What is it?
The Tone Bender, that classic British fuzz pedal born in the mid-’60s, was produced in several variations and under several different brand names back in the day, a practice that still continues as pedal companies bring out new creations based on the vintage circuitry.
The latest is Electro-Harmonix’s Bender Royale, which is based on the three germanium transistor-equipped Mk III Tone Bender from the late ’60s. The boffins at EHX have expanded its original three-knob feature set to create an evolved version with six knobs and a pair of toggle switches.
Standard Volume and Fuzz knobs are still present, but you get individual Treble and Bass knobs, rather than a single Tone control. There’s also a Bias knob to adjust the input bias voltage of the fuzz circuit, and a Blend knob that gives you the full fuzz sound when set at its maximum but will blend in some dry sound as you roll it back.
A Fat switch brings in more low-end and middle frequencies, plus you also get a switch offering two biasing diode options for the final germanium transistor fuzz stage.
Specs
- PRICE: $149/£149
- ORIGIN: USA
- TYPE: Fuzz pedal
- FEATURES: True Bypass, adjustable series impedance into the fuzz circuit, latching and momentary footswitch action
- CONTROLS: Volume, Fuzz, Treble, Bass, Bias, Blend, Fat On/Off, Clip (Ge/LED) switch, internal impedance trimmer, bypass footswitch
- CONNECTIONS: Standard input, standard output
- POWER: 9V DC adaptor (supplied) 12mA
- DIMENSIONS: 70 (w) x 111 (d) x 50mm (h)
- CONTACT: Electro-Harmonix
Usability and sounds
Plugging in the pedal, its Tone Bender DNA is immediately apparent and it comes with two distinct but equally useful voices via the Fat switch, which transforms the leaner basic sound to something thicker and closer to the sound of our vintage Mk II Professional.
The other toggle switch provides a more subtle change, with the LED option endowing a rougher edge to the sound than that of the smoother Ge setting.
That’s four combinations available right there, but you can then adjust the Bias knob, which has the most conventional Tone Bender voicing around noon and which can also dial in gated and sputtery (although not too extreme) drive-like crunch.
Add those very effective Tone knobs and the blend options, and you have great-sounding fuzz with extended flexibility.
Verdict
Verdict: ★★★★½
The Bender Royale may well be based on a Tone Bender – and it can certainly deliver that familial sound – but, with that expanded feature set, this Electro-Harmonix offering can also be considered as a generic fuzz, and we mean that in a good way.
Guitar World verdict: The simple fact is that this amount of user-adjustable variation in a fuzz pedal is a real treat, facilitating a wide range of everyday fuzz needs from thick and smooth to raspy and raucous – plenty of versatility for your ’board in a single compact pedal.
Hands-on videos
Electro-Harmonix
R.J. Ronquillo
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- This article first appeared in Guitarist. Subscribe and save.
