MKII and MKIII

[JakeFuzz]

Well I bought a MKII from MikeB with the intention of comparing and eliminating one of the two Tonebender designs. I can't decide, they are both so awesome. The MKII is an out of control beast with an almost bass scooped eq and a ridiculous amount of gain. The MKIII is lower gain (still a ton though) and sounds gigantic, much more bass and great sustain. The MKIII is smoother as well.

The MKII has a trio of OC75's. The MKIII is an amalgamation from my germanium stash. From Q1 to Q3 it goes: Amperex AC128 (hfe 60), Mullard OC81 (hfe 90), ITH GET895 (hfe 260). Help me decide!   maybe I should just keep both...

MKII
[soundcloud]http://soundcloud.com/jakefuzz/mkii[/soundcloud]


MKIII
[soundcloud]http://soundcloud.com/jakefuzz/mkiii[/soundcloud]

[jtn191]

sweet! I like both of them, even though I initially liked the MKIII the most

what song is the riff at 1:50 from?

[chromesphere]

The MKIII has a unique sounding low end, sounds a bit better balanced then the MKII.  But the MKII has got smacks of character, sounds almost like its got that sort of velcro tearing sound. 

Both are awesome man.  Put them both in an enclosure and call it the MK V 
Paul

[JakeFuzz]

I forget what that song is called, it is a Zep tune I know that.

I think the MKII needs more bass. I changed the output cap to 100n. Ill see how it sounds tomorrow. Could be that I am playing a tele into a twin which is beyond bright to begin with. MKV here I come!

[chromesphere]

Could be that I am playing a tele into a twin which is beyond bright to begin with. MKV here I come!

Ah-ha!!  I forgot to say "nice clean tone, chimey!".  I've got a fender 70's twin as well (original).  Love it!

Yeah, i dont think they sound similar enough to get rid of one or the other imo.

EDIT: but then i'm obssessed and cant let go of any of this sh1t

[Diamond]

It's hard to say from these clips. As said, they both have their charm. You should keep whichever works best with your band in the full band mix.

[Sigesmundninja]

To me the MKIII sounds better. But I have found that there is a big difference in what enjoy hearing and what I enjoy playing. I like to hear much bass in guitar tracks but whenever I dial in my pedals and amp I usually set for a pretty bright hi-gain tone cause to it is so easier and more fun to jam with so I would probably use the MKII more.. but maybe that's just me.

so... keep 'em both!

[shawnee]

what song is the riff at 1:50 from?

Bring it on home!

I like the MKIII much better. The MKII would probably be better with humbuckers than it is with a tele or strat.

[mjcyates]

I forget what that song is called, it is a Zep tune I know that.

I believe the song is The Ocean by Led Zepplin. By the way I think I prefer the MkIII.

[Haberdasher]

mkiii all day IMHO

[mgwhit]

I like the Zep tunes with the Mk II (more raw) and the Sabbath stuff with the Mk III (smooth, crushing).  Hard to believe that was a tele.  Thanks for the demo!

[JakeFuzz]

Thanks guys. Lots of love for the MKIII. I do like texture of the MKIII, I really like that the MKII is useable at low volume knob settings. I am interested to see if I can level out some of the bass in the MKII by bumping up the output cap. Ill report back tonight.

[pryde]

Hmm. Really like both. The Mkii has much character IMO, although lacks a bit in low end like you said. I think a bump-up in its bass will put it ahead of the Mkiii. Would love to hear a demo of the revised pedal.

[midwayfair]

I think the second it's in a band context, you're going to prefer that MKII. It cuts better and even on the clips it's more well-defined. It sounds more like what I expect a bender to sound like, too. The MKIII is almost getting buried under its own harmonic richness.

(I would prefer the MKIII for just pure riffy goodness, though.)

[JakeFuzz]

Wow, I didn't think that I would be saying this but I think the MKII sounds better than the MKIII now. Ill try and record a demo maybe tomorrow. I just switched the output cap to 100n. 100n could be a little too high but definitely moving in the right direction. Sounds much more balanced and full. It is more muddy than before but way smoother. I didn't have time for the side by side comparison but I am almost certain it sounds better. I am thinking something like 56n or 68n could be perfect. Very cool.