Fulltone Soul Bender

Okay, I get it now. Germanium . . . where have you been all my life? I'm glad I finally got off my wallet and spent a little extra to get the fuzz I've been hearing in my head for years. Now if only I could silence those pesky voices . . .

Hey Brew,

Congrats on the pedal!


I've been curious about these myself.

Okay, Now if only I could silence those pesky voices . . .

Easy, turn up your amp! Congrats on a great pedal

Easy, turn up your amp! Congrats on a great pedal

Ha ha! That trick never works. The voices just end up singing along off key. :grin:

It's a great pedal. I'd resisted buying one for years, but I'm glad I finally pulled the trigger. It's a keeper.

I think that's the fuzz Dan used on Thickfreakness (The title song, not the whole CD).

Hey Brew,

Congrats on the pedal!


I've been curious about these myself.

It's one of the earliest Tonebender clones. I forget what extra tweakabilty controls Fuller added. But he turned the silicon and germanium Fuzz Face into 3 and 4 knob pedals as well.

I forget what type of germanium transistors Fuller settled on for his Tonebender variation, but he is one of the early ones to understand that certain low gains are what get "those tones," and the rest of the Tonebender circuit can be left as is.

I like the "where have you been all my life" statement, too. The great "latest news" is that there are now Tonebender and Fuzz Face variants that use low gain silicon transistors that create similar/same fuzztones. Folks always chalked it up to germanium, when the fact is that it is just really uncommon to find silicon resistors that have as low of gains, and their bandwidth is always a little higher even if the gain is matched. So a "mellowing cap" will drop the bandwidth of the same-gain silicon transistor to the germanium.

...Silicon transistors have technical advantages - no leakage, no sensitivity to temperature changes. IOW, they are dead nuts consistent. So for anyone experiencing a germanium Tonebender for the first time and enjoying it, a silicon variant with low gain transistors might prove to be just as rewarding. The Retro Channel "The Fuzz" is one such "evolution" of the Tonebender.

It's one of the earliest Tonebender clones. I forget what extra tweakabilty controls Fuller added. But he turned the silicon and germanium Fuzz Face into 3 and 4 knob pedals as well.

I forget what type of germanium transistors Fuller settled on for his Tonebender variation, but he is one of the early ones to understand that certain low gains are what get "those tones," and the rest of the Tonebender circuit can be left as is.

I like the "where have you been all my life" statement, too. The great "latest news" is that there are now Tonebender and Fuzz Face variants that use low gain silicon transistors that create similar/same fuzztones. Folks always chalked it up to germanium, when the fact is that it is just really uncommon to find silicon resistors that have as low of gains, and their bandwidth is always a little higher even if the gain is matched. So a "mellowing cap" will drop the bandwidth of the same-gain silicon transistor to the germanium.

...Silicon transistors have technical advantages - no leakage, no sensitivity to temperature changes. IOW, they are dead nuts consistent. So for anyone experiencing a germanium Tonebender for the first time and enjoying it, a silicon variant with low gain transistors might prove to be just as rewarding. The Retro Channel "The Fuzz" is one such "evolution" of the Tonebender.

I got the SB-2. Mr Fuller describes the germanium transistors as made-to-order "skinny-tall TO-1" transistors.

What do you think of the SB-2? Is it a straight up fuzz pedal, or a distortion/od pedal as well?

Nice !
I've fancied getting my paws on one of those for some time.
Enjoy - yes turn it up!

This was my first fuzz and my first boutique pedal I bought right when they came out.
Boy was I an idiot when I sold this along with most of my gear 5 years ago.

Oh well, hopefully I can find an original one day. Great pedal, congrats!