRICE $185.00
You know the old adage—
sometimes less is more,
and it is true again with
the Dunes overdrive from
EarthQuaker Devices.
Based on the bigger
and more complex
Palisades overdrive that
had more features than
a Mercedes S-Class, the
Dunes takes the key
ingredients from that
pedal, and scales them
down to what matters
most to guitarists—great
tone and simplicity. Plus,
without the additional
footswitches and knobs,
and the input and
outputs on top of the
pedal, the Dunes is very
pedalboard friendly.
52 GEAR REVIEW // EarthQuaker Devices Dunes
The Dunes, like the change the overall
Palisades, is a Tube character a lot. The
Screamer variant. Yet it Normal setting has little
goes a step further from to no compression if that
the original, adding a few is desired.
extra features that go NORMAL/BRIGHT: Works
a long way to matching great when using either
your guitar and pickups, darker humbuckers—
to your amp. The knobs switch to Bright, or if
are familiar—Tone, Gain using single coils, keep
and Volume. In addition, it normal. Using the
there are three toggle master tone control in
switches that really make conjunction with this
things interesting. Let’s switch gives you a lot of
dig deeper. useful variation.
VOICE: Gives you
BANDWIDTH: What a
three tonal differences; traditional Tube Screamer
MOSFET, Silicon and
lacks—here, the Dunes
Normal. These options gives you the option
give you different levels
of adding a lot of deep
of compression when low end—great for
adding gain, and really single coils, or switch
it back to the more
traditional screamer
mode, accentuating
the midrange, with less
emphasis on the
bottom end.
I found I could quickly
change settings for
either a Stratocaster or a
Les Paul with just a few
adjustments. Doing so
enabled a perfect fit with
my amp. With a Strat,
I kept the tone toggle
on normal so it wouldn’t
get too bright, and set
the bandwidth for lower-
end presence. Although
surprisingly, because I do
like a lot of low end in
my tone especially with
single coils, I often found
I would go back to more
of a midrange bump, with
less bass. It’s nice to have
the option though!
With a Les Paul or
humbucker-equipped
guitar I found what I liked
best was a bit less gain
overall, the bandwidth
almost always set for
more midrange instead
of a bass boost, and the
tone toggle set on Bright,
but with the Tone knob
dialed back a bit. My enough to be extremely
favorite voicing position useful, the Dunes is
was MOSFET, with Silicon sure to make almost
a close second; I like some every finicky overdrive
added compression with owner happy.
my gain. With my amp CONCERNS
turned up past breakup
but not too over the top, None. While I thought it
worked great for home
the Dunes just took it to a
whole other level. Heavy and live settings, it really
does shine best when
hitting, yet notes still had
good definition—my tone you can turn up your
amp loudly, and then hit
really came alive with
rich harmonics flying off it again with the Dunes.
With a clean amp the gain
the fretboard—the very
definition of rock ‘n’ roll. structure was still really
good—but it just begs to
WHAT WE LIKE be matched up with an
The Tube Screamer overdriven amp.
overdrive has been a
classic ever since it came
out decades ago, and for
good reason. With the
right amp in the right
situation, it just works.
But for some users, there
have been limitations in
how it can be used. Not
anymore. The Dunes takes
the Screamer platform,
and gives just enough
flexibility without being
overly complex, allowing
players to tailor it to
their amps and guitars.
It’s simple to use like
the original, yet flexible
ToneReport.com 53
 ROLAND
JC-40
JAZZ CHORUS
REVIEW BY FLETCHER STEWART
STREET PRICE $599.00

THE SOLID STATE JC-120s for a menacing For one, there is simply no
OF STEREO modulated fever-dream. The better tone tool for creating
LUSCIOUSNESS Cult’s Billy Duffy has been a wide, airy stereo image
garnishing his Marshall grind without the aid of pedals,
To celebrate forty years
with the swirling top end slew messy cable routing and two
of Roland’s pioneering,
of the classic combo since amps. The JC-40 maintains
panoramic, stereo-chorused
the early ‘80s. Remember that room-filling spread
classic, the Japanese gear
The Talking Heads in its without the bulk, expense
gods bestow upon us the
prime—with Byrne and Belew and volume pokiness of
Jazz Chorus experience in
using JCs as blank canvases its older bigger brother.
a lighter, more manageable
for their pallets of effects? When I first got a chance to
format. In my own
What would those early Cure unbox, my kid was asleep,
perception, Roland’s JC-
albums sound like without so I was delighted to see a
120 has always been a bit
the glassy grey and silver headphone jack on the rear
of a cult phenomenon—an
solid-state sting? The solemn panel. I jacked in—killing the
industry insider’s secret sonic
intro to Metallica’s “One” two ten-inch speakers—and
weapon. Let’s take a peek
rings a big black bell as well. immediately switched on the
into the varied past of the
It’s curious. For such an iconic fixed chorus. I think an hour
Jazz Chorus.
amp, the JC series is seldom went by before I was able
Bob Mould of Husker Du seen onstage these days, to find my way out of that
obscured his vision of but I thing that is all about to classic Roland Dimensional
hardcore by patching his change… Space Chorus. It was as if
MXR Distortion+ into Roland
56 GEAR REVIEW // Roland JC-40 Jazz Chorus
each of the separate onboard raspy fuzz pedals, but those better home practice piece
power amps had hooked in the know will tweak the for stereo effects junkies
their barbs into the left and responsive tone-stack and who gig with two amps and
right hemispheres of my bright switch to flatter the want to maintain the spread
brain. It was a private world input source perfectly. without the cable spaghetti
of pure stereo lusciousness The wide, flat frequency dread in more intimate
that only got more vast and response reveals all kinds scenarios. The revamped
limitless when I added my of crazy frequencies in fuzz onboard distortion is way
Eventide H9 Max to the pedals and keeps them from more usable than the brittle
stereo effects loop. My hopes flubbing out like they can in ceramic plate grating grit
were confirmed. The stereo tube amps. In fact, the two of the older models and the
imaging from those complex custom-designed 10-inch chorus is as deep and lush
spatial micro-pitch algorithmssilver-capped speakers sound as it ever was. It is digital
and ping-pong delays uncharacteristically huge this time around, but the
became holographic—as if and detailed. They seem to effect is in the spatial dry-wet
my mind’s eyes were wearing be more like a hi-fi system— interplay—not the technology
3D glasses. unlike many bandwidth creating the pitch deviation.
OPEN-ENDED limited, nasally guitar Plus, I can’t stop playing
EFFECTS ROUTING— speakers. I plugged in my Seventeen Seconds-era Cure
AN AMP FOR ALL Moog synthesizer to test the songs through this thing. The
OCCASIONS depth of sonic range and was Jazz Chorus is the amp for
delighted with the results— that sound.
I don’t know if there is
another lightweight portable especially with a touch of the CONCERNS
combo that sports a continual digital plate emulating reverb I must admit, that I was
stereo signal path from and some true stereo pitch initially disappointed to
inputs, to effects loop and vibrato. Keeping the same see the cabinet made of
speaker outputs. The JC- settings, I plugged the guitar composite material instead of
40 certainly has the market back in and enjoyed the hardwood or pine. However, I
cornered with these specs. dreamy ripples of sound. talked to Roland and the cab
As ever, this JC makes for WHAT WE LIKE materials weren’t selected to
a great pedal platform. Of The JC-40 is lightweight, hit a price-point at all. They
course—being a solid state huge sounding, plenty loud are part of the technical and
amp—there is no forgiving enough for gigging and a tonal overall design. It feels
voltage sag or squidgy warm great vessel for complex solid and sounds huge, so I
breakup to cushion the blow effects chains and mess-less am happy with that.
of harder distortions and stereo routing. There isn’t a

ToneReport.com 57
MONSTROUS FUZZ TONES

POINT TO POINT
HANDWIRED
FUZZ BOXES.

DAGPEDALS.COM RIPPING FUZZ TONE

 DEATH BY AUDIO
WAVEFORMER
DESTROYER
REVIEW BY YOEL KREISLER
STREET PRICE $270.00
The Waveformer Destroyer
is the latest deceptively
simple offering from
Brooklyn-based mad
scientists Death by Audio.
With Oliver Ackermann
at its helm, since the
beginning of the boutique
boom, Death by Audio
has been at the forefront
of providing strange, new
and interesting offerings
by way of thinking outside
the box and not being
afraid to get a little messy.
The Waveformer Destroyer
is the latest in their line
of sonic weirdness—it’s
a combination fuzz, filter,
boost, and “blast” pedal,
with one master volume
knob to control it all. Let’s
60 GEAR REVIEW // Death By Audio Waveformer Destroyer
get fuzzy.
The Waveformer Destroyer
is quite a unique pedal
with a unique sound, look,
and operation. It has four
switches on the front, and
one Master volume knob.
The graphics are reminiscent
of DBA’s other pedals; and
utilize a scientific/technical
sort of look, with an image
of a clipped sound wave
at the bottom. The pedal
has four circuits, which are
not independent, meaning
you can’t use the filter or
boost on your clean tone,
which is a shame because
could have sounded lovely.
Engaging the pedal by itself
gave me a basic distortion
tone, with a nice low-mid
growl. Stomping on the
Boost opens up the tone,
and instead of having a low-
mid emphasis it gave it a
lift in all the frequencies,
making it sound more full-
range. The Filter scooped
out all of the mids, turning
the tone into a fuzz-faced
war hammer. The Blast sent
the distortion smashing
through my signal with
reckless abandon. It utterly
destroyed everything
and sent the pedal into
clipping; so much so my
speakers and amp couldn’t
handle it. Admittedly, I am
playing mostly at bedroom
levels, and I imagine you
are going to need a very
high headroom amp to
make this setting sound The Blast section can giving you some insight
good. Experimenting with either be adjusted to use into the design and
different combinations clipping diodes and correct the philosophy behind
of the switches yielded biasing, or full gain and these pedals.
some interesting results. “crazy intense.” You can WHAT WE LIKE
I found my favorite to be mix and match all of these
the combination of Boost settings as much as you Dead-simple operation
and Filter, so much so that want, and the handy guide with many different tones
I nicknamed this tone “The Death by Audio provides on tap. Untamed and wild,
Great Wall,” reminiscent with the pedal goes into while maintaining musicality.
of a certain expansive further detail, and even Internal DIP switches add
wall in Asia. Adding some provides some presets a ton of options for many
digital delay, this tone can for you to try. They went different tastes.
seemingly go on for miles, the extra mile as well by CONCERNS
and it sounds positively providing “analog preset Other parts of circuit not
colossal. Under the surface save,” or empty templates independent from main
of the pedal is a myriad of you can color in to save distortion. More extreme
DIP switches, two for each your own favorite settings. settings need very high
circuit, which makes this a This pedal is the definition headroom amps to
tweaker’s heaven. of set-it-and-forget-it, for sound good.
The Engage circuit can be easy stage operation, and
adjusted to clip clean and can offer a cornucopia
reduce gain, or make the of different settings and
pedal have an “extreme responses available for more
sound,” in DBA’s own words. experimental sessions.
The Boost can either let only By the way, if you are a
high frequencies enter and Death by Audio fan, I highly
no transistor limiting, or do recommend reading the
a full frequency boost with interview Tape Op did a
an additional bass booster. few months ago with its
The filter can be adjusted to CEO, Oliver Ackermann. It
a twin-T notch EQ setting, gives you a very interesting
or an even deeper notch look into the origins of this
(the deep notch can sound very DIY, hands-on sort of
thin at some settings). It company that is almost the
can also shift the center template for the boutique
frequency or keep it normal. market today, as well as
ToneReport.com 61
FREEPEDALFRIDAY
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 Lifetime Warranty
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2 Levels No Velcro Curved Deck

Better. By good people.

Quick.Tight.Better.
Hi, this is the
MKII Holeyboard WIDE
in limited Fullerton Red.
It didn’t fit on the page so I had
to turn it sideways.
It’s 32” of pedal bliss,
no velcro, no mess, no damage,
holds tight, attaches fast,
easy to use and live with,
two levels.
Yes, it’s differnent, and I have
worked hard to make it better.
Try one out, I believe in it and
I have a lifetime warranty.
Made here in the twin cities.
Drop me a line.
-Chris
 TOMKAT PEDALS
BENDER FUZZ
REVIEW BY FLETCHER STEWART
STREET PRICE $150.00
BENDING THE RULES
Having worked on Denmark
Street in London’s legendary
Tin Pan Alley—where The
Rolling Stones, Bowie, The
Small Faces, Black Sabbath
and The Sex Pistols all
recorded, squatted and
germinated—I am no
stranger to the legendary
Tone Bender Professional
MKII. The Professional MKII
was popularized by Jeff
Beck and immortalized by
Mick Ronson and Jimmy
Page. This tri-transistorized
tone titan has been cloned
to death by every boutique
tweaker under the sun and
I have played a few variants
in my time.
Being the irreverent
64 GEAR REVIEW // TomKat Pedals Bender Fuzz
modernist bloke that I am,
I never could see the logic
in shelling out my hard
earned brass for a vintage-
correct MKII—complete
with the unnecessarily huge
enclosure—supposedly
handmade by the offspring
of the original builder. I
don’t want to put it in a
display case, mate. I want to
slap it on the board and let
rip. Enter 2015 and we have
what is in my opinion, the
most searing fat and brash
MKII variant to date. Tomkat
Pedals has undermined
the original and it’s clones,
while giving us all a ticket
to a sonic splatterhouse
of germanium madness.
Being the clever cat that he
is, Tom Kogut has brought
this fabled fuzz booster
into the 21st century with a
few minor, yet profoundly
effective circuit tweaks.
WHITE LIGHT,
WHITE HEAT,
WHITE NOISE
I knew within seconds of
clicking the true bypass
switch with all the controls
set at midnight that this was
not grandpa’s Tone Bender
fuzz box. This Bender Fuzz
has way more output and
tonal thickness than any of
the variations on the MKII
theme that I have owned
in the past. Everything
we love about the MKII is
here—the creamy endless
sustaining notes and that
unruly, slightly chaotic
harmonic intermodulation
that sits atop the brew like
a creamy head on a perfect
pint. However, the Texture
knob is one of Tomkat’s
own special ingredients.
It is an external bias knob
for the last transistor in
the circuit. As it is turned
clockwise, the sound widens
as low midrange frequency
currents deluge into the
circuit tributaries, taking the
tone from picture-perfect
purring to pornographically
panoramic percolations.
With three seemingly simple
control knobs, the Bender
Fuzz can be dialed in to be
a creamy fuzz overdrive,
stinging fuzz frequency
focuser, ratty splatty dirt
splurter, or full-on fuzz
oscillation sensation at max
gain settings. At minimum
fuzz settings, the Bender
yields an interesting crackly
overdrive that is a great
alternative to the more
pedestrian “transparent”
boost boxes. This flexibility
ensures a role for the
Bender Fuzz in all sonic
scenes. It is worth a mention
that I had great success
slamming the Tomkat Violet
Muffer with germanium of the most addictive fuzz
napalm Bender blasts. pedals in my collection.
The Muffer’s tone control This is incredible value for
interacted beautifully with money when you look at the
the Bender’s texture knob uninspired overpriced MKII
and all sorts of microcosmic clones out there. I can’t stop
gain structures appeared playing that opening riff for
on the searing soundscape. “TV Eye”from The Stooges’s
Also, the slightly gated Fun House through it. This is
nature of this Bender kept a blinder of a Bender.
extraneous noise to a CONCERNS
shockingly low minimum—
something unheard of in None.
the fuzz-stacking realm.
Speaking of stacking, there
is a voltage inverter built
in, so the Bender will
integrate with other pedals,
unlike stodgy vintage-
correct versions.
WHAT WE LIKE
Again, I am going to gush
over the awesome artwork
by Liam Sparkes. I can
wholly identify with the two
pint-wielding blokes on
the face of this great white
unit. And again, the guts
are a bloody work of art.
This might be my favorite
circuit depiction yet—the
lads’ arms extended with
capacitor pints raised.
Genius.
This is the best MKII variant
I have ever heard and one
ToneReport.com 65
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