Fulltone Soul-Bender

The Fulltone Soul-Bender is a fuzz pedal made by Fulltone. It is a modern take on one of the classic English fuzz circuits: the late-1960s Colorsound and Vox Series III ToneBenders made in England by Sola-Sound¹.

The current version, the Soul-Bender v2, is listed for sale on the Fulltone USA store².

What it does

The Soul-Bender produces what Delicious Audio's Christopher Scapelliti described as "thick and hairy fuzz," using three gain-matched germanium transistors¹. Germanium transistors, the type used in the original 1960s fuzz units, are known for their softer, more temperature-sensitive clipping character compared with the silicon transistors found in later fuzz designs.

Its Tone control is the shaping tool. As Scapelliti put it:

The Soul-Bender is based on the late-1960s Colorsound and Vox Series III ToneBenders made in England by Sola-Sound, and it uses three gain-matched germanium transistors to produce its thick and hairy fuzz, while the improved range and response of its Tone control lets you dial in everything from harsh to super-smooth distortion¹.

That sweep means one knob covers a wide spread of fuzz voices, from aggressive and cutting to rounded and smooth¹.

Where the circuit comes from

The Soul-Bender is based on the late-1960s Colorsound and Vox Series III ToneBenders made in England by Sola-Sound¹. The ToneBender family was the British answer to the fuzz sounds of the 1960s, and the Series III units are among the versions players still seek out. Fulltone's pedal is a recreation of that circuit with gain-matched germanium transistors, a practical touch since original 1960s germanium transistors vary widely in gain and leakage¹.

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