The pedal is built the old way: hand-wired on a phenolic replica PCB, with three Black Glass or TO-1 vintage and new-old-stock germanium transistors, Philips or Sprague electrolytic capacitors, 1960s Wima TFF, Philips Mustard Cap or ERO foil capacitors, and 1960s/70s Piher carbon film resistors1. It runs on a 9V battery only, which is included2.
A Tone Bender MKII crossed with a Supa Fuzz
The differences that did exist were small but audible. TONEHOME notes that the Supa Fuzz sounds nearly the same as the Tone Bender MKII, a bit more on the bassier side due to a larger input capacitor, that its transistors are OC75 instead of the Tone Bender's OC81D, and that Q2's collector resistor is 47K instead of 100K3. The Marshall Supa Fuzz itself went through a lineage, first carrying the MkI Tone Bender circuit, then the MkII circuit4.
R2R Electric's version is not a straight reissue of either. The maker describes the pedals as "my favorite combination of component choices and modifications of these two classic fuzz circuits"12. In other words, it takes the shared three-transistor germanium foundation and picks through the small part-value differences that separated the two originals.
"This pedal combines the two circuits, producing more volume and a wider sonic palette."
For context on how the originals were controlled: the Sola Sound Tone Bender MkI and MkII each carried just two knobs, for volume and fuzz, though the fuzz control received different names on different versions, as GuitarPlayer's Dave Hunter has written5. The Supa MKII Fuzz follows the Supa Fuzz side of the family by adding a third control.
The controls on the two enclosure versions
The Supa MKII Fuzz is offered in two forms, and the control layout depends on which enclosure you get2.
| Version | Enclosure | Controls | Bias |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vintage Rotosound style | Rotosound-style enclosure | Level, Attack, Bias | External Q3 Bias control12 |
| Hammond | Hammond 1590p1 | Level, Attack | Fixed2 |
R2R Electric says the pedal has an external Q3 Bias control for a wider array of tones, "just like the original"12. That control lives on the three-knob Rotosound-style version; on the Hammond version the bias is fixed, so the maker sets the operating point of the third transistor and you work with Level and Attack alone2. Both versions carry Daka-Ware control knobs, matching the look of the 1960s originals1.
The bias control matters more than its single knob suggests. On a germanium fuzz, the bias point of the output transistor shapes how the fuzz breaks up, from gated and spluttery to smooth and sustaining. Other makers handle the same problem differently: the Tru-Fi Supa Fuzz uses three vintage Mullard OC75 transistors with an internal bias adjustment instead of an external knob6.
The Supa MKII Fuzz can be powered by a 9V battery only, which is included; there is no external power input2. If you are used to a pedalboard power supply, plan on swapping batteries.
Why it is rare, and what it costs
Although the Supa MKII Fuzz is a modern pedal, Delicious Audio reported in 2022 that it was already quite rare because of the scarcity of OC75N germanium transistors2. That scarcity is structural: the pedal depends on vintage and new-old-stock germanium parts, a finite supply that no longer gets manufactured, so production runs stay small. R2R Electric listed the pedal as available again in August 202312.
On price, the closest published figure is Delicious Audio's 2022 note that the pedal fetches $450 or more, used, on Reverb2. No new list price is published in the sources.
Related pedals
If the lineage interests you, the same circuit family appears elsewhere on the site:
- Marshall Supa Fuzz and the Marshall Supa Fuzz Model 1975, the OC75-based originals
- JMI Tone Bender Professional Mk II, a modern build of the other parent circuit
- Sola Sound Tone Bender MKI, the earlier three-transistor design that started the line
- Tru-Fi Supa Fuzz, another modern Supa Fuzz take with internal bias
- R2R Electric MKI Pro Fuzz, the maker's compact MKI-based fuzz
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Questions
What is the difference between the Rotosound-style and Hammond versions?
The Vintage Rotosound style enclosure carries three controls: Level, Attack and Bias. The Hammond 1590p1 enclosure has two controls, Level and Attack, with the bias fixed internally. Both run the same circuit, so the choice comes down to whether you want to dial in the bias yourself.
Does the Supa MKII have a bias control?
Yes, on the Vintage Rotosound style version, which exposes an external Q3 Bias control for a wider array of tones. The Hammond 1590p1 version has fixed bias, so the bias point is set at the factory and not adjustable from the outside.
Why is the Supa MKII considered rare?
Although it is a new pedal, Delicious Audio reported in 2022 that it was already quite rare because of the scarcity of OC75N germanium transistors. R2R Electric builds it with vintage and new-old-stock germanium transistors, a limited supply that keeps production small.
What transistors does the Supa MKII use?
It uses three Black Glass or TO-1 vintage and new-old-stock germanium transistors. The original Marshall Supa Fuzz used OC75 germaniums instead of the OC81D found in the Tone Bender, and the scarcity of those parts is what limits how many of these pedals get built.
Sources (6)
- Fuzz | R2R Electric, R2R Electric, 2023-08
- R2R Electric Supa MKII Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2022-11-15
- TONEHOME, TONEHOME - the World of Vintage Guitar Effects Pedals
- TONEHOME, TONEHOME - the World of Vintage Guitar Effect Pedals
- The Sola Sound Tone Bender and the Early Evolution of the Fuzz Pedal, GuitarPlayer (www.guitarplayer.com), 2020-07-27
- Tru-Fi Supa Fuzz Guitar Pedal, tru-fi.com
