Tools, Tones and Toys for Guitarists
Just a reference for me – this is specifically for this layout mounted above the pots. MKI TONE BENDER OFF-BOARD WIRING PLAN The final soldering of the board to the pots has not been done yet – that will be done when it is mounted on the actual enclosure lid, as opposed to the dodgy piece … Read more
The Sounds of Today is Ian Sherwood from Ghost Effects adaptation of the MKI Tone Bender. It’s all explained by Ian here, with photos. There are also plenty of photos of these in various stages of construction Instagram too, so you can see a few variations along the way. Short story: The attack has been replaced with a fixed resistor. The resistor … Read more
Not a huge amount of variation on Zonks in terms of component values, and at one stage this was all on the MKI table, but I decided to split the two. ZONK MACHINE SCHEMATIC ZONK MACHINE COMPONENT VALUES Link to table BUILD NOTES In my experience, the Zonk can be a little easier to make … Read more
Like most people, I’ve never even seen an original MKI in the flesh, so I’m relying on online references for this. The references below all relate to original MKIs – or pedals that are said to be direct replicas of originals built for Sola Sound. Please feel free to comment and point me in the right … Read more
I wasn’t aware of this version of the MKI until today. I’m sure you have probably seen the new line of Tone Benders that Sola Sound is releasing. I noticed that the Stu Castledine version was on vero, and the rest were all on the more familiar MKI board. So after a little digging, it turns out this … Read more
Similar to the previous Zonk Machine, this has a MKI switch for a larger input cap. Have had this on the breadboard recently, and decided to jump to a vintage-style veroboard. There are of course more differences between a MKI Tone Bender and a Zonk than just an input cap, but for convenience’s sake, … Read more
This is my version of the Zonk Machine, based on one of the early vero layouts. I added a switch for the input cap, which is possibly the most unoriginal mod known, and increased one of the input caps from 1n to 2n2. I used an OC76 for Q1 and Q3 and an OC44 for Q2. I found … Read more
So I finally got around to buying a Tone Bender MKI-style wedge enclosure. I had been waiting for another seller, and they now have them in production. I’ve just bought one on eBay, and I’ll update and compare it when it arrives. Naturally, I’ll be putting a Tone Bender MKI circuit in this enclosure and … Read more
This is the original layout for the Hornby Skewes Hybrid Zonk Machine (Silicon / Germanium). Unfortunately, the trimmer needed to be a different size for the layout, so I had to make a strange triangular marker. HORNBY SKEWES HYBRID ZONK MACHINE – 0.15″ VERO LAYOUT (ORIGINAL)
These are now available from sunetec_au on ebay. I previously purchased a couple of wedge enclosures from them, and they are really well-made. It’s the right size, and it’s made from decent steel. Shipping was free and fast from Hong Kong. It has rubber feet instead of pressed metal bumps – think I prefer rubber … Read more