Smitty Bender MKI Germanium Fuzz "Tone Bender" Effect Pedal -RARE- SN1021

Super Fast Same Day Shipping

Rare and Awesome! Looks, Works and Sounds Killer. These rarely come up for sale and go fast when they do.

The Smitty Bender MKI is a recreation of the original 1965 Tone Bender MKI fuzz pedal, built by Smitty Pedals. It uses a three-transistor circuit design with Germanium transistors, carefully selected for specific gain and leakage characteristics to replicate the vintage tone.
Key specifications
Controls: The pedal features Level, Attack, and Input Trim knobs.
Level: Adjusts the overall effect volume.
Attack: Controls the gain and gating of the fuzz effect.
Input Trim: Fine-tunes the input impedance. This feature allows you to "tighten up" the fuzz sound.
Circuitry:
Transistors: Hand-selected Germanium transistors, which are audited in-circuit for optimal performance.
Components: Hand-wired, point-to-point construction, with Alpha Pots, Sprague, and Panasonic capacitors.
Features:
Switching: True bypass switching.
Power:
The pedal is designed to be powered by a 9V battery.
Some versions may include an internal battery on/off switch.
Indicators: An LED indicator is typically included.
Enclosure: The builder offers various enclosure options, with some using a pre-drilled and powder-coated enclosure.
Tone profile
Compared to later fuzz pedals, the MKI is known for its aggressive, gated, and bright fuzz tone. Its sound has been described as "more of an overdrive character mixed with fuzz" and is capable of cutting through a mix. The MKI circuit is notably different from the two-transistor MKI.5 Tone Bender and the smoother-sounding MKII.