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MODEL
Finest
Finest
Fuzz Machines
Fuzz Machines
BSM would like to congratulate you on the purchase of your FuzzBender!
Around 1960 the British Gary Hurst developed the first known distortion unit for
electric guitar, which was available only as a customer order. So only a few were
built and sold. Later, in 1965, Gary Hurst joined the team of Sola Sound, which was
based in London. As an OEM-product, Sola Sound built Hurst´s circuit, slightly modified
and in a big production number, as Tone Bender MKI for the fellow British company
Vox. Once developed and done, Sola Sound offered a minor number of the Tone
Bender circuit under their own flag and brand. In the fall of 1966 the giant in the
British music business, Arbiter, introduced an own Fuzz under the name Fuzz Face,
which looked unique, but actually was just a modification of the Vox/Sola Sound
MKI. The Arbiter Fuzz Face generated a similar distortion sound like both the Tone
Bender MK1, but with more bass.
Fuzz
EXCLUSIVE BY
Bender
BSM
Made in Germany
The BSM FuzzBender has beside the usual volume control an additional Fuzz
control pot, which enables sounds in the range from hardly notable up to extremely
distorted. With the help of the little lever switch the user is able to move between
the classic Fuzz Face and – if you see the history – the even more classic Tone
Bender-circuits. In the left position you get the sound of a Fuzz Face, including the
warm and fat bass frequencies. Turn up the Fuzz control to its almost maximum
position, and turn slightly down the volume pot on your (single coil) guitar, and there
you are with a sound, that reminds you of Jimi Hendrix´! In the right position of the
lever switch you activate the Vox/Sola Sound Tone Bender MKI – with a thinner,
almost hard sounding bass and aggressive highs. This sound characterizes many
British recordings of the Mid-Sixties, e. g. early „The Who“- and „Spencer Davis
Group“-songs, and also early „Yardbirds“-LPs, as Jeff Beck was still in the group.
Also Neil Young used – as one of the first musicians in the USA – a Tone Bender MKI
for his wellknown feedback orgies.
The FuzzBender should be connected directly after the guitar in the signal path,
because its magical tone is best achieved by the interaction between guitar player,
guitar pickup and Fuzz unit. The FuzzBender is powered by a 9V battery with a
current consumption of aprox. 600 µA. The average output level is -3dBm, the
maximum output voltage is 1V max, when the strings are struck really hard.
Note: The positive pole of the battery is ground.
Enjoy your FuzzBender and good rocking’...
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