The BYOC E.S.V. 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"? BYOC started with a redesign of our PCB so that it would fit the larger axial leaded capacitors and carbon comp resistors and made 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!). They also made the solder pads and traces 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. They used the highest quality and coolest looking vintage mojo parts they 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. It is extraordinarily rare to find NOS components of both quality and quantity
because over time they get sold, sorted through, put back on the shelf, sold, sorted through, put back on the shelf, and sold again, until you start scraping the bottom of the barrel. The transistors in the E.S.V. series 2-Knob Bender are the most exquisite examples of
Philips OC75's we have ever seen. They come from the original factory sealed boxes, untouched by human hands for nearly half a century. BYOC have 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? Tone is such a subjective thing, that BYOC 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 they believe they 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 E.S.V. series 2-Knob Bender.
