The British Pedal Company King of Fuzz Tone Bender is a limited-edition fuzz pedal built to mark the coronation of King Charles III, released on 2 June 2023. It is a MKII Tone Bender replica finished in a hand-painted Union Jack enclosure, with three hand-selected OC81D germanium transistors, carbon comp resistors and a Carling footswitch. MusicRadar reported the price as £339, with 250 made worldwide and 100 of those numbered units sold via Reverb1.
What it is and how it is built
MusicRadar's Jonathan Horsley described the pedal this way: "This is a MKII Tone Bender, finished in a hand-painted Union Jack enclosure"1. The circuit carries a trio of OC81D germanium transistors inside the classic-style enclosure, and the jacks are mounted on the top of the unit rather than the sides1. Other features include carbon comp resistors, a Carling footswitch, white pointer-style knobs and a King Charles Coronation Insignia backplate1. Guitar.com's Tamzin Kraftman noted the same parts list: "featuring three hand-selected OC81D Transistors, carbon-comp Resistors and a Carling footswitch"2.
British Pedal Company told Guitar.com that the pedal itself is identical spec-wise to its Vintage Series Tone Bender MKII, so the coronation artwork is the main thing that sets it apart from the company's standard MKII2.
The controls
The layout is deliberately simple, matching the original it copies:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Output volume |
| Attack | Amount of fuzz |
There are no tone or bias controls, just the two dials1.
The MKII circuit it comes from
The Tone Bender MKII was a three-transistor fuzz circuit, according to Fuzzboxes.org3. The original MKII circuit featured three Mullard OC75 transistors but the pedal was also made with three Mullard OC81D devices, as the history at stompboxes.co.uk records4. Late-production examples of the Vox Tone Bender Professional MKII, dating to 1968, came with Mullard OC81D transistors5, which is the transistor choice the King of Fuzz follows.
British Pedal Company says the OC81D version promises "more warmth and saturation" than the OC75 MKIIs1. MusicRadar noted that there have been countless versions and clones of the MKII Tone Bender, but that this one, finish excepted, is as detailed a replica as they come of the 1966 Professional MK II Tone Bender1. The company also builds other replicas of the era's British fuzz designs, such as the Special Edition Master Built MKI Tone Bender and the JMI Tone Bender Professional Mk II.
Reception
Reactions to the pedal have been mixed. Guitar.com reported that, due to the Union Jack finish and the general pro-King feel of the thing, responses were divided, with negative comments on the finish appearing under the Reverb demo video2.
"But due to the Union Jack finish, and the general pro-King feel of the thing, reactions to the pedal have been mixed."
Videos
Reverb
Musiker TV
Questions
How many King of Fuzz Tone Benders were made?
British Pedal Company made 250 of the King of Fuzz Tone Bender worldwide, according to MusicRadar's June 2023 report. Of those, 100 are numbered units that were sold through Reverb. The pedal is a limited-edition release marking the coronation of King Charles III, and once the run is gone it will not be repeated.
What transistors does the King of Fuzz Tone Bender use?
The King of Fuzz uses three hand-selected OC81D germanium transistors, as reported by both MusicRadar and Guitar.com. Germanium devices like these are the transistors used in the original 1960s Tone Bender pedals, and British Pedal Company says the OC81D version promises more warmth and saturation than its OC75-based MKIIs.
What Tone Bender is the King of Fuzz based on?
It is based on the MKII Tone Bender. MusicRadar described it as a detailed replica of the 1966 Professional MK II Tone Bender, apart from the finish, and British Pedal Company told Guitar.com that the pedal is identical spec-wise to its Vintage Series Tone Bender MKII.
What are the controls on the King of Fuzz Tone Bender?
The layout is simple: two dials, Level and Attack. Level sets the output volume and Attack sets the amount of fuzz. There are no tone, bias or other controls, which matches the original MKII Tone Bender layout the pedal replicates.
How much did the King of Fuzz Tone Bender cost?
MusicRadar reported the price as £339 when the pedal launched in June 2023. That figure was given in pounds sterling and applies to the limited-edition run announced at the time of the coronation of King Charles III.
Sources (5)
- The British Pedal Company launches limited edition King Of Fuzz Tone Bender to commemorate coronation of King Charles III with gnarly MKII fuzz, MusicRadar, 2023-06-02
- British Pedal Co. launch Union Jack pedal and reactions are mixed, Guitar.com, 2023-06-02
- Sola Sound Tone Bender Professional MKII • Fuzzboxes, Fuzzboxes.org, 2021-05-18
- A Little History, www.stompboxes.co.uk, 2017
- Vox Tone Bender Professional MKII • Fuzzboxes, Fuzzboxes.org, 2021-05-20
