Original 60's VOX TONE BENDER help needed :)

[drdanny]

Hi

I bought my Tone Bender in Nashville in the 1990s. I am trying to identify the exact model / year if possible.
There's a lot of contradictory information on the internet and I have been directed to you guys for help.
Any information would be gratefully received :)

My uneducated guess is that it is an Italian V828 made in 1967.

Some information:
a) It has SFT337 and SFT363e transistors in it. I THINK this means 1967 is likely ...
b) There is no cap under the board which I THINK makes 1967 likely ...
c) I THINK that the placement of the logo below the knobs makes it 66-67 …

There's nothing in the wiring to suggest that this is anything but all original.
The only issue I'm aware of is the heat-shrink I put on when the battery wires
got slightly damaged. Also I am fairly certain the “feet” are original but I know
that the screws holding them in place are not.

I thought that the pots had “10AR” written on them but see now that it says “ICAR” who I believe were Italian.
The switch has “Made in England” stamped on it but I’m assuming this was made in Italy (another tick for 67-68 I'm told) …

I've had people on other forums insist that it is a Mk1.5 but (taking all the info thus far into account),
it seems to me to be an Italian V828 made in 1967.

I stand to be corrected though. Can anyone help!?

Many thanks,
Danny

[drdanny]

I've done a very bad demo:

I'm playing a strat through a Traynor YGM3 ... the Marshall thing is just not my thing
so I'm guessing that the sound isn't the way a lot of you guys would have it set up ...
I'm not a loud player in particular and don't really do the humbucker thing either

[innerflight]

Sounds pretty fricking awesome to me man

[Zuff-1A]

Sounds cool!
Here is some info about Italian benders:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=146

[drdanny]

Sounds pretty fricking awesome to me man

cheers!

[drdanny]

Sounds cool!
Here is some info about Italian benders:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=146

I'll check it out - cheers

[drdanny]

The information on that page is great, cheers.
I'm still struggling to be specific about my pedal though ... can anyone help?
Danny

[vanguard]

It's earlier, judging from the plate layout. Are there codes on the pots?

Regarding others insisting it's an MK1.5, as you suspected, they're wrong. Yours is an early Italian unit that, while sharing a (nearly identical) circuit with the Sola 1.5, is not a Sola 1.5.

I'm in no way an authority on this, but given what you've shared so far, it's probably second gen (after the OC76 run).

[Electric Warrior]

Why would you consider the OC76 version the "first generation"? Many of the earliest ones have an AC107..

A lot of people on TGP refer to the italian Vox as a MK1.5 - which doesn't make any sense, as it's not part of the same timeline as the MKI or MKII. It's not even made by Sola Sound. It came for a different supplier in Italy and was most likely made for the US market.

Hi

I bought my Tone Bender in Nashville in the 1990s. I am trying to identify the exact model / year if possible.
There's a lot of contradictory information on the internet and I have been directed to you guys for help.
Any information would be gratefully received :)

My uneducated guess is that it is an Italian V828 made in 1967.

As I told you on TGP, a pedal with a similar board came with an original Thomas Organ hang tag, dating it to 13 Nov 1967. The only difference is the type of resistors used.

Tan colored resistors were used in earlier and later units than the pedal with the tag (as evidenced by serial numbers). Some of the later pedals don't have serial numbers, I think they stopped using them at some point. So I guess yours would probably be later than 13 Nov 1967.

Early units are referred to as "Model 50", later ones like yours were labeled V828 on the hang tag.

[charge]

Agreed. Probably late 67/early 68? I have one identical to yours with the sft transistors, tropical fish cap, and faint red stamp/initials. The guy I got it from won it in a battle of the bands contest in early 1968.