TONE BENDER (MkI/Wooden Case) [Free Shipping through August 31]

This is a wooden Tone Bender by Gary Hurst—reportedly one of only about 10 prototypes ever made!

The Tone Bender is a pedal consisting of a circuit featuring three transistors, based on the Gibson Maestro Fuzz-Tone.Countless replicas are still being made today, and it has had a tremendous influence on later fuzz pedals and other effects. Gary Hurst, an engineer, began manufacturing and selling these around the summer of 1965. Early units were housed in wooden cases reportedly made by his brother. These were prototypes; later models used a gold-finished, foldable steel enclosure.

Dimensions: 20 × 15 × 5 (cm);
Weight: Approx. 275 g (extremely lightweight for a pedal);
Material: The type of wood is unknown, but the grain is clearly visible, and while it’s very light, the quality is far from what one would call “high-end” based on the feel of the wood. However, it has an outstanding presence! First of all, I was surprised by how perfectly the case’s dimensions—20/15/5 (cm)—fit together.It’s unpainted and has no logos, giving off the warmth characteristic of wood. The housing is assembled with what are commonly called wooden dowels, and the top section—where the parts are mounted—makes it nearly impossible to inspect the fine details inside unless you completely disassemble it. As a result, I had quite a hard time taking photos of the interior. The battery cover, which includes the footswitch, is secured by four wood screws; to open it for battery replacement, you simply remove those four screws.There’s a metal plate on the back of the battery cover for reinforcement, but it flexes slightly when you turn the switch on and off, so I’m always on edge, worried it might crack. I’ve seen images of units equipped with silver knobs, but this one has black plastic ones. The surface feels nice to the touch and is polished to a smooth finish. Since it’s simply assembled from thin wood, it has a delicate feel that makes it seem like it could break at any moment, so I have to be extremely careful when handling it.

The volume is quite high; the ATTACK (right) control starts producing plenty of distortion around the 9 o’clock position. Beyond that, the amount of distortion doesn’t seem to increase much. When turned all the way up, it unleashes a fuzz sound with such impact it feels like it’s piercing the top of your head. The sound from the front pickup, in particular, is sweet and mellow, with authentic, organic nuances that transport the player back to the music scene of the 1960s.With ample gain and sustain, I was particularly impressed by the crisp, gated, choppy, and rich sound that cuts through the mix exceptionally well.I’ve played countless MkI replica models over the years, but I think this sound clearly sets itself apart from them. It responds exceptionally well to the guitar’s volume knob, and the bell-like clean to crunch tones when the volume is rolled back are absolutely superb. Personally, I’ve never experienced anything better than this!! (Note: Since it uses germanium transistors, I’ve confirmed that the “gated” effect becomes more pronounced when the ambient temperature is quite low.)

Click here to read a column by our staff member, Sano.

Era: 1960s

Accessories: None

Handled by: Sano

*The warranty period is one month from the date of purchase.

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