Build Your Own Clone Bender MKII Clone

2 knobs volume and fuzz

I use this pedal with either a 79 Les Paul or 02 American Tele.
I put this pedal before a Teese RMC1 wah teh into what ever amp I'm using( Twin Reverb, Champ, homebrew hi-octane or Marshall JCM 900)
Tried it after the wah but the wah didnt like it (lost most of the wah effect).
I've heard people say the Analogman NKT Sunface is no good with clean amps like fenders and sometimes looses the fuzz effect when played through a loud amp.
This pedal does not have that problem at all.
Works well at bedroom volume and at rehearsal volume.

The parts are all good quality. If you build it right, it should be very reliable

Have not had to contact them. They have a forum and the owner seems to answer question quickly.

This a very good fuzz pedal. Tames nicely when you back off the guitar volume knob. Wide range of agression and sustain that last for weeks.
Cant beat this pedal when you compare it to the boutiques.

2 knobs and a foot switch

Cant compare it to a real Tone Bender but it has a real good sound.
Not noisy ,true bypass and quite when off also.
Used with a American Tele and '79 Les Paul Standard. Works well with both guitars.
Played into a '65 Fender Champ at home and Marshall JCM900 at a rehearsal studio. This thing can sustain for weeks. The fuzz cleans up well with the guitars volume knob.

Good componants. Should be very reliable.

Havent dealt with them but there is a discussion forum and the owner seems to response personally to alot of the questions.

I play rock mostly classic/hard/southern/pychedelic style old and new. Bands like Zeppelin, Cream, Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies, Super 400.
This is a wonderful fuzz pedal. Cheaper then the boutique (Analogman, Fulltone, Keeley)and the quality of the parts is just as good.
Fun to build and fun to play. Go get one!

My family bought the kit off the website and I got it as a B-Day gift.

Almost anyone with a soldering iron can build this box, just go slow and follow the instructions. I have never soldered on a circuit board and built it in one evening.

Operation couldn't be easier with only 2 knobs and a switch.

This box is more flexible than you might at first think.

I use the Tonebender MK II with a Tele and a Hot Rod Deluxe and get a very Zeppy vintage sound to a wooly fuzz tone with just the twist of the fuzz knob. Cool tones when you back off the guitar's volume.

Low noise.

I think this box sounds great but it has a very specific sound and isn't for everybody.

Listen to the samples before you buy

Since it's a kit, it's only as reliable as your assembly skills so your mileage may vary.

ALL components are top notch. I'd gig without a backup.

BYOC has a forum to ask questions and Keith answers quickly.

I rate the BYOC Tonebender MK II clone a 10 because the whole experience of building was really cool. It's got me geeked out enough to try building other effects on my own.

I take away 1 rating point because the effect has a positive ground design for the PNP transistors. This means you can't power multiple effects off the same AC adaptor.

I soldered and assembled this one myself from the kit (which I bought on ebay). I wouldn't be able to rate the "ease of assembly", as everone has a different skill level. But once assembled, it has two knobs: gain and level. As easy as it gets in terms of using it for rock and roll.

This is my first venture into the realm of fuzz boxes, but this is suppose to be based on the SolaSound Tonebender circuit and I'm really digging it. I lean more to the vintage side of Rock and Roll (Led Zep), so for equipment I'm using (a P90 equipped slab of wood into a few pedals into an old Fender or a Marshall) this pedal fits in nice. It has a ton of fuzz available and I find I'm keeping the gain knob fairly low, but it is nice to know I have more on tap when I want it. I'm really having fun playing old Page leads with this thing.

Well, I put it together, so if anything goes wrong it will probably be due to my sloppy soldering work. But the components are all top-notch. I used the extras that were not in the original design apparently to include the "1N4001 diode for power conditioning and protection against accidental polarity reversal, a Bias pot socket to fine tune the transistors, 4.7M resistor socket for pop reduction, and a 4.7K resistor socket for LED limiting resistor." My only gripe, and this is minor one, but I wish the circuit board had better stand-offs than the plastic ones that stick to the backs of the pots....I just would have liked them screwed in to the enclosure somehow (this would no doubt increased the cost though-just a thought).

I haven't talked with the owner directly, but he is a quick shipper (I purchased this on ebay) because I got the thing a couple of days after the auction ended. The web site is very helpful and the assembly instructions very clear and easy to follow...I literally just opened all the assembly pages in my browser and built it step-by-step off my computer screen.

Overall, I'm very happy with this pedal and excited to try some the other models offered. I'm just getting into electronics and have a P1 amp project on hold until I get a little better at hooking stuff up. Like the reviewer below, I'm also going to get another Bender clone to make as a gift for my brother. But my next purchase will be the phaser clone that is offered. There is something really cool about populating my pedalboard with effects that I build. Feel free to email me with any questions or pics if you are interested.

This review is of the pre-built pedals that BYOC just started offering for about $25 extra than a kit. The only problem that I can see with this thing is that there is a F for Fuzz and a V for Volume. The In and Out should be labeled to make it easier. But to get a good sould all you have to do is plug it in.

I'm using the pedal with a Jeff Beck Strat and a Mesa Blues Angel. With the amp running the EL84s this thing nails the "Over, Under, Sideways, Down" tone perfectly and sustais for days. But at the same time it's very warn and smooth. This thing souded so good I immediately got another for a gift. It came with Mullard OC76s whcih sound great but I switched mine over to OC75s (which takes only a minute with the tranny sockets) and adjusted the trimpot to dial it in. I only changed them to be closer to the original not due to any sound issues this thing is wonderful the way you get it. It's very quiet. Doesn't clean up a whole lot when you turn down the volume on the guitar but that's not the point with this pedal.

All hand assembled and built tough. I don't think I'd ever have a problem

If you have a question just ask. Keith will email you back very quickly. I feel confident they would stand behind the pedal.

This is a 10 (especially considering the price). This is a boutique pedal at a cheapie price. It's well finished, sounds amazing and comes with all of the extras like an AC adapter, an LED, transistor sockets, trim pots, power supply filtering and reverse power supply protection (got to protect those expensive germanium transistors) for about $50 -$75 less than the others sellers. It's the most harmonic, fat, musical fuzz I've heard and is the most fun I've had in a long time. I'd say it's about the best deal going. I went with another cheap boutique for a Rangemaster clone an was horrified at the inside on the enclose, not a problem here. They've obviously put a lot of care into this pedal.