The Formula B Mini Bender Combo is a hand-built fuzz pedal from the Italian maker Formula B, built around the vintage Tone Bender circuit. It carries two voices in one box: one recreating the classic Mk 1.5 and one recreating the Mk 2, which Formula B calls "Pro II" and which offers more gain and output. A switch flips between the two, and Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio put it plainly: "The ProII/MK1.5 switch makes it two Mini Benders in one."1
A Tone Bender with two voices
The Tone Bender is one of the founding fuzz designs. Premier Guitar's history by Tom Hughes describes it as the British answer to the American Maestro Fuzz-Tone, and traces a succession of revisions that produced two different versions of the MKI, a "transitional" MK1.5, and the Tone Bender Professional MKII2. The Mini Bender Combo draws on two points of that family tree: the Mk 1.5 and the Professional Mk II. For players who want to go deeper on the original, the Vox Tone Bender Professional MKII has also been reissued by JMI34, and the earlier MKII's story continued after its demise, when Sola Sound's work on it led to the Vox Tone Bender MKIII4.
Formula B describes the Combo Mini Bender circuit in strong terms:
"The Combo Mini Bender circuit is the holy grail of fuzz. It's an explosion of harmonics and infinite sustain that melts into feedback1."
Delicious Audio, Paolo De Gregorio1
The controls
The pedal keeps things simple: two knobs and a voice switch1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Volume |
| Attack | Gain |
| ProII/MK1.5 switch | Selects between the higher-gain Mk 2 "Pro II" voice and the Mk 1.5 voice1 |
That two-knob layout matches the classic Tone Bender format. On the BLAMMO! P2P Tone Bender MKi, for example, "LEVEL is controlled by the leftmost knob," and on BLAMMO!'s MKii "the one on the right is ATTACK, which controls the gain / fuzz sustain"56. If you have played a vintage-style Tone Bender, the Mini Bender Combo's controls will feel familiar.
Size, bypass and power
Despite the "Mini" in the name, this is not a mini-format pedal. Delicious Audio notes that it "retains the elegant trapezoidal shape" of the original 1960s units, smaller than the originals but not a mini pedal1. The footswitch is True Bypass, so the fuzz circuit is out of the signal path when the pedal is off1. A Daisy Chain adapter is included inside the pedal, letting it share a power supply with other pedals1.
The Mini Bender Combo is not a mini pedal: it keeps the trapezoidal shape of the 1960s originals, only smaller than they were1.
Who makes it, and where it sits
Formula B is an Italian company that, in Delicious Audio's words, is "developing a reputation for high quality, hand-built effects," and the Mini Bender was their latest creation when it was covered in December 20211. The pedal appeared in Delicious Audio's article on the best Tone Bender-style pedals1. Players looking at Formula B's wider range will find the Formula B Fuzz Rangers, a dual channel pedal combining a Fuzz Face style circuit with a Rangemaster treble booster, and the Formula B Aries Fuzz elsewhere in the lineup.
Videos
HarryAndAGuitar
Vivien Verdier
BUSCADORES DEL BUEN TONO by AlberTone
Questions
Is the Formula B Mini Bender Combo true bypass?
Yes. The pedal uses a True Bypass footswitch, so when it is switched off your guitar's signal passes through the pedal without going through the fuzz circuit. That helps keep your clean tone untouched on a pedalboard where the Mini Bender Combo is only used for some songs.
Is the Mini Bender Combo actually a mini pedal?
Despite the Mini in the name, it is not a mini pedal. Formula B keeps the trapezoidal shape of the original 1960s Tone Bender units, just smaller than those originals. The name refers to the smaller enclosure, not to a compact mini-format pedal.
Does the Mini Bender Combo have a warranty?
Yes. The pedal carries a lifetime warranty, according to the product coverage from Delicious Audio. That is worth knowing for a hand-built pedal, since it covers the unit for as long as you own it rather than for a fixed period.
What does the Daisy Chain adapter inside the pedal do?
A Daisy Chain adapter lets several pedals share one power supply through a cable with multiple plugs. Having one included inside the Mini Bender Combo means you can hook it up to a supply you may already use for other pedals without buying extra cabling.
Sources (6)
- Formula B Pedals Mini Bender Combo, Delicious Audio, 2021-12-21
- Stompbox Classics: Tone Bender, Premier Guitar, 2009-09-18
- TONEHOME, TONEHOME - the World of Vintage Guitar Effects Pedals
- Vox Tone Bender Professional MKII • Fuzzboxes, Fuzzboxes.org, 2021-05-20
- P2P Tone Bender MKi, BLAMMO! Electronics
- P2P Tone Bender MKii, BLAMMO! Electronics
