Buying Guides
Vintage Mk II & Mk 1.5 Tone Bender Bristling With Modern Features
✓ In stock
Order before 9pm UK time for next-day dispatch!
✓ Free UK delivery!
Royal Mail 24-hour shipping as standard.
✓ 30-day hassle-free returns
Boost Guitar Pedals uses Royal Mail for all domestic deliveries and UPS for international deliveries.
UPDATE – As of 13th December 2024, we are
regrettably no longer able to ship to customers located within the EU or Northern Ireland, due to new GPSR regulations which make it prohibitively expensive for small businesses to operate in the zone.
UPDATE 2 – As of 10th April 2025, we are still shipping to the USA. Please note that due to the volatile political situation relating to tariffs, we may have to cease offering shipping here at short notice.
We offer free 24-hour tracked UK delivery on all orders over £150! Order before 9pm for next-working-day dispatch.
We offer 30-day hassle-free returns so you can pick the item you want safe in the knowledge that if it's not for you, we'll take it back and refund your order.
International deliveries are subject to additional import duties and VAT at your local rate. These charges are payable to the courier at time of delivery. Calculate how much you will need to pay here.
Please note that some orders may take longer to be processed before shipping during the busiest periods of the year.
Customers hold the right to return a product for a full refund if I am notified within 30 days of delivery.
If a product is delivered in a defective or damaged condition, please contact me immediately with details of your order.
To be eligible for a return, the item must be in the same condition
that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging.
Please note, the cost of return delivery is to be paid by the customer. This will be reimbursed if the item is shown to be faulty.
To complete a return, I require a receipt or proof of purchase. Please do not send any items back to the manufacturer, and please do not send any items to me without contacting me first.
Once I have confirmed that I will process your return, please send the item to:
Boost Guitar Pedals (returns)
84 Wolf Lane
Windsor
Berkshire
SL4 4YZ
United Kingdom
My first course of action for faulty items is to replace them like-for-like. If this is not possible, a full refund will be considered as an alternative.
If returned within the 30-day period, your refund will be processed and a credit will be applied to your credit card or original method of payment.
The customer is responsible for paying return shipping costs. Shipping costs are non-refundable unless a product is proven to be damaged or faulty upon delivery.
It is recommended that items should be returned using a trackable shipping service in case the item goes missing en route.
The Drunk Beaver Taras Bulba V2 takes the first version of the Taras Bulba - based on a vintage germanium Tone Bender MK II - and completely revises the circuit design and adds even more features.
The Mk II Tone Bender is renowned for its smooth sustain thanks to its 3-transistor design, while the Mk 1.5 (an unofficial name given to the transitional 2-transistor circuit) was an inspiration for the Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face.
Some of rock's greatest names have used a Tone Bender, including Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Mick Ronson`.
Taras Bulba V2 retains the two modes of the V1 - switchable between "Mk 1.5" and "Mk II" Tone Bender sounds - and the extremely useful extras such as the external Bias control and Pickup Sim section, but it also adds an extra control labelled "Velcro", which enables you to dial the transistor stages' feedback to achieve that perfect gated, or velcro, sound.
Vitalii has also improved the pickup simulator circuit for better response with a variety of different pickups and impedances.
There's also a new full-frequency boost on the output, which gives your signal an extra kick and ensures that it cuts through any mix, in the studio or on the stage. This is a great addition, as many vintage units - and even some modern fuzzes - suffer from low output. Not here!
Attack Adjusts gain
Bias Varies the second-stage transistor biasing. Biasing is tuned separately for each mode. Use this control to alter the fatness and response of the fuzz.
Hi-Cut A low-pass filter reduces high frequencies to suit your band or recording situation.
Volume Adjusts output level
Impedance Controls the signal impedance when the pickup simulator is enabled, allowing you to adjust the interaction between your guitar and the pedal and fine-tune your sound. Acts a bit like an extra guitar volume pot.
Velcro Adjusts the amount of feedback between transistor stages, enabling you to achieve a gated, velcro-like sound.
Mode Toggle Switches between Mk II and Mk 1.5 Tone Bender circuits. The Mk 1.5 topology is very closely related to the Fuzz Face, while the Mk II has more gain and saturation, and a more aggressive character.
PU Sim Toggle Adds/removes pickup simulator buffer from the circuit. When the PU Sim toggle is off, the buffer and impedance pot are also bypassed, giving you the vintage response that's sensitive to your input signal and any other pedals in your chain.
