Sola Sound
22Sola Sound is a pioneering British effects pedal company founded in 1964 by brothers Larry and Joe Macari, who operated the Macari's Musical Exchange shops on Denmark Street in London's Soho district. Partnering with electronics engineer Gary Hurst, they released the original Tone Bender fuzz pedal in 1965 — a revoiced take on the American Maestro Fuzz-Tone designed for the European market — ma...
Sola Sound is a pioneering British effects pedal company founded in 1964 by brothers Larry and Joe Macari, who operated the Macari's Musical Exchange shops on Denmark Street in London's Soho district. Partnering with electronics engineer Gary Hurst, they released the original Tone Bender fuzz pedal in 1965 — a revoiced take on the American Maestro Fuzz-Tone designed for the European market — making Sola Sound one of the UK's first dedicated effects pedal manufacturers. The Tone Bender became a defining sound of British rock, with Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page both wielding early models during their time in the Yardbirds, and Page continuing to drench Led Zeppelin's debut recordings in Tone Bender fuzz. Mick Ronson used one to craft the guitar tones on David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
The Tone Bender evolved through several landmark iterations — the MKI, MK1.5, Professional MKII, MKIII, and MKIV — each with distinct circuit topologies and tonal characters. In 1967, the Macaris introduced the Colorsound sub-brand, housing different effect types in distinctively colored enclosures. Under the Colorsound name, Sola Sound produced the Power Boost (a favorite of David Gilmour and Jeff Beck), the Overdriver, the Octivider, the Wah-Fuzz-Swell, the Supa Tone Bender, and the Dipthonizer, among others. The product range eventually expanded beyond pedals to include amplifiers, mixers, spring reverbs, and microphones.
Now operated by Anthony and Steve Macari from the family's London guitar shop, Sola Sound continues to produce handbuilt Tone Bender and Colorsound reissues in small batches through select British builders, including D*A*M (Differential Audio Manifestationz) of South Yorkshire and luthier Stu Castledine. The brand holds the Tone Bender trademark in the UK and Europe.
Sola Sound has 15 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Fuzz Effects Pedals and Overdrive Effects Pedals. Their gear is featured by 24 artists, with the strongest followings in Rock, Pop, and Jazz. Notable users include Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, and Billy Corgan.
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