01—Pedal catalog
Boss TB-2W Tone Bender (Waza Craft)
The early Led Zeppelin lead fuzz: Jimmy Page's Tone Bender MkII sound, rebuilt by Boss.
The most historically accurate Tone Bender reissue on the market — and shockingly, from Boss. Worth the price if you've ever wanted a real germanium fuzz.
02—On the bench
Boss's Waza Craft reissue of the 1965 Sola Sound Tone Bender MkII — the germanium fuzz used by Jimmy Page on early Led Zeppelin records, by Mick Ronson on Ziggy Stardust, and by the Yardbirds. The TB-2W uses NOS germanium transistors (a rare commitment from a mass-market company) and is hand-built in limited quantities at Boss's Waza facility. Tonally it's the canonical 60s lead fuzz: aggressive, slightly compressed, with a singing top end that turns single notes into violin-like sustain. Cleans up beautifully off the guitar volume — at 6 it's a bright overdrive, at 10 it's a wall. Not a Big Muff. Not a Fuzz Face. A specific, narrow, historically accurate Tone Bender.
- 01germanium transistors — temperature-sensitive but musical
- 02cleans up across the entire volume knob range
- 03singing sustain on bent notes
- 04stiff with humbuckers, perfect with single coils
- 05doesn't like a buffer in front of it
03—Power
What it takes to run the TB-2W Tone Bender (Waza Craft).
60mA at 9V
Low draw. Any standard 100mA isolated jack carries it with room to spare.
Typical published draw. Check the label on your unit for its voltage and polarity before you plug in.
- Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 PLUS →jacks 1-4 · 100mA
- Truetone 1 SPOT Pro CS6 →jacks 3-4 · 100mA
- Truetone 1 SPOT Pro CS12 →jacks 3-6 · 100mA
04—In the room
Where else this pedal lives.
- Jimmy Page
- Mick Ronson
- Jeff Beck
- Pete Townshend
JHS Bender does a similar circuit for less; TB-2W if you want the real germanium experience.