Where is our vintage replica fuzz appreciation thread?

[adamajah]

^ I have a replica of the 'MKI' Marshall SupaFuzz too. Here's a pic of it side-by-side with my smelly old original pedal that it's based off. The replica pedal was built for me by Thunderbird (@Lndrmt on Instagram) and I'm very happy with it!

It’s pretty cool to see those side by side. I love those bright yellow resistors. What make is that fat red cap?

[nightraven]

It’s pretty cool to see those side by side. I love those bright yellow resistors. What make is that fat red cap?

that chunky red cap is made by Iskra

[qersty]

I love that Howlin’ Wolf album cover , “He doesn’t like it” hahahaha

you should read about the recording of it, thats real funny

during the recording sessions, Howlin' Wolf "looked at me and he said 'Why don't you take them wah-wahs and all that other shit and go throw it off in the lake – on your way to the barber shop?'

[MechaGodzilla]

did someone spill a cup of stompboxes.co.uk onto the ilf server or something?

(i have no beef with stompboxes.co.uk, i think it's great but it's a very different site to ilf)

[adamajah]

Another Marshall Supa MKI, from Castledine. This one rips.. higher gain compared to my other one.



And a Creepy Fingers hybrid Supa MKI I had briefly with some nice tropical fishies.

[coldbrightsunlight]

I'd like to try more than I have! I've had/tried a few fuzz faces and it's a cool circuit but none I've tried have been quite what I want. I've wanted to try some DAM and Ghost FX stuff for years but never had a chance/always something shinier.

It's not in a big box but honestly the Ritual/Coloursound one knob fuzzes rip so hard idk why we don't see them more everywhere.

This was a fun one.

[nightraven]

Another Marshall Supa MKI, from Castledine. This one rips.. higher gain compared to my other one.

Fuck yeah! Castledine is one of very few builders who's researched & played enough original pedals to know what these circuits are supposed to sound like, and it shows.

[qersty]

what kinda fuzz is the supa fuzz? Looks kinda tonebenderish from the layout. am i correct?

[nightraven]

what kinda fuzz is the supa fuzz? Looks kinda tonebenderish from the layout. am i correct?

The Marshall Supa Fuzz is more or less the same as the Tone Bender MKII, built by both Sola Sound (from 1966-1968ish) as well as by Marshall (from 1968ish-early 1970s). Earlier examples of the Supa are exactly the same as the Sola Sound Tone Bender MKII, as they were built by the same people at the same factory - the builders for Sola Sound stuffed identical circuitboards into different enclosures, printed with the names of the various brands under which Sola Sound's fuzz at the time would be sold. Any unusual features that sometimes crop up in 1966-68 Sola Sound-built Marshall Supa Fuzzes (such as 100 ohm limiting resistors or Impex transistors) are not to be seen as unique 'Supa Fuzz' features - they are simply details of how Sola Sound's MKII fuzz circuit evolved over the course of two or so years. The different brands that Sola Sound provided pedals for included Marshall ("Supa Fuzz"), Rotosound ("Fuzz Box"), as well as of course Sola Sound & Vox ("Tone Bender Professional MKII"). Once Sola Sound moved onto the Tone Bender MKIII, around 1968, Marshall picked up production of the Supa Fuzz themselves, and these later Supas built by Marshall look somewhat different, but are still based off the Tone Bender MKII circuit.
Tl;dr - from 1966-1968, the Marshall Supa Fuzz was an OEM version of the Tone Bender MKII, and after 1968, Marshall produced their own version of the pedal themselves (which was still based on the MKII circuit).

Some of the very earliest Sola Sound-built versions of the Supa Fuzz contain a totally different fuzz circuit, which is based off the Tone Bender 'MKI', instead of the Professional MKII, and so we refer to those as the 'Supa MKI'. It's still a three-transistor fuzz, but the Tone Bender 'MKI' and Supa 'MKI' circuits are based off the Maestro FZ-1, whereas the Professional MKII is more or less like a Fuzz Face-type circuit with an extra gain stage in front. It's murky stuff, but I hope that this clears up some confusion (without opening up too much more!)

[adamajah]

what kinda fuzz is the supa fuzz? Looks kinda tonebenderish from the layout. am i correct?

The Marshall Supa Fuzz is more or less the same as the Tone Bender MKII, built by both Sola Sound (from 1966-1968ish) as well as by Marshall (from 1968ish-early 1970s). Earlier examples of the Supa are exactly the same as the Sola Sound Tone Bender MKII, as they were built by the same people at the same factory - the builders for Sola Sound stuffed identical circuitboards into different enclosures, printed with the names of the various brands under which Sola Sound's fuzz at the time would be sold. Any unusual features that sometimes crop up in 1966-68 Sola Sound-built Marshall Supa Fuzzes (such as 100 ohm limiting resistors or Impex transistors) are not to be seen as unique 'Supa Fuzz' features - they are simply details of how Sola Sound's MKII fuzz circuit evolved over the course of two or so years. The different brands that Sola Sound provided pedals for included Marshall ("Supa Fuzz"), Rotosound ("Fuzz Box"), as well as of course Sola Sound & Vox ("Tone Bender Professional MKII"). Once Sola Sound moved onto the Tone Bender MKIII, around 1968, Marshall picked up production of the Supa Fuzz themselves, and these later Supas built by Marshall look somewhat different, but are still based off the Tone Bender MKII circuit.
Tl;dr - from 1966-1968, the Marshall Supa Fuzz was an OEM version of the Tone Bender MKII, and after 1968, Marshall produced their own version of the pedal themselves (which was still based on the MKII circuit).

Some of the very earliest Sola Sound-built versions of the Supa Fuzz contain a totally different fuzz circuit, which is based off the Tone Bender 'MKI', instead of the Professional MKII, and so we refer to those as the 'Supa MKI'. It's still a three-transistor fuzz, but the Tone Bender 'MKI' and Supa 'MKI' circuits are based off the Maestro FZ-1, whereas the Professional MKII is more or less like a Fuzz Face-type circuit with an extra gain stage in front. It's murky stuff, but I hope that this clears up some confusion (without opening up too much more!)

You know your shit. Haha. Thanks for the extra deets.

I specifically love the prototype version of the Marshall Supa (the MKI version) which has some extreme sag/ducking with right pickups that's really fun to play with.

[dub]

I've got a few vintage pedals (that I picked up cheap because they're beaten to absolute shit). But no modern "replicas". I think the closest thing would the Mk1 Dirgebender in a wedge enclosure. I have always resisted the call of the tonebender abyss so I have no idea what's going on inside it accuracy wise, I think the transistors are just the ones Evan liked best.

[coldbrightsunlight]

The huge amount of info about different variations and accuracy etc has always put me off trying these things to an extent. Because trying things isn't cheap unless you know somebody with a hoard and there's a decent chance you get one you just don't love. I don't enjoy having a large bunch of pedals I don't often use lying around for the one occasion that it's The Perfect Sound for this track.

If there was one kind of tonebender I would have bought some replica or another years ago. But there are so many I get options paralysis.

[Bloodhammer]

Yeah, Tonebenders can turn into a seemingly bottomless rabbit hole.

Speaking of which, has anyone here tried a Basic Audio Supa? It's his MkII style Supa Fuzz. I know his Supa MkI and Marq Won get a lot of love.

I recently picked up a used Arcane Analog TB MkII replica that I think is a prototype or something (plain grey hammerite with no plate or labels) and compared it to my Hudson Electronics Pretty Flamingo (MkII based with a low-cut pot like the Broadcast) and I'm starting to think I might have gotten in over my head. The PF sounds more "open", but it's noisier when not playing. The AA has a more "pinched" sound to it that I like (more of a classic rock fuzz tone), but doesn't have as much top or bottom end as the PF. I guess now I might as well just start a MkII collection and eventually whittle it down to one or two favorites. lol

I quit while I was ahead with Fuzz Faces. I picked up a lightly abused Oxfuzz with NKT274's a couple of years ago and just stopped there. Same with Buzzarounds. Replaced my Mojo Hand Rounder with a Jext Telez Dizzy Tone V1 (I know it's an Elka clone, but close enough) and haven't looked back. I'm still exploring Fuzzrites, FY-2's, and Superfuzzes.