Fulltone SoulBender User Manual

Congratulations on your purchase of the

Model SB-2

In the early 1970’s, Sola-Sound England produced a very fat, warm, and juicy sounding

Distortion/Fuzz called the Tone-Bender MkIII. These were also sold under the Colorsound,

and Park brand names with slight variations in circuit and sound....my favorite being the

Sola-Sound. “3 knob Tone-Benders,” as they became to be known, were very different from

the more popular Fuzzface pedals in that they had more sustain and a lot of sweet mid-

range on-tap, which could give a thin Tele or Strat a very sax-like solo tone, especially with

the “Tone” control turned full clockwise. The ‘Bender tone control cuts treble and increases

Bass & Mids as you turn it clockwise, panning between a large and small capacitor, which is

the way different from most other pedal’s Tone controls which simply cut treble at the knob

is turned counter-clockwise. The magic of these “3 knobbers” is that they contain 3 germa-

nium transistors...all of differing gains, and the secret is you have to know the proper gain

each transistor needs to be in order to produce the best sound. I know, not because of

some schematic on the web (all wrong BTW) or “build your own” kit, but because I have

owned and repaired 40 or more original “3 knobbers,” and have almost 20 years experience

with this circuit, knowing what makes them sound great and sustain long.

The original Fulltone Soul-Bender

design, and was produced up until around 2006 when I could no longer parse suitable

transistors. Approximately 3107 units were sold during that period. Recently I have

re-established a relationship with one of the last remaining germanium transistor making

companies, which has allowed me to re-issue this fuzz-classic as the Soul-Bender

The SB-2 is in some ways better than the old Soul-Bender

transistors made-to-order just how I want them, and these wonderful skinny-tall TO-1 Ger-

manium transistor (with a top hat brim) that have just the right characteristics, including the

requisite low gain and low noise just like the vintage Sola-Sound pedals had. The

Soul-Bender

more usable Tone control range, True-Bypass switching with my proprietary "silent switching

circuit,” better power supply filtering for less noise, and polarity protection to keep the sensi-

tive Germanium transistors from damage....you cannot fry this pedal if you accidentally use

the wrong power supply! Your SB-2 is roughly half the size of the original Soul-Bender

Sola-Sound) and I left the IN & OUT jacks on the rear of the pedal like the original

® improves on the original 60's design by offering more available volume, a

Soul-Bender

® so it will fit on even the most cramped pedalboard.

® came out in 1995, it was inspired by this classic 3-knob

® SB-2.

® in that I am now having the

® (or

enjoy,

Michael Fuller/President

Model SB-2

Tips for Germanium Transistor-powered pedals like your new Soul-Bender Sb-2:

*Heat can cause Germanium transistors to increase in gain dramatically and sound strange...keep out of direct sunlight if possible. *Fuzz pedals like to receive High Impedance (straight from passive pickups) signal...they get thin and trebly sounding when preceded by any Low Impedance non-true-bypass pedal such as most Tuners, all Boss or Ibanez pedals, and many other brands. If it sounds strange, plug straight into the your SB-2 and to the amp, then add one thing at a time until you find the culprit

True Bypass switching: Your Sb-2 has via the best switch in the world…the Fulltone-made 3PDT footswitch. Those blue switches you see in most booteek pedals are plastic. The plastic melts when they solder the terminals during the manufacturing process, loosening the terminals, leading to a loss of connection down the road, more often than not. Fulltone 3PDT also uses a metal plunger, which doesn’t flex and pop out of its socket inside like the Blue ones will do with just the right kick.

“Dirt” Knob: turn this Clockwise (CW) for more distortion, keep it below 10 0‘clock for cleaner sounds and for Overdriving your favorite amp.

“Volume” Knob: This knob controls the amount of signal that exits the pedal. No brainer.

“Tone” Knob: This tone control is unusual. Unlike most tone controls which simply roll off the high end, the SB-2 REDUCES Treble

frequencies as you rotate the Tone Knob CW while simultaneously INCREASING Low-Mids & Bass! When you turn the Tone knob CCW, it dramatically INCREASES treble while simultaneously REDUCING Bass & Low-Mids.

Recommended setting: My favorite Soul-Bender sounds are achieved with the following settings.. “Volume” around 12 noon, “Dirt” at about 4 O’clock, and “Tone” around 4 O’clock...for a rich, sustaining lead tone even if you’re using a strat-type bridge pickup setting.

Battery Included: to access the battery remove all four Thumbscrews from the sides of the pedal and pull the housing apart. Replace battery, put housing back together and re-tighten all four screws. Battery life should be VERY long being that the pedal only draws around 8 milliamps of current! Always unplug guitar cable from the INPUT jack when not in use to (prolong battery life) EXCEPT

if you have a power adapter plugged in to the DC outlet....in this case there is no need to unplug the guitar cable from the INPUT

because our DC outlet is True-Bypass and disconnects the battery supply line, thus keeping the battery fresh.

DC Power Options WARNING! You may only power this pedal with a 9 volt battery OR our Fulltone FPS-2, NO EXCEPTONS. Germanium Transistors require that you use a center-pin POSITIVE 9 volt powersupply, therefore you cannot use a standard Boss, Ibanez, or even a Fulltone FPS-1 with Center-Pin/ Negative...only use a Fulltone FPS-2 or a Voodoo Labs PedalPower with their REVERSED cable!

Warranty:

Fulltone products carry a 5 year warranty to the original owner with proof of purchase. The Warranty covers damage caused by manufacturer errors only, and not any damage, mod, or repair done by anyone other than Fulltone without prior written consent! Batteries are not covered by the warranty and Customer pays shipping in advance, and all warranty work must be preceded by a phone call for scheduling and you must use our Return Authorization Form (RA Form) available via email. Fulltone Musical Products Inc. is not responsible for injuries incurred while using our products nor any damage to other items related or non related to the use of our products.

Fulltone Musical Products Inc.

11018 Washington Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232

http://www.fulltone.com

repair contact: tech@fulltone.com

sales contact: sales@fulltone.com

Fulltone SoulBender User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual