"You see, my little boy's just started to walk, and I haven't seen him bloomin' walk yet. These are the things that upset you about being on the road: the very fact that you miss fantastic occasions like that." - Robert Plant, _NME_, 23/6/73.
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Home » Studio and Live Gear
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| General Specs |
| Features: |
Top Panel: Level, Attack, Footswitch Toggle - Back Panel: Input Jack, Output Jack |
| Years in use: |
ca. 1966-June 1969, August 1971, ca. 1998 |
| Website: |
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The Sola Sound Tonebender MK II was first used when Jimmy Page switched over from the 1964 Epiphone Rivoli EB232 Bass in the Yardbirds on August 25, 1966. In a December 1968 issue of the Hit Parader, Page briefly discussed his Tonebender. Hit Parader: What's the unusual device you use on your guitar? Page: It's called a Tone Bender. I had somebody custom make it for me and I get 75% of my sound with it. It's very similar to a fuzzbox, but I can sustain notes for several minutes if I want to. It just has an on and off switch and it also has a fuzzy sound. It's not manufactured at all. A friend of mine made it by hand for me. (Ed note: guitarists interested in buying the "Jimmy Page Tonebender" may write to Gary Hurst, Macaris Musical Exchange, 100 Charing Cross Rd., London, W.C.2, England. the price is around $35.00). Page also used the Tonebender in Led Zeppelin up until June 1969, although, a one-off appearance was made on August 7, 1971 in Montreux, Switzerland. Listening to the audio recording from that night indicates a typical Page tone from that era, so it is unknown if the Tonebender was actually employed that evening. The Tonebender was last used in 1998 in the guitar solo for the title track on Walking In Clarksdale, however it stopped working during these sessions. A reissue Tonebender MK II was seen in a segment on 2008's It Might Get Loud.
Photos
The Yardbirds, March 9, 1968, Bouton Rouge TV Programme, Maison de Radio-France, Paris, France |
Led Zeppelin, March 17, 1969, TV Byen, Gladsaxe, Denmark |
Led Zeppelin, August 8, 1971 |
from It Might Get Loud, ca. 2008 |
from It Might Get Loud, ca. 2008 |
1968 Advertisement |
Receipt for Jimmy Page's Tonebender |
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Which music of Led Zeppelin do like the best?
May 31, 1948 - John Henry Bonham was born at Redditch, Worchestershire
| May 1969 - The band's debut album enters the US Top 10
| May 1969 - Recording sessions for Led Zeppelin II begin
| May 1970 - This month, the band work on new material at Bron-Y-Aur and Headley Grange
| May 3, 1971 - Richard Cole jams on Whole Lotta Love playing congas
| May 1972 - Houses Of The Holy recording sessions on location at Stargroves and Olympic studios
| May 27, 1972 - Warm-up gigs kick off in Holland for an upcoming American tour
| May 4, 1973 - Led Zeppelin gross nearly $250,000 for their performance in Atlanta, GA
| May 5, 1973 - 56,800 attend the second show of the 1973 US tour at Tampa. This sets a record for the largest attendance for a one-act performance, previously held by the Beatlesfor their Shea Stadium show in 1965
| May 10, 1974 - Swan Song Records is officially launched
| May 11, 1974 - Led Zeppelin attend an Elvis concert and are thrilled when Elvis Announces that Led Zeppelin is in the building
| May 10, 1975 - Showco ships their PA system and video screens for the Earls Court shows from Dallas to London
| May 23, 1976 - Page and Plant join Bad Company onstage at the LA Forum
| May 21, 1977 - The Houston Summit claims $500,000 in damages to their venue caused by rowdy fans
| May 1978 - The band reunite at Clearwater Castle to rehearse
| May 22, 1979 - It is officially announce that Led Zeppelin will headline at the Knebworth Festival in August
| May 15, 1980 - After many revisions the European tour dates are finalized and the band is scheduled to open in Germany
| May 15, 1980 - After many revisions the European tour dates are finalized and the band is scheduled to open in Germany
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