tonebx
☰
BrandsPlayersGuidesNewsAll pedal typesComparisons

Brands

Manlay Sound LTD

1 pedals on Tonebox

Manlay Sound LTD is a small effect pedal company based in Barcelona, Spain. Its pedals are built by hand, and the owner, Roman Gil, builds them one by one in his own house in the city12. The company's product pages carry the label "Handmade in Barcelona"13, which in this case is literal: one builder, one workspace, no factory.

The range

Manlay Sound LTD Ronno Bender
Manlay Sound LTD ยท Fuzz

The lineup is small and centers on fuzz. Manlay Sound's site currently lists three pedals: the Ronno Bender, the Super Bender and The Sound4. The two Bender names sit squarely in the vintage British fuzz tradition, a family tree that starts with the Tone Bender of the 1960s.

Handmade fuzz pedals from Barcelona

Manlay Sound is a one-person operation in the way many boutique builders are. Aclam Guitars, a Barcelona guitar company that has written about the local scene, describes the setup plainly:

"The owner, Roman Gil, builds pedals one by one in his house in Barcelona."

That was published in April 202113, and the maker's own product pages still carry the "Handmade in Barcelona" label as of late 202613. For a player, that scale means each pedal is assembled individually rather than coming off a production line, the same approach other small European makers advertise, such as Anasounds in France or Intensive Care Audio in London.

The pedals themselves are fuzz boxes, an effect type with a long British pedigree. The Bender names point at the Tone Bender, the fuzz circuit that Gary Hurst designed and that London retailer Sola Sound marketed and distributed from its store, Musical Exchange5. The Tone Bender went through several versions: the MKI, then the MKI.5, then the MK3, which was supplied as a pedal to various manufacturers including Park, Rotosound and Vox6. D*A*M still produces a genuine reproduction Tone Bender MKI.5 for Sola Sound of London, an official recreation of the original 1960s two-transistor circuit7.

PedalStatus on the maker's site
Ronno BenderListed among the maker's pedals8
Super BenderListed among the maker's pedals8
The SoundListed among the maker's pedals3

Manlay Sound does not describe the Super Bender as a clone of any specific circuit on its product page; it simply lists the pedal by name8. The name echoes the Tone Bender family, but the maker makes no claim about which version, if any, the circuit follows.

Support and contact

Manlay Sound gives one contact route on its product pages: an email address written as romangil[at]gmail[dot]com, obfuscated in the usual way to dodge spam bots1. That is the maker's stated channel for questions about its pedals, and since the company is one person, email to the owner is also the support line.

The range (1)

TypePedals
FuzzManlay Sound LTD Ronno Bender

Questions

Where are Manlay Sound pedals made?

Every Manlay Sound pedal is handmade in Barcelona, Spain. The company's owner, Roman Gil, builds the pedals one by one in his own house rather than in a factory, which is what the handmade label on each product page refers to.

What pedals does Manlay Sound make?

Manlay Sound's range includes the Ronno Bender, the Super Bender and The Sound. The Ronno Bender and Super Bender names point to the vintage British Tone Bender fuzz tradition, while The Sound rounds out the current lineup listed on the maker's site.

What is the Manlay Sound Ronno Bender?

The Ronno Bender is a fuzz pedal listed among Manlay Sound's current products on the maker's site. Its name references the Tone Bender family of British fuzz pedals from the 1960s, the circuit tradition behind many modern fuzz boxes.

How do I contact Manlay Sound for support?

Manlay Sound gives a contact address of romangil[at]gmail[dot]com on its product pages, written in that obfuscated form to avoid spam. Emailing that address is the maker's stated route for questions about its pedals.

Is the Super Bender a Tone Bender clone?

Manlay Sound does not describe the Super Bender as a clone of any circuit on its product page; it simply lists it among its pedals. The name echoes the Tone Bender, the 1960s British fuzz originally marketed and distributed by Sola Sound of London, but the maker makes no clone claim.

Sources (8)
  1. ManlaySound: Unique Electric Guitar Pedals, ManlaySound
  2. Ultimate tone research, sounding like the Beatles, Aclam Guitars, 2021-04-27
  3. ManlaySound: Unique Electric Guitar Pedals, Manlay Sound LTD
  4. ManlaySound: Unique Electric Guitar Pedals, Manlay Sound LTD
  5. Tone Bender History, britishpedalcompany.com
  6. Tone Bender History, British Pedal Company
  7. Tone Bender MKI.5, www.stompboxes.co.uk, 2017
  8. ManlaySound: Unique Electric Guitar Pedals, Manlay Sound LTD