ThroBak Electronics Stone Bender II Pedal

The Throbak Crew are mad for ‘60s English fuzz boxes, and few things prove it like their Stone Bender MKII Pro. A slavish reproduction of the fabled three-germanium transistor Sola Sound Tone Bender MKII circuit with the very wicked ability to user-tweak control elements within said circuit. Designer Jon Gundry knew that the likes Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Brian May and an influential bunch of other players were tone nuts too. They took their effects to the music electronics gurus of their day for tweaks and mods. Throbak’s Stone Bender MkII Pro is a killer Sola Sound Tone Bender MKII Professional that lets you dial in those full-on-custom Roger Mayer and Peter Cornish Swinging London studio Tweaks. Paired with a tube amp, the Stone Bender MkII Pro can generate immensely cool lead, rhythm, fuzzy overdriven huge or thin sounds.

The first Throbak mod to the original Sola Sound circuit is their simple but powerful Pre Gain Switch. Flipping the switch lowers the input impedance set by a user-adjustable internal trim pot. This clever tweak eliminates the low-end muddiness fuzzboxes can impart on humbucking-equipped guitars.

Modifying the original Tone Bender’s transistor bias was one of the favorite mods of the legendary tweakers for giving artists a signature sound. Throbak’s user-adjustable internal transistor bias control puts that level of customization into your hands. Stick to the factory setting and enjoy the perfect idealized Tone Bender MKII Professional, or take advantage of the inherent inconsistency of germanium transistors for fuzz tones that we are having trouble finding words to describe!

For a special Vintage King bonus, Throbak is including a new feature called the Tone Color Switch. Having studied hundreds of different vintage Sola Tone Bender models in their search for fuzz perfection, Gundry and Co. found that the best-sounding three-knob Benders took a slight amount of treble edge off the tone. They wired up that additional circuit and made it switchable on their Stone Bender MKII Pro for even more... well... tone color.

All these brilliant mods make the Throbak Stone Bender MKII Pro a great overdrive pedal as well as a monster high-gain fuzz box, providing endless sustain and controllable feedback. These added features do not change the original circuit but put control of the tone and character of the effect in your hands.

Here at Vintage King, we love plugging in a Stone Bender MKII Pro and getting Heart Full of Soul on demand. We love how it slightly overdrives the preamp of a good tube amp so we can get all stoked when we nail a tone like Jimmy Page on Zep I or Mick Ronson on Ziggy Stardust—we live for this stuff.

Features:

• Three carefully selected, matched and socketed low-noise Germanium transistors
• Internally adjustable transistor bias pot
• Externally switchable pre gain control with internal pot so you can dial in optimum pre gain for your guitar
• True bypass switch
• Mallory M-150 polyester capacitors
• 9-Volt power jack
• Compact pedal design with powder coated exterior and bulletproof epoxy ink graphics