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Tube Bender™
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"AN OUTSTANDING OVERDRIVE/DISTORTION PEDAL DESIGNED TO SEND YOUR TUBE AMP INTO ORBIT. TIM SLATER CRANKS IT UP"
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GUITAR BUYER JULY 2004 ISSUE 35 PAGE 38:
DINOSAURAL TUBE BENDER - REVIEW BY TIM SLATER
"AN OUTSTANDING OVERDRIVE/DISTORTION PEDAL DESIGNED TO SEND YOUR TUBE AMP INTO ORBIT. TIM SLATER CRANKS IT UP"
| Price |
£129 plus shipping, plus VAT @17.5% in EU |
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| Built In |
UK |
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| Type |
Overdrive/Distortion |
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| Features |
True bypass switching with status/low battery LED, low noise circuitry. |
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| Controls |
Tone shift switch, drive, tone and level controls, footswitch. |
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| Power |
9V DC or Battery |
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| Contact |
Dinosaural 01235 762951, www.dinosaural.com |
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GB OPINION:
GOLD STARS: Ultra low noise; Excellent build quality; flexible and dynamic overdrive tones
BLACK MARKS: Battery compartment tricky to access
OVERALL GBRATING: 4/5
Dinosaural is a new company, formed by an individual with unimpeachable credentials as a designer
of professional guitar effects.
Dan Coggins and Vlad Naslas launched the British company Lovetone whose unique effects devices
such as the Meatball and Ring Stinger (ouch) first stunned an unsuspecting public 10 years ago.
The Tube Bender is Dan's first solo endeavour. Dan's extensive knowledge of vintage amps and pedals
means that he has very clear ideas about how his products should sound and the requisite skills
to obtain the results. Not surprisingly, GB was very excited to check out his new design;
the Tube Bender overdrive pedal.
FUNKY BOUT
The Tube Bender has something of the funky home-made feel of a boutique stompbox
but its construction is in no way shoddy. The steel case is finished in smooth silver enamel
paint and the screen-printed decals add a pro, if somewhat austere finishing touch.
With no quick-release door, access to the internal battery compartment is via
four screws on the base of the pedal that need to be unscrewed. Fortunately there's 9-volt
mains supply too, so those with five thumbs on each hand can stash the screwdrivers somewhere
safe and concentrate on playing, instead of worrying about power drain.
The unit's controls include a mini-push button adjacent to the output jack that alters the
pedal's tone by scooping out a sizeable dollop of mid-range, enhancing the low-end and
treble frequencies for modern metal and hard rock tones. It's built using very high-spec components
throughout, and a specially designed tone circuit that aims to simulate the sound of an overdriven tube amp.
Heard it all before? Well, Dan Coggins is better qualified than most to make these claims, so let's have a listen...
LOVE ME 'BENDER
The pedal's name suggests that it was inspired by the Coloursound Tone Bender fuzz, yet the Dinosaural
bears little relation to most vintage units. The main reason is because it is almost unbelievably quiet;
literally studio quiet. With virtually no hiss, hum or any other type of electronic noise, you have to
check that the red status light is on during breaks in playing!
The Tube Bender is also hugely dynamic, meaning that when you turn down your guitar's volume, the sound
noticeably cleans up to an impressive degree. This level of versatility is welcome if you're a blues
or country guitarist who favours a simple rig. You can set your maximum overdrive using the pedal and
back it off with the guitar volume for quieter passages, retaining an edgy warmth that enables the
subtle flavours of chord work to shine through.
Winding up the overdrive to more extreme levels retains the earthy and harmonically rich quality
that seems to characterise the Tube Bender; it doesn't begin to sound really harsh or 'fuzz
boxy' until the most extreme limits of gain and treble.
The Tone Shift switch changes the tone by making the overdrive seem less fierce because the shifted
mids removes much of the edge and growl from the mid frequencies, for a smoother, more polished distorted tone.
The mid-scooped sounds are excellent and are reminiscent of a cranked Silverface Fender amp as opposed to
the more mid-heavy, barking Vox-like quality when the Tone Shift is inactive. Pricey,
but up there with the best. GB
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