01—Boss
TB-2W Tone Bender (Waza Craft)
The Led Zeppelin I lead fuzz — Page's 'Communication Breakdown' and 'Whole Lotta Love' solo tones.
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—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.