Are You Tonebender?!? (Williams Audio: MkI, MkII & MkIII Compared)
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- Опубліковано 29 сер 2024
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Tonebenders! One leg of the so-called fuzz 'holy trinity' - and definitely the fuzz I've struggled with the most over the years. But as it turns out, I'd just been playing the wrong ones. Fuzzes are deceivingly simple circuits - it takes a special set of ears & skills to build, tune & bias them properly...
Enter Nick Williams...AKA Mr Tonebender! Nick builds Tonebender replicas to exact specifications of his originals. And by exact, I mean...identical-sounding in ever way, shape & form!
(Check out Nick's amazing pedals here: www.williamsaud...)
Today, we'll be taking a look at the three best-known of the Tonebenders. How do they compare? How did the circuit evolve? Do they clean up in the same way? Blah blah blah...
What do you think? Are you a Tonebender fiend? Or are they not for you? Comment below!
Guitar is a Fender Tele with Monty's Retro Wind bridge & Bare Knuckle Flat '50 neck pickups, recorded through a Dr Z DB4 (SM57), a Hughes & Kettner Puretone Combo (sE Electronics RNR1 Ribbon) and a Cornell Romany Plus (recorded with a 1970s MD441)
joeperkinsmusic
jp@joeperkins.co.uk
Vector images by freepik.com
Thank you SO MUCH for playing chords / rhythm stuff and not just bluesy licks or crazy solos like everyone does. This is very useful! Awesome demo.
Not a problem :-) I'm much more of a rhythm player anyway!
Joe, I'm 3 years late, but you are so much fun to listen to and to watch. I'm delighted that you are educated and understand that getting these minimal circuits to do what you envision is not a simple matter. I hope you are still around and helping others. Thank you.
Thanks Larry....I'm still here! :P
@@JoePerkinsMusic Thank you for telling me. I am very glad you are. More enjoyment for me and others.
At 4.00 the mk1 announces its arrival, what a beauty.
Just got my MK1, couldn’t be happier it’s just awesome. Great classic fuzz tone that still has something fresh and new to it
Wonderful :-) Glad you’re happy with it mate! Such a killer circuit!
Does a 9ft Bosendorfer ever get old ?
Possibly the best Bender comparison I’ve ever seen. SUBSCRIBED 👍🏼
Ah awesome stuff - cheers! :-)
I have just received my MK1, which I ordered on the strength of this review.
It is SUPERB! Wonderfully made and it sounds glorious!
Thanks for this - I got a lot of joy from this video and discovered this superb pedal builder :)
Ah that's amazing to hear Rohan :-) Really glad you're loving it!! Nick makes such fabulous pedals - though as a warning, once you start getting into collecting his fuzzes, it can be addictive! ;-) hehe
@@JoePerkinsMusic don't tell me. I just placed my third order with Nick 😂
I think I’ve found my mark 1, based on your narrative. I especially appreciate your efforts. I’ve waded through tons of clips and reviews and finally your clip showed up - well done. I’m primarily a player looking for excellence and authenticy of build by attention to detail. One suggestion, more playing in the “clean” turned down. Many thanks
Masks don't do anything
Hi Joe. I recently discovered your channel and I must say what a great relief this channel is compared to all those over-the-top US guitar channels!
Please keep on doing this! Greetz from NL.
Ah that's awesome mate, thanks for the kind words! Hopefully the only thing over-the-top in this video is the outfit ;-) haha
The Mk 1 is the king of all Tonebenders per usual. That's a great example as well.
Aha yep...it's astonishingly good!
Great comparison. Mk1 is the one for me!!!
Me too!
Hi Joe, really compliments for this shoot out!
I just got my MK1...and as I wrote to Nick, at the beginning it's like riding a crazy horse...but when you get your tone... it's simply perfect!🔥
Hi Francesco - amazing to hear; and a perfect description! I like fuzzes that make you 'work' a bit - and Nick's MkI is certainly one of those!
I was in a worst place than you. 6 months ago i've never heard of Tonebenders, i just didn't know what Page, Beck or Ronson used to get their tones. I assumed they used some Fuzz Face combined with amp overdrive. I have had sticked for years with fuzz faces and muffs. Then, 3 months ago i got my first Tonebender: a Sola Sound MKII by D*A*M. Man, it changed my life!!! I now see muffs and fuzz faces as pedals i go to get some specific tones, but the Tonebender improved my playing A LOT, for real. I don't know what it is, but I felt a deep connection the moment I stomped on it. It never happened before with other pedals. Now, just three months later, i own the MKII, a Fuzz Sound (2 knob Park Fuzz), a Castledine MKI and a D*A*M Buzztronix (variation of MKIII). Never a single sound has had such a deep impact on me. It's part of my fingers, of my guitar. Like I said: life changing. Great video, amazing pedals!
Aha - it's a slippery slope eh?! ;-)
My grey Tonebender (3 knobs) has always the first place on my pedalboard. I tried all models and for the moment I think the MKIII cuts better through the mix, but maybe it's just a matter of components of this particular unit, being fuzz pedals so prone to variation. Once again, thanks for your awesome clip!
The tone control on the MkIII is amazing! It's worth its weight in gold for that alone - super versatile on a pedalboard :-) This particular III does have a high-mid fizz going on which definitely makes it slice through a mix wonderfully! I'm recording lead guitar for a new track next week - planning on using the MkI & MkII for lead/harmonies, but I'm not sure which way around yet! :P
Maybe MKII for harmonies and the unruly MKI for lead ;)
Well this was my thinking - but then again, I generally run my harmony guitars brighter but quieter than the lead, so maybe the other way around might work better. But the howling mid-range of the MkI can't really be argued with, can it?!? Will see :-)
that was a stunning transition from guitar nerd-inna-chair to pimpchild lefty with guitar in-hand.
not sure if anyone gives a damn but if you guys are bored like me atm you can stream pretty much all the latest series on instaflixxer. I've been binge watching with my gf for the last couple of days :)
@Braydon Rex Definitely, have been using InstaFlixxer for since december myself =)
Hey Joe Great review Fella & it’s Mk.1 all the way for me as well ❗️👍🏻 Keep Rockin & Stay Safe 😎🤘🏻Got shirts louder than yours BTW 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Haha!! Cheers Steve...sounds like you've got quite a wardrobe ;-)
Love your personality and demos Perky! You should have more than double the amount of subscribers… Keep rockin’ man!
Thanks Aaron - hopefully one day! :-)
Just got my MkIII and completed Nick's Tonebender series, my fav my mark2 with the oc81d mullards. All three are incredible, the 2 and 3 are very similar, with the 3 having more options for EQ which in a band setting is key. But my heart is with my Mk2, just so warm and smooth and cleans the best of the 3. The Mk1 is a totally different sound from the others, very nice with guitar on full. Thank you Joe for showing me Nick's work, he's amazing. I told him to give you your dues 😂
Ah amazing to hear that Chris - really glad you're loving them!! :-) Think I'm a MkI man at heart - though they're all wonderful in their own way, as you say! Happy fuzzing mate! :D
Mk1 all day for me!
Greetings from the states
I just wanted to let you know I ordered a tone Bender 2 from Williams audio and I'm currently waiting for it with baited breath thank you so much for the great demo
Amazing to hear - sure you’re going to love it! :-)
The Mark 2 sounds like it was used on Sunshine of your Love. The sustain high F is a give away to me.
I like the MK1 best. It has a certain warmth and fullness that the others don’t have.
It's my favourite too! :-)
Great reference video! Enjoying your videos. Thanks 👍
The volume clean up is as important if not more important to me as the wide open fuzz sounds, so I'd probably go with the mk3
MKIII for sure and then MKI close second for me
I'd like one that switches between MK1 and MKIII. The MKII sounds closer to the MKIII but with less control options.
Collect them all! MK1 is a dream though. Because it makes you work for it’s approval like Joan Crawford in Mommy Dearest.
MkI for me too :-)
Awesome demo really !
I love your demo's and playing! 😊 I liked all three pedals allot, but I agree with you I'd go with the Mark 1 here - but fuzz pedals as you said really do vary and are different even among the same types, depending on the brand, and model, and year, and so forth.... I have a Mark 3 here at home that blows the doors off a Mark 1 I use to have, but its certainly not the case here -WOW- that Mark 1 was beautiful spitty, feedbacky yumminess heehee 😍
Yeah 100% - you'll get more tonal variation between different companies building the exact same circuit than you will between these three different circuits built by the same chap. Very dependent on components, biasing, etc. But yeah - this MkI is a tricky beast to tame. But when you get it under control, it really is SO rewarding! :-)
@@JoePerkinsMusic I totally agree 👍😊
My favorite music Jeff Beck EVER did was with The Yardbirds and he used the MK1 with an Esquire and Les Paul through an AC30 or Vox amp. Greatest sounds from The Yardbirds, although i love Clapton's tenure and some of Page's too. Jimmy Page sounded fab with the MK2 in The Yardbirds.
Yep, definitely! Those early Beck/Page tones are what the Tonebender is all about! :-)
excellent video, I really dig the MK I but I know some amps like certain pedals over others. Keep up the good work Joe.
Thanks Jerry! Don't tell the other pedals, but the MkI is my favourite too ;-) heh
@@JoePerkinsMusic Hey Joe thank you for turning me on to Williams audio. I'm definitely going to get a MK I, and I will reach out to them about the possibility of getting a Buzzaround/Fuzzaround/Buzzotron etc...D*A*M & Pigdog way too rich for my blood...I got a bunch of original trannys too?
Nick is a fantastic chap, so definitely drop him a line - tell him Joe sent you ;-) haha He really does make epic pedals - and as you say, especially when compared to the prices that others charge for similar circuits!
@@JoePerkinsMusic I most definitely will Joe...thank you so much...I love your work and passion for everything musical.
The fit goes crazy bro
8:51 you can even hear the sag coming from Bender Bending Rodriguez MKI
That mk1 tone is unreal😊
Great Demo. Thx...
Nice job!!
I preferred the very forward tone of the MkI.
It's my favourite of the bunch :-)
just bought the mark II limited edition with the OC81D Mullards, so looking forward to it!
Ah amazing!! Let me know what you think :-)
@@JoePerkinsMusic just got the pedal today! Lol. I'll try it out tonight😁
@@the92project Amazing!! :D Sure you're gonna love it!
DUDE! yeah boy!
Aha - thought you might like this one mate! ;-) hehe
@@JoePerkinsMusic yeah i am down with the mk1. nice clean up on the mk3 though. how do you think the bearfoot fx bone bender and the basic audio marq won compare to this? thanks.
I agree. The mk1 does sound great. Personally, I love the mk3. I like the flexibility
Hi Joe, howdy? Man, I dig the mk1 more, as I'm a big Mick Ronson fan... Knowing that his tone was Gibson PAF, cocked wah, tonebender mk1 and a marshall amp, I was thinking, as I've saw that great demo you've did with the Ray Butts Filtertron VS Gibson PAF, how would the filtetron compare with the paf through the mk1? cheers from Brazil
I like all three if I was to choose I like the Mark three the best because it cleaned up when you turn down the volume and that’s important to me than the Mark one, and then the mark to become it is a little muffled
The MKl shot right into my face
Such an amazing sounding fuzz - definitely my favourite of the trio :-)
Joe if you haven't already checked, check out the Doug & pat show UA-cam channel, these guys are vintage gear afficionados and are right up your street.
I've got it open in my browser - will check it out later on! :-) Thanks for the tip off!
@@JoePerkinsMusic you are very welcome, the show they did on telecasters !!!!!! Omg omg, wait until you see pat's 53 !!!!
Is it likely to make me feel depressed about mine? :P Hehe
Nice comparison, great sounds from them all. Looks like your pedal board stashes under your bed, Batman style ;) I have a Ronno Bender and I'm considering picking up a Williams MK II - just wondering if yours has the OC81D Mullards in it too? Thanks!
Aha yes, it saves space in my tiny room :P Ah the Williams stuff is incredible, and very reasonably priced in the world of Tonebenders. Mine doesn't have the OC81s; it's just the 'standard' MkII (though I'll confess I've always been curious as to how much of a difference the 81's would have made!!)
Thank you 🍞🍞🍞💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼
Hi Joe. I've ordered the mark 2. How long it take roughly to get. Is what it is but just asking. I'll get mark 1 also in time
I’m greedy! I own a Thorpyfx Boneyard which does tonebender 1,1.5,2,3,4 etc :)
My tone blender choices are Sunbender mkIV, then a lovepedal bonetender which is like a muff and TB combined
I've not tried a Sunbender...but anything with Mike's name on it can only really be world class!! :P
The MKI sounds much better than the other ones. I think mine was a MK1.5, but I don´t completely know the difference. I am though quite sure that the MK1´s are very close to a Fuzz Face
and only have 2 transistors, where the other ones have 3. Nice video but a really bad suit 🙂
The MkI is a 3 transistor fuzz, like the MkII and MkIII - the Mk1.5 is the 2 transistor, and closer to a FF 🙂
Hey, I just discovered this channel and Williams audio and I really liked the clarity of the review. Would you be able to check out the supa fuzz I would really appreciate it.
Hopefully one day :-)
Dude were you playing megadeth? Full marks for that
Aha I don’t remember :P Might have thrown Hanger 18 in there...that’s about the only one I’ve ever learned! Heh
Oof. GAS inducing demo! I'll definitely be checking out Williams stuff!
Nick is ace :-)
MKIII all the way 🎉!
Mk III cleans better on guitar vol rolls down, then for me it makes a big difference.
I own all 3 and yes you are right, Mk2 and Mk3 clean exceptionally well but Mk3 just a tab better. However, Mk2 just has something in the mids that makes it less harsher and sweeter anywhere you set the dials. Hard to explain, you have to hear it. My fav is Mk2
I thought a fuzz face WAS a tone bender , or more specifically a Mk 1.5 TB
These are all three-transistor fuzzes, whereas the Fuzz Face is two. But you're right, the 1.5 appeared for a very brief period of time and was something of an anomaly as a 2-transistor TB...I've never played one but from what I've heard it's very close to what became the fuzz face circuit. Generally speaking though....FF = 2 transistor; TB = 3.
I bought the mkIII, but it only works if I feed it with battery, if I connect it to the power supply with isolated outputs, it doesn't turn on, why this?
99% sure it's because it will require centre-positive power; so you'll need a reverse polarity connector to fit onto your isolated power supply. My MkI needs that, so I'm assuming the MkIII will be the same :-)
@@JoePerkinsMusic : thank you so much for your reply
Cheers from Italy
I notice you didn’t play any leads in this demo. To me the real mark of a tone bender is the sound of the bending of the notes in a lead. Do you have a demo where you show playing a lead with all 3 tone benders or will you be making one?
Completely agree - if I was making it again, I'd definitely include some lead playing. As it happens, I actually used all three of these on a song & I made a video breaking down the lead parts....so they're not 'side by side' as such & different guitars, but same amp & mic setup for all of them. Hope it helps: ua-cam.com/video/LrxxTt9Ib5c/v-deo.html
In that video, MkI is 2m26; MkII is 4m30; MkIII is (briefly!) at 6m38 :-)
I like in order 1 through 3. 1 is my fav as well but I'd like all 3 f I can swing t. How much do these run?
They're pretty affordable in the grand scheme of boutique handmade Tonebenders - the MkIII is £139, the MkII is £155. I believe there's a bit of a waiting list for MkI's (partly my fault, I suspect!) - but worth dropping Nick an email to find out about that. Details are on his website: www.williamsaudio.co.uk
His mark 3 seems really controllable
It really is...it's an astonishing thing! The EQ is absolutely fantastic :-)
All Ge fuzz pedals live and die according to the quality of the transistors used. The first transistor in the Mark 1 has to be leaky to bias.
MK I
Any info on Don Poniz Piccolo Totem Fuzz (Gold)?????
?????
Haven't come across Don Poniz pedals before - they look cool though, would like to check them out!
MK III.
Anyone which one McCartney used on think for yourself?
MK1
Anyone cruising?
Ramble nails the tone Bender.
The mk1 is amazing..... No price or availability, currently
Think there's a waiting list (partially my fault!) - might be worth dropping Nick an email to see where things are at.
MK1 holy hell :o
Mega, eh? My favourite of the three :-)
@@JoePerkinsMusic After I had bought the wrong versions I thought the sound of the MK1 sound I was hearing in demos largley owed to audio/miking/recording of the demos online...the other gear used(amps,pickups,speakers,etc) as years ago I had bought a couple Tonebender based pedals not realizing I had bought two *MK1.5* based versions(w/2 transistors to the MK1's 3 transistors).NOW I know the error and just last night spent 3 hrs listening and researching and put in an order for a very moderately priced JDM Elektrika (not affiliated) based on this demo and the research I did on the thier version.$160 shipped,great reviews...will see.Thanks!
MK-I for 3 first second..
Ever Tested a Zonk Machines and would you plave IT amongst the Bunch?
I haven't - but would love to try one!
3:50
Is the word tonebender homophobic?
No. No it’s not.
@@benjaminrmac9171 Sounds it
@@wheelbarrow2779 But its not homophobic...