The Tomb Sender is a germanium fuzz pedal from BLAMMO! Electronics, a Portland, Oregon builder of hand-made fuzzes. The Transparent Lexan Edition is a limited version of the pedal with a see-through enclosure, listed at $155 in December 20201. The maker describes it as delivering "LOW NOISE VINTAGE FUZZ TONES"2.
What it does
Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio called the Tomb Sender "A modern take of the venerable Tone Bender MkIII"3. The original MkIII circuit, as covered by Fuzzboxes.org, used a germanium transistor design loosely based on earlier circuits4. BLAMMO! builds its version with NOS MP38a germanium transistors and adds an extra gain stage for more output plus a beefed-up EQ section3.
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson, reviewing the pedal in his 2020 round-up of new fuzzes, described it as "a 3 Germanium Transistor TB MKIII variety" and found that it "sounds slightly closer to a Buzzaround for me - it doesn't quite have the creamy distortion of my Pigdog Ju", calling it slightly more textural1.
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Output level |
| Q2 Bias | Bias for the second transistor, a common germanium-fuzz trim |
| Tone | EQ shaping |
| Gain | Fuzz amount |
| Noise Gate toggle-switch | Gate on/off |
Controls per Guitar Pedal X1.
The Transparent Lexan Edition
The standard Tomb Sender ships in a matte gray powder coat enclosure; the maker's page lists a UV printed graphic2, while Delicious Audio describes the finish as matte gray powder coat with a two-color hand screen printed graphic3. The Transparent Lexan Edition swaps that for a see-through case. Karlsson noted that "the circuitboards are prettier for the transparent editions with the 3 transistors all in a row", so the germanium layout is visible through the enclosure1.
The Transparent Lexan Edition is a limited run. The maker's product page lists it as a limited edition Tomb Sender2.
Where it sits in BLAMMO!'s range
The Tomb Sender is one of several fuzzes in the maker's line, alongside the Fuzz Banger, a reimagining of the Sam Ash Fuzz-Stainer MK II announced in January 2025, and the Jordan Bosstone, a recreation of the 1966 Jordan Boss Tone. For more on the effect type, see Fuzz Pedals.
Videos
AndyDemos
Iga Massardi
Theo And His Pedals
Questions
What circuit is the Tomb Sender based on?
The Tomb Sender is a modern take on the Tone Bender MkIII, the three-germanium-transistor fuzz circuit from the 1960s. BLAMMO! Electronics adds an extra gain stage for more output and a beefed-up EQ section, and uses NOS MP38a germanium transistors. Guitar Pedal X described it as a three-germanium-transistor TB MKIII variety that sounds slightly closer to a Buzzaround.
What makes the Transparent Lexan Edition different?
The Transparent Lexan Edition is a limited version of the Tomb Sender with a see-through enclosure. Guitar Pedal X noted that the circuit boards are prettier for the transparent editions, with the three germanium transistors all in a row, so the circuit itself becomes part of the look. It was listed at $155 in December 2020.
Sources (4)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2020-12-18
- Tomb Sender, BLAMMO! Electronics
- BLAMMO! Electronics Tomb Sender Ge Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2020-12-04
- Vox Tone Bender MKIII • Fuzzboxes, Fuzzboxes.org, 2021-05-30
