Ramble FX Twin Bender Review
Our Verdict and Summary
An aggressive and versatile fuzz pedal that can run the table between subtle breakup and aggressive, low head-room distortion. It's similar to the sound you get out of the Way Huge Swollen Pickle and EHX Big Muff, but with more control options.
For this review we tested, photographed, and recorded the Ramble FX Twin Bender. All of it is a first-hand account of the product. To support our site, you can shop via the orange Ramble FX button above at no extra cost to you.
The Twin Bender is one of three gain pedals built by Ramble FX.
It's the token fuzz pedal of the group, modeled after the Tone Bender MKII. There are two fuzz circuits inside this pedal: The MK 1.V and the MKII Pro. The MK 1.V mode has one less transistor than the MKII Pro mode for a more tame fuzz sound, though both can be quite intense.
The impede knob lets you dial down impedance to use the fuzz after a wah pedal.
While I used the Twin Bender, I found it to be a lot heavier and more modern than what I was expecting. It reminded me a lot of some of the riffs I've heard from Black Stone Cherry and Dorothy.
This is partly because fuzz tones are making a bit of a comeback in modern rock, but overall, I found the Twin Bender to be useful in both vintage and modern styles.
If you want to browse through a different type of effect, checkout our main best guitar pedals page.
Here's my demo that covers some of the settings:
Features | Point Value (%) | Ramble FX Score | Point Total |
|---|---|---|---|
1. Overall Tone Grade | 25% | 95 | 23.75 |
2. Versatility | 20% | 93 | 18.6 |
3. EQ Comprehension | 20% | 86 | 17.2 |
5. Noise Control | 15% | 77 | 11.55 |
6. Additional Filtering | 10% | 75 | 7.5 |
7. Build Quality | 10% | 95 | 9.5 |
8. Tone Quality Bump | +4 | +4 | 4 |
TOTALS | 100% | 92.1 |
Twin Bender Tone and Sound Quality
I love the right hand response with this pedal. The pick swipes, scrapes, and finger movement all have a satisfying "slide" to them, especially on the higher attack settings.
Chords sound full and ring with plenty of sustain, making for heavy chord progressions and power chord riffs.
I didn't like what I heard as much with lead licks and simple melodies, just because it felt like the sustain wasn't as prevalent.
But overall, the sound has lots of appeal at both low and high gain settings.
Any kind of crunchy or percussive rhythm sounded incredibly full and satisfying.
The Twin Bender sounds great on both high and low gain settings.
Best Fit and Context
The Twin Bender is an entirely rock-centered distortion, inspired by vintage tones while capable of that and everything since. Personally, I liked it a lot more on the rhythm side than the lead side of the technique spectrum.
However:
It's just a solid overall fuzz pedal and easily one of my favorite fuzz distortions, up to this point.
I'd recommend it highly for fans of analog stompboxes, rhythm guitarists, fans of classic rock, modern rock, or even metal.
You can tell that Ramble FX has put a lot of work into it.
How do I power the Twin Bender?
The Twin Bender can run off a 9V battery or 9V draw from a power supply. I used one of the 9V electrical outs from my Voodoo Lab ISO 5 to power mine.
Does it include a power supply?
When we unboxed the Twin Bender it did not include a power supply.
How do I set the impede knob if I'm not using a wah?
The impede control also functions as a gain setting. You can increase or decrease gain just like you would on an amplifier. For the most part, I thought it sounded fine just left at 12 o'clock.
Can I connect the Twin Bender to a computer?
There's no USB or MIDI ports on this pedal and it's fully analog, so there's no way to directly run it into a computer. However, you could record it - like I did - using a USB audio interface.
Is the Twin Bender true bypass?
Yes, and your clean signal runs through an analog circuit, thus further preserving the integrity of your tone.
Is it a good fit for bass guitar rigs?
The Twin Bender sounded pretty good with my Warwick 5-string bass, though I did dial down the gain quite a bit more. On its own, even the guitar's sound comes out pretty thick, so I think it's a decent fit to make the switch to bass.
Manuals
What are some good alternatives to the Twin Bender?
There are some similar and somewhat cheaper alternatives to the Twin Bender that we can recommend, if the price tag of boutique guitar pedals tends to scare you off:
Is it compatible with an expression pedal?
The Twin Bender does not support external expression pedal control.
The Ramble FX Twin Bender fuzz pedal.
Other Ramble FX Twin Bender Articles & Resources
Your Questions and Comments
Of all three Ramble FX pedals, this one is my favorite.
It sounds great and seems to cross a lot of style boundaries that other fuzz pedals have a hard time with.
If you have questions about the Twin Bender or other Ramble FX pedals, feel free to leave those in the comments section below and I'll do my best to help out. You can also visit the Ramble FX website for more information.
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