Goliath FX's Silicon MKII Tone Bender take delivers a totally foolproof and wholly potent authentic sounding experience

I’ve mentioned before that I have over 100 each of Muff and Fuzz Face pedals - my Tone Bender contingent / selection is lagging somewhat behind at around the 60 mark currently - so it’s the more the merrier on the Tone Bender front - particularly when they sound this good!

I always equate MKII Tone Benders with peak era Led Zep Jimmy Page - and specifically his ’Whole Lotta Love’ rendition - that is the sound I’m wanting to emulate - and this Vintage Components Silicon take properly hits the spot!

Germanium Tone Benders can be a little difficult on the dial-in, sometimes temperamental even! - which is certainly not the case with this easier-going variant. As for most of my favourite fuzzes - this has plenty of range and volume. I typically ride the Volme and Fuzz pretty high here as it opens up the profile more.

Controls - Volume, Fuzz, Bias.

Generally you get a decent sound with everything at noon, a killer sound with everything at 3 o’clock, and totally next level with Fuzz at 3 o’c, and Volume and Bias at 4 o’c. The rise in compression here is relatively mild - so you can nicely crank the dials without things becoming too choked. I actually like the Fuzz control locked at 3 o’c here - that delivers the best combination of Harmonics and Sustain for me - anything above 3 doesn’t sound as good - while you can ride the Volume and Bias higher.

This has all the hallmarks of the original Germanium varieties - there is a very slight difference in texture and underlying grit - but this Silicon variant manages to sound warm, full bodied and fully richly textured - which is not always the case with Silicon takes. I do have a few Silicon Tone Benders - including a version by Thorpy.

While of all the Silicon variants I own - I think I like this one the best. It sounds so close to the Germanium ones and has excellent dynamics and guitar volume gain cleanup too.

Not all Silicon Tone Benders are created equal - the Transistor selection and pairing here is top notch. Matt’s uncovered the perfect vintage components to deliver an authentic MKII Bender with Silicon - that’s quite the achievement! 

The pictured pedal has a storied existence - as I think I first spotted it a couple of years ago and admired it as part of the mostly Bass Pedals Goliath FX roster. I saw said pedal at every show that Goliath FX attended for those 2 years - and I told Matt that I would quite happily take it off his hands if no one else came for it.

Lucky for me this one did not get snapped up and away from me - and at the most recent Birmingham Show Matt very kindly handed it over to me. Said pedal has obviously found its rightful home now - for someone who can truly appreciate how beautifully this one is calibrated.

With great fuzzes you just get a special experience and feeling that inspires and encourages you to play on - unhampered by time and space. I love for fuzzes to be this Well balanced and beautifully textured - everything about this pedal is perfection - including Matt’s legendary craquelure finish and Brass style enhraved knobs.

I’m delighted that this pedal has found its way home at last!

I don’t believe Matt is planning to make any more of these - those components are particularly hard to come by, so this post is rather moot in its commercial impact. I encourage you to check out Matt’s other pedals now instead including his killer Hornburg Bass Fuzz - as currently available on the Goliath FX Webstore.

In the meanwhile - this is largely just a note of gratitude and a lasting record of this singularly grand confection!

Matt is for sure a very fine crafter of Fuzz Pedals - with an exceptional ear for tone - I could not be more impressed with this particular pedal!