R2R Electric PKIII Fuzz
R2R Electric returns to the channel with a new limited release — the PKIII Fuzz, an homage to a very specific variant of the Tone Bender MKIII. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the R2R Electric PKIII Fuzz takes center stage — featuring the Black Bobbin Chicago Phantone with Lollar JM Pickups and Mastery hardware, into the Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. The Effectrode Tube Vibe joins from 14:09.
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Chris Vincent (@djlavalamp) builds every R2R Electric pedal in Los Angeles using exclusively NOS and vintage components — hand-selected, tested, measured, and matched. Every R2R build is unique in its specific component selection but verified for tonal consistency before shipping. Get on the mailing list — drops go extremely quickly.
The PKIII Fuzz is Chris's take on the Tone Bender MKIII, and more specifically it's based on a particular vintage unit that Chris had on loan from @themadcap1. The Tone Bender MKIII was the third iteration of the Sola Sound Tone Bender family, produced in the late 1960s and early 1970s — three transistors, a circuit that bridges the rawness of the MKI with the more refined saturation of the MKII, adding Tone and Gain controls to the two-knob format of earlier Tone Benders.
One important note on the control layout — the PKIII runs counterclockwise on both the Tone and Gain knobs. Turning the Tone knob counterclockwise from noon adds brightness. Turning the Gain knob counterclockwise from noon adds gain. The Volume knob behaves conventionally — clockwise for more output. This is explored throughout the demo, particularly the Tone knob range from super bright (05:45) to darkest possible (07:55).
As with all R2R vintage fuzz builds: place first in signal chain before any buffered bypass pedals. These are true to vintage circuit design and do not work with buffered inputs.
Get on the R2R Electric mailing list: https://www.r2relectric.com/how-to-order
Follow Chris: https://www.instagram.com/djlavalamp/
🎸 Black Bobbin Chicago: https://blackbobbin.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
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🎸 Black Bobbin Chicago Phantone | Lollar JM Pickups | Mastery Bridge
🎛️ R2R Electric PKIII Fuzz | Tone Bender MKIII Variant | NOS Ge | CCW Tone + Gain | Volume / Tone / Gain
🎛️ Also: Effectrode Tube Vibe
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" | Boss Waza TAE
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live 12
