Sola Sound Tone Bender MkII vs Sola Sound Tone Bender MK1
The Sola Sound Tone Bender MkII and the Sola Sound Tone Bender MK1 are both pedals sharing germanium, harmonically rich. The Sola Sound Tone Bender MkII leans aggressive and mid-forward. The Sola Sound Tone Bender MK1 leans high gain and transparent.
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Blended from circuit-archetype lineage, dynamic feel, tone-signal overlap and tone-vector distance — the tone vector itself is derived from editorial description text, not a measured acoustic signal, so this reflects how similarly the catalog copy describes the two, not a lab measurement. Shown only within a gear class, and only where there's enough evidence to be meaningful.50% — somewhat different
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Derived from overlapping tonal signals across both listings.- germanium
- harmonically rich
Sola Sound Tone Bender MK1
Unknown brand · pedal
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Citation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.$244.43via Reverb
The Sola Sound Tone Bender MkII is a legendary three-transistor germanium fuzz introduced in 1966, adding an extra gain stage in front of the earlier two-transistor design to produce a complex, harmonically rich tone with saturated, soaring gain. Using germanium transistors, typically OC75 or OC81D, and a simple Level and Attack control layout, it delivers a warm, gritty fuzz with a throaty midrange that sits between a Fuzz Face and a brighter fuzz, equally effective for fuzzy leads, rhythmic power-chord passages, and textural feedback and resonance. It achieved immortal status through Jimmy Page, who used it with the Yardbirds and on Led Zeppelin's debut, shaping the sound of heavy rock on tracks like Dazed and Confused and How Many More Times. It suits classic rock, blues rock, and psychedelic players chasing aggressive yet articulate vintage British fuzz.
The Sola Sound Tone Bender MK1, designed by Gary Stewart Hurst in 1965, was the first Tone Bender fuzz, built as a louder, more sustaining answer to the Gibson Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz-Tone. Its three-transistor circuit runs on 9V rather than the FZ-1's lower voltage, giving it a raw, harmonically rich, high-gain fuzz that stays surprisingly clear on chords for a fuzz of its era. It is notably reactive to different pickups, producing a tasteful chime on single coils and a distinctive gating effect in the low end with hotter humbuckers. Fewer than 100 original units were built, some as custom jobs for Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, and it was famously heard on The Yardbirds' Heart Full of Soul.
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Genres this gear is documented as being used in.- Classic Rock
- Blues Rock
- Experimental
- Soul
- Rock
- aggressive
- mid-forward
- fuzzy
- saturated
- high gain
- transparent