Fulltone Soul-Bender

Very easy to use 3 knobs DUH.. start off with 12 o'clock and mess around till you find YOUR sound

I use this with Fender voodoocaster through a vintage fender amp fulltone cables (they are great too) its true bypass soo no noise you can get the sound of the artist you admire but its about finding whats great for you I guess it adds fuzz... if you play good it'll sound good... Mines number 684 soo its an early one

built heavy duty.. I mean you step on it..

Every time I e-mailed mike or scott they have responded within 24 hrs

It does its job it gives fuzz can I say its the best i dont know i havnt played every fuzz out there but it will be a classic that I wanted to get my hands on before they were gone...

If You Can't Get A F****** Awesome Sound Out Of This Pedal You Don't Know S*** About Guitar Sound, Or Your Not Using Your Volume Control!

Any Way You Set The Knobs On This Effect It Sounds Great!

Sweet! I Got Sounds I'd Been Wishing For Since I had Started Playing. Beautiful Lead Sounds! Creamy Smooth, Harmonic Sounds. When I First Got It, I couldn't Hardly Put My Axe Down! Back Off Your Guitar Volume and It Gets a Spectrum Of Other Sounds. It Cleans Up Nicely Too. It's Also Very Quiet.
The GERMANIUM TRANSISTORS Give This Jewel Its Sweet Tone. Tony Iommi, Richi Blackmore, David Gilmoore, and Brian May, all used veriations of Germanium Circutry To Get There Classic Sounds. The Cat Is Out Of The Bag and This Circut Is Back In The Spotlight!

Very Well Made! True Bypass, AC Adapter or Battery Opperated.

Don't Know

An Expensive Device At $160.00, But Well Worth The Money!
I've Been Playing Over 40 Years and I Am A Profesional, I Was On RoadrunneR Records. I Love Metal/Hard Rock & Hedrix, Stevie, Trower!

Deluxe Strat W/Rio Grand PU - Charvel W/EMG 81 Active PU - BC Rich Mockingbird W/Seymour Duncan Distortion & Screamin Demon
Marshall Amplification W/ Vintage 30Celestions Cab.
Worked Well With My Other Effects: Boss SD-1, Boss Metal Zone, EH Electric Mistress, DimeBag Cry Baby From Hell Wah

Easy as can be.....

This thing sounded alright, i guess....nowhere near as advertised....this "creamy" tone everyone speaks of was rather harsh and not very usable....it had one sound and one sound only ...very "tinny" sounding, i may have purchased a dud.....I know its a fuzz and its not supposed to be nice, but it lacked any "smooth" quality whatsoever...i found a soviet big muff to sound much more "wooly" fat and creamy than this...i play fender guitars (i used a tele and a strat to test it)through fender amps...maybe a marshall would do it more justice, i dont know...

I own like 5 or 6 Fulltone pedals and they have all been extremely reliable....

never had to deal with them....although when i returned it to the local guitar shop,where i have spent a few grand , i was met with some apprehension...i made the mistake of buying into the hype of most of the reviews hear and a few word-of-mouth reviews...and also of not trying it out in the store.....then again....it always sounds different playing with a band than it does at the store....so whatever....its always a trial and error scenario on the endless quest for tone..../

Of course bear in mind this is just my opinion....but from reading all these reviews you'd think this pedal would turn any shmoe into the next Jimi Hendrix , Jimmy Page or Eric Clapton....Ive been playing almost 25 years and have toured the U.S. playing professionally.....i play alot of styles and dig vintage tones...i have a plethora of boutique pedals, and actually found the Keeley Fuzz Head to be much more usable and versatile fuzz..( check out one of those as well as the Java Boost if you dig vintage tones)... , therefore blowing the Soulbender away....at least as far as my needs go....i wouldnt discourage anyone from trying one of these out...it may work with your current set up, hell it could be just the thing to jettison you into guitar God-dom....but to be brutally honest ,often times i find alot of these reviews to be more of a justification to gloat over blowing large sums of cash on overhyped products...

At first it seemed pretty easy to deal with, and then it just got easier as everything about this pedal is great, after listening a lot of possibilities I finally found my setting, and this was hard once all settings had an unique sound and added a special blend to my overall tone, very impressive! Manual very simple and helpfull to get started, but once you mess around with it for a minute or so you??ll pretty much have your answers. I give it an eight because of the trim pot inside the pedal, I know it??s a special feature and I??m very pleased with the results of it, but it??s a pain to remove the plate and leave all the parts hanging while you tweak it.

This is where it all comes down to, no matter how hard you try, there are just no possibilities of going wrong on this one. At first it seemed very brittle, not in the bad way, very frampton like, and hey it??s a fuzz, that??s what you??re supossed to hear from it, it has a very classical tone to it, brilliant! But the real magic is when you turn the guitar??s volume down, it cleans up very nicely and creams everything in your way, literally CREAM! I decided to leave the volume at 12 o??clock, tone at 1 o??clock and dirt at 1 as well, works great for me, once I wanted silky solos and I use it in front of a sparkle drive to give it even more body, what a set up. I??m using it with a lp std loaded with seth lovers, and didn??t tried it with my original V??846, but I??m sure it will do the job just right. What I really like about it is that despite all of its rage and power, it is very quiet and when it??s off it really is off. I definatelly found the right fuzz for me and recomend it to anyone trying to get the best out of your equipment, regarding vintage tones, and more than that when I tweak the tone knob all the way CCW it gives me a very modern sound, wich really shows its versatility.

Built like a tank, very thick layer of paint, everything put very well together, like anything I??ve ever seen on a pedal. Would definatelly gig without a backup.

Never dealt with them and hope I??ll never have to.

I play a lot of stuff, funk, blues, classics. When used properly and well set goes with anything, wich is a great feature for a fuzz, the other ones I tested really didn??t fill this much gaps. Would definatelly buy another one if lost or stolen, it??s the best fuzz that ever came my way, all the qualities on its sound make it really a must have and I think I wouldn??t sound complete without it. Very inspirational and very enjoyable to play with, makes want me to get out of work just play with it.

It took me quite a while to figure out how I use this pedal best. I was looking for a special kind of artificial dirt that brings more life into my sound and a variation for the non-everyday tunes. I ended up turning the tone fully counter clock wise and putting dirt and level both at noon position.

The fact that it has inverse polarity for the power supply is annoying as my trex fuel tank doesn't support the two polarities.

Wow! Wow! Wow! As mentioned before it took me a while as i was mainly playing the pedal through the clean channel of my amp. However now I am running it Guitar=>SoulBender=>RMC3Wah=>BognerShiva.

It is awesome, especially with the Wah BEHIND the Fuzz, there are SO MANY awesome sounds available. I can easily do violin like fluid leads with endless sustain or mega dirt filter like sounds with chords that scream when I crank the Wah. As mentioned before I close the tone pot (which means full treble) and put the dirt and level at noon, into a pretty much overdriven amp.

This is absolutely addictive!!

Seems sturdy and built like a tank. I'll tell you more in 10 years.

I play rock of all sorts, from Dire Straits through to Metallica. Mainly I am in the Zep ballpark, or try to be :o) Played guitar sine 17 years with interruptions. I own many many pedals, guitars and amps. Currently I only do SoulBender, RMC3 Wah and an MIAudio CrunchBox as well as a bit of delay in the loops (Lexicon). I have found a very good setup that I don't intend to change. If this pedal was lost I'd get another one. In fact I might get another one anyway.

I wish it would have the same polarity as most other pedals. And I wish the case was smaller. Other than that, nothing else needed.

Three knobs: one for volume, one for tone, and one for fuzz. Came with a letter-size sheet of paper for "instructions". No manual needed. Very easy to dial in a great fuzz tone. But like all fuzzes, they reward extra time spent dialing in. As fuzzes go, it's very easy.

I usually use only Strats and Teles with fuzz, playing them through a Fender Blues Jr., Germino Custom 6, Germino Classic 45, Matchless Lightening, Marshall 18 watt, or Peavey Delta Blues.

I added this to my fuzz collection because I've been obsessed with fuzz lately. I had just picked up a D*A*M 1966 and wanted to see if this fuzz gave me a different but equally raspy type of 60's fuzz (thinking Clapton with Cream, early Beck and Page, etc.). I already have both the Fulltone 69 and 70 fuzz pedals.

The Soul Bender does a very wide range of fuzz tones and is very quiet, especially for a fuzz. With the tone knob fully counterclockwise, the Soul Bender gives up a raspy type fuzz. Just what I was looking for. Full clockwise, the tone is woofier and more full sounding. I like both tones really. I also like running this with the fuzz at minimum sometimes, as it gives up a grainy type of fuzz that is right for some situations. It doesn't clean up as well with the guitar's volume knob as the 69 does, but does a better job at this than the silicon 70 Pedal.

Overall, I'm surprised at how much I like this fuzz. It's way more versatile than I would've imagined. Compares very favorably to the D*A*M (which cost nearly twice as much) for raspy tones and does some nice Jimi flavors as well.

I would've given this a 10 except for it not cleaning up as well as I'd like.

I have numerous Fulltone pedals. I've only had problems with my Fat Boost not being able to take batteries (I think this was a manufacturing flaw). All my Fulltone's are solid; they feel like quality pieces of gear. The knobs on the Soul Bender are tough to turn, but in a good way. Footswitch is solid. Finish is excellent. I can depend on this pedal, as I can my other Fulltone pedals.

When my Fat Boost went out, I was issued a return authorization quickly by Fulltone. I shipped it back with a $10 check for return shipping. The pedal was back to me in about a week and their tech emailed me asking me to let him know when received. Very cool. I've had good and not-so-good experiences with Mike, but I'd say my experience getting the Fat Boost fixed brings the rating up a few notches.

I play classic rock from the 60's and 70's mostly, with lots of blues and Hendrix and Clapton. I've been playing for over 20 years and have gigged (but not this year). My equipment's already been listed. This pedal is perfect for this kind of music. Inspirational tone in my book. I'm very glad I picked this one up. It's a great addition to my fuzz collection. A little pricier than standard gear, but Fulltone gear is a cut above.

Takes me around nearly 5 hours of playing to find the sound i was looking for. Need to tweak the internal trim to reduce the gain.
In a certain way it's a good point, it shows that this pedal is a true tone machine !

I bought this unit to catch a king of Led Zep sound, like in The Royall Albert Hall DVD.
After tweaking the internal trim, i finally get a good sound.
This thing takes really care of your guitar natural soud. Very sensitive to pickup change, and variations from tone knob.
Here's my setup: Fender tele / Gibson LP > SoulBender > Vox Wah > Marshall Bluesbreaker ri. Works well with all my gear.

But i just wished it could clean up more precisely when you roll of the volume knob. It also wish it hab more headroom, it lacks of bass (just a bit)

It's a Fulltone so ...

Ask em some questions, they replied very quickly.

Well well, it a really good fuzz pedal. Works well to play 60's rock n roll and alson a bit of stoner rock :)

This pedal sounds a lot better than the crapy SoulBender ri. I previously owned a Fuzz Face ri / RM Axis Fuzz / RM clasic fuzz / Solasound Tonebender ri / DOD classic fuzz / EH Big Muff ... and this pedal burry them all.

But i dont know if i will keep it for a long time, i think replacing by by a D*A*M MKII in a few months ..

pretty damn east

three knobs....

but finding a spot that suits u-- with the tone and fuzz...can be tricky...it seems to frequently change for me.

I've played an original vox tone bender-- it sounds awesome
the fulltone sounds awesome too...but not the same

I like it equally with single coils or humbuckers....sounds cool with my les paul-- thick an meaty....with my tele..it's a lil more searing..really cool too

they're verys similar...a lil different...but equally cool.

I'd rather play out with a fulltone-- more reliable (cause it's new)

I'd rather record with an original

fulltone..awesome

I play blues... a lil rock on ocassion...it's awesome
I like it...original has a lil more appeal...I played a BSM fuzz...it's a lil but..but it's 300 bucks...and when I say a lil better..I mean marginally

fulltone products are great though

I play a 62 AV Custom Tele, a Les Paul with seth lover pickups...a silverface deluxe reverb with an alnico blue speaker.

my pedal are three fulltones: tonebender...dejavibe 2 and clye wah

don't use them all them time..but those are the three pedals I own.

Tonebender is an integral part to my tone...love it.

This is one hell of a pedal. It should be, considering the price tag. But, for true-bypass with fulltone quality, you'll have to dig into your wallet. It's well worth it though. Anyway, this little baby has an internal pot switch that you can tweak with to determine the amount of gain or fuzz that you would like. That makes it exceedingly versatile. The "volume," "tone," and "dirt" controls are incredibly responsive. You'll have trouble getting a bad sound out of this pedal, no matter what setting it's on.

I am currently using this pedal with a fender hot rod deville 4x10, a fender american standard strat, a brian moore i1 electric guitar, and a 2002 electro harmonix memory man (missed the true bypass model by a couple of months). I always put this pedal first in my pedal chain because it is true bypass. I also leave the memory man on all the time to provide a minescule amount of echo a la eric johnson (this also serves to negate the lack of true bypass switching from the memory man). I always put the drive and tone contols to the max. By adjusting the internal trimmer, you can make this pedal sound like an all out fuzz pedal. However, I actually rolled the internal switch down slightly to get a thicker, cleaner tone, reminescent of Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin 1 and 2. Yeah, I know, you're thinking "how could this pedal sound like Jimmy's tricked out 150 watt marshall through a fender amp?" Well, trust me, the tone through humbuckers is killer. This thing provides thick, syrupy lows and mids. It has a real "woman tone" quality about it. I needed this pedal because I absolutely hate the stock distortion sound of the deville. The distortion channel sounds hollow, has very little sustain, and is voiced way too high on the trebles and mids. I bought the fender amp because I had a last second gig to play, and my main amp, a lemon of a tsl 122 that spent more time in the shop than it did on stage, fizzled out. And, to my ear, the deville offered better clean sounds than the marshall, with slightly better classic rock tone. Anyway, when I got into a band setting and cranked the amp, I was not completely satisfied with the tone. So, I checked out the fulltone ocd, and the soul bender. The soul bender has the thickest sound I have ever heard out of a pedal. I am absolutely in love with it. The next amp I buy will only have one channel, because I am going to use this pedal for my distortion sound. It is incredible. It makes single coils on a strat sound like a humbucker, and it makes hot humbuckers squeal. I love it. It's not for everyone, but if you want a sound similar to page on Led Zeppelin 1 and 2, or if you want to have tones like Hendrix on the BBC sessions, this pedal is for you. Oh, a word about noiseness. If you turn the internal trimmer to its highest setting, it will have lots of background noise. However, if you keep it on the stock settings, or even turn the trimmer down, you will find it to be virtually noiseless. Oh, and before you start cranking this pedal, make sure your amp can handle the low end. I cranked my 60 watt deville at a gig and I blew a fuse. It just couldn't handle the lower frequencies of this pedal.

This thing is built like a tank. Heavy metal casing. Quality. I have been using this pedal about 3 or 4 hours a day for two months and the stock 9 volt battery is STILL WORKING!!! It's a super reliable pedal. No problems whatsoever. However, I never ever do a gig without a backup.

Haven't dealt with the company, but fulltone is known for its excellent customer relations.

I play rock. I have been playing for about 7 years, and I would definitely buy another soul bender if this one were stolen. I love this pedal. My favorite feature is the internal trimmer, because with it, you can use this as a fuzz or a distortion pedal. Compared with the fulltone OCD, this has a much fatter low end, and it's more syrupy, meaning that it's not as bright, but it's not muddy either. This is a great pedal. Everyone should check it out.

Pedal is very easy to use. Volume, tone, and "dirt" I wish there was a way of changing the internal trim pot from the outside. But once you find your sound you should be all set. It took me a second to realize that the tone works oppposite most other devices I've used with the bassier sound being clockwise.

My setup is nothing fancy. American Strat with Gold Lace Hot Gold PU's into a wah and then the sould bender coming out of a Fender Special Edition Hot Rod Deluxe. I love the sound the soulbender gives me. I'll use it as a straight fuzz/distortion on the clean channel and sometimes in conjunction with the amps overdrive for an over the top overdrive. The sounds I get from the pedal are great. My whole band has commented on it. We play mostly straight rock and blues. You get totally different sounds as you back of the volume know as well giving you a lot of control over the sound. So if you're experienced and know how hard to hit the strings to get certain sounds, the pedal adds to your tonal possibilities. I usually leave the tone full right and the dirt almost full right. This is the best distortion/fuzz I've owned and I've hada few over the years. Some others might be better if you're a metal player, though. But I think most rock and blues players will be able to find a sound they love with this pedal.

Pedal is very sturdy. I have stomped on it quite hard at times as well and it has held up. I would use it at a gig without a backup, but I'd miss it.

My experience with the commpany has been 100% satisfaction. I broke off a soldering joint from the volume pot and emailed them. I recieved an email the next day and they fixed the pedal for $25 , inspected it, added some ties to the wires so they wouldn't be loose, and kept me updated, and shipped it back to me from California, to Massachusetts within 10 days. The repair would have been free, but I bought the pedal used. Very very happy with customer support.

The pedal is a great match for me since I love rock/blues and this is kind of a Jimmy Pageish sounding pedal...sort of...who knows what that drunk bastard was really doing. I would definitely buy a new one if lost. I compared with the Fuzz Pi, Mxr distortion, and Ibanez TS 808 (which is great but not fuzzy enough for me personally). Actually a friend offered me a hundred dollars for it. I did get it for a steal at $65. I do wish the internal pot could be tweaked externally because it took me a while to sit there with the cover off trying all the different sounds I could get. I guess fulltone has an internal trimmer on many of their pedals, maybe they'll make it easier to use someday. Or maybe I'm just lazy. Overall, it's a great, rich sounding pedal and it also adds sustain and some harmonics to the sound.

Three knobs for Volume, Tone, and "Dirt". Very easy to use, but also has an internal trim pot for more advanced tweaking. The pedal comes with a one page instruction sheet, with an understandably brief description of the controls and some sample settings.

The sound of this pedal is simply brilliant. It has a distinctively 60's British tone to it, reminiscent of the first few Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Sabbath albums, and perhaps heavier Jethro Tull ("Benefit"). You can also get a more poppy fuzztone, found on some Kinks or Beatles songs. Add some reverb or delay and you can even get a Dave Gilmourish sound. The tone works best when playing power chords or lead parts, as full chords and arpeggios tend to muddle together. It is definately a lead guitar pedal, and the sound it delivers is seriously searing.

The pedal has a tough steel case, and looks like its built to last. It was about five years old when I bought it second-hand off of eBay, and its worked fine since. The internal work seems to be clean and well-done, although I dont know very much about electrical wiring and soldering. I would definately gig without a backup.

No experience with customer support as been necessary so far, which i guess is a testement to the quality of the product.

My style is mostly blues-based psyche, and this pedal nails the sound I have been looking for. I started out with a overdrive pedal, moved onto a more mianstream fuzz, and finally decided I needed something more serious. I've doubled my pratice time since I bought this pedal, just because its so damn fun to play with. In todays world of 300-effect digital processors, some might think that shelling out over a hundred bucks for a pedal that only does ONE THING is silly. That one thing it does do, however, it does exceptionally well. I normally play with only this fuzzbox, but occasionally add a wah or delay pedal to the chain. The soul-bender really is the foundation to my overall tone and playing style

totally easy to use. volume (duh), fuzz (duh), and a single band eq (actually reverse...clockwise is warmer, counterclockwise is brighter). it has a proprietary power suppy connector, but oh well, its worth it.

i use it with les paul specials (P-90 pups), les paul standards (PAF pups), ES-330 (P-90's), and an SG/les paul (PAFS)...plug it into top hat king royale, vintage ac-30's, vintage marshall plexis, fender pro junior. of course its noisy, its a fuzz pedal....but its got a lower noise floor than most fuzzes. it's the only fuzz i use...mainly for solos and other leads....however, the pedal is incredibly responsive to the guitar's volume knob. turn it down and the fuzz almost begins to sound like natural amp overdrive....then crank the guitar wide open and it gets compressed and sustainy. very rich legato fuzztone....very 60's psychedelic. jimmy page is probably the closest reference point for this tone.

never had a problem. been on my pedalboard for years (professional world touring) and i dont even bring a backup. again, don't lose that proprietary power cord.

never needed it.

i play rock. im in a band on a major label, ive toured everywhere and received great compliments on my tone. i prefer this style of fuzz (based on the colorsound tonebender) to the ole' fuzz face hendrix style that lots of players go for. this fuzz is distinctly ENGLISH sounding. im a californian, but i like to pretend. you have to learn how to work the guitar's volume knob with this pedal. the effect is bombastic so its up to you to tame the beast. i love my soulbender!

Piece of cake to use. 3 knobs.

Beautiful, compressed smooth sounding fuzz. It's like chocolate cake. Sexy. A little noisy when the volume is cranked, but it's fuzz!

Rock solid.

I haven't needed it.

I am fond of 60s, smooth psychedelic fuzz and this is my pedal. It's my one and only fuzz.

I like the fact that this little mutha has just 3 knobs and one internal trimmer for further sound tweaking. Very easy to use!

I only use my Fender Strat that is equipped with the EMG David Gilmour single coils with the Soul Bender. In my opinion, this pedal does not compliment my Les Pauls at all. The Les Pauls sound terrible when routed through this Soul Bender. Go figure on that one. Single coils just sound better with this particular fuzz unit. I run this pedal, along with many others on my pedalboard, through a Line 6 DuoVerb Combo. It sounds really good when I use a split of the Marshall 100watt Plexi model and the Budda Twinmaster model. It is a bit noisy, but I have the tone and the dirt set to max and the volume at about 2o'clock. I can handle the noise as long as the end result is GREAT.

I would gig without a back up. All of the Fulltone pedals that I own are very dependable. They do build a great product.

Can you say Jackarse? These guys are FOS of themselves and they know it. I suppose that sort of attitude comes with the territory when you build a great product. I bet that is why they no longer sale to the public on their site. I would bet money that they could no longer handle things in a professional manner. If they ever did for that matter.

Great products that are signed by a JackArse. Keep up the good work team.

It's probely harder to use than it looks. To match the inside port with the tone control takes some time cause tou have to open it every time.. Its still hard to dial in the perfect tone when you done with that. Don't get me wrong to tone is there but the tone control is really sensitive.

Smooth creamy sounds. The first time I heard it, it soundet just like Prince(before the symbol) sound on the purple rain album. It's great.

My switch broke after a cople of months. It's temp. fixed and still working.
But I guess that I just got unlucky.

Don't know.

Pretty good. not so versitil pedal.

Relativamente sencillo. Tres potenciometros (volumen, tono y dist.) y un trimmer interno para controlar el nivel de fuzz.

Mi setup es American Deluxe Stratocaster> george custom lead 50 (sonido jtm45)> wah VOX847 (redfasel)> soul-bender> ts9 (TS808MOD) > distortion+(Thundertomate). TCelectronics G-major(en bucle de efectos ampli)
El pedal es asombrosamente silencioso. Aun a pesar del nivel de ganancia se oye muy poco ruido de fondo. Es mi primer fuzz pero sinceramente puedo conseguir con exactitud el sonido de Eric Johnson. Espectacular!! Lo uso con un george custom lead 50 que me hizo jorge bueno www.amptek-es.com con sonido tipo Marshall JTM45 y suena de miedo. El ampli a medio de ganancia +o-. Con el nivel de ganancia a tope para solear es increible, mucho cuerpo y definicion a lo EJ. Si bajas la ganancia perfecto para ritmos a lo Hendrix. Es un pedal muy versatil. Es calidad fulltone, true bypass, suena de miedo y me encanta su aspecto. Que mas se puede pedir

Very easy to use, clone of the sola sound tonebender.

I'm using this mostly with a Jimmy Page Les Paul and into a vintage Fender tube amp. If you're looking to get Jimmy Pages sound from the late 60's, early 70's, this is the closest I've personally been. I own an original tube screamer (totally different sound), several modern distortion pedals, a Fuzz Face, etc. I have not played the original sola sound grey box tonebender so I can't offer a direct comparison between this pedal and that one. This unit has the distinctive germanium transistor fuzz face type of sound. If you don't like the fuzz face you probably won't like this pedal. That said, if you like Jimmy Pages sound, this will get you very close...so close that your playing ability is the only thing that will separate you from his sound to the vast majority of people's ears. I turn the internal trim pot to about 2 oclock and tend to prefer fullers recommendation of fuzz on full and tone rolled off completely. This is the best fuzz face type of pedal I have used.

It's sturdily built. Steel enclosure. Large gauge internal wiring. Full bypass, the right way with a 3pdt switch. I don't expect problems. It's built to a much higher standard of quality than a "mainstream" pedal. I agree with other reviews that it's close to mil spec. That said, the enclosure does have seams so I wouldn't recommend pouring beer or sand on it. I'd give it a 10 if the circuit board was mounted with screws (it's hot glued) and if the enclosure was beer/sand proof. I'm being picky though. Under ordinary use it should last decades even with road use or until the pots wear out...which is always the first thing to go (along with the jacks) on a pedal.

No idea.

If you'd like to sound like Jimmy Page, early Jeff Beck or most any other late 60's early 70's British rockers, get this pedal....then practice a lot. FYI Sola is still in business and they still manufacture the pedal this was cloned from...but it's expensive and you have to order it from the UK. Plus to my knowledge it doesn't have the internal trim pot which is an excellent feature of this pedal to tweak the sound.

It's three exteranl knobs and an internal trim pot. I I had to play around with the trim pot for a while to get it just where I wanted it, but once I got it there it became impossible not to get a good sound out of it. Excellent, usable controls -- these things actually do something, unlike a lot of other pedals out there.

Read the instructions! The polarity of the power supply is different than 99% of the other pedals made by any maker. It won't work with a Boss/Ibanez power supply -- in fact, if you hook it up to one you'll fry the thing. The instructions are very clear about this. The instructions also point out that the pedal can't go before one in your effects chain that's not true bypass -- the sound gets killed by the buffer in pedals that aren't true bypass. This is 100% true -- so much so that it was suprising when I tried it.

Righ now, I'm playing an American Strat. Usual effects chain is the Strat > Budda Bud-Wah+> Emma Transmorgrifier > Menatone (4 Knob) Red Snapper > Pharaoh Class A Boost > SIB Mr. Vibromatic (or a Boss PH2) > Guyatone MD3 digital Delay > Songworks Spring Reverb into a Laney PTM30MV Sereis II (all tube) head with a Carvin Legacy 2 x 12 cab.

The instructions point ot that putting this pedal before a non-true bypass pedal will suck all the sound out of the Soul-Bender. Most of my effects are true bypass, with the exception of the delay and phaser, but if I put it in my signal path, it would go before these two pedals so I can't use it on my pedalboard right now. Now, I'm just running the Soul-Bender straight into the amp witout the other effects -- which is fine with me. My amp does have an effects loop, so I just need to strart experimenting with running my pedalboard through there. Or I could just get a true bypass delay and phaser. Hmmmmm ... DLS Echo Tap and Red Witch phaser. Back to the business at hand.

Anyway, this pedal is a qualified amazing. It totally depends on what type of quitar you're playing. I went through a bit of a time that filled with second guessing -- is the pedal broken? Could it be a hunk of garbage? Did I get screwed by the seller on eBay? Here's what I found: Late 80s American Tele -- sucked. Jackson SL3 -- worse than I could ever imagine (this thing had Seymour Duncans). Early 70s SG -- could my pickups be broken? American Strat -- NIRVANA! With the Strat, it's the most utterly incredible, best sounding, most versitile fuzz/distortion pedal I own. The instructions recommend tone and "dirt" (FUZZ) all the way up and volume on 1/2. I play my amp with the preamp on 10 and the volume relatively low, making the amp dark, so backing the tone up to about 3/4 works best for me. It's not just a fuzz sound, it's like a distortion, too. Very hard to describe, except that it's loud and aggressive in the best way imaginable.

I love Zeppelin, James Gang and early Sabbath and this pedal nails that sound.

One little secret about this pedal, and my jaw dropped when I tried this -- you can use it like a booster that can just slam the heck out of the front end of the amp. Set your amp to a place where you can push it pretty easily into overdrive, and have the Soul-Bender set with the volume on 10, tone on a little more than 1/2, and Dirt around 1/4 and suddenly you're into a completely different tonal realm than just fuzz. I got a Brian May type sound. While this is a nice, happy-accident,buy this pedal for the fuzz/distortion -- it's incredible.

This thing's a tank. Everything about it just oozes qualiy. The knobs rotate smooth and evenly. Best made pedal I own. I'm sure my grandkids will enjoy it.

Got mine off eBay, so I can't really comment on Fulltone's customer service.

The thing I love most about this pedal is the sound. For the last 20 years, I've been trying to get that classic early '70s "sound." You know it when you hear it. This pedal is that sound. This pedal doesn't even compare with any other fuzz/distortion pedals I've owned or heard. It's just such an aggressive and polished sound -- absolutely incredible.

I'm glad I own a Strat. From what I observed, the Strat was the only guitar it worked well with -- just something to keep in mind if you're thinking about getting one. I've been playing for close to 20 years now and have owned tons of gear -- guitars, pedals, amps, etc -- everything from run-of-the-mill to boutique. This pedal just blew me away (once I ran the Strat into it) and is by far the best made piece of equipment I've ever owned. I would definitly get another one if it was lost or stolen.

Don't buy this pedal off eBay unless you have a Strat. If you get it at your local music store, definitly try it out with the guitar you play.

I gave this pedal a 9. The pedal does take a little bit of tweaking to find the sound that will work for you. You may need to use the internal trimer to help fine tune you're sound. So there is a little
work that will have to be done.

The Manual is great and the samples are a great place to start. You may find, sticking with Mike's suggestion Volume at noon, Tone & Fuzz ide open will do the trick.

This pedal is awesome. I run mine with the preferred sample setting
Volume at noon,Tone and Fuzz wide open. I prefer to use my guitars volume pot to alter the sound of the pedal. This pedal is very reactive to you're volume & tone controls. Take the time and discover all the useful sound's this pedal will offer.

I prefer to use the Soul Bender for more of a "Over the Top" type of fuzz sound. I play in a cover band and need to cover a ton of ground. I can go from old skool fuzz to modern day Fuzz sounds. Once again this is where you volume control play's a huge part. I do run a large pedalboard but 75% of my sounds are still generated from just the guitar and amp. This pedal is transparent and retain's the sound of youre guitar and amp, while not adding any cheese to you're sound.

Note: This pedal is senseitive to where it is placed in youre effects Chain. I run mine 4th in my signal chain. Everything is true bypass but I still found the SB was a little picky before or after certain pedals. You will want to try a few differnt setup's to see what sounds better for you.

Setup... PRS Custom 22 & Fender Custom Shop 1960 Relic strat. Bogner
XTC 101B & 2x12 Bogner closed back cabinet. Pedalboard...
Clyde Wah- CCII Octavia - CCII FuzzFoot NKT275 - SoulBender - BIComp - FDII - CCII Provibe - FR Paradox Flanger - Supertrem - Clone Chorus -
DL4 - Bogner

I make full use of all three channels in the Bogner and the Soul Bender work's well with all three, including the Boost functions. I have come to use the Soul Bender more than any other OD/Fuzz effect in my setup. This pedal reacts very well to both guitars, single coils and low output humbuckers.

You can depend on Fulltone effects. I have been using Fulltone effects for years. I manage 2 gigs a week a 1 rehearsal. That makes for a ton
of use in a year. Not to mention be bounced around in a roadcase to and from gigs.

I would gig without a backup.

Fulltone takes care of there customers if there product fails. Be straight and to the point with Mike Fuller and his support department. You will get the results you desire and a product that will bring you years of enjoyment and use.

This pedal can cross most musicaly boundrys, take the time and get to know and use the Soul Bender, you'll love it! I have tried a ton of pedals, some more than I would care to mention. This pedal work's great
in my setup and my playing style.I had to spend allot of cash twice to get to were I am today, so hopefully this will help you save a little cash and long nights awake.

Easy to use. 3 knobber. Tubescreamer style setup, I gave it a 9 because of the complexity inherhent in having an internal trimpot, which if you're anything like me you have to break into and fiddle with and of course can never remember where you started it at. Even at that, it's just finding the right combo for you.

My rig consists primarily of a Fender telecaster (Rio Grande Muy grande @ bridge and a Duncan '59 humbucker @ the neck running through a Tophat Club Royale. I'm definitely an effect pedal junkie, so usually an array of 7 or 8 pedals running as well. As most of you probably know this pedal is true bypass. This fuzz is a little different than a fuzz that you may be used to hearing. Lots of people are used to the Hendrix fuzz face style pedal, but this is based off of the old 'tonebender' pedals. Not as smooth as a fuzzface. A little nastier and more in your face. When I first got it I hooked it up to my Fender hot rod deville and played Jeff Beck's 'Shapes of Things' for hours trying to replicate that tone. It never worked, but at the same time I wasn't playing through the same rig as he was. It tends to be very rig dependent which is why it may take a while to set up what's good for you. When you roll the tone knob clockwise the lows increase and the highs dissapear. Quite obviously the best sound on the pedal is tone and fuzz both cranked all the way up. In practical band situations though, sometimes this is more difficult because you won't necessarily be cutting through. You can roll the tone down and think "who would want that piercing high end?" but if you're using a bassy pickup (like the Duncan '59) it can come in handy. Also sounds great in conjunctions with boost pedals (Keeley Time Machine, Fireman FX Baron Boost are what I've used). It is my opinion that this pedal really shines when going through an amplifier that is mildly breaking up or at least close to it. And a proper dosing of volume doesn't hurt!!

So being a fan of Page and Beck that was definitely a motivator for getting this pedal. I've come close enough, but still haven't nailed their tones. But some tones I have been able to get very close to were Mick Ronson (Spiders from Mars!!), Marc Bolan of T-Rex (Everyone points out that he never used one but I promise if you play 20th Century Boy on this you'll fall in love), Kinks, Black Sabbath and Sweet. You can also get a lot of cool modern stoner rock band sounds out of it, although a lot of times they tend to be more "big muff-esque"

I would say this pedal is very dependable. Put together very well, I've never had a problem with it. In fact, I'm still using the same battery as when I bought it! It should be mentioned that if you do want to use a power supply, that these pedals are reverse tipped so you'll have to act accordingly. But with batteries lasting the way they do I see no reason to plug it in.

My wife bought this for me as a gift for college graduation so I did not deal with Fulltone. She called Mike Fuller to order and he informed her of where the best place locally to her she could get one and was very cordial. This goes against what a lot of people say about Mike but I have to judge according to my experience.

I play an extremely wide variety of styles, but mainly powerpop in the vein of Big Star, Matthew Sweet, David Bowie, Butch Walker and Jellyfish. Although I'd still love to have a Fuzzface type pedal, this pedal fits very well into what I do. I also play some alt.country where I can use it for some fuzzed out Wilco and Jayhawks type tones. And if I'm in classic rock mode and playing Zeppelin, Allman Bros. and Black Crowes it works as well.

3 knobs, not much to it really! Make sure you have the appropriate adapter, as you cannot use standard "boss" type ac adapter. Also, you it messes with the pedal if you put it after a pedal that is not ture bypass.

Here's where this pedal does its thing! I got it to try and re-create some of that Jimmy Page magic. This thing does it dead on! My effects chain goes Fulltone Deja-vibe>Soulbender>Crybaby wah (modded for volume and true bypass)>Boss DD-2 Delay> Bad Cat Hot Cat 30 combo. Right now I'm down to just my Les Paul, so I don't know what this pedal sounds like with single coils. I'm anxious to try it! What I do know is this thing has that horn like "honk" on the neck pickup that is all throughout Zeppelin recordings.

Fulltones stuff is built like a tank--5 YEAR warranty!!!!!

I've e-mailed fuller a couple times, he always gets back quickly.

It's a no brainer. Three knobs -- turn 'em until you find something you like. If you can't handle it then you are brain dead.

Excellent. I have a Fulltone '69 as well and was amazed that this peddle sounds much different. It really is an aggressive mother when you crank it but it can be subtle as well. The '69 is not as in your face. If I had to have only one, I'd take the Soul Bender. Just seems to rock out better and harder.

Sounds great through just about any amp I have. Like it especially through a boogie and a Dr Z.

Built to last. Doesn't get any better when it comes to build quality.

I never want to have to send something back to the factory. That's why I like Fulltone. They are built to take abuse and keep on cooking.

I own several fulltone effects and have never had a problem with any. Have only had the Soul Bender a few weeks but I'm not anticipating problems. Mike Fuller builds them with so they never fail. I appreciate that.

This has got to be one of the best effects boxes I own. I prefer it lots of time over the tube distortion I get by overdriving my amp. If it got stolen, I'd buy another one. Of course.

AIN'T NO PROBLEMS WITH THIS PEDAL!
THIS IS VERY EASY TO USE...
IT HAS 3 KNOBS AND AN INTERNAL TRIMMER THAT CHANGES CLIPPING OF THE SOUND FROM SOFT TO MORE SQUARE WHEN TURNED COUNTERCLOCKWISE


1- VOLUME
TURNING THE KNOB CLOCKWISE YOU WILL INCREASE THE LEVEL OF THE EFFECT


2- TONE
IF YOU TURN IT CLOCKWISE YOU WILL MAKE IT SOUND MORE BASSIER AND SMOOTHER


3- DIRT
IT WILL INCREASE THE GAIN (SO THE DISTORTION) WHEN TURNED CLOCKWISE

I PLAY WITH A GIBSON LES PAUL STANDARD VINTAGE SUNBURST, AND I THINK THAT SOUL BENDER IS A GREAT FUZZ, COMBINED WITH MY GUITAR...
IT'S LIKE.... A "SMALL EEL"...
THIS PEDAL HAS 5 YEARS WARRANTY AND USES GERMANIUM TRANSISTORS LIKE THE OLD "VOX TONE BENDER" AND THE OLDER "SOLA SOUND TONE BENDER"...
SO I CAN SAY: "ORIGINAL VINTAGE SOUND WITH PRESENT ACCURACY".
BELIEVE ME BECAUSE I GOT ONE AND I PLAYED WITH THE OLD "VOX TONE BENDER", THAT SOUNDS NOISIER, BUT THE SOUND, ALL OVER THE YEARS, IS REALLY THE SAME.


IF YOU TURN THE "DIRT" KNOB ALL THE WAY UP YOU CAN HAVE A GREAT FUZZ BITE, CLEAR AND SHARP ON DEFINITION, BUT AT THE SAME TIME GRANULOUS AND CREAMY ON THE EXPRESSION AND VERSATILITY.
OBVIOUSLY, NOT SATURATED LIKE THE "FULLTONE '69 FUZZ" BUT HOWEVER SMOOTH.
INSTEAD IF YOU TURN THE KNOB 3/4 UP YOU WILL GET A BLUESY, CREAMY LEAD SATURATION... I LOVE IT...
I ALWAYS HATED TO USE FUZZ BOXES WITH THE GAIN NOT ALL THE WAY UP, BUT THIS ONE HAS MORE VERSATILITY THAN ALL THE OTHERS I PLAYED WITH... ("ELECTRO-HARMONIX BIG MUFF PI (REISSUE, USA MADE)", "SOVTEK BIG MUFF PI (REISSUE, RUSSIAN MADE)", "JIM DUNLOP FUZZ FACE", "T-REX MUDHONEY"...


A LITTLE THING FOR "FUZZ FANATICS"... DON'T TRY TO USE A GIBSON WITH THE "FULLTONE '69 FUZZ"... THE HUMBUCKERS WILL BURN OUT ALL THE MID-HI FREQUENCIES, MAKING UP A WEIRD, FOR ME "BAD" SOUND....

Reliability: 10
DESPITE THE SMALL DIMENSIONS, IT'S REALLY HEAVY!
IT HAS A TRUE BYPASS CIRCUITRY: WHEN THIS PEDAL IS TURNED OFF, HIS SIGNAL WON'T EXIST ANYMORE ON YOUR PEDALBOARD.
DON'T USE REGULAR NEGATIVE CENTER PIN "BOSS" OR "IBANEZ" ADAPTER WITH THIS UNIT, BECAUSE THE GERMANIUM TRANSISTORS ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE SYLICON ONES, TODAY NORMALLY USED ON DISTORTION PEDALS, SO YOU MAY DAMAGE THE PEDAL.
I USE BATTERIES, BUT PREFERABLY NOT THE ALKALINE ONES, CAUSE THE CHEAPER ZINC-CARBON ARE WORKING BETTER ON FREQUENCIES.

Customer Support: N/A
THIS PEDAL HAS 5 YEARS WARRANTY.
IS HANDCRAFTED AND ALL THE PEDALS ARE ONE-BY-ONE CONTROLLED, SIGNED BY M.FULLER, AND HAND NUMBERED.
MY SOUL-BENDER IS THE NUMBER 1911.
WHO OUTBID THAT..?

I JUST LOVE PEARL JAM, THE WHO, SOUNDGARDEN, LED ZEPPELIN, MUDHONEY, SMASHING PUMPKINS, KULA SHAKER....
...AND OF COURSE... SIMPLE CHOICE!
go to "www.simplechoice.com"

AIN'T NO PROBLEMS WITH THIS PEDAL!
THIS IS VERY EASY TO USE...
IT HAS 3 KNOBS AND AN INTERNAL TRIMMER THAT CHANGES CLIPPING OF THE SOUND FROM SOFT TO MORE SQUARE WHEN TURNED COUNTERCLOCKWISE

1- VOLUME
TURNING THE KNOB CLOCKWISE YOU WILL INCREASE THE LEVEL OF THE EFFECT

2- TONE
IF YOU TURN IT CLOCKWISE YOU WILL MAKE IT SOUND MORE BASSIER AND SMOOTHER

3- DIRT
IT WILL INCREASE THE GAIN (SO THE DISTORTION) WHEN TURNED CLOCKWISE

I PLAY WITH A GIBSON LES PAUL STANDARD VINTAGE SUNBURST, AND I THINK THAT SOUL BENDER IS A GREAT FUZZ, COMBINED WITH MY GUITAR.
THIS PEDAL HAS 5 YEARS WARRANTY AND USES GERMANIUM TRANSISTORS LIKE THE OLD "VOX TONE BENDER" AND THE OLDER "SOLA SOUND TONE BENDER"...
SO I CAN SAY: "ORIGINAL VINTAGE SOUND WITH PRESENT ACCURACY".
BELIEVE ME BECAUSE I GOT ONE AND I PLAYED WITH THE OLD "VOX TONE BENDER".
IT SOUND MORE NOISIER, BUT THE SOUND IS REALLY THE SAME.

IF YOU TURN THE "DIRT" KNOB ALL THE WAY UP YOU CAN HAVE A GREAT FUZZ BITE, CLEAR AND SHARP ON DEFINITION, BUT AT THE SAME TIME GRANULOUS AND CREAMY ON THE EXPRESSION AND VERSATILITY.
OBVIOUSLY, NOT SATURATED LIKE THE "FULLTONE '69 FUZZ" BUT HOWEVER SMOOTH.
INSTEAD IF YOU TURN THE KNOB 3/4 UP YOU WILL GET A BLUESY, CREAMY LEAD SATURATION... I LOVE IT...
I ALWAYS HATED TO USE FUZZ BOXES WITH THE GAIN NOT ALL THE WAY UP, BUT THIS ONE HAS MORE VERSATILITY THAN ALL THE OTHERS I PLAYED WITH... ("ELECTRO-HARMONIX BIG MUFF PI (REISSUE, USA MADE)", "SOVTEK BIG MUFF PI (REISSUE, RUSSIAN MADE)", "JIM DUNLOP FUZZ FACE", "T-REX MUDHONEY"...

A LITTLE THING FOR "FUZZ FANATICS"... DON'T TRY TO USE A GIBSON WITH THE "FULLTONE '69 FUZZ"... THE HUMBUCKERS WILL BURN OUT ALL THE FREQUENCIES, MAKING UP A WEIRD, FOR ME BAD SOUND....

DESPITE THE SMALL DIMENSIONS, IT'S REALLY HEAVY!
IT HAS A TRUE BYPASS CIRCUITRY: WHEN THIS PEDAL IS TURNED OFF, HIS SIGNAL WON'T EXIST ANYMORE ON YOUR PEDALBOARD.
DON'T USE REGULAR NEGATIVE CENTER PIN "BOSS" OR "IBANEZ" ADAPTER WITH THIS UNIT, BECAUSE THE GERMANIUM TRANSISTORS ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE SYLICON ONES, TODAY NORMALLY USED ON DISTORTION PEDALS, SO YOU MAY DAMAGE THE PEDAL.
I USE BATTERIES, BUT PREFERABLY NOT THE ALKALINE ONES, CAUSE THE CHEAPER ZINC-CARBON ARE WORKING BETTER ON FREQUENCIES.

THIS PEDAL HAS 5 YEARS WARRANTY.
IS HANDCRAFTED AND ALL THE PEDALS ARE ONE-BY-ONE CONTROLLED, SIGNED BY M.FULLER, AND HAND NUMBERED.
MY SOUL-BENDER IS THE NUMBER 1911.
WHO OUTBID THAT..?

I JUST LOVE PEARL JAM, THE WHO, SOUNDGARDEN, LED ZEPPELIN, MUDHONEY, SMASHING PUMPKINS, KULA SHAKER.

A Monkey could get this thing to sound good. Just crank the Fuzz and Tone all the way to the right (For My tastes) and you are off to the races.

This is a GREAT fuzz. It has more detail and overdrive qualities then the 69 or 70 fuzzes. I would not say it's better - it is just different. My gear is comprised of the usual suspects (Les Paul Classic - Custom Shop 60's Strat - Custom Tele - etc. JTM - 45 / VHT 50st / and Vibrolux Reverb Blackface.) I love it with the JTM 45. I have a feeling that most of Mike's Fuzzes are really meant to be matched to 4 input Marshalls. While it sounds great with the VHT - it really shines with the JTM-45.

Also keep in mind that most fuzzes don't (IMO) sound as good through an open back Cab. I play through a VHT 2X12 closed back. Through my Fender - the low end gets sloppy.

The internal trim knob is very helpful indeed. As far as it sounding like a Tone Bender - I have no idea - I have never owned one - but it gets a very nice buttery fuzz - ala Eric Johnson.
Oh yeah and its quiet!!

Not much to say other than - Mack Truck

Mike and Scott are pros to the core. They believe very strongly in their stuff and it shows. I had a nice phone conversation with Mike and he was a gracious as they come.

I bought my Soul Bender over Harmony Central. Recorded a few solos with it and really like it. I then traded it for a Distortion Pro. Realizing that I Made a Big Mistake - (NOT TO SAY THE DP1 SUCKS Cause I still have that too). I looked on Ebay and found the Exact Soulbender I traded (go Figure) . I cliked buy it now and back it came. This pedal will be me for as long as I play guitar.

Easy to use. Set the fuzz level, dial in the amount of top end you want, and put at whatever volume you need depending on how hard you're driving your output tubes.

I use this pedal with a 1952 Reissue Telecaster and a 1968 Fender Deluxe Reverb Amp. I've transcribing some Clarence White solos off of the Fillmore Show and was missing the fuzz. I believe he used a Mossrite Fuzzrite. I bought this because I figured it would come close enough, and it surely does. I use .008 to .038 guage strings so I can really bend strings behind the nut. This pedal helps to beef up the tone all around, even on the high E and B strings. Nice sputtering bass tones when playing full chords. Big thick power chords. You can dial in tones that remind you of brass insturments. Violin lead tones with the highs rolled off. The trim pot is so useful, I wish it was on the outside. There is a little noise, but it is acceptable to me given the equiptment I use, and type of pedal this is.

I also own a 1957 LP Black Beauty and a Bassman 5F6-A, which is being reconed at present. I am very excited to try this out with these, and I am certain I will find some useful tones.

Pedal looks beautiful on the inside. I've owned a Fulltone Fulldrive 2 and a ChoralFlanger. I sold the FD2 because I was playing mostly clean country for a long period of time. I gave the CF to a good friend/mentor who spent about two years teaching me fingerstyle and flatpicking. Never had a problem with either pedal.

They offer a 5 year warrenty, which is excellent by industry standards.

I play most rock, country, bluegrass, blues, and some jazz. This is certainly a rock and blues pedal, but I guess what I am using it for is country, oddly enough. I tested many pedals out when buying this and was immediately impressed with it. I usually follow my initial reaction with pedals and amps. If you don't, you run the risk of trying to convince yourself you like or don't like something.

Like I mentioned earlier, I wish the trim pot was accessable externally. No real complaints though.

I read that Page said the ToneBender was the only pedal that could make a Telecaster sound like a Les Paul, and with that in mind I tried to see if I could do the same. He was right.

3 knobs may seem easy--but they're very interactive! Subtle tone
tweeking and slight volume tweeks on the guitar vol give the best shades. Wide open it's pure fuzz madeness at it's best, but I
don't use it like that too often. I turn the internal pot towards
the smoother side.

Very good fuzz, like I said above it needs tweekin--not so
easy to get the smoother TB sounds--sounds better with humbuckers!
Roll your guitar volume back till you get the desired smoothness.
People that say this doesn't clean up when you back off the
guit vol are full of it! Lots of shades--does darken as you roll
back as well as becoming a finer tooth saw.
I hear Alman Brother/Cream~Bluebreakers/Pink Floyd/Hendrix/Vintage
Jeff Beck/Jimmy Page/etc... all are obtainable by the various pots inside and out. I put this up against my Boss FZ-3 (also a good Fuzz) on single notes the Boss was suprizingly similar--I wouldn't miss the Soulbender. But play a chord and the Soulbender showed it's time proven BADNESS! I'm suprized not much has been said about the boxy tone, very Vox'ish British sounding, with maybey a hair of John Scofield in it.

Looks solid, carbon composition resistor are a nice vintage touch.

N/A

I play Jazz/Funk/Blues/Soul for 12 years and this pedal has more than one application. I mostly play through Fender tube amps and Gibson
and Fender guitars. Not sure if I would replace--sounds great--lots
of tweek'n though. It does have a distintive sound you don't hear in
other Fuzz's. Warmer and more violin like than newer OD/distortions.
Add some echo and a little verb-- you'll feel like David Gilmore,
roll back the volume a little and your getting into the Steve Kimock
zone.

There is not a bad sound to be heard from this pedal there are three knobs which include, volume, tone and dirt as well as an internal trim pot. The volume obviously increases the volume, the tone knob is made so that if you turn the knob clockwise it creates a warmer fatter sound whereas counter clock wise creates more of an edgier trebly type sound, the dirt knob controls how much fuzz you want to be added. The best thing about this pedal though is the internal trim pot. Some might say rate this pedal lower as you have to unscrew the bottom plate to get to the trim pot but I prefer it inside and out of the way. The trim pot creates a rounder tone when turned CW and when turned CCW it creates a square aggresive fuzz sound which happens to be my favorite.

My setup is G&L Legacy guitar - Fulltone Soul Bender - Dunlop Hendrix Crybaby wah - Marshall AVT 50 combo.
There is unfortunatly a bit of buzz from this pedal but who cares, it is a fuzz pedal after all. There are so many sounds you can get from this pedal ranging from a slight amount of fuzz like the who to Hendrix tones all the way through to really aggresive, hard hitting fuzz. I have the tone knob set to about 9.00, the dirt knob on maximum and the internal trim pot all the way CCW which gives me the an absolutly awesome fuzz. It gives me the exact sound of the fuzz used by Hillel Slovak on the albums he made with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

I have ony had it a few days so I can't really say but the case seems sturdy as a tank and I won't be bouncing up and down on the switch or control knobs anyway.

Never dealt with them but I have read elsewhere that they are very good.

I was originally going to buy a univox superfuzz but it was heavily damaged so I tryed some other pedals in the store looking for that superfuzz sound and the Soul Bender matched what I was looking for perfectly. Fulltone pedals beat the competition. I suggest you try one out.

Three knobs for volume, tone and fuzz.

Mine is #1226 and has the increased volume output mod that Fuller made standard on all models manufactured after August 2001. Since no reviews below mention the purpose of this pedal I will enlighten you- its a recreation of the 1973 Tonebender pedal that was used by British rock guitarists.

Built like a tank.

Fuller is a great guy. Its his customers who are the arrogant know-it-all wanna-be "lemmie give you a hard time" types.

I play rock and blues and this pedal is a keeper. Strats and Pauls into tube amps is my style, and this Soulbender works with all of my amps. Other pedals I own include the MJM Britbender 2-knob version, a Maxon OD-808, Nuance Foot Grenade overdrive and a Vintage Rat. I own nearly two dozen gain pedals and this Soul-bender is one of the best. Its the player and not the gear that makes the difference, which would seem to account for the expensive gear most rich amateur players apparently acquire.

Very easy to use. 3 knobs....couldn't be more simple

WOW! What a sound. I use a fender strat plus with the Gold Lace Sensors into the Soulbender>Analogman modded ts9>Maxon Distortion Master (what a pedal!)>Maxon Analog Delay (Excellent!)>Fulltone Choralflange. I have been trying to find a fuzz that works for my playing and this is the one. Just when you think there is too much treble in the fuzz, there is a sweet midrange overtone that just sounds awesome. I like it the best when put in front of my AnalogMan modded TubeScreamer. My setting is Soulbender: tone 2 o'clock, dirt at 10 o'clock. Tube Screamer with everything at 2 o'clock. It really gives you a sweet distortion that I haven't been able to find in any other pedal. All I can say is What a sound.

No problems yet, built like a tank. What a pedal.

Emailed me right away with a manual.

I play blues, rock, garagey type stuff. I try not to play any covers and have been playing for about 5 years now. I would definitely buy it again.
The tone is fantastic, especially in front of the modded tubescreamer.

Tons of great sounds in this box. The internal trimmer might have worked better as an external knob that can be set differently between songs, but, for me I set it at about 3:00 and it does that huge sounding fuzz that I want for my lead sound.

I use a bunch of different guitars from a Strat with Lace Sensors to a BC Rich Mockingbird with P-90s and 6 others in between. My main amp is a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe that has been heavily modded including using EL84s in Class A, different filter caps, etc... Think of it kind of like a more ballsy AC15 with a heavenly drive channel and reverb. I also use several other effects boxes including a Snarlin Dogs Wah, EH QTron, MXR Phase 100 (scriptlogo), and a Boss DD-5. The Soulbender sits last in the chain before my amp with the DD-5 in the effects loop. It sounds wonderful. Huge and fuzzy and rich. Full of beautiful harmonic content that enhances the drive channel of my amp. It sounds great on the clean channel too. Very reminiscent of early Zep Jimmy Page... before the Marshalls and Les Pauls. I have tried many different Fuzz pedals includnig some very vintage stuff (Ge FF)and way overhyped boutique stuff (Way Huge, Lovetone) and this Fuzz is the one I've been waiting for... It's got everything I've ever wanted in a Fuzz...

It seems very well put together and I have no doubt that I can rely on it without worry.

NA

This is great for my rig, but Fuzz is such an individual thing. There is no ultimate fuzz for everyone. There are many people who don't like Fuzz at all (but mostly they are idiots or into NuMetal or some other sort of freak of nature) Anyhow... the big thing is this... Try one out because they do something magical in the realm of Fuzz and, at least for me, it is the Holy Grail of Fuzz boxes!!!

It's a newer model Soulbender with Vol., Tone and Dirt controls as well as an internal trim pot. Easy easy to use. Can get a wide range of sounds with Tone and trim pot manipulation. As with most Fuzz boxes, it doesn't like to have a buffered effect put before it. I think the Soul Bender, more than other Fuzzes I've tried, has many characteristics that depend on your guitar and amp.

Blistering Germanium Transistor Fuzz to Fat Cream leads. To me it is a very British Invasion sounding fuzz (ala...the who and yardbirds) with the tone rolled CCW to the treble settings. With the tone full up CW (bassier and creamier) is very fat and great for leads. There is an inherent midrange quality that is great in all settings that allows it to cut through better than Fuzz Faces. BTW, as you probably already know, the Soul Bender is Sola Tone Bender (3 knob) clone with three germanium transistors, therefore it is a different animal than the Fuzz Face clones like the Fulltone '69 and '70. The Soul Bender has more gain and fuzz on tap than both the '69 and '70. With the Fuzz on full it is a little over the top for me for anything but single note leads or runs. If you back off the guitar volume to about 8, its still very gritty and fat ( think Live Cream 'Spoonful' and 'Steppin Out') That was sound I wanted out of my Strat (with CS 54 pickups) without getting a Les Paul.

Extremely solid and well built.

I also have a Fulltone FD2, '69 and '70. Never a problem.

The Soul Bender is a very pleasing ToneBender Clone to play with. I've not tried any other ToneBender clones or originals, so I can't compare it to them. I am, however, familiar with the sounds of the original users (Beck, Page, Clapton with Cream) and knew that was the type tone I was missing in my setup. The Soul Bender does what Mike says it will and sounds very sweet. More importantly it has become a key ingredient in my setup to creating a non generic tone. It's a great value in my judgement. Not a one trick pony.

This is a reasonably uncomplicated pedal to use because it's quite musical sounding no matter how you set it up. The instruction sheet for the SoulBender is kinda short and doesn't go into detail much at all but you soon find that the slightest turns of the tone and dirt knobs change the sounds and colors of the pedal right away and there are almost limitless great tones to be found in this pedal.

I'm using a 52RI Fender Tele through a Fender Pro Junior amp right now. I also am using a Prescription Electronics Experience pedal and a Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive. The Soul unit is remarkably quiet except when the dirt control is at its highest settings. I noticed that through a friends Marshall 2203 amp that the pedal was decent sounding but not at all like the cool tones that Beck and Page...etc. got in the sixties. But when I plugged into my Fender Pro Junior THAT sound was there. Listen to *Think About it* by the Yardbirds or the live *Stroll On* or Led Zeps *Dazed and Confused* or *Communication Breakdown* etc. etc. The SoulBender nails those vintage Brittish tones like no other and is capable of doing so very smoothly with the help of the excellently voiced tone knob. The effect cleans up great by rolling off the guitar volume as well. This pedal gets a 10 rating in this catagory for not only perfectly doing what I bought it to do but also because of the other quite musical uses this pedal has going for it. Great design Mr. Fuller!!

I hope it holds up good, but I've only had it a day now!!

N/A

I play a lot of Blues and Rock from the 60s and 70s mostly. I've been playing off and on for 23 years. The SoulBender is a perfect match for some of the stuff I do and is simply not needed for the rest but it's important enough for ME to have that I got it in lieu of some of the other cool Fulltone effects at this time. Mike Fuller makes excellent musical pedals like my Fulltone Clyde Wah pedal. A friend of mine just HAD to have that one so I sold it to him but I'll be getting another Clyde soon. If this pedal gets stolen I'd try to get another as I'm certain there's nothing that even comes close in this effects tone range. I'm thinking I'll find many uses besides just copping old Zep and Yardbirds tunes with it. Cant wait to get the Octa Fuzz to replace the crappy sounding Prescription pedal neither!! Maybe a FullDrive 2 also.

This one is a little tricky. Because it uses germanium transistors you can only use DC supplies that have a postive tip. Or, if you own the Voodoo Lab pedal power, you can custom order a reverse barrel-to-barrel connector that fixes this problem. After the power issue is solved, one must consider the fact that because this pedal uses germanium transistors and is true-bypass, you should not put this pedal AFTER any other pedals that are NOT true-bypass in your chain. It will alter the output and sound of this pedal. Now, once those technical concerns are cleared up, this pedal is extremely easy to use. Three knobs, all very self-explanatory.

GREAT sounding fuzz. I've used the Vox Tonebenders (MKII, MKIII), as well as the ZVex fuzz factory (which is also great, but is a little too unpredictable for me in live situations). The Soul Bender sounds very close to the vintage tonebenders and it costs a whole lot less than finding a vintage unit. It can get warm and smooth, bitey with sqaure wave fuzz, and has plenty of clarity. This pedal has much more gain than the fullton '69 and '70. Sounds wonderful through 4-input marshall plexis and '70's orange amps.

It's a fulltone. It's built like a tank! Footswitches shmut-switches. Hey, occasionally they break! Deal with it. Mike Fuller will gladly replace any that break.

Mike Fuller has always been of great help to me when I've had questions.

This is a great fuzz pedal that I feel very well replicates the old Tonebenders. I play in a radiohead-esque alt/rock band and I've worked this pedal into a few songs and it always rocks. As much as I hate doing this, here's my setup: '74 Gibson Les Paul Standard, Reissue Gibson LP Deluxe Goldtop, or Reissue Fender Jazzmaster to Soul-Bender, Fulldrive 2, Fat-Boost, Vox Wah, MXR Phase 90, Univibe, Dunlop Tremolo, Deluxe Memory Man to '74 Marshall 50-watt JMP MKII head through Marshall 1960TV cab to '59 Fender Tweed Bassman. I run both the amps as one mono signal so they're both always on. There I bragged about my setup. That's so lame...

Easy to use. No problems here.

Buying this pedal I was foolishly under the impression that it would be my last fuzz purchase. I already have several fuzzes, some good, some not so hot- a RI Vox Tonebender, Voodoo Labs Proctavia, Boss Fuzz (yuck!!!), Maestro Fuzzstain, and several Big Muffs. The Soulbender does not sound really like any of the forementioned fuzzes.

So it sounds awesome right? That depends. Unless your amp is juiced up with a moderate amount of power, it just sounds like a stock fuzz pedal. Does it sound like a vintage Tone Bender? If I had to go by some early Jimmy Page tones, I would say not even close. Theoretically, using a 4 input Marshall and a telecaster, you should be able to nail at least some early Zeppelin tones on the head. I have not found them yet.

I figured that the Soulbender would have a spitty top and a round mid and bottom. The one I have does not. I think I was wishing for a Fuzzface tone, which is unreasonable since the Tone Bender and Fuzzface are different birds all together, so it is my fault. But don't make the same mistake thinking the Soulbender is the end all fuzz. It is good, it has full bypass, but try one out before you impulse buy like myself.

If I had to pick a fuzz that I own to compare it with, the Soulbender sounds to me a tad like the Big Muff, but without the beefy, useful bass, crispy treble and sustain. Of course, the Soulbender is more of a fuzz than the Big Muff, but doing an A/B comparison, I thought it would be silly to use both of them in your chain if space is an issue.

I think the Fulltone name carries alot of weight, and Mike makes some wonderful pedals, but The Soulbender did not set my soul on fire. I know many of you will assume that I don't know what the hell I'm taking about, and that is fine, but I have been playing guitar for long enough, been producing music since '91, have a huge network of musician friends, so take this review for whatever it is worth. Everybody has different tastes and ears. Mine tells me that the Soulbender is just okay as far as Tone Bender clones go.

Super heavy duty casing with quality jacks and silent switch. Electronic components seem very quality.

I really don't know.

If I could do it over again, I would stay away from the Tone Bender clones and go with a Foxrox Fuzz Foot, Analog Man Sun Face, or maybe the Fulltone '70s pedal. Once again, this is taste factor.

Honestly, my mid '90s reissue Vox Tonebender (I know, it's crap) has more of a vintage flavor than the Soulbender. It does not sound more quality, but is a stinkier fuzz than the Soulbender. The bottom line is know what you want, and try before you buy.

easy as it gets. Had a good , no, GREAT sound in less than a minute. whoopee!!!

I am currently using a prs ce22, budda wah + a whammy 1, fulldrive2, soul bender, tc electronics Dtwo delay, into a vox ac 30. I think I finally got the sound I have been searching for all these years. The soul bender was the missing link. It is great for soloing, fat sustain, clarity, super smooth, (think eric johnson.) It also handles chords very well. was using the fulltone distortion pro, the d pro is a great pedal but not quite what I was looking for. soul bender you are a ten

you can't depend on nothing but your self and my new best buddy mikey.

? I don't know from experience, only what I have read, it seems to be mixed. usually something about how mr fuller is this or that, well I think like this. who cares. he is super hella busy, and he does musicians and music a great service by working so hard to make such great pedals. Just because you buy his stuff doesn't mean he is your buddy all of the sudden. or maybe it does hey mikes my new best friend then and he better not let me down, that motherfu.....

I play spacey rock in an outfit called NASA, The soul bender is perfect for my solo tone, super creamy tone, nice. I have been playing for about fifteen years. It it so simple to get a good sound out of this pedal. If you are looking for a good solo tone this is the real deal. Fulltone pedals are really cool, maybe the best, pedals I have ever used, and I have used quite a lot of them. This is my second soul bender, the first one was stolen, bastards! Remember it is totally cliche' but you get what you pay for. so the price on these things is justified. If you are serious about good tone then check this out, and buy a new one, those friggin ebay auctions are stoopid, you can buy a new one fo the same price they are going for on ebay.and don't steal other starving artists gear, it is weak, steal from guitar center.is there anything I wish this pedal had? you bet, a free coupon for a million dollars worth of gear from willies american guitars, the keys to new bmw m3 coupe, and tits and a pussy. come on good buddy mikey get to work.

It's got 3 knobs and an internal dip switch. Super easy.

After reading plenty of reviews, I was'nt sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised when I plugged the sucker in. Don't expect a big bassey fuzz like a Big Muff. The Soulbender is more a "transistor radio speaker" fuzz with a smooth midrange as opposed to a searing top end.

With the tone knob full CCW, you get a boxy, cutting fuzz sound not unlike that of a reissue Vox Tonebender of the mid '90s. But as you turn the tone knob CW, the fuzz gradually goes smooth and creamy with a little bit of velvet. Not a lot of bass, not a lot of gain, but a great authentic '60s tone that's highly useable.

Most chords work alright, and this box can really drive your amp. When I roll the volume knob on my guitars down, this pedal does not really clean up, even though I use Teles and Strats. No biggie to me, though.

Some say you get a good Jimmy Page sound from the Soulbender, but I think that the amps he used had more to do with his sound than 1 single pedal. I guess if you had a Soulbender, a vintage Les Paul, a few wierd old '60s amps, and hands blessed with unparalled talent, than it's going to sound like Page.

Through a Marshall 50 watt Plexi, the Soulbender sings and grunts and drives the tubes wonderfully. Through a little solid state practice amp I use at home, the Soulbender is nothing to write home about. So if you don't gig and don't record, than you might not think this box is all that, because at practice levels it's just okay.

Overall, I am excited each time I plug in the Soulbender and hit the strings. By the way, it sounds awesome run into a Big Muff and you can use a wha BEFORE the Soulbender and it still sounds good (Not all fuzzes can boast that attribute).

Casing tougher than Depleted Uranium armor. The guts look solid and quality. Switch feels like it will last a long time and is silent. Jacks feel tight and secure. You simply cannot beat true bypass.

Let's face it, there are a crapload of fuzzes out there. The Soulbender is a solid buy if you are into authentic '60s fuzz tones. If you don't like the sound and feel of fuzz, this one is not going to change your mind. It does 1 or 2 sounds really well, but don't expect that cheesy Puddle Of Mudd guitar tone. This is a fuzz nomatter what way you slice it. Thank you.

How hard can a foot pedal be to oeprate? Plug guitar in and then out to amp. EASY.

No manual for me as I bought it used.

I have a Yardbox and a Pro Co Rat. This unti is probbaly closer to the Jeff Veck sound a' la' 1967-71 than the Yardbox. The RAT is great for Beck sound a' la' 1973 on.

I use '56 Strat, '59 LP Standard and a '50 Broadcaster with it. I run the guitars through a Vox AC30 or Marshall 50W Plexi and or Marshall Bluesbreaker combo. Also use Ampeg 30W for leads.

It is Fulltone - 'nuff said!

I have never dealt with the company although I hear good things about Mike responding personally to people.

I play Yardbirds, Beck solo, Zeppelin, blues, '60's pop, etc, with this unit. The unit can sound way-out or you can pull it back in and be a little more subtle. Someone said Fuller said it was not good for blues, but I like it for blues too.

This review is for one of the "newer design" Soulbenders, #1304 date 2/02 (exact date inside the case is 1/27). This unit is essentially good for giving one type of fuzz tone, but unlike other fuzzes that might prefer High or Low output pickups, the internal trim pot on the SB allows the user to dial in the fuzz "density" and shape the character and intensity of the fuzz to work with your existing setup. Very easy to get a good sound, and flexible enough to work with different guitars.

I've finally found a fuzz I will keep. I've had a problem finding a fuzz that is warm yet "cuts" and does not get mushy with humbuckers and P-90s. This fuzz does just that. Plenty of bottom end with a great harmonic content (not artificial sounding, though) and a nice "squawk" if you want it (which I do). I don't play a Strat, and I don't ever use my volume knob to clean up my tone, so i can't comment on the ability of this pedal to do this . But this pedal gives me a great sustaining "hummmmmm" when i need it that is creamy in the low/low mids and as brash as I need it to be in the mids/upper mids without any piercing screaming quality. I've tried an MJM London Fuzz, a Mayer Axis Fuzz, a Prescription Yardbox and an Everman Fuzzdrive in my fuzz search and all were good pedals (except the Mayer) but none of them was exactly what I needed. The London was quite dark with buckers and P-90s, the Mayer sounded like it was broken and had lots of fizz and unusable high end, and the Yardbox was more of a distortion with fuzz on top than a fuzz in the traditional sense. The Everman, though great, was not a thick fuzz and was never intended to be. I'd say the SB is closest to the London in tone and authenticity, but just works a bit better for my needs in its adjustability and clarity.
The SB also has a pretty hot output, so you can hit your amp pretty hard with it. I also use a Z-Vex SHO, Menatone Blue Collar,Teese Picture Wah and a couple other pedals from time to time. The best chain I've found is BC-SB-SHO and I'm still settling on a spot for the Picture Wah due to the usual trouble with Wah/Ge Fuzz placement. If I place the PW before the SB, the bottom of the wah sweep gets lost. But if I place the SB first, the wah is less drastic. I might eventually try the Analogan kit (name?) which adresses this problem.

I have to say, I love the way Fulltone stuff is built. I hear comments here and there about switches going out, but have never experienced it. I've also owned an FDII, which I sold to a close friend, and think that the construction quality of both pedals was some of the best I've ever seen. Soldering looks good, and the components are good quality. I wish all effects had cases as heavy as Fulltone's.

No experience with this yet.

I can't give any gear a 10 for perfection, but I don't mind giving a 9 for excellence if the unit is especially tonefull and inspiring. I'd suggest this pedal for anyone who like classic, thick fuzz tones that don't get lost in Muddsville. Classic Rock, British Blues, Heavy Stentor Rock, Alterna whatever.....Its good for guitar music, be it loud or subtle. I'd buy another one if it were stolen, using the cash I jacked from the pocket of the chump who's misfortune it was to make the mistake of stealing from me. (oooohhhh.....tufff guy.....) :)
Money well spent.

Three knobs, no waiting.

I own an original issue Soulbender I bought used for $150. I don't know if the newer versions have a different circuit or not, but this one works for me. I can cop the "Outside Woman Blues" Clapton tone by goosing the dirt and rolling off treble on the guitar and pedal. It does not clean up too much with h.b.'s but that is not why I bought it. I'm currently using it with a Dr. Z Rt. 66 amp with a 2x12 cab.

Like all Fulltone product I use, flawless operation. I can't afford two so there is no backup!

I emailed Mike Fuller with a question about the use of a pedal and received a reply the next day. That's been my only contact with the company but I thought it was pretty quick and I was pleased.

We play a lot of blues but also dig a little bluesy, 70's classic rock every now and then. I did check out some other pedals by Prescription and Blackbox but I thought that this had a creamy, not at all ratty, sound. I hope I never lose it as it is in the original large type silver metal casing, but if i did lose I would not hesitate to get the newer type. I understand the newer versions have a trim pot inside which sounds really useful for different pickups and amps.

How hard can it get with 3 knobs?

I have spent thousands of dollars on guitars,amps and pedals. I have bought vintage Fender amps,every kind of guitar,and many pedals. This year I finally hit upon "MY SOUND"! A 80's natural finish Ibanez Blazer--$180.00 in a Nashville pawnshop---a Fender Deville-2x12(found a 1997 never played for $550.00 in Stone Mtn.Georgia pawnshop)and last but not least my #359 soulbender.

I scrapped out "ALL" my other distotion and effects pedals, except my DOD FX9 delay which is never turned off. The soulbender is a great,creamy,sweet,smoooooooth distortion pedal. Like others have said, you may as well turn the distortion up and leave it alone!

Super reliable since I bought it new several years ago.

He's a little different, but ain"t we all!
I couldn't find this pedal anywhere when it got rave reviews.
Ended up calling the builder. He told me where to get one on the West Coast(I live in Fl.)-but tried to talk me out of buying the soulbender for Blues.(I appreciate his honesty),however this is a great blues pedal. Never needed real support on the pedal itself.

I like blues!--This pedal is gooooood!----Buy one,KILL anybody that touches it!
I would give it a 10,but only when the Lord starts making them!

Pretty easy to use- 3 knobs control the volume, tone and dirt (fuzz). It comes with a manual which is somewhat helpful. Runs on a 9 volt battery or AC adapter. The 9 volt is clipped to the bottom plate of the pedal on the inside so take care when unscrewing the four bottom plate screws and opening it up to replace the battery- the contact wires are thick and long and give plenty of room for you to change batteries easily without ever damaging the insides. Its foolproof.

First off in defense of this pedal manufacturer- Mike Fuller, I will say that he answered my e-mail questions right away and if anyone has had problems contacting him in the past it was probably because he was overwhelmed with all of his different projects. Ive read some reviews posted here on several of his different pedal models that seemed a bit unfair and critical.
Now on to this pedal- its a sonic copy of the pedals used by guitar Gods like Page and Beck way back when. Its not noisy at all using my Gibson les Paul Standard and the new Marshall AVT 50 watt combo. The effect is powerful and actually sounds best with the fuzz on full maximum. For solo leads this pedal cannot be beat- it has a lot of smooth sweet sustain and a pronounced compressed midrange tone that has alot of bottom end when the tone knob is turned up. Certainly will provide a Beck/Page tone as well as some others, perhaps Clapton when he was with Cream. Theres an internal dial inside the pedal that you can easily use to tailor the intensity of the fuzz- its also foolproof and is a great option because you can match the sound of this pedal to any type of guitar that you use. This pedal sounds good on both of my amp's channels- the clean and the overdrive!

Thats where this pedal stands above the rest- its built like a tank- heavy duty parts, switches, wires, everything is top-notch. It weighs alot also- its very heavy- the moment you pick it up you will say "steel enclosure". Should last two lifetimes.

Just great- as I said I had no problem contacting Mr. Fuller but apparently there may be times when hes swamped with work and cant answer all the mail that he gets every day.

I like old school rock and this pedal is certainly all that and more. The Soul-Bender's tone control can vary the sound from bright to deep dark rich smooth and bassy, but when using humbucker pickups it seems to only sound best when the dirt (fuzz) is all the way up to maximum, which seems to be a popular setting anyway. With single-coil Fender type pickups this pedal is probably much more versatile- the humbuckers in my guitar just dont clean up that well when I lower the volume on the guitar, and I cant get a whole lot of dynamic range either. However with the appropriate pick-up combination this pedal sounds devasting.

It's pretty easy to dial in the sounds on this pedal and it will pay off if you take some time to mess around with the internal trimmer. It's a fuzz, so it's not too hard to use.

It depends on what you're going for. I've played a few original vox tonebanders and the soulbender kicks them all out. I like the box a lot and it's got a really nice 60's fuzz sound as well as an over the top rock sound (this pedal can conjure up some pretty wild heavy-metalish sounds if you want them). So why did I give the sound quality a 7? Man this pedal does not clean up very well. The dynamics on a good fuzz face can be amazing but this pedal does not do that. Instead, your signal is pretty musch going to sound the same no matter what your volume is set at. The wierd thing i've encountered is that there is a dramatic change in the sound as soon as you take you guitar volume down from full but after that not too much differece in sound. What this pedal does give you is rich, creamy fuzz.

I've never had a problem with this pedal. It is built incredibly well and ruggedly. It's construction is its strongest suit.

Never talked to them so I don't know

I give this pedal a 7 because it does sound really good (and it's made really well) for that classic rock fuzz tone but it really is not a dynamic pedal. If you're looking for a fuzz that cleans up well I would suggest some type of fuzz face clone.

You've gotta be kidding. If you cant manage to work this pedal, much less get a good tone, shoot yourself right now.

I use a '75 Marshall 100watter with a '95 PRS Standard 24, a 'Custom' Strat, or a 'Custom' Epiphone Les Paul (custom denotes MAJOR hardware changes). Sounds great. Nice and thick fuzz. Cleans up well. I find it to sound better when its more 'Hendrixy' than the supposed tone for it, i.e. Page/Beck. Its a very versatile fuzz that really sounds good in any application and genre. Only thing that gets me ticked is the flabbiness when you use it with humbuckers. But its a fuzz, not a distortion. I could sound a lot like Robby Krieger in 'Love Me Two Times' when I use it with my PRS or Paul.

I dont know what the hell the problem is with these people and their switches. Its a simple solution. You dont jump on the goddamn switch, it wont fucking break. Its true. Try it sometime.

It sounds great. Dont jump on the switch, it wont break. A world of dumbasses surrounds me.

It's a fuzz box-only three knobs. I love the trim pot in the back just like my 69 pedal.

My pedal set-up is the following-Z vex tremolo probe-Fulltone Clyde wah-Fulltone Deja Vibe II-Diaz Texas Ranger-Fulltone 69-Fulltone Soulbender-SIB varidrive-Fulltone supa-trem-Maxon ad-80 (I just ordered an Analogman clone chorus that will replace my EBS unichorus). I have a THD univalve amp. I run the Diaz on all the time as either a bass or mid boost even when I use my fuzzes and varidrive. As everyone else has stated, this is the fuzz to get if you want Jeff Beck and Led Zep circa 1968. I love the sweet sustain on this sucker. I thought the pedal would have been a lot noisier being that it's a fuzz-but noise isn't a problem with this pedal. I prefer this kind of fuzz better than the 69 which has a lot less balls to it. Some people say the Soul-Bender doesn't clean up as well as the 69 but I think it cleans up extremely well.

I bought it used but in mint condition. I have a lot of Fulltones because I like their vibe but also they are made of solid steel encasings. When you open up the pedals, the wires are carefully sodered-very neat, excellent attention to detail. Fuller apparently puts in bad switches-I have yet to have a problem with his switches and I own a lot of his pedals (I have also previously owned the Ultimate Overdrive and I have a Fulldrive II that's not on my pedalboard), but I don't gig so perhaps that's the reason.

I've never dealt with Fuller. I e-mailed him once to praise him for his 69 pedal. He e-mailed back quickly. I think the only repairs I would need would be for his switches and if I need to replace that, I would just go to my dealer first-he's a super cool and honest guy and he would replace it for cheap.

I'd always been interested in this pedal but being a non fuzz kind of guy, the 69 pedal always suited my fuzz needs. When I saw this used but mint pedal at the guitar shop, I decided to buy it-I figured I could always sell it for about the same price anyway. But damn-this pedal is incredible. Nice sustain, great fuzz (not overly fuzzy which is good for me-I really hate the Big Muff sound), and cool vibes for that Beck's Bolero sound. I haven't tried a Yardbox so I can't compare the two pedals. I was somewhat interested in MJM's Brit-Bender but MJM has no dealer in the U.S. except for musictoyz and I refuse to buy anything from those guys (their customer service sucks). I don't care how great the Brit-Bender is anyway because I'm happy with my Soul-Bender. It's hard for me to see how a pedal could be better in terms of replicating the tonebender sound too.

3 knobs & footswitch.No internal trimpot,It's an older Soulbender (#274 9/97).

It's sounds great,I've played most of the 3 knob MK III SolaSound Tonebender clones and sounds better of the bunch.It has three germanium transistors('new' NTE 275)and Mike has the gain rate marked on them(69,74 &77).The Soulbender works great with my wah and my other effects.It cleans up real well with my guitar's vol knob.It sounds warm and little dark to me,which is great.

It's from 97' and still kicking butt ! I don't mind spending money on Fulltone pedals cause they are built like tanks !

Mike's a good guy but has his moods ! He's great about returning E-mails and giving out info. I might have him mod my FM Fulldrive ? I do respect the fact he takes great pride in his pedals & work.

Great pedal,I bought it for the the classic rock/blues gig and it does the job pretty great.It's built like a Sherman tank so I'll have this pedal in my board a long time.I've been through alot of fuzz pedals and I'm tired of looking,so I'm pretty happy with my choice.I do wish is was in a smaller casing (oh well!)and an internal gain trimmer(the new models do).But overall is a great SolaSound Tonebender clone.If lost 'yes' I would buy another Fulltone Soulbender.

very easy to get a good sound. i use m. fuller's suggested setting (the darkest and dirtiest) as a reference point and never mess with the tone control - the brighter settings don't work for me. i sometimes back down on the dirt. i have optionophobia, so this pedal suits me.

i like vintagey stuff, and am mainly using a reissue strat into a mesa blue angel with a 2x12 cab loaded with celestions. as someone else mentioned, this pedal seems to sound best when used with as few other effects as possible. i have found that other effects - including those placed after it! - can really affect the sound adversely. i run a relatively simple setup - a small stone - tube driver - soulbender - analog delay - amp. it wasn't until i pulled the small stone (phaser) out of the chain that i realized how good this thing sounds (i'm having true bypass installed in the phaser and hope this'll take care of it). i'm new to the transistor distortion thing, having relied on the tube driver for years, and was initially underwhelmed by the soulbender, and figured i would only use it for more over-the-top sounds. pulling the phaser, however, allowed the soulbender to really sing. i'm not a fuzz afficianado, and can't comment on how this compares to others. i wouldn't really call it a fuzz - listen to the sample on the fulltone site. it can make even the lead pickup on a strat sound fat and full and natural at the same time. it may be that with the adjustable pot inside you can get more of a square wave sound, but i'm digging the stock setting. oddly, for some reason my tube driver's sounding ugly now (gotta experiment - maybe it doesn't like the souldbender), and at the last few practices i've been relying on the souldbender for all my distortion needs. i know it's a cliche, but it really does clean up nice when you turn the guitar down. i've dissed transistor-based distortion in other posts (tubescreamers make my teeth hurt, but that's another story), but this thing can make glorious sounds, and i'm finding it's more versatile than i'd hoped for. it is not, however, extreme sounding, and those looking for super fuzzed-out sounds would probably be better off trying something else.

seems solid enough, and it looks cool. always good to keep a backup in your bag of tricks, though.

i haven't dealt with mr. fuller (gee, maybe after he reads this he'll e-mail me!).

i tend to gravitate towards 60's guitar sounds, and count among my influences jimi, eric, jerry, peter and david (that's green and gilmour, but we're on a first name basis here). i'm kinda new to effects mania (it is addictive, isn't it?), but after spending some money and messing around with a few other pedals, i had to remind myself to stick with the basics to insure that my tone didn't go down the crapper. this pedal gives me the lead sound i've been looking for - fat and wailing with an edge to it. and because it's true bypass, it doesn't mess with your sound when it's off (though i've been leaving it on more and more). so it's become a staple of my sound, and was therefore well worth the $ i paid for it. as i mentioned, it's a bit finnicky when it comes to working with other effects (a germaniium thing?), and this may be a consideration if you have a long signal chain.

In addition to my previous post (the post preceding the one before this one), I noticed that there is a slight (very very very...) overtone, like almost an octave up overtone when I engage the wah. I dont know if its the setup i have, or whatever, but its sorta cool

It was very easy to use, only 3 knobs.

I use mini-humbuckers or P-90 with a newer Vox AC-30. Sounded good - nice feedback too. As far as "tonebender clones" go, I prefer the Roadrunner Supersonic fuzz for NUMEROUS different reasons.

This is where it goes in the toilet. I own over 50 guitar effect pedals, and the soulbender line has continued to let me down. I bought an earlier one originally and the footswitch broke IMMEDIATELY. I contacted Mike Fuller, and told him about the problem. He told me he had been having problems with the switches, so he replaced the faulty switch with a new one and assured me it would not break again. It did break again. And again. Even the "beefier" new "fulltone" true bypass switch broke. Mr. Fuller became progressively more annoyed in his one-sentence emails to me. I became progressively more annoyed with the fact that the pedal kept breaking. I explained to him I had been a happy customer up to this point, I even owned 2 of his other pedals. I had spent over $500 on his pedals, and this guy had the BALLS to ask me to pay for the shipping and the cost of the new switches. I refused of course, and he eventually agreed every time to fix it for free. The last time the switch broke, I emailed him and he didn't reply, he just sent me a new switch in a bag. I assume he expected me to fix it myself. I had the new switch put in and sold it the next day. It ruined MANY a gig. I've since switched to the Roadrunner Supersonic Fuzz and love it. I played over 300 shows with it and NEVER a problem - with better tone and cooler looks to boot!

see above rant

I loved the way the footswitch broke everytime i stepped on it. I also loved how Mike Fuller was super cool, and by super cool I mean super gay.

Pretty easy to use. Mine came with an internal trimmer pot which increases the gain from subtle to square wave, meaning if your gain is dimed and you're unsatisfied with the amount, take a peep inside, turn this puppy and check. If still unsatisfied, stop listening to metal, this is merely for blues/rock music. My only gripe in this category is that the trim pot is inside the pedal, thus forcing you to unscrew the bottom to reach it.

Super smooth distortion. If you sustain the note a second or so and shake the neck/string a little, you get some harmonic feedback, even at low volumes, which is a cool effect. You can almost nail Eric Johnson's lead tone, late 60's fuzz, and the tone, man the TONE!!! It inspires your lead work amazingly, I can hardly put the guitar down. Even your transistor amp could sound great (i dont recommend this though, you need a tube amp to make this sound immaculate) all in all, a 9.8 if it werent for the transistor amps.

This thing is Dunlop type made. Heavy as a tank, but not that much is inside. Just a small chip inside, the battery clip, the three potentiometers, the leds, and the switch. The only thing im worrying about is liquids and stuff leaking into the casing. Nevertheless, its fuckin heavy and it seems reliable enough (for now).

Havent dealt w/Mike Fuller yet, but the other reviews lead me to assume that he's a good guy.

I love this thing. It gives me the tone I've been wanting, not too heavy, not too thin. You can nail just about any style of music (believe me, try one). Forget about all the other fuzztones (even most of the Roger Mayer fuzzes - only for Hendrix wannabes), and buy this, its the last one you'll buy.