MJM Brit Bender

[Chonny]

So with D*A*M stopping production and Proanalog being weird lately, who is left for MKII fuzz boxes. I know there many but which ones are good and which are overpriced.

The MJM Brit Bender sounds good and its not super expensive. Is there a catch here, is it made in China byy munchkins or does it have undesirable transistors.

I don't hear that much about it.

[Bulldog]

There's several out there. I've decided they are a little to bright and loose for my rig, but I've tried all 4 below. My favorite was the Lady Stardust with the MJM coming in second. The stardust was the warmest of the bunch thanks to all it's controls. It's a sweet fuzz that I may return back to.

- MJM Britbender and Britbender 3 Knob
- Earthquaker Devices Tone Reaper
- Throwback Stone Bender
- Phoenix Custom Electronics Lady Stardust

[Chonny]

I was trying to find out about the MJM BB specs but the website has a lack of info with just sound clips.

Where are these pedals made, does anyone know the 3 trannys inside the MJM Brit Bender.

[Prof.Fuzz]

Where are these pedals made, does anyone know the 3 trannys inside the MJM Brit Bender.

The original big-box MJMs were made by hand in Canada. Great work inside.
I haven't seen the guts of the new small-box ones, nor do I know if they are made somewhere other than Canada these days. Michael built me a custom China Fuzz and was fantastic to deal with. The pedal kicked ass too.

[Bulldog]

The original big-box MJMs were made by hand in Canada. Great work inside.
I haven't seen the guts of the new small-box ones, nor do I know if they are made somewhere other than Canada these days. Michael built me a custom China Fuzz and was fantastic to deal with. The pedal kicked ass too.


Yea, I was trying to remember his name. Shoot Michael an email. He was happy to answer all my questions when I emailed him about several pedals.

[JLee]

- MJM Britbender and Britbender 3 Knob
- Earthquaker Devices Tone Reaper
- Throwback Stone Bender
- Phoenix Custom Electronics Lady Stardust
The 2 knob Britbender and the Throbak are the only MKIIs in this bunch. The Britbender has a very bright and searing top end for a MKII. The example I had had any transistor id wiped from the transistor. If you look up the Pro Guitar Shop vid for the Britbender, you'll see a gut shot. I don't see anything to indicate that they're being made by someone else in somehwere other than Canada. Except maybe the finishing of the enclosures.

[Chonny]

I had questions about the MJM.

I too noticed the transistors were wiped. Nobody does that on a clone pedal unless there are questionable materials involved...

[fuzzbird]

i have a custom small box (gold hammered finish) 2 knob mjm britbender. i asked him about the transistors before i ordered it...he told me its his little design secret...and that i would be happy with it.... okie dokie. it IS good. unfortunately, it doesn't play so well with my other pedals. but when i use this pedal by itself- its great! nails it. i wonder if other 'bender' clones have this same issue? I run it tandem with the KOT and or the keeley TMB. anyone have experience with stacking these pedals with tonebenders? I'd be very interested to hear......I'm looking to snag a swollen pickle mkII and see how it does....uuuhh....sorry to sidetrack the thread.

[JLee]

I wouldn't question the quality of his pedals. With the crazy demand for nos germanium I can't blame him. MKIIs do not react well with overdrive. It's a high gain pedal. Even a naturally overdriven amp will make for a excessively noisy, over-compressed fuzz tone that will drop in volume and in a mix. MKIIs work best with a ever so slightly overdriven amp. If you're using single coils, than there's more room to drive the amp harder.

[fuzzbird]

I wouldn't question the quality of his pedals. With the crazy demand for nos germanium I can't blame him. MKIIs do not react well with overdrive. It's a high gain pedal. Even a naturally overdriven amp will make for a excessively noisy, over-compressed fuzz tone that will drop in volume and in a mix. MKIIs work best with a ever so slightly overdriven amp. If you're using single coils, than there's more room to drive the amp harder.

yeah...
i hear ya.
for the record...i DO like the britbender,,,great box. no question of the MJM quality...fantastic. just wondered if there was another 'bender' that stacked really well. but this explanation makes reasonable sense. every once and a while a fuzz will stack just right... zvex fuzz factory does well. as far as the MJM BB---britbender with a tele/esquire into a fender (i use a little silver face champ practice amp) is ridiculously cool sounding. :drink