Escalator MKI
The Escalator MKI is based on the original Tone Bender® MKI fuzz from 1965.
** These are made to order. Will ship within 4-6 weeks.
** This pedal uses vintage style PNP germanium transistors which are powered by negative voltage, thus the power supply must be an isolated source, such as a 9v battery or 9v power adapter from an isolated source. The power supply cannot be daisy chained with other pedals.
The Escalator MKI is based on the original Tone Bender® MKI fuzz from 1965.
** These are made to order. Will ship within 4-6 weeks.
** This pedal uses vintage style PNP germanium transistors which are powered by negative voltage, thus the power supply must be an isolated source, such as a 9v battery or 9v power adapter from an isolated source. The power supply cannot be daisy chained with other pedals.
The Escalator MKI is based on the original Tone Bender® MKI fuzz from 1965.
** These are made to order. Will ship within 4-6 weeks.
** This pedal uses vintage style PNP germanium transistors which are powered by negative voltage, thus the power supply must be an isolated source, such as a 9v battery or 9v power adapter from an isolated source. The power supply cannot be daisy chained with other pedals.
Details:
I tune mine to replicate a specific Tone Bender® that was given away as a raffle prize in 1965. This one had a slightly smaller output cap which gives it a more focus in the mid range. The “Attack” knob is set up to reach its full fuzz potential half way up the dial which has huge sustain with an open and full tone. Further along the knob’s rotation it gets increasingly over biased which results in an increasingly more compressed and more gated tone, very 60s and Velcro sounding. It’s a real cool and usable thing!
** Please note I am in no way affiliated with Sola Sound. I am using their trademarked name as a mere reference to the circuit that the Escalator MKI is based on. For more information about the originators of these wonderful pedals, Please visit Macari's Website
What’s Inside:
Built using point to point style construction on hand cut vintage phenolic board in the layout of the original units.
Vintage new old stock and/or salvaged capacitors intentionally selected for quality and tone
Vintage new old stock and/or salvaged resistors hand selected for performance and aesthetic quality from a mix of vintage Allen-Bradley, Piher, Iskra, and others.
3 carefully matched vintage germanium transistors. Transistors are hand selected by me through a rigorous tuning process. Transistors are chosen based on how they perform in the circuit. I tune all my pedals with integrity as close to the originals as possible. I don’t add any modern tweaks to the circuit.
The signal path is wired using high end UK shielded cable like the original units.
High quality hardware including full size alpha pots, Cliff UK style jacks, stainless steel keystone battery holster, and a Carling footswitch.
Housed in a hand painted Hammond 1590P1 die-cast aluminum enclosure (6x3.3.x2). Color may vary.
Metal Circle Electric Co. name plate
Bakelite knobs.