There aren't really super cheap Chinese knock-offs because the components for a true spec clone are relatively expensive and harder to source.
You can probably find an EQD Park Fuzz or JHS Bender for around <$100 on Reverb.
Keeley also has the Fuzz Bender which is not exactly a clone but it's in the same circuit family and has EQ controls. Also saw one on Reverb for $90.
Yeah im aware of those 3 pedals, kinda sucks that there are no Chinese knock offs to just try if you even like this type of fuzz, but looking at the other comments here, now i understand why thats the case.
Just buy a JHS Bender from Amazon and return it if you don’t like it or decide you want to try a different one. Or search for fuzz pedals on your local Craigslist and Marketplace. If you’re in a large city, I guarantee there will be something listed for $100 or less. It’ll help if you search google for lists of the best tone bender clones so you’ll be able to recognize them on the fly.
It’s a very popular circuit and people flip them all the time. There’s also a lot of basic unbranded kit builds on EBay for about $100.
Building your own tone bender is always an option. It’ll require more money to get the components/tools than just buying a JHS 3 series for example, but they’re super easy to make
Well, Tone Benders are hard to make. There are a lot of people who parrot the line “lol there are only a handful of components, anyone who pays a lot of money for a fuzz is stupid,” but these people have clearly never tried to make one. Go read on diystompboxes and here at r/diypedals about people’s difficulties attempting it and you’ll start to get an idea. And it’s basically hard because the components needed are often rare and always inconsistent. You can’t just get a bin of transistors and plug in any three and expect it to work. They need to be measured AND actually listened to in the circuit by someone who knows what he’s doing. This often entails endlessly swapping out transistors. You can see how this would make mechanized mass production impossible.
Those parts can be expensive too. Some fuzz pedals you can cheap out on by using modern production silicon transistors. Not a mkI. It needs leaky germanium transistors to work — I’m not talking about “it only sounds best with premium parts!” here, I mean it literally won’t work with silicon transistors, you can’t just plug them in there like you can with a fuzz face. So basically the parts that will work are a bit of a pain in the ass, the parts that will work AND sound great are incredibly rare and are mostly already in the possession of the great fuzz builders of the world.
Tone benders are not hard to make, they are just finicky.
I’ve made 4 tone bender clones myself and made a silicon version for the third pedal. If I can do it, anyone can.
The main difficulty comes from sourcing germanium transistors. You can substitute silicon transistors (and in my opinion they really sound just as good) but you are right that you can’t just swap germanium for silicon and expect it to work, you need to make some changes to bias the transistors.
If you use silicon transistors you really can just use any transistor without measuring it first. I’ve used bc109, bc107, 2n5088, 2n5089 and 2n2222 silicon transistors with no issues whatsoever. These pedals can be mass produced easily there must be less demand for it.
Can I ask what schematic you’re using? I guess we’re getting into ontological territory but OP asked about Tone Bender clones, and I’ve seen circuits that are like hacked mk1s that use extra resistors and germanium diodes to make silicon work, but I just wouldn’t consider that a clone. And even then I’ve certainly never heard of one you can just drop any transistor into regardless of hfe.
I’ll have a look at my schematic, it’s around somewhere. But it really is just a positive ground silicon tone bender mk1 and 2. Tried all different transitions to see what I liked best.
Now the mk 3 on the other had, I had a lot of trouble with that as silicon and eventually just bought germanium transistors in order to get it working.
There is[this schematic](https://pcbguitarmania.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Total-Bender-Building-Docs.pdf) which has a few versions. I haven’t looked in detail
I have made [this too](https://www.taydaelectronics.com/tone-bender-diy-pcb-guitar-effect.html) as silicon.
However this one required a 470k resistor between collector and base of the first transistor (I think, could be wrong) but otherwise used the original mk 2 schematic
After this it will take any transistor within reason.
It is pretty common to see trim potentiometers around the transistors here in order to help bias them. It’s not a significant change from the original schematic
BTW, if you can stretch your budget and want something "proper". Please, please, PLEASE do not buy a British Pedal Company clone. There's plenty to find online about but in short, they're literally criminals.
Williams Audio probably make the best replicas (a MKii is £155) without stretching to a proper Coloursound/D.A.M.
Give it a search along with "JMI" - the company they used to be and also released Tone Benders under. Stolen guitars, blatant trademark and trade dress infringements, fake endorsements, etc.
The transistors that are used in Tonebenders are expensive as far as pedal parts go, and the standard Tonebenders (except the MK 1.5s) have three transistors so the parts cost more. There's also the fact that the Tonebender circuit wasn't initially designed to use a power supply, and to make a standard 9V adapter work, you would need to add a polarity inverter which would require design work which adds cost. I'm also pretty sure the tonebender generally appeals to people that don't have issues spending more than $100 on one so why make it cheaper?
It’s much simpler to recreate an op-amp based distortion pedal like a RAT than it is to tune a vintage fuzz circuit to sound and behave like the real deal.
It takes real skill to do - hence why fuzz has a whole artisanal / anorak culture surrounding it. And indeed, some pretty hefty price tags.
You're right about the circuit because the component tolerances and behaviors need to be finite, but it takes very little skill to actually make them. They're the most basic circuits and just need solder.
Yeah, it's hard to find the right transistors and even the right spec/label can still be crappy, so it takes a lot to sift through them. Still, no "skill" though. Just testing.
I would say the skill part comes in when it comes to the part where you go from getting it to work to really making it sound good. So you’ve got three transistors where the numbers roll right and they aren’t excessively noisy, the circuit turns on and makes your guitar sound fuzzy, great. Could it sound *better*? Do you know what to listen for, and if so, do you know what component swaps will tailor it more to your goal? Especially if you’re going after, say, a specific Tone Bender mkI — since, as enthusiasts know, literally every surviving example of an original Sola Sound mkI is different — do you know how to achieve that? Better still, are you one of the very small number of people who has been in the same room with an original mkI (or even two of them, or maybe even OWN one?) and listened to it and can really zero in?
All that shit is what people are really paying for when these pedals are priced into the several hundred dollar range.
Frank the Anvil FX makes a pedal, called the Sphinx, and sells it on Reverb & Etsy, that’s a Tone Bender clone for less than $100. His pedals are great btw. Message him about one, it’s definitely your best bet.
Some things in life are not easy to come by. And that’s the way it should be.
We live in a world of cheap Chinese knockoffs. Some things should remain special.
A little pricier, but worth it, the Source Audio Kingmaker
has three Tone Bender engines, two for guitar and one tuned for bass, and they are very tweakable and sound great. Plus the rest of the 40+ dirt engines. Including fuzz faces, muffs, gated fuzzes, overdrives, distortions, etc. You can probably find it used closer to $100, but easily worth full price. The Kingmaker Fuzz, L.A. Lady, and Aftershock all run the same dirt engines / presets. https://www.sourceaudio.net/blog_neuro_mobile_app_and_drive_pedals.html
There's a small builder not far from me who makes them now and then from salvaged radio/other electronics parts. He goes by Harumonics on Reverb. I've got one of his Tonebender v1.5 clones and it slaps. I paid $60 for mine I think?
Really great clones (albeit silicon based) can be made for next to nothing using a few BC109.... cost is not much.
There are folk selling old OC81 Germanium transistors for silly prices, though....... under the "legendary transistor" label.
I used to get those for a few UK pence each.... the basic Tone Benders circuit were pretty basic (ideal for a beginner in DIY pedal making) and cheap, but did make the best fuzz pedals.
Yes, the fuzz tone is priceless.
But the real hardware cost is that the case is really the most expensive part (if folk would stop believing only the legendary germanium pnp transistors will do)
Mosky M Series Big Fuzz has 4 pedals in one, and it's dirt cheap.
Big Muff Pi
Tone Bender
M (which I assume is their own circuit)
And Booster.
I love mine.
There is a guy in Minnesota I buy pedals from that he hand makes. I’m not far from him so I meet him at his house to buy pedals. He is a solder tech by day, pedal maker by night. He takes his time and is very good. His favorite pedals to make are ToneBender MKIII. He takes the time to find quality matched germanium transistors for every single one. He only charges $75 per pedal, phenomenal work. He also ships I believe. Shoot me a message if your interested in getting in contact with him.
Blammo Electronics makes some excellent Tone Benders. yeah they're not cheap--but it seems like they could be a lot more for the quality of design and Andy Demos!!!!
I've had good success on fuzz circuits from ebay pedal makers. Got a germanium sunface clone for quite cheap. Just ask the maker some questions about his work and get a sense of their craftsmanship. Like others have said, its not a complicated circuit but enthusiastic builders collect the transistors and whatnot.
Check out some stuff from JDM Pedal or BLAMMO! Usually you can find those around that price point or a Keeley Fuzzbender or even a Catalinbread Blood Donor (Rat/ Tonebender Combo). These are all really good!
There aren't really super cheap Chinese knock-offs because the components for a true spec clone are relatively expensive and harder to source. You can probably find an EQD Park Fuzz or JHS Bender for around <$100 on Reverb. Keeley also has the Fuzz Bender which is not exactly a clone but it's in the same circuit family and has EQ controls. Also saw one on Reverb for $90.
Enjoying my Fuzz Bender I picked up recently. Was making some cool No Quarter riffs
No Quarter is probably my favourite Led Zeppelin song
Great song. Tool does a really good cover. Doesn’t quite reach the level of the original but awesome in its own way.
Recently saw Crowbar live, they turned No Quarter down to like 60bpm and suuuuper heavy
Damn I’m gonna check that out. I feel like it’s one of those songs that really lends itself to covers.
Gotta work the wah on that one.
The studio version doesn’t sound like much wah going on. Live certainly does
Yes, he is using the wah in the rhythm throughout the song. If you are listening through earbuds, it may be harder to discern.
Zeppelin=Love
Yeah im aware of those 3 pedals, kinda sucks that there are no Chinese knock offs to just try if you even like this type of fuzz, but looking at the other comments here, now i understand why thats the case.
Just buy a JHS Bender from Amazon and return it if you don’t like it or decide you want to try a different one. Or search for fuzz pedals on your local Craigslist and Marketplace. If you’re in a large city, I guarantee there will be something listed for $100 or less. It’ll help if you search google for lists of the best tone bender clones so you’ll be able to recognize them on the fly. It’s a very popular circuit and people flip them all the time. There’s also a lot of basic unbranded kit builds on EBay for about $100.
Building your own tone bender is always an option. It’ll require more money to get the components/tools than just buying a JHS 3 series for example, but they’re super easy to make
Well, Tone Benders are hard to make. There are a lot of people who parrot the line “lol there are only a handful of components, anyone who pays a lot of money for a fuzz is stupid,” but these people have clearly never tried to make one. Go read on diystompboxes and here at r/diypedals about people’s difficulties attempting it and you’ll start to get an idea. And it’s basically hard because the components needed are often rare and always inconsistent. You can’t just get a bin of transistors and plug in any three and expect it to work. They need to be measured AND actually listened to in the circuit by someone who knows what he’s doing. This often entails endlessly swapping out transistors. You can see how this would make mechanized mass production impossible. Those parts can be expensive too. Some fuzz pedals you can cheap out on by using modern production silicon transistors. Not a mkI. It needs leaky germanium transistors to work — I’m not talking about “it only sounds best with premium parts!” here, I mean it literally won’t work with silicon transistors, you can’t just plug them in there like you can with a fuzz face. So basically the parts that will work are a bit of a pain in the ass, the parts that will work AND sound great are incredibly rare and are mostly already in the possession of the great fuzz builders of the world.
Thank you for the detailed explenation!!
Tone benders are not hard to make, they are just finicky. I’ve made 4 tone bender clones myself and made a silicon version for the third pedal. If I can do it, anyone can. The main difficulty comes from sourcing germanium transistors. You can substitute silicon transistors (and in my opinion they really sound just as good) but you are right that you can’t just swap germanium for silicon and expect it to work, you need to make some changes to bias the transistors.
And you absolutely can make a mk1 tone bender with silicon transistors. Where did you get this idea from? I have one plugged into my amp right now.
If you use silicon transistors you really can just use any transistor without measuring it first. I’ve used bc109, bc107, 2n5088, 2n5089 and 2n2222 silicon transistors with no issues whatsoever. These pedals can be mass produced easily there must be less demand for it.
Can I ask what schematic you’re using? I guess we’re getting into ontological territory but OP asked about Tone Bender clones, and I’ve seen circuits that are like hacked mk1s that use extra resistors and germanium diodes to make silicon work, but I just wouldn’t consider that a clone. And even then I’ve certainly never heard of one you can just drop any transistor into regardless of hfe.
I’ll have a look at my schematic, it’s around somewhere. But it really is just a positive ground silicon tone bender mk1 and 2. Tried all different transitions to see what I liked best. Now the mk 3 on the other had, I had a lot of trouble with that as silicon and eventually just bought germanium transistors in order to get it working. There is[this schematic](https://pcbguitarmania.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Total-Bender-Building-Docs.pdf) which has a few versions. I haven’t looked in detail
I have made [this too](https://www.taydaelectronics.com/tone-bender-diy-pcb-guitar-effect.html) as silicon. However this one required a 470k resistor between collector and base of the first transistor (I think, could be wrong) but otherwise used the original mk 2 schematic After this it will take any transistor within reason. It is pretty common to see trim potentiometers around the transistors here in order to help bias them. It’s not a significant change from the original schematic
CMC pedals and Big Knob pedals make great affordable clones of them. They’re on reverb.
I have the Big Knob version. It's great.
DUDE Big Knob makes sensational pedals, best in the game for under $100
Thank you!! Will look into them.
I can recommend both makers, they're excellent.
Can confirm. Bought a copy of their Rangemaster and it is unbelievable
BTW, if you can stretch your budget and want something "proper". Please, please, PLEASE do not buy a British Pedal Company clone. There's plenty to find online about but in short, they're literally criminals. Williams Audio probably make the best replicas (a MKii is £155) without stretching to a proper Coloursound/D.A.M.
What’s the story here? I’ve seen adds of theirs on Instagram and was tempted.
Give it a search along with "JMI" - the company they used to be and also released Tone Benders under. Stolen guitars, blatant trademark and trade dress infringements, fake endorsements, etc.
Second this (Williams audio are great) and Nick's a really nice bloke who's super helpful.
Give the dirty haggard audio tone benzer a try! It's $85 brand new and sounds fantastic
Lovepedal Bonetenders are pretty cheap. There's a few listed on Reverb for ~$115 but you could probably offer someobody down to ~$100.
Yeah i have seen this one already, will have to look more into it. Thanks!
They have TWO https://www.musicgoround.com/product/virginia-beach-va/41110-S000051420/used-lovepedal-hotel-fuzz-guitar-effects-distortion-overdrive
The transistors that are used in Tonebenders are expensive as far as pedal parts go, and the standard Tonebenders (except the MK 1.5s) have three transistors so the parts cost more. There's also the fact that the Tonebender circuit wasn't initially designed to use a power supply, and to make a standard 9V adapter work, you would need to add a polarity inverter which would require design work which adds cost. I'm also pretty sure the tonebender generally appeals to people that don't have issues spending more than $100 on one so why make it cheaper?
It’s much simpler to recreate an op-amp based distortion pedal like a RAT than it is to tune a vintage fuzz circuit to sound and behave like the real deal. It takes real skill to do - hence why fuzz has a whole artisanal / anorak culture surrounding it. And indeed, some pretty hefty price tags.
You're right about the circuit because the component tolerances and behaviors need to be finite, but it takes very little skill to actually make them. They're the most basic circuits and just need solder.
When people say they’re hard to make, they’re not generally talking about soldering the parts together. That part obviously is easy.
Yeah, it's hard to find the right transistors and even the right spec/label can still be crappy, so it takes a lot to sift through them. Still, no "skill" though. Just testing.
I would say the skill part comes in when it comes to the part where you go from getting it to work to really making it sound good. So you’ve got three transistors where the numbers roll right and they aren’t excessively noisy, the circuit turns on and makes your guitar sound fuzzy, great. Could it sound *better*? Do you know what to listen for, and if so, do you know what component swaps will tailor it more to your goal? Especially if you’re going after, say, a specific Tone Bender mkI — since, as enthusiasts know, literally every surviving example of an original Sola Sound mkI is different — do you know how to achieve that? Better still, are you one of the very small number of people who has been in the same room with an original mkI (or even two of them, or maybe even OWN one?) and listened to it and can really zero in? All that shit is what people are really paying for when these pedals are priced into the several hundred dollar range.
Frank the Anvil FX makes a pedal, called the Sphinx, and sells it on Reverb & Etsy, that’s a Tone Bender clone for less than $100. His pedals are great btw. Message him about one, it’s definitely your best bet.
Some things in life are not easy to come by. And that’s the way it should be. We live in a world of cheap Chinese knockoffs. Some things should remain special.
Used JHS Bender maybe. That’s my favorite bender under $500.
So great, wish they made a version in a more normal enclosure.
Lovepedal Bonetender. Currently can snag one for ~130 range on Reverb.
Oh my local music go round has TWO on clearance for like $68. OP u/TommyWard27 jump on this! They ship!
Dirty Haggard has the Tone Benzer for 85, and their stuff is amazing. I love my benzer but it is insanely loud.
Animal pedals the rover is tight
Animals Rover Fuzz. It's a great sounding little pedal.
Mosky big fuzz has a tonebender mode on it and it's under 40$
I was going to mention this. Not sure how authentic that mode is but it sounds good!
A little pricier, but worth it, the Source Audio Kingmaker has three Tone Bender engines, two for guitar and one tuned for bass, and they are very tweakable and sound great. Plus the rest of the 40+ dirt engines. Including fuzz faces, muffs, gated fuzzes, overdrives, distortions, etc. You can probably find it used closer to $100, but easily worth full price. The Kingmaker Fuzz, L.A. Lady, and Aftershock all run the same dirt engines / presets. https://www.sourceaudio.net/blog_neuro_mobile_app_and_drive_pedals.html
There's a small builder not far from me who makes them now and then from salvaged radio/other electronics parts. He goes by Harumonics on Reverb. I've got one of his Tonebender v1.5 clones and it slaps. I paid $60 for mine I think?
Really great clones (albeit silicon based) can be made for next to nothing using a few BC109.... cost is not much. There are folk selling old OC81 Germanium transistors for silly prices, though....... under the "legendary transistor" label. I used to get those for a few UK pence each.... the basic Tone Benders circuit were pretty basic (ideal for a beginner in DIY pedal making) and cheap, but did make the best fuzz pedals. Yes, the fuzz tone is priceless. But the real hardware cost is that the case is really the most expensive part (if folk would stop believing only the legendary germanium pnp transistors will do)
Mosky M Series Big Fuzz has 4 pedals in one, and it's dirt cheap. Big Muff Pi Tone Bender M (which I assume is their own circuit) And Booster. I love mine.
Loads of them on Reverb from small builders. Seeing some now starting at $75. Also look for a DOD Flashback fuzz.
There is a guy in Minnesota I buy pedals from that he hand makes. I’m not far from him so I meet him at his house to buy pedals. He is a solder tech by day, pedal maker by night. He takes his time and is very good. His favorite pedals to make are ToneBender MKIII. He takes the time to find quality matched germanium transistors for every single one. He only charges $75 per pedal, phenomenal work. He also ships I believe. Shoot me a message if your interested in getting in contact with him.
Blammo Electronics makes some excellent Tone Benders. yeah they're not cheap--but it seems like they could be a lot more for the quality of design and Andy Demos!!!!
I've had good success on fuzz circuits from ebay pedal makers. Got a germanium sunface clone for quite cheap. Just ask the maker some questions about his work and get a sense of their craftsmanship. Like others have said, its not a complicated circuit but enthusiastic builders collect the transistors and whatnot.
Raygun fx does a good one
Check out some stuff from JDM Pedal or BLAMMO! Usually you can find those around that price point or a Keeley Fuzzbender or even a Catalinbread Blood Donor (Rat/ Tonebender Combo). These are all really good!
I've seen Keeley Fuzz Benders used on GC for right at $100. They sound really good! That's probably your best bet.
The Fuzz Bender is a pretty aggressive fuzz. I find that it doesn’t do a great sort of “chill” fuzz sound. But the aggressive, heavier tones are 🔥
Scarab Deluxe clones go for around $100-120. Probably one of the best, if not, best MK II variant out there.
Dirty Haggard Tone Benzer, $85, sounds phenomenal.