The JMI Tone Bender Professional Mk II is a three-transistor germanium fuzz pedal, made by JMI, the English company behind Vox. TONEHOME reports that after being out of production for over 40 years, the VOX Tone Bender Professional MKII became available again from JMI, hand built in England just like the originals1. It belongs to the family of circuits covered in Fuzz Pedals.
Circuit and lineage
The Mk II sits in the middle of the Tone Bender line. TONEHOME describes it as based on the MK1.5 version with an additional amplifier gain stage, and notes that the original Sola Sound MKII Tone Bender sports a three transistor circuit using OC75 germanium transistors1. Vintage Guitar describes the 1967 MK II Professional Tonebender as OC81D-equipped, in the context of a replica of that unit2.
The Sola Sound-branded "large board" MKII was apparently built in relatively small numbers compared with the Vox and Marshall-branded MKII, according to the history at Fuzzboxes.org3. That scarcity is a large part of why the Professional Mk II is the version players hunt for.
"The Sola Sound-branded Tone Bender MKII, built with this \"large board\" was apparently built in relatively small number"
Where it came from
Premier Guitar's history of the Tone Bender traces the line back to the MkI, which features level and attack knobs, much like the Maestro's volume and attack controls4. The Mk II added the extra gain stage on top of the MK1.5 design, giving the three-knob professional format that later Tone Benders kept1.
Mk II-style fuzzes being built today
The Mk II circuit has been revisited by several builders, which matters if you are looking at the sound rather than the vintage badge:
| Builder | Model | What the maker says |
|---|---|---|
| BLAMMO! Electronics | P2P Tone Bender MKii | Tuned for a bit more sustain and output volume, with top mounted jacks5 |
| JMI | Professional Mk II reissue | Hand built in England, three transistor OC75 circuit1 |
BLAMMO! describes the ATTACK knob range on its version this way: dialed to the left it yields a guttural mid focused bark with no gating, and cranking it right reveals a sweet, singing fuzz tone with plenty of sustain and upper frequency content5. The BLAMMO! take on the earlier circuit is covered separately at BLAMMO! P2P Tone Bender MKi.
Original Sola Sound-branded MKII units were built in small numbers compared with the Vox and Marshall-branded versions, so examples on the used market are scarce and priced accordingly3.
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Questions
What transistors does the Tone Bender Mk II use?
The original Sola Sound MKII Tone Bender is a three-transistor circuit using OC75 germanium transistors, according to TONEHOME. Vintage Guitar describes the 1967 MK II Professional version as OC81D-equipped. Germanium transistor fuzzes of this era are the reason players look for correct bias and careful transistor selection.
Is the JMI Tone Bender Professional Mk II still made?
TONEHOME reports that after being out of production for over 40 years, the VOX Tone Bender Professional MKII became available again from JMI, hand built in England like the originals. The Sola Sound-branded large-board MKII was built in relatively small numbers compared with the Vox and Marshall-branded versions, which is why originals are scarce.
Sources (5)
- TONEHOME, TONEHOME - the World of Vintage Guitar Effects Pedals
- JMI Professional MKII Tone Bender, Vintage Guitar magazine, 2013-01-09
- Sola Sound Tone Bender Professional MKII • Fuzzboxes, Fuzzboxes.org, 2021-05-18
- The Mighty Tone Bender Fuzz: A 50-Year Legacy, Premier Guitar, 2018-12-13
- P2P Tone Bender MKii, BLAMMO! Electronics
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