Why is it called a 'Tone Bender'?

[Baritube]

I would call a tremolo, or even a pitch shifter a tone "bender", but I can't understand why they call a fuzz pedal that. I don't hear the bent notes. What's getting bent?

 

[Big Monk]

I would call a tremolo, or even a pitch shifter a tone "bender", but I can't understand why they call a fuzz pedal that. I don't hear the bent notes. What's getting bent?

It bends you mind and takes you to another dimension man….

 

[tubekingsley]

I would call a tremolo, or even a pitch shifter a tone "bender", but I can't understand why they call a fuzz pedal that. I don't hear the bent notes. What's getting bent?

What a buzz kill

 

[LikeAMotherF]

What's getting bent?

The squares who just don't get it, maaaaan

 

[old_skool]

Why do drive on a parkway but park in a driveway

 

[Big Monk]

Why do drive on a parkway but park in a driveway

 

[pup tentacle]

I don't know, but I'm glad it is, because it lead to the creation one of my favorite graphic designs for a pedal.

 

[webs]

I would call a tremolo, or even a pitch shifter a tone "bender", but I can't understand why they call a fuzz pedal that. I don't hear the bent notes. What's getting bent?

A tremolo bends the volume, a pitch shifter bends pitch, so does a chorus, a vibrato, and a flanger, but a tonebender bends the tone. QED

 

[sanhozay]

because stratocaster was already taken?

 

[tubekingsley]

The squares who just don't get it, maaaaan

 

[PhuzzphayzZ]

FREEDOM ROCK MAAAAAAAAN!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[UrbanHymns]

Why do drive on a parkway but park in a driveway

Because the road is next to a park and probably maintained by the parks system. And your driveway is a drive way to your garage.

 

[NoiseNinja]

There is no spoon!

 

[sahhas]

b/c fuzz face was already taken?

 

[soli528]

The squares who just don't get it, maaaaan

Speaking of squares... the waveform peaks are being being "bent" or "squared" off, producing the distortion sound... man.

 

[fuzzboxes.org]

b/c fuzz face was already taken?

Not at the time that the Tone Bender was designed

 

[jazz-master]

 

[monty]

They call it that because it sounds like your tone went on a weekend bender.

 

[sahhas]

Carnac the Magnificent tipped them off that Fuzz Face was going to be used in the future, hence they went with Tone Bender:

Not at the time that the Tone Bender was designed

 

[LikeAMotherF]

Speaking of squares... the waveform peaks are being being "bent" or "squared" off, producing the distortion sound... man.

Dig it.