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Deimos (Legacy)

Based On
Tone Bender Mk. II
Effect Type
Germanium Fuzz
Build Difficulty
Easy
Project Summary
The second (more famous) version of the legendary fuzz pedals from Macaris in London that changed the music world forever.

Legacy PCB

Designed for the 1590B enclosure with side-mounted jacks, which some builders prefer. Bypass PCB (optional) sold separately.

$10.00

In stock

Updated Version

The same circuit, but updated for the 125B enclosure format for a more streamlined build. The bypass switch PCB is integrated.

$12.50

In stock

Project description

The Deimos Fuzz is a clone of the Colorsound /Sola Sound Tone Bender Mk. II, originally developed and sold by the legendary Macari’s music store in London in 1966.

The TB Mk II has a lot in common with the Fuzz Face and other germanium fuzzes of the 60’s, but it adds a transistor stage in front that increases the gain and moves it beyond the overdrive/distortion realm of the Fuzz Face.

The Deimos project is identical to the original Tone Bender Mark 2 except for a couple of enhancements. First, a voltage inverter circuit has been added so you can use PNP transistors with a standard 9V supply. Second, it includes trimmers to more easily dial in the optimal bias voltage without having to swap out resistors.

Tone Bender Mk II circuit history

David Main from D*A*M Stompboxes has written up a history of the TB Mk II that’s far more comprehensive than anything I could pull together, so you would do well to check out his history page.

A vintage-accurate version is still sold by Macari’s, having been painstakingly recreated by D*A*M. It uses the exact same sandcast enclosure as the original and all NOS parts. The downside? It costs $620 USD (£399 GBP)—a bit more than the £12 it originally sold for in 1966.

Documentation

Project Documents