G.G.
Well-known member
Here's Macaris demo of their MKI. It's quite squishy with a very thick fuzz. https://www.instagram.com/reel/ClJU3xfglLL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Tonebender Mk1 Transistor sets at now at SmallBear
- Thread starter Freshmex18
- Start date
andare
Well-known member
You mean Christopher Walken's demo
That's the Castledine MK1 and it's darker and more gated than the others. Pretty cool.
Freshmex18
New member
I played with the input and output capacitors and while they did make some interesting changes, it wasn't quite what I was after.
Then I switched Q2 and Q3 transistors and there it was. The bass was reduced enough that the mids and treble could shine through. The fartiness is less and the attack knob is more useful through most of the sweep. So now I can take out the sockets and solder in the stock capacitor and transistor values. I think I will keep the transistors socketed so I can switch Q2 and Q3 back if I want the bassy fartiness back.
Thank you all for all of your help. So glad I attempted this notoriously difficult pedal.
Then I switched Q2 and Q3 transistors and there it was. The bass was reduced enough that the mids and treble could shine through. The fartiness is less and the attack knob is more useful through most of the sweep. So now I can take out the sockets and solder in the stock capacitor and transistor values. I think I will keep the transistors socketed so I can switch Q2 and Q3 back if I want the bassy fartiness back.
Thank you all for all of your help. So glad I attempted this notoriously difficult pedal.
andare
Well-known member
Use a log pot if you want more variation across the Attack sweep
TheHammer1982
Well-known member
I didn't know Small Bear had GE sets in stock again until I saw this post. Time to build a Mk1!
RetiredUnit1
Well-known member
Speaking of tonebenders...... A new product at CE Dist.....
andare
Well-known member
holes for pot tabs, first time seeing those
G.G.
Well-known member
I got my Small Bear MKI set in the mail this week and set it up on the breadboard yesterday. It sounds pretty good right out of the box with standard component values, didn't really have to do anything to get it to work. I'll be tweaking a little to tune it up but it already sounds decent. The set is a little pricey, but the selection they put together for me works well.
andare
Well-known member
Great! What hFE and leakage did they send you?
andare
Well-known member
That looks perfect!
G.G.
Well-known member
I messed around with a few part substitutions but honestly it sounds pretty decent with stock values. I went with 470k on R3, 33k on R10, and 1.8M on R9 of Andy's schematic https://vero-p2p.blogspot.com/2022/12/tone-bender-mki-component-values-table.html
andare
Well-known member
I've never seen that page, I wonder how that info was obtained, it's gold! Your circuit sounds greta. How's the range on the Attack knob? With a linear pot, mine practically did nothing, which seems in line with demos I've heard. I changed it to a log taper and now it's more useful to me.
I'm definitely going to try the Gary Hurst version with the 2 extra resistors and try all the various versions. Thanks!
Feral Feline
Well-known member
+1
First time seeing that Blogspot; thanks for the introduction.
First time seeing that Blogspot; thanks for the introduction.
G.G.
Well-known member
My range on the Attack knob is not very wide, maybe I should try a linear pot. I tried out a 25u cap after Q2 like the Gary Hurst version but preferred a 100n. My old MKI build is a Gary Hurst version with 2 25u's, I might swap out that 2nd cap on that one too. Andy's blog has a lot of good stuff on there, definitely worth a look.
It was obtained by a lot of digging around of old posts and looking at photos. Glad you like it - the blog started as a reference for me (and still is), I perhaps got a little carried away with the scale of it.
I happen to have a couple of MKIs on the bench at the moment myself. Always fun to play with.
andare
Well-known member
All those precious secrets out in the open...watch your backIt was obtained by a lot of digging around of old posts and looking at photos. Glad you like it - the blog started as a reference for me (and still is), I perhaps got a little carried away with the scale of it.
