Sola Sound Tone Bender MKI

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The Captain
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Sola Sound Tone Bender MKI

Post by The Captain »

...number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine.

Cool new project, yes you guess it, number nine. Likely the thee coolest most wondrous project to date. A project of such epic magnitude it has taken not one but four individual transistor wizards to manifest this product of god tier nerdism. 52 years after they were originally created we present to you, the root of it all, the genesis, the motive and he embryo of all the Tone Bender family. The golden triangle. The Tone Bender MKI.
PIGDOG_MKI_09.JPG
Over a year in the making with enough research conducted to send a man insane four black masterminds offer to you four different incarnations of this legendary bringer of distortion. Castledine Electronics, Ghost Effects, Pigdog Pedals and D*A*M Stompboxes. Each builder has undertaken the heroic quest of producing 50 pieces. Each with their own unique style, flavor and tonal palette and each with their own distinct graphic representing the changing face of the originally produced units.
The enclosure was painstakingly replicated from an original 1965 device. The exact dimensions, weight, grade of steel and method of paint application were utilized making for a truly authentic visual experience that goes hand-in-hand with raw and savage nature of the fuzz tones contained within.

Sonic Attack

I'm starting in reverse this time around. Philip has done a truly outstanding job of capturing the essence and the behavior of these things which is likely an easier, and more enjoyable, way to get a handle on how these creations sound and also react. What follows are four short sound clips that can be used for comparison purposes. Two further sound demonstrations will be included in the description for each builder.









Pigdog Pedals
PIGDOG_MKI_12.JPG
The 'Sola Sounds Ltd' MKI. Visually based upon the final incarnation of the MKI and the only version to sport the manufacturers moniker. A MKI produced by Stephen Williams. You know the score. Perfectly executed and what most would tonally consider the classic MKI flavor. Superbly smooth with a tight and focused fuzz tone, offering a stout and workable tone at zero Attack and a hugely saturated yet stable tone at maximum levels. Working at high volume this thing will almost play itself. The higher frequency content being centered in the upper midrange makes for a deep and brooding fuzz tone when used in conjunction with PAF style humbuckers: you are now entering Ronson territory.

The construction style is what you'd expect from Mr. Pigdog. Clean lines and a tidy house. The wire routing has a slightly more modern approach though still retains a vintage old school quality. The components are of a vintage nature, Hunts and Iskra capacitors and 2 watt Allen Bradley resistors. The transistor arrangement comprises of a single black glass OC75 and 2 x NKT OC81's.
PIGDOG_MKI_10.JPG
PIGDOG_MKI_03.JPG
PIGDOG_MKI_18.JPG
PIGDOG_MKI_24.JPG
PIGDOG_MKI_26.JPG
PIGDOG_MKI_33.JPG
PIGDOG_MKI_34.JPG
Sound Demonstration





Ghost Effects
GHOST_MKI_020.JPG
The Competition or Beat Instrumental MKI. Handled as such due to this graphic type being featured in the images for the Beat Instrumental competition, it was also the most commonly seen graphic type in the Musical Exchange advertisements of the day. This is true Black Country masterwork from the mind and soul of Mr. Sherwen. Full blown, full frequency, huge aggressive attitude delivered with immense proficiency. Delivering a massive canvas of sound The Ghost MKI is a perfect combination of the primal and the contemporary. The output levels here are the greatest of the four making it a superior companion for the modern day, though the artifacts and high end sizzle at maximum fuzz levels are old school to their very core. Ian's tuning approach here is impressive giving means to deliver low gain crunch tones at minimum drive settings with even a good degree of dynamic guitar interaction when operating at warmer operating temperatures.

Again like the Pigdog the construction style here is an clean and orderly presentation with a pleasing combination of more modern wiring techniques and the old timey style one would expect to see in a MKI. The transistor line-up comprises of a single CV7005 (military grade OC71) and 2 x CV7007 (military grade OC77), the military style selection being a smart move on Ian's part, really does help to keep things from going too AWOL when this thing is wide open. Capacitors are a mixture of Jupiter and ICEL Polyesters, Sprague Atom Electrolytic's. Resistors are mixture of NOS/New 1 watt and 0.5 watt Carbon comp/Carbon film types.
GHOST_MKI_026.JPG
GHOST_MKI_015.JPG
GHOST_MKI_009.JPG
GHOST_MKI_030.JPG
GHOST_MKI_032.JPG
GHOST_MKI_040.JPG
GHOST_MKI_045.JPG
Sound Demonstration



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The Captain
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Sola Sound Tone Bender MKI, part II

Post by The Captain »

Castledine Electronics
CASTLEDINE_MKI_009.JPG
The origin. An expertly crafted and meticulous replication of Stuart's own vintage Tone Bender MKI, which is likely one of the, if not thee, oldest known example of a metal bodied MKI in existence. An all together different beast. If you desire the primitive well this is it. Dark, ripping, raspy, very stylistically 1960's, the FZ-1A origins are very much in play here. Heavy bottomed and well rounded with a choppy almost percussive attack. Sincerely wonderful and inspiring tones to be had at lower gain settings, dense and chewy at maximum fuzz settings. A much dryer and less saturated tone than the aforementioned devices. Clean amp at volume, big reverb, fuzz tone heaven. Mr. Castledine seriously knows his shit. The skillful approach in all areas of this pedals creation affirms this tenfold.

The assembly here is 100% old school. Old timey all the way. For all intents and purposes this is a vintage Tone Bender visually and sonically. Construction differs in that Veroboard is used over the paper based phenoilc types (Paxolin, Tufnol, etc) and there is no battery door access. Stuart's original unit is made in this way so the replication follows suit. Three black glass OC75's deliver the goods along with Arcol carbon composition resistors and Vishay and Sprague capacitors.
CASTLEDINE_MKI_011.JPG
CASTLEDINE_MKI_015.JPG
CASTLEDINE_MKI_018.JPG
CASTLEDINE_MKI_021.JPG
CASTLEDINE_MKI_023.JPG
CASTLEDINE_MKI_024.JPG
CASTLEDINE_MKI_032.JPG
Sound Demonstration





D*A*M Stompboxes
DAM_MKI_024.JPG
The 'System' MKI, or the competition #2. My own handy work is a recreation of Anthony Macari's very own vintage MKI, the name system is scratched into the side of the pedal, apparently the previous owners band name. This particular pedal was actually one of the six prize's of the previously mentioned Beat Instrumental MKI competition. No vintage MKI is alike, the proof is in the pudding, this is a strange pudding. I've done nothing more here than replication. I haven't added my own this or that into the mix. Basically let's pretend my name is Mr. Hurst and it's 1965. The bias set-up is particularly odd in that what would or should be one's maximum setting is at around 12 to 1 o' clock. After than the pedal becomes over biased. The fuzz tone compresses hugely and what is presented is an almost velcro fuzz noise gate type effect. I have observed similar effects in vintage MKI's before but this is much more pronounced on this particular unit.

As with the Castledine the assembly is authentically old school. I replicated the tones within, I've replicated the construction style within. Point A goes to point B, and so forth. The component selection was made as an attempt to replicate the size and style of parts used in Anthony's original, not exact, that would be a difficult feet to say the least on 50 pieces, but close enough that it's still pleasing to the eye. The transistor line-up includes a single black glass OC75 and either 2 x 2G374 or 1 x 2G309 and then a single 2G374. Like I say sonic replication is the name of the game. If the numbers roll right in it goes.
DAM_MKI_018.JPG
DAM_MKI_033.JPG
DAM_MKI_034.JPG
DAM_MKI_039.JPG
DAM_MKI_006.JPG
DAM_MKI_045.JPG
DAM_MKI_048.JPG
Sound Demonstration





Brass tacks

Same dealio as always here with these products. We are just the assemblers. They are Sola Sound pedals, you have to speak to the Macari's if you are interested in acquiring and/or wish to find out pricing and shipping information. You can contact them here:

http://www.macaris.co.uk/

One thing to make note of. I believe the first 10 pieces of each type are being sold as boxed sets of 4. You want any number 1-10, you have to purchase the whole caboodle. Yes, it may seem a little extreme but a big deal this is. Sola Sound haven't made a MKI in 52 years. A long time coming this has been.

Without whom

This project truly has been a meeting of minds. Massive thanks and kudos to: Anthony and Steve Macari for making this wonderful thing happen. Philip for delivering the sonic magic once again with the beautifully presented sound clips. Electric Warrior for the eagle eyes and font replication skills on the graphics, outstanding as always, man! Steve, Ian, and Stu for being bat shit crazy enough to take part. Danny T for helping with my wire preparation, pre-assembly and keeping me fed with caffeine and tobacco. And lastly, a huge thank you must be said to Gary Stewart Hurst for originating all this fuzzy madness all those years ago.

:party:

MKI new batch announcements

D*A*M Batch II 2022
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chankgeez
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Re: Sola Sound Tone Bender MKI

Post by chankgeez »

:badlove: :thud:
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Post by daCod »

are. you. fucking. kidding. me.
if you're ever in the shit, grab my tit
i like pedals when you know they're on
When I saw you with that lost look on your face saying you had just saw ET, I thought "uh oh, game over" - innerflight
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Re: Sola Sound Tone Bender MKI

Post by stella_blues »

Just picked my jaw back up from the floor :headpop:
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Re: Sola Sound Tone Bender MKI

Post by Turkish »

Wow. Just awesome.
"The Meathead is supposed to break things" -The Captain
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Re: Sola Sound Tone Bender MKI

Post by capricorn_1 »

:crackjam:

At last! :whistle:
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Post by daCod »

my eyes hurt from scrolling and looking and reading and scrolling and reading and scrolling and looking and looking and drooling and OH SHIT CUSTOMERS!!!
if you're ever in the shit, grab my tit
i like pedals when you know they're on
When I saw you with that lost look on your face saying you had just saw ET, I thought "uh oh, game over" - innerflight
(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")
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Yggdrazil
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Re: Sola Sound Tone Bender MKI

Post by Yggdrazil »

Insane!!!
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devnulljp
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Re: Sola Sound Tone Bender MKI

Post by devnulljp »

Alright, I need one (or 4?)
Who do I gotta kill?
Dear Bongo, No.
Good deals with all these guys
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