Tonebender Tone

[jlullo]

Hey guys,
I've been listening to everyone's sound clips to see if mine is sounding correct.  I build the sola sound tonebender mkII from d-fly's vero layout.  Mine seems pretty muddy, and there isn't a whole lot of sustain- i mean it's there, but i feel like i have to work a little hard to play with the effect on.  From everyone's clips, it seems like mine should be a bit more wild and clear.  It's almost like a big muff with the tone rolled back, and not as much gain...

what do you guys think?  does mine seem to sound the way it should?  I guess i can't believe if this is really it, because i'm not as into it as i thought i'd be!

[Timebutt]

What version are we talking about, the ToneBender Mk. II or anything else?
I only have experience with my Tb II and must say that I'm really pleased with it: gives me a very nice lead tone.
What transistors did you use and what's their hfe value, this determines a lot how your pedal will sound.
Did you bias Q3 correctly? Seemed to be giving me trouble until I got a correct voltage on Q3 ...

[jlullo]

I used this version-
http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/DRAGONFLY-LAYOUTS_0/album18/album144/TONEBENDER_MKII_REISSUE_VERO_001.gif.html

it's a two-transistor version, and i just used the stock resistor values listed.  I'm using a pair of CV7112's that were from Aaron's stash- they are 88 and 125 hfe's respectively.  Just to check, i threw a pair of BC109's in to see how it sounded... still very muddy in my opinion...

[smnm]

I haven't built this, only because the reissue was so badly received - I'm not sure what version of the circuit it is if it's only 2 transistors, but it's not a Mk2 - most of the clips are probably the 3 transistor version, no?

see these 2004/5 posts from Plexi Palace about the RI
http://vintageamps.com/plexiboard/viewtopic.php?t=17840&highlight=tonebender+reissue

"The Original MK II was basically a Fuzz Face with an extra gain boost in front of it.
These re-issue MK II's have the Fuzz Face circuit with slightly modified values of the parts, but without the extra stage in front of it."

"...the housing is the only thing they reproduced correctly. Originals had a three germaniun transistor circuit, whereas the reissues only have two. I have one, and it sounds like a bad fuzz face clone. It has too much bass and a significant drop in volume when clicked on."

I have this one in my sights

[drewl]

I can't praise the MKII enough!
It just has this wonderful smooth breakup and texture that adds an almost 3D feeling to the signal.
Ahhh....in my happy place.....

[jlullo]

thanks for the help guys,

simon, i'll try out your layout tonight to see how it compares!

[frankclarke]

The TBII has a vast amount of gain, unless there is some issue with the build, so some troubleshooting is in order.

[Derringer]

I used this version-
http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/DRAGONFLY-LAYOUTS_0/album18/album144/TONEBENDER_MKII_REISSUE_VERO_001.gif.html

it's a two-transistor version, and i just used the stock resistor values listed.  I'm using a pair of CV7112's that were from Aaron's stash- they are 88 and 125 hfe's respectively.  Just to check, i threw a pair of BC109's in to see how it sounded... still very muddy in my opinion...

BC109's and CV7112's are NPN's? http://www.datasheetcatalog.org/datasheet/philips/BC107_108_109_4.pdf
http://www.smallbearelec.com/Detail.bok?no=461

This layout has a positive ground. I'd assume that you need PNP trannies. http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/DRAGONFLY-LAYOUTS_0/album18/album144/TONEBENDER_MKII_REISSUE_VERO_001.gif.html

[jlullo]

Derringer,
I adapted it for NPN.  Switched cap orientation and +9v instead of -9v

good looking out though!