From Manufacturer:
The Hop Hed Fuzztone is an all germanium fuzz made in the spirit of one of rock musics most recognized vintage effects… The MK III tonebender. The Hop Hed Fuzztone faithfully reproduces Jimmy Page’s Zeppelin era tone while providing the convenience of reliability, True Bypass switching, an LED status indicator, and rock solid construction.
I was elated to receive another pedal from Cat’s-Eye. Their Mutha Fuzz (check the review) is an awesome pedal and they really are the nicest people to deal with.
The Tonebender sound is certainly one of the most imitated, with an already large selection available in the marketplace. So what can the Hop Hed offer that none of the others can?
Construction:
Ultra solid casing, like all their pedals. A deep, rich finish that not only looks fantastic but also looks very difficult to scratch.
The 3 pots feel positive to use, likewise the stomp switch. The pedal provides True Bypass switching, and an LED status indicator. Battery access is by removing the bottom plate, easily done by hand turning the rubber feet and there is also provision for a 9 Volt AC adapter (one is supplied).
All-in-all, I would have to say that the construction, both inside and out of Cat’s-Eye pedals is quite probably the best I've seen and I honestly can't see how it could be improved on. Faultless.
Sound:
I own an original Tonebender and several Sola / Colorsound variations on it, the Jumbo, Wah-fuzzes etc and so am very familiar with its very unique sound. What the Hop Hed gives is exactly this sound but minus the usual drawbacks of vintage pedals, the lack of true bypass, noise and reliability issues. Not to mention the current prices for the originals that dissuades people from taking them on the road. There is some noise with the levels up high but by the nature of the effect, you cannot have some noise but it’s certainly not a problem.
Can it nail the Page tone? yes, without a doubt but it goes without saying that you need to get the rest of the sound in place too, guitar and amp wise. I used the pedal with varying guitars, an SG, a Woodstock re-issue strat and a 1979 tele. As you would expect, they all sounded very different but produced very very useable tones.
This pedal isn’t 'plug 'n' play, it wants you to experiment and find the tones. It will respond to what you give it, back down your guitar volume or tone pot, adjust the very responsive knobs on the pedal. The Tone Control is especially good, reacting to every turn. There is also an adjustable internal trimpot to provide more dynamic control when using it in front of other pedals with less output (i.e. Tubescreamers and other overdrive pedals). If you put in the effort this pedal will reward you a million times over with some incredible tones.
Conclusion:
This pedal is very much a player’s pedal who knows about tone. It is designed to produce a more specific sound than a general fuzz unit and as mentioned, requires the player to take the time to work with the pedal. If you do this, you will be rewarded with what I think is the best Tonebender inspired fuzz on the market. This combined with the superb build quality, part selection and care to detail makes this one of the finest pedals on the marketplace and Cat’s-Eye one of the leaders in pedal building.
