a Tonebender is a thing of beauty .....

[Dr. Green]

its amazing how a properly tuned 3 germanium early British Tonebender can turn a simple guitar and small tube amp combo into a fire breathing Dragon

I am getting these type sounds out of a Fender duo-sonic - an Tonebender 2 clone and a tweed champ ..... its insane

( if you freeze this led zep video at exactly 2 : 00 you can here the sound I refer to .... and then freeze at 2:12 to see the tonebender on the floor )

 

[jb_abides]

Yup, glorious.

ThroBak Stone Bender and Supro for me.

?

 

[Sol]

The ThroBak Stone Bender is one of the very best imho.

 

[Sol]

I dont know if this one counts, but Ive got a Vox Tone Bender and despite having just the two transistors I find that with everything maxed out there is more than enought gain to replicate Jimmys guitar tone, and thats without the slight boost those old Vox Wah pedals added to the signal.

I thought it was worth mentioning on the off-chance others have experienced something similar.

Tone Benders rule.

 

[Dr. Green]

tone bender song .... the first version

"Making love with his ego
Ziggy sucked up into his mind, ah
Like a leper messiah
When the kids had killed the man
I had to break up the band ....... "

 

[au_rick]

For some reason I always thought Jimmy used a Dallas Rangemaster ?
That said, ThroBak's Strange Master does the job for me (not really sure how much difference there is between the different germanium pedals of the day) ?

 

[Sol]

I would be surprised if Page 'didn't' use a treble booster on parts of Led Zep II.
The closest Ive got to that sound was with the aid of a treble booster, amongst other things..

 

[m bernardi]

tonebender and a wah, EQ and a vox ss amp LZ 2

 

[cincyguitar]

In this vid is he playing thru Watkins...or is there a Marshall in the back..or a Vox SS amp?....Hmmm

 

[Dr. Green]

I would be surprised if Page 'didn't' use a treble booster on parts of Led Zep II.
The closest Ive got to that sound was with the aid of a treble booster, amongst other things..

you can see its a tone bender in the video ... the case has a distinctive shape

 

[EpiLP1985]

I love the MK II circuit. Here is a clip of a recent unit I built:

 

[Dr. Green]

Here is Page playing the same pedal as what I have .... its bitchin

 

[Sol]

There's so much to unpack in the Dazed and Confused clip that it requires its own forum to explain.

Jimmy Page began working with Roger Mayer in approx 1966, so while the Vox Wah and Tonebender may look factory spec, we can be certain that they are anything but.. The guitar tone in that clip is the proof if proof were needed.

Page is notoriously cagey about how his iconic tones are produced, an I for one dont blame him. There is yrs of work involved in fine tuning his fuzz, wah, boosters, and octavers we hear on those early albums.
All of these pedals were developed and fine tuned to create the ultimate guitar, pedal, amp, synergy.. Electric Magick (As Jimmy might say)..

 

[au_rick]

There's so much to unpack in the Dazed and Confused clip that it requires its own forum to explain.

Jimmy Page began working with Roger Mayer in 1966, so while the Vox Wah and Tonebender may look factory spec, we can be certain that they are anything but.. The guitar tone in that clip is the proof if proof were needed.

Page is notoriously cagey about how his iconic tones are produced, an I for one dont blame him. There is yrs of work involved in fine tuning his fuzz, wah, boosters, and octavers we hear on those early albums.
All of these pedals were developed and fine tuned to create the ultimate guitar, pedal, amp, synergy.. Electric Magick (As Jimmy might say)..

I've often wondered if it is "cageyness" about his gear, that he just doesn't remember the details (alleged heroin haze ?), or that it just doesn't matter that much to him ?

 

[JLee]

The Roger Mayer fuzz was based off the Maestro Fuzz, but had a separate enclosure for the footswitch. It was used during his session days. Long John Baldry also had a similar model.

I don’t believe his wahs or Tone Benders were anything but stock.

He did use a variety of Tone Benders. MKI built into a gold MKII style enclosure during The Yardbirds, MKII during Zep I and a 2 knob Rotosound MKIII that was only briefly used live towards the end of ‘69.

He owned at least a few MKIIs. Anthony Macari posted a bill of sale on the D*A*M forum for 3 MKIIs sold to Jimmy Page.

ZII was a Vox UL4120. Solid state preamp with a KT88 power section. Also some Marshall Superlead, but all the tracks that sound like a fuzz are the UL4120. The tracks that sound like a treble booster are a cocked grey JMI Wah into the UL4120.

The Aclam Dr. Robert, despite being modeled after the UL7120, the EL84 version of the UL4120, does a killer ZII tone.

The Tone Bender in It Might Get Loud was determined to be a 90s RI, which usually house a MKI.5 circuit.

 

[JLee]

I've often wondered if it is "cageyness" about his gear, that he just doesn't remember the details (alleged heroin haze ?), or that it just doesn't matter that much to him ?

He said that once he revealed his use of a Supro on ZI, he could no longer find them for a decent price.

 

[Sol]

If you believe his Tonebenders and wahs were entirely stock, what were Page and Mayer collaberating on?
Jimmy Page was working with Roger Mayer to explore, improve and shape sounds to help him in his work, from the sessions, Yardbirds and beyond..
All this, several yrs before Jimi Hendrix was able to gain almost exclusive access to the coveted skills of Roger Mayer in his studio work.
Surely this is a point worthy of consideration ?

 

[Sol]

He said that once he revealed his use of a Supro on ZI, he could no longer find them for a decent price.

Just one more reason for Jimmy to keep his cards close to his chest imho.

 

[JLee]

If you believe his Tonebenders and wahs were entirely stock, what were Page and Mayer collaberating on?
Jimmy Page was working with Roger Mayer to explore, improve and shape sounds to help him in his work, from the sessions, Yardbirds and beyond..
All this, several yrs before Jimi Hendrix was able to gain almost exclusive access to the coveted skills of Roger Mayer in his studio work.
Surely this is a point worthy of consideration ?

I believe Page was either misquoted or mistaken. There was an interview back in the 60s, where Page credits Mayer for making him a new fuzz box, called the Tone Bender. I believe he meant to say Gary Hurst, who did some custom work for Page. I believe Page got one of the first few MKIIs made, as well as a MKI built into a gold MKII case during his Yardbirds days.

Page used a grey JMI Wah that predated the Vox Clyde. Dick Denny hand wired the circuit boards on his kitchen table.

I don’t hear anything that can’t be achieved with a properly cloned, stock MKI, MKII or JMI Wah.

Jeff Beck has stated that Mayer didn’t have time for him or Page, once he started working with Hendrix.

Mayer denies ever having done any mods on Page’s Tone Benders.

 

[Sol]

You use the term 'I believe' three times in your post... In the first, you claim Page is misquoted or mistaken.

In the second you 'believe' Jimmy Page has credited Roger Mayer, when according to you he meant Gary Hurst.

In the third you 'believe' Page recieved a number of early fuzz pedals during his Yardbirds days.


We cant claim the things we believe to be fact just because we believe them. While I recognise you may have evidence you've not disclosed, but until then, and with the greatest respect, this portrayal of Jimmy Page is one that I just dont recognise.