The BYOC E.S.V. (Extra Special Vintage) 2-Knob Bender is quite possibly the sweetest MKII Professional Tonebender clone you can get. What makes the BYOC E.S.V. 2-Knob Bender so “extra special”? A redesigned PCB that fits the larger axial leaded capacitors and carbon comp resistors that makes the layout look nice and pretty. BYOC wanted the E.S.V. series to be aesthetically appealing on the inside (the outside is up to you!). Also the solder pads and traces were upgraded to be as beefy as possible.Thicker traces mean better signal flow. It also makes the PCB virtually indestructible and makes soldering a breeze.
The next thing that makes the BYOC E.S.V. 2-Knob Bender special is the component selection. Using the highest quality and coolest looking vintage mojo parts we could muster up – carbon comp resistors, Vishay aluminum electrolytics, and Mallory axial leaded film capacitors.
But the heart and soul of any Tonebender is its transistors. The transistors in the E.S.V. series 2-Knob Bender are the most exquisite examples of Philips OC75’s. They come from the original factory sealed boxes, untouched by human hands for nearly half a century. BYOC has a very large quantity of these and it is this unique find that actually inspired the E.S.V. series. Each E.S.V. 2-Knob Bender kit comes with a hand selected set of transistors, all baring the same batch code.
So does any of this actually produce a superior sounding pedal? Here is what BYOC says: “Tone is such a subjective thing, that we don’t want to sell this product by saying that it sounds better than a similar circuit made from garden variety components and common germanium transistors. But we can say that the parts in this kit cost a little more. And if you don’t mind paying a little more for the very best, then you will not be dissappointed with the BYOC ESV 2-Knob Bender. Credit: BYOC.