Vox Tone Bender Fuzz Pedal

Price Paid: US $69.99 used

Ease of Use: 8
Although it only has two knobs, it took me a while to figure out that to adjust the fuzz level, it really depended on the volume knob on the guitar. I bought it used so I didn't have a manual

Sound Quality: 10
This is the best sounding fuzz under 100 dollars, no contest. It's a TRUE fuzz. It sounds ballsy and it's something that you can really groove with.

Reliability: 8
I'm not so sure about this. Since it doesn't have an LED indicator, sometimes I forget to shut it off and it loses a lot of power. I'd have a back up, for a gig.

Customer Support: N/A
Bought it used. I don't know how to contact the company if it broke.

Overall Rating: 10
I love this fuzz because it sounds really vintage and it does its job. adds a quality that no other fuzz under 100 dollars can give... it just sounds real and in-your-face, unlike so many digital fuzzes these days...

Submitted by Greg at 11/06/2005 21:07

Price Paid: (trade) used

Ease of Use: 10
2 knobs... on / off. ummmmmm......

Sound Quality: 10
more of a vintage sound. can cut back on the gain for more of a classic od sound. not as gritty or heavy as a rat or muff(i have both), but it's really "clear" (for lack of a better word) and cuts through no problem.
a solid 10.

Reliability: 9
hard metal casing. no issues. however, you have to take the pedal apart to put the battery in(no power supply out on this )

Customer Support: 9
they take a couple of days to answer, but i've dealt with them in the past. this pedal has been discontinued, so i'm not sure what the status of this would be.

Overall Rating: 10
it's got the tone of a much more expensive pedal....if you're looking for more of a sorta "grunge" or heavy fuzz, get a rat. but, this is damned good.

Submitted by pat at 07/21/2005 07:57

Price Paid: US $115 used

Ease of Use: 10
Very simple re-issue (or ball-park remake, at least) of a '60s Vox fuzzbox. Two controls, "Attack" which contols the level of fuzz, and "Level" which controls the volume. This unit would probably have been manufactured sometime in the mid-1990's at a time when Vox was going through something of a revival and getting in tune with the classic tone of its products that most people associate with.

Sound Quality: 9
When I think of '60s fuzz, I think of Davie Allen, The Seeds, The Stooges and all those other wild Pebbles-style garage bands. That's the vibe that I'm looking for with fuzzboxes and this does not disappoint in that regard.

Although I have several guitars, the one which really brings this box to life is my Danelectro U2 re-issue (does a more magical sounding guitar exist?) which I plug into a Vox Cambridge 30R, no other effects. On the bridge pickup, psychotic lysergic high-times and '60s biker movie tracks rise to the surface while with both pickups on together (remember the Dano series wiring makes 'em louder and heavier) a warm and strong late-60s blues tone comes out.

The Vox Tonebender pushes up the treble somewhat, but that's no bad thing. I would describe the sound generally as rough and abrasive though it lacks that kind of sizzling quality that I have heard in other fuzzboxes. VERY touch responsive although I didn't care too much for settings other than Attack set at full. It had that "ripped-speaker" sound which I found somewhat unappealing. This unit works best as a full-on fuzz.

Reliability: N/A
I've owned it for about 8 months now so too earlier to tell.

Customer Support: 10
I've dealt with Vox(UK) in the past over a different product and they really were extraordinarily helpful even though I was unremmittingly hostile towards them. I had a broken-down amp which they actually came to my house to collect, fixed it and then returned it by courier. I doubt that you'd get that level of service from FMIC.

Overall Rating: 8
I wouldn't say it's the perfect fuzzbox and it does have a missing quality that I can't quite put my finger on. As I stated earlier, it just doesn't have that sizzle that you hear on many '60s garage recordings but on the other hand, it does have an abrasiveness that is mucho attractive without the crunch of, say, a Fuzzface that I never really liked. And it will do the 60s fuzz thang with authenticity.

For anyone seeking to recreate the 60s psych vibe, I don't think you can really go wrong with one of these. They give a great tone and although out of production now, you can still find 'em on Ebay. So get bidding!

Submitted by mojo_navigator at 06/11/2005 03:35

Price Paid: 99 (Pound sterling)

Ease of Use: 9
The V829 model. A black metal box slanted towards the front with just the on/off footswitch on the up facing panel. The top side panel has output, Level knob, Attack knob, input. Easy to use but subtle, really very subtle. With just the two dials you can spend an innordinate ammount of time twiddling and listening. If you like that sort of thing.

Sound Quality: 9
I'm using mine with single coil guitars (Hagstrom futurama, Fender Strat XII) > Vox Tonebender > Crowther Hotcake > Marshall 2098 > 2 x Celestion vintage 30's in parallel at 4 Ohms. Yes. True bypass this, which is what you want. I don't know whether it's just mine but it's pretty trebly, quite noticibly so. This could just be down to the variation in transistors, some a brighter than others. For the first year of owning this pedal I thought I'd made a big mistake and that it sounded utter shed. But now I utterly love it. It breaks up in a really scuzzy way and sounds TOTALy 60's, like. Geeeorgeous through a valve amp (my friend had this tiny little valve thing made out of an old radio and it was just the business through that. Used it for recording.)

Reliability: 6
Hmm not so sure about the quality. The on/off switch seems a bit rubbish (certainly compared with the Hotcake which has a very very nice on/off switch I can tell you) and there have been times when it seems to work intermitantly. Sometimes it takes a press or two to get the thing kick started, which is obviously not a good sign. Other than that though it's robust. The paint chips off easily, which I like. The only other quibble is that you have to unscrew 6 screws to open this fella up and change the battery. And they don't fit very well so the threads are going to go after a bit. Not good.

Customer Support: N/A
never had to deal with them.

Overall Rating: 8
I play psychadelic trance and mad stuff. It's crap for modern metal/hardcore etc cos it sounds like the 60's are here again. But for everything else it's the tops. Probably way too expensive but then I haven't seen many around. No 9v plug!?
The sound can be utterly lovely. It's a FUZZ and it's GERMANIUM CHarged. If you like Fuzz, it being different from distortion or overdrive, then this works a treat. I used to have a Boss fuzz pedal which was utter rubbish. This is the real thing. Probably not as good as the very best but good. Pick one up second hand. Do some mods too it (ie get good transistors - see http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/fuzzface/fffram.htm).
I recommend.

Submitted by ricardo at 03/08/2004 06:54

Price Paid: US $35.00

Ease of Use: 10
two knobs, fuzz and level, input and output jacks and a footswitch

Sound Quality: 10
I have several other pedals: a DOD overdrive 250, an old EH Screaming tree treble booster, DOD FX 65 chorus, Dunlop Crybaby and Rotovibe. I play through my original that I have to this day 1971 Fender Bandmaster (my coming home from Vietnam gift from mom and dad)loaded with Celestion vintage 30's and a Marshall reissue Bluesbreaker. I use my original 1976 Les Paul Standard and a reissue 1957 Fender Strat. The Vox pedal works good and gives me that ratty, shredded speaker, fuzztone like the Yardbirds / Vanilla Fudge/ Frigid Pink sound, especially with single coil pickups

Reliability: N/A
I bought it as new from a ma and pop music store that was going out of business. It sat in a music store display case for years. other than shelf wear and age, it works great and seems to be fairly rugged. I don't play in bands anymore just jam with my grandkids and my sons so I don't worry.

Customer Support: N/A
never dealt with Vox, but I'm sure it's out of warranty due to it's age

Overall Rating: 10
I started playing in the early 60's so i have been through virtually all guitar music genre. I like to play a lot of the psychedelic stuff from the 60's so I use the pedal for that. It gives a real nice overdrive sound when chords are played, sort of a Deep Purple/ Black Sabbath sound. I looked at other fuzz pedals and after playing it and seeing the price compared to the new stuff it was a good purchase. I would almost compare it to one of the Big Muff pedals that I bought in 1972 as far as quality.

Submitted by Combat Medic at 02/08/2004 19:15

Price Paid: US $100

Ease of Use: 10
Your basic fuzz. Two knobs.

Sound Quality: 8
At the right setting, it is great, but if you run it through a over drive that would make it sound even better. Higher pitch than the other fuzzes I have, but a great pedal to combine with other pedals. My is not the original, it is the V829. Must have for all FUZZ LOVERS. LOVE THAT TRUE BYPASS.
Setup: 73'Stratocaster/w 79'PUs(I get better tone with these flat poles(strange but true))===> Colorsound FuzzBox===> Diaz Texas Square Face===> Vox TB===> Keeley DS-1 Ultra Seeing Eye===> Zvex Octane2===> Fulldrive2 S-FY===> Guyatone MD3===> Gibson Atlas 56' 80watt Head===> Carvin 12"x4 cab

Reliability: 10
BUILT LIKE A TANK, with a very smoooooth and light button:)

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 10
ITS ALL GOOD.

Submitted by David Liu at 03/07/2003 20:27

Price Paid: US $275

Ease of Use: 10
The Tonebender, as most of you know, is a very basic early effect. The model reviewed her isan original mid 60's grey model.

2 inputs: input/output and 2 knobs: attack, which controls the amount of fuzz, and level, which controls the volume of the unit.

Sound Quality: 10
I primarily use this effect with my single coil guitars, a Mosrite Ventures model and a Danelectro combined with either a Fender silverface Twin or a small Fender Bullet. One very important note: I have found that this fuzz effect works better than the Maestro Fuzztone on single coil guitars, as the signal is stronger. The Fuzztone, I have personally found, works nicely with guitars w/ humbuckers.
The fuzz sound can be described as somewhat similar to a Fuzzrite, as far as pure fuzz raspyness goes. It is a little less abrasive and a little more bassy. I was impressed with how it handles soloing on all notes, low and high. If you are trying for a Yardbirds or fuzzed out garage/psych sound this is one way to go. It has a fuller, more dynamic sound than the Fuzzrite, but it's a toss-up as to which I prefer, as the Fuzzrite is a very unique cool sound as well.
This unit, because of its sturdy construction and simple circuitry, has survived very well. There are no problems with the sound as far as noise - it sounds exactly as it should.

Reliability: 9
I haven't had it for long, but I would predict, with proper handling, this unit will provide much reliablity. I would even gig with it - it's just that sturdy looking. It is very old, so who knows, but the components are pretty heavy duty and the transistors last indefinitely. I would keep a tight leash on it however, as these early models in this quality are difficult to locate.

Customer Support: N/A
I purchased this effect from Future Music in Hollywood. They were very helpful and accommodated my testing the effect for a long time with their amps and guitars as well as my amps and guitars. I had previously purchased an original Fuzztone, which they let me return, no problems, and exchange for the Tonebender, which was more expensive.

Overall Rating: N/A
I play surf and garage types of sounds and the Tonebender is a welcome addition to my arsenal. It is very important to me to reproduce the sounds and vibe that I hear on records from that period as faithfully as possible. I have been playing for about 20 years and wish I had bought one of these a long time ago!

Submitted by jon at 01/26/2003 13:07

Price Paid: N/A

Ease of Use: 10
Im not going to restate things other reviews have said , so i'll just expand alittle from my own knowledge: Its very easy to use , not as easy as a Boss pedal , but what is! The sound not only comes from the pedal , but the player, the set up , everything . Through a clean set up , it was a perfect distortion. On bordum, I tried to attain a Peter Yorn mild distortion , like Noel Gallagher uses w/ his Epiphone Sharetons (I think Yorn uses a few of thm , maybe Casinos?)

Any how , for those sounds, this isnt your pedal . use a mild distortion (ds 1 , ds2 , blues driver , or a lightly adjusted fuzz)
This pedal, in my opinon is #1 in what its designed to do. balls out fuzz!

Sound Quality: 10

Reliability: N/A
Very ! I however, left this pedals as i do with all my effects, in specialty fitted boxes to hold the pedal , but with the sides cut with holes just big enough to conect it to other pedals, with the front plate cut out to step on it , so i dont needa back up , and i cant find one it seems =( (I'll pay up to 140 for oe ,if your selling)

Customer Support: 9

Overall Rating: 10

Submitted by Bob Rock at 02/15/2002 21:50

Price Paid: US $90.

Ease of Use: 10
easy
i will work for your sound straight away or it wont.

Sound Quality: 10
With a good valve amp -AWESOME!
I've been hunting down an early two knob70's model(has tone bender in 70's typeface)for ages.I have owned a late 60's jen tone bender-but this one just creams it.
This must be the model Mick Ronson used because it has mick's wonderful raspy quality to it.When i kick this thing in ,it pushes my whole sound into sonic mayhem.Unlike the other reviews i dont find that it slices your head off.
Combine this pedal witha good wah and your in ziggy stardust heaven.UNREAL!

Reliability: N/A
i hope i can depend on it

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 10
Before you try or buy-ask yourself what do i want this for?
I like this fuzz because its sound is somewhere on the brink of mayhem-BRING IT ON.
I play space rock-so for me-
The 70's vox tonebender is a classic.

Submitted by johnny j at 02/01/2002 06:44

Price Paid: US $40+

Ease of Use: 10
easy, attack on 10 level to taste

Sound Quality: 10
was a 1, now a 10. i bought the reissue used, it stunk. i had a matched pair of germanium transistors from small bear elctronics and snt the pedal and germs. to alfonso hermida, ahermida@erols.com. he put them in the pedal and it is now my favorite fuzz pedal(although) i am waiting for his fuzz wah with his hybrid germqnium/silicon fuzz). this tonebender sounds so cool and aggressive like doyle bramhall II and charlie sexton on the arc angel cd, which has the coolest fuzz tone sounds. the fuzz is fat but with a edge, but not too ice picky, perfect!!

Reliability: 10
yes.

Customer Support: 10
don't know about vox, but alfonso hermida is the best ahermida@erols.com

Overall Rating: 10
i wish i could find another to have alfonso mod as well, this fuzz sounds like my fulltone soulbender but is nastier!!!

Submitted by adam b. at 09/26/2001 07:37