Are You Tonebender?!? (Williams Audio: MkI, MkII & MkIII Compared)

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Welcome to Perky's Analog Gear Demos. Please subscribe for more demos of vintage & rare effects pedals!
Tonebenders! One leg of the so-called fuzz 'holy trinity' - and definitely the fuzz I've struggled with the most over the years. But as it turns out, I'd just been playing the wrong ones. Fuzzes are deceivingly simple circuits - it takes a special set of ears & skills to build, tune & bias them properly...
Enter Nick Williams...AKA Mr Tonebender! Nick builds Tonebender replicas to exact specifications of his originals. And by exact, I mean...identical-sounding in ever way, shape & form!
(Check out Nick's amazing pedals here: www.williamsaudio.co.uk)
Today, we'll be taking a look at the three best-known of the Tonebenders. How do they compare? How did the circuit evolve? Do they clean up in the same way? Blah blah blah...
What do you think? Are you a Tonebender fiend? Or are they not for you? Comment below!
Guitar is a Fender Tele with Monty's Retro Wind bridge & Bare Knuckle Flat '50 neck pickups, recorded through a Dr Z DB4 (SM57), a Hughes & Kettner Puretone Combo (sE Electronics RNR1 Ribbon) and a Cornell Romany Plus (recorded with a 1970s MD441)
joeperkinsmusic
jp@joeperkins.co.uk
Vector images by freepik.com

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Опубликовано:

8 фев 2019

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Комментарии : 139

@matias871HF 3 года назад

Thank you SO MUCH for playing chords / rhythm stuff and not just bluesy licks or crazy solos like everyone does. This is very useful! Awesome demo.

@JoePerkinsMusic 3 года назад

Not a problem :-) I'm much more of a rhythm player anyway!

@gazb2069 Год назад

At 4.00 the mk1 announces its arrival, what a beauty.

@TheTubeDude 2 года назад

Joe, I'm 3 years late, but you are so much fun to listen to and to watch. I'm delighted that you are educated and understand that getting these minimal circuits to do what you envision is not a simple matter. I hope you are still around and helping others. Thank you.

@JoePerkinsMusic 2 года назад

Thanks Larry....I'm still here! :P

@TheTubeDude 2 года назад

@@JoePerkinsMusic Thank you for telling me. I am very glad you are. More enjoyment for me and others.

@Hopfroggerz 5 лет назад

Hi Joe. I recently discovered your channel and I must say what a great relief this channel is compared to all those over-the-top US guitar channels! Please keep on doing this! Greetz from NL.

@JoePerkinsMusic 5 лет назад

Ah that's awesome mate, thanks for the kind words! Hopefully the only thing over-the-top in this video is the outfit ;-) haha

@francescoporati6000 3 года назад

Hi Joe, really compliments for this shoot out! I just got my MK1...and as I wrote to Nick, at the beginning it's like riding a crazy horse...but when you get your tone... it's simply perfect!🔥

@JoePerkinsMusic 3 года назад

Hi Francesco - amazing to hear; and a perfect description! I like fuzzes that make you 'work' a bit - and Nick's MkI is certainly one of those!

@ramonaHQ 4 года назад

Possibly the best Bender comparison I’ve ever seen. SUBSCRIBED 👍🏼

@JoePerkinsMusic 4 года назад

Ah awesome stuff - cheers! :-)

@ieuansanders9246 4 года назад

Just got my MK1, couldn’t be happier it’s just awesome. Great classic fuzz tone that still has something fresh and new to it

@JoePerkinsMusic 4 года назад

Wonderful :-) Glad you’re happy with it mate! Such a killer circuit!

@TheTubeDude 2 года назад

Does a 9ft Bosendorfer ever get old ?

@saepiumv3813 3 года назад

Great reference video! Enjoying your videos. Thanks 👍

@aaronlsuton Год назад

Love your personality and demos Perky! You should have more than double the amount of subscribers… Keep rockin’ man!

@JoePerkinsMusic Год назад

Thanks Aaron - hopefully one day! :-)

@muse-mech-moda 4 года назад

I have just received my MK1, which I ordered on the strength of this review. It is SUPERB! Wonderfully made and it sounds glorious! Thanks for this - I got a lot of joy from this video and discovered this superb pedal builder :)

@JoePerkinsMusic 4 года назад

Ah that's amazing to hear Rohan :-) Really glad you're loving it!! Nick makes such fabulous pedals - though as a warning, once you start getting into collecting his fuzzes, it can be addictive! ;-) hehe

@chriskilian2325 3 года назад

@@JoePerkinsMusic don't tell me. I just placed my third order with Nick 😂

@Gbhbbgvsbnjhhdchhb 3 года назад

I think I’ve found my mark 1, based on your narrative. I especially appreciate your efforts. I’ve waded through tons of clips and reviews and finally your clip showed up - well done. I’m primarily a player looking for excellence and authenticy of build by attention to detail. One suggestion, more playing in the “clean” turned down. Many thanks

@skaboosh 2 года назад

Masks don't do anything

@lousekoya1803 3 года назад

Awesome demo really !

@sglee4708 2 года назад

Greetings from the states I just wanted to let you know I ordered a tone Bender 2 from Williams audio and I'm currently waiting for it with baited breath thank you so much for the great demo

@JoePerkinsMusic 2 года назад

Amazing to hear - sure you’re going to love it! :-)

@mtitus27 3 года назад

The Mk 1 is the king of all Tonebenders per usual. That's a great example as well.

@JoePerkinsMusic 3 года назад

Aha yep...it's astonishingly good!

@zwoelf160 4 года назад

Great Demo. Thx...

@Jaysteenn 3 года назад

Nice job!!

@chriskilian2325 3 года назад

Just got my MkIII and completed Nick's Tonebender series, my fav my mark2 with the oc81d mullards. All three are incredible, the 2 and 3 are very similar, with the 3 having more options for EQ which in a band setting is key. But my heart is with my Mk2, just so warm and smooth and cleans the best of the 3. The Mk1 is a totally different sound from the others, very nice with guitar on full. Thank you Joe for showing me Nick's work, he's amazing. I told him to give you your dues 😂

@JoePerkinsMusic 3 года назад

Ah amazing to hear that Chris - really glad you're loving them!! :-) Think I'm a MkI man at heart - though they're all wonderful in their own way, as you say! Happy fuzzing mate! :D

@sloppy_hand Год назад

Hi Joe, howdy? Man, I dig the mk1 more, as I'm a big Mick Ronson fan... Knowing that his tone was Gibson PAF, cocked wah, tonebender mk1 and a marshall amp, I was thinking, as I've saw that great demo you've did with the Ray Butts Filtertron VS Gibson PAF, how would the filtetron compare with the paf through the mk1? cheers from Brazil

@justinpaquette224 2 года назад

The volume clean up is as important if not more important to me as the wide open fuzz sounds, so I'd probably go with the mk3

@RobynCrest 5 лет назад

My grey Tonebender (3 knobs) has always the first place on my pedalboard. I tried all models and for the moment I think the MKIII cuts better through the mix, but maybe it's just a matter of components of this particular unit, being fuzz pedals so prone to variation. Once again, thanks for your awesome clip!

@JoePerkinsMusic 5 лет назад

The tone control on the MkIII is amazing! It's worth its weight in gold for that alone - super versatile on a pedalboard :-) This particular III does have a high-mid fizz going on which definitely makes it slice through a mix wonderfully! I'm recording lead guitar for a new track next week - planning on using the MkI & MkII for lead/harmonies, but I'm not sure which way around yet! :P

@RobynCrest 5 лет назад

Maybe MKII for harmonies and the unruly MKI for lead ;)

@JoePerkinsMusic 5 лет назад

Well this was my thinking - but then again, I generally run my harmony guitars brighter but quieter than the lead, so maybe the other way around might work better. But the howling mid-range of the MkI can't really be argued with, can it?!? Will see :-)

@Mark70609 2 года назад

The Mark 2 sounds like it was used on Sunshine of your Love. The sustain high F is a give away to me.

@alenac7269 5 лет назад

I love your demo's and playing! 😊 I liked all three pedals allot, but I agree with you I'd go with the Mark 1 here - but fuzz pedals as you said really do vary and are different even among the same types, depending on the brand, and model, and year, and so forth.... I have a Mark 3 here at home that blows the doors off a Mark 1 I use to have, but its certainly not the case here -WOW- that Mark 1 was beautiful spitty, feedbacky yumminess heehee 😍

@JoePerkinsMusic 5 лет назад

Yeah 100% - you'll get more tonal variation between different companies building the exact same circuit than you will between these three different circuits built by the same chap. Very dependent on components, biasing, etc. But yeah - this MkI is a tricky beast to tame. But when you get it under control, it really is SO rewarding! :-)

@alenac7269 5 лет назад

@@JoePerkinsMusic I totally agree 👍😊

@rorymcveigh7895 8 месяцев назад

Hi Joe. I've ordered the mark 2. How long it take roughly to get. Is what it is but just asking. I'll get mark 1 also in time

@gwislomezable 4 года назад

I was in a worst place than you. 6 months ago i've never heard of Tonebenders, i just didn't know what Page, Beck or Ronson used to get their tones. I assumed they used some Fuzz Face combined with amp overdrive. I have had sticked for years with fuzz faces and muffs. Then, 3 months ago i got my first Tonebender: a Sola Sound MKII by D*A*M. Man, it changed my life!!! I now see muffs and fuzz faces as pedals i go to get some specific tones, but the Tonebender improved my playing A LOT, for real. I don't know what it is, but I felt a deep connection the moment I stomped on it. It never happened before with other pedals. Now, just three months later, i own the MKII, a Fuzz Sound (2 knob Park Fuzz), a Castledine MKI and a D*A*M Buzztronix (variation of MKIII). Never a single sound has had such a deep impact on me. It's part of my fingers, of my guitar. Like I said: life changing. Great video, amazing pedals!

@JoePerkinsMusic 4 года назад

Aha - it's a slippery slope eh?! ;-)

@coldwar1977 Год назад

Great comparison. Mk1 is the one for me!!!

@JoePerkinsMusic Год назад

Me too!

@surfarijeff7884 3 года назад

Nice comparison, great sounds from them all. Looks like your pedal board stashes under your bed, Batman style ;) I have a Ronno Bender and I'm considering picking up a Williams MK II - just wondering if yours has the OC81D Mullards in it too? Thanks!

@JoePerkinsMusic 3 года назад

Aha yes, it saves space in my tiny room :P Ah the Williams stuff is incredible, and very reasonably priced in the world of Tonebenders. Mine doesn't have the OC81s; it's just the 'standard' MkII (though I'll confess I've always been curious as to how much of a difference the 81's would have made!!)

@midnightstorm4290 2 года назад

Hey, I just discovered this channel and Williams audio and I really liked the clarity of the review. Would you be able to check out the supa fuzz I would really appreciate it.

@JoePerkinsMusic 2 года назад

Hopefully one day :-)

@carman3653 10 месяцев назад

The fit goes crazy bro

@kentl7228 Год назад

I'd like one that switches between MK1 and MKIII. The MKII sounds closer to the MKIII but with less control options.

@benmtz 2 года назад

That mk1 tone is unreal😊

@AbeldeBetancourt Месяц назад

8:51 you can even hear the sag coming from Bender Bending Rodriguez MKI

@ThePosingPensioner111 4 года назад

Hey Joe Great review Fella & it’s Mk.1 all the way for me as well ❗️👍🏻 Keep Rockin & Stay Safe 😎🤘🏻Got shirts louder than yours BTW 🤣🤣🤣🤣

@JoePerkinsMusic 4 года назад

Haha!! Cheers Steve...sounds like you've got quite a wardrobe ;-)

@djpgreek 5 лет назад

MKIII for sure and then MKI close second for me

@the92project 4 года назад

just bought the mark II limited edition with the OC81D Mullards, so looking forward to it!

@JoePerkinsMusic 4 года назад

Ah amazing!! Let me know what you think :-)

@the92project 4 года назад

@@JoePerkinsMusic just got the pedal today! Lol. I'll try it out tonight😁

@JoePerkinsMusic 4 года назад

@@the92project Amazing!! :D Sure you're gonna love it!

@moribnd 3 года назад

that was a stunning transition from guitar nerd-inna-chair to pimpchild lefty with guitar in-hand.

@braydonrex481 3 года назад

not sure if anyone gives a damn but if you guys are bored like me atm you can stream pretty much all the latest series on instaflixxer. I've been binge watching with my gf for the last couple of days :)

@kharishepard4269 3 года назад

@Braydon Rex Definitely, have been using InstaFlixxer for since december myself =)

@hardrockindaddy 4 года назад

excellent video, I really dig the MK I but I know some amps like certain pedals over others. Keep up the good work Joe.

@JoePerkinsMusic 4 года назад

Thanks Jerry! Don't tell the other pedals, but the MkI is my favourite too ;-) heh

@hardrockindaddy 4 года назад

@@JoePerkinsMusic Hey Joe thank you for turning me on to Williams audio. I'm definitely going to get a MK I, and I will reach out to them about the possibility of getting a Buzzaround/Fuzzaround/Buzzotron etc...D*A*M & Pigdog way too rich for my blood...I got a bunch of original trannys too?

@JoePerkinsMusic 4 года назад

Nick is a fantastic chap, so definitely drop him a line - tell him Joe sent you ;-) haha He really does make epic pedals - and as you say, especially when compared to the prices that others charge for similar circuits!

@hardrockindaddy 4 года назад

@@JoePerkinsMusic I most definitely will Joe...thank you so much...I love your work and passion for everything musical.

@benjohnson4810 5 лет назад

My favorite music Jeff Beck EVER did was with The Yardbirds and he used the MK1 with an Esquire and Les Paul through an AC30 or Vox amp. Greatest sounds from The Yardbirds, although i love Clapton's tenure and some of Page's too. Jimmy Page sounded fab with the MK2 in The Yardbirds.

@JoePerkinsMusic 5 лет назад

Yep, definitely! Those early Beck/Page tones are what the Tonebender is all about! :-)

@oansun 5 лет назад

My tone blender choices are Sunbender mkIV, then a lovepedal bonetender which is like a muff and TB combined

@JoePerkinsMusic 5 лет назад

I've not tried a Sunbender...but anything with Mike's name on it can only really be world class!! :P

@HiHello-ku1fl 2 года назад

I like in order 1 through 3. 1 is my fav as well but I'd like all 3 f I can swing t. How much do these run?

@JoePerkinsMusic 2 года назад

They're pretty affordable in the grand scheme of boutique handmade Tonebenders - the MkIII is £139, the MkII is £155. I believe there's a bit of a waiting list for MkI's (partly my fault, I suspect!) - but worth dropping Nick an email to find out about that. Details are on his website: www.williamsaudio.co.uk

@wierdlygruesome 8 месяцев назад

I like all three if I was to choose I like the Mark three the best because it cleaned up when you turn down the volume and that’s important to me than the Mark one, and then the mark to become it is a little muffled

@kenk4555 Год назад

I like the MK1 best. It has a certain warmth and fullness that the others don’t have.

@JoePerkinsMusic Год назад

It's my favourite too! :-)

@dasbear10 5 лет назад

Mk1 all day for me!

@artbehrman7712 2 года назад

Collect them all! MK1 is a dream though. Because it makes you work for it’s approval like Joan Crawford in Mommy Dearest.

@JoePerkinsMusic 2 года назад

MkI for me too :-)

@tubularbill 4 года назад

I notice you didn’t play any leads in this demo. To me the real mark of a tone bender is the sound of the bending of the notes in a lead. Do you have a demo where you show playing a lead with all 3 tone benders or will you be making one?

@JoePerkinsMusic 4 года назад

Completely agree - if I was making it again, I'd definitely include some lead playing. As it happens, I actually used all three of these on a song & I made a video breaking down the lead parts....so they're not 'side by side' as such & different guitars, but same amp & mic setup for all of them. Hope it helps: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-LrxxTt9Ib5c.html

@JoePerkinsMusic 4 года назад

In that video, MkI is 2m26; MkII is 4m30; MkIII is (briefly!) at 6m38 :-)

@flatfifth5876 5 лет назад

DUDE! yeah boy!

@JoePerkinsMusic 5 лет назад

Aha - thought you might like this one mate! ;-) hehe

@flatfifth5876 5 лет назад

@@JoePerkinsMusic yeah i am down with the mk1. nice clean up on the mk3 though. how do you think the bearfoot fx bone bender and the basic audio marq won compare to this? thanks.

@benink5690 3 года назад

Any info on Don Poniz Piccolo Totem Fuzz (Gold)????? ?????

@JoePerkinsMusic 3 года назад

Haven't come across Don Poniz pedals before - they look cool though, would like to check them out!

@nickdevriese 5 лет назад

I agree. The mk1 does sound great. Personally, I love the mk3. I like the flexibility

@timetraveler8777 4 года назад

I bought the mkIII, but it only works if I feed it with battery, if I connect it to the power supply with isolated outputs, it doesn't turn on, why this?

@JoePerkinsMusic 4 года назад

99% sure it's because it will require centre-positive power; so you'll need a reverse polarity connector to fit onto your isolated power supply. My MkI needs that, so I'm assuming the MkIII will be the same :-)

@timetraveler8777 4 года назад

@@JoePerkinsMusic : thank you so much for your reply Cheers from Italy

@adamajah 4 года назад

Oof. GAS inducing demo! I'll definitely be checking out Williams stuff!

@JoePerkinsMusic 4 года назад

Nick is ace :-)

@Gibson1976uk 3 месяца назад

I’m greedy! I own a Thorpyfx Boneyard which does tonebender 1,1.5,2,3,4 etc :)

@plexibreath 2 года назад

I preferred the very forward tone of the MkI.

@JoePerkinsMusic 2 года назад

It's my favourite of the bunch :-)

@scampthelazycat9891 5 лет назад

Joe if you haven't already checked, check out the Doug & pat show RU-vid channel, these guys are vintage gear afficionados and are right up your street.

@JoePerkinsMusic 5 лет назад

I've got it open in my browser - will check it out later on! :-) Thanks for the tip off!

@scampthelazycat9891 5 лет назад

@@JoePerkinsMusic you are very welcome, the show they did on telecasters !!!!!! Omg omg, wait until you see pat's 53 !!!!

@JoePerkinsMusic 5 лет назад

Is it likely to make me feel depressed about mine? :P Hehe

@timotejskokan2068 Год назад

Thank you 🍞🍞🍞💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼

@dasbear10 2 года назад

Anyone which one McCartney used on think for yourself?

@astraplaneta4656 Год назад

MK1

@neve4020 3 года назад

The MKl shot right into my face

@JoePerkinsMusic 3 года назад

Such an amazing sounding fuzz - definitely my favourite of the trio :-)

@sempercompellis 4 года назад

I thought a fuzz face WAS a tone bender , or more specifically a Mk 1.5 TB

@JoePerkinsMusic 4 года назад

These are all three-transistor fuzzes, whereas the Fuzz Face is two. But you're right, the 1.5 appeared for a very brief period of time and was something of an anomaly as a 2-transistor TB...I've never played one but from what I've heard it's very close to what became the fuzz face circuit. Generally speaking though....FF = 2 transistor; TB = 3.

@maupric 3 года назад

Mk III cleans better on guitar vol rolls down, then for me it makes a big difference.

@the92project 3 года назад

I own all 3 and yes you are right, Mk2 and Mk3 clean exceptionally well but Mk3 just a tab better. However, Mk2 just has something in the mids that makes it less harsher and sweeter anywhere you set the dials. Hard to explain, you have to hear it. My fav is Mk2

@dougleydorite 4 года назад

His mark 3 seems really controllable

@JoePerkinsMusic 4 года назад

It really is...it's an astonishing thing! The EQ is absolutely fantastic :-)

@qddk9545 9 месяцев назад

The MKI sounds much better than the other ones. I think mine was a MK1.5, but I don´t completely know the difference. I am though quite sure that the MK1´s are very close to a Fuzz Face and only have 2 transistors, where the other ones have 3. Nice video but a really bad suit 🙂

@JoePerkinsMusic 9 месяцев назад

The MkI is a 3 transistor fuzz, like the MkII and MkIII - the Mk1.5 is the 2 transistor, and closer to a FF 🙂

@monkeybrains 3 года назад

Dude were you playing megadeth? Full marks for that

@JoePerkinsMusic 3 года назад

Aha I don’t remember :P Might have thrown Hanger 18 in there...that’s about the only one I’ve ever learned! Heh

@damonl.buckley517 Год назад

MKIII all the way 🎉!

@philippgrunert8776 4 года назад

Ever Tested a Zonk Machines and would you plave IT amongst the Bunch?

@JoePerkinsMusic 4 года назад

I haven't - but would love to try one!

@URTH-yb5xh Год назад

MK I

@Mark70609 2 года назад

All Ge fuzz pedals live and die according to the quality of the transistors used. The first transistor in the Mark 1 has to be leaky to bias.

@stefanoenricosalvadorebesu1445 Год назад

MK III.

@dr.stevenpennym.d.3241 3 года назад

Ramble nails the tone Bender.

@bootlegapples 2 года назад

MK1 holy hell :o

@JoePerkinsMusic 2 года назад

Mega, eh? My favourite of the three :-)

@bootlegapples 2 года назад

@@JoePerkinsMusic After I had bought the wrong versions I thought the sound of the MK1 sound I was hearing in demos largley owed to audio/miking/recording of the demos online...the other gear used(amps,pickups,speakers,etc) as years ago I had bought a couple Tonebender based pedals not realizing I had bought two *MK1.5* based versions(w/2 transistors to the MK1's 3 transistors).NOW I know the error and just last night spent 3 hrs listening and researching and put in an order for a very moderately priced JDM Elektrika (not affiliated) based on this demo and the research I did on the thier version.$160 shipped,great reviews...will see.Thanks!