Fuzzboxes

The Exel Shatterbox (not to be confused with the John Hornby Skewes Shatterbox) was a compact fuzz box built from the late 1960s into the […]

Overview The Shatterbox was an early ‘multi-effects’ fuzz box that combined the Hornby Skewes Treble Booster with the Zonk II. Featuring two foot switches, the […]

Overview ‘Park’ was a brand that was launched by Marshall during the mid-1960s, and along with a range of amplifiers, Park also sold its own […]

History During the 1960s, Pepe Rush ran a recording studio on Berwick Street in Soho, London. Pepe also had a workshop in a nearby mews, […]

History Marshall was one of a handful of companies with whom Sola Sound had agreements in place to build fuzz boxes. Early SupaFuzz pedals were […]

Overview WEM was one of the first major companies in the UK to offer commercial fuzz boxes, and based on the number of surviving examples […]

Overview Sola Sound released the Tone Bender MKIV, approximately during the year of 1970, during which the model was regularly advertised in Beat Instrumental & […]

Overview The original Vox Distortion Booster was designed in 1965, and was initially built by Jennings Musical Instruments (JMI) in the UK as part of […]

History The Tone Bender ‘MK1.5’ was an influential two-transistor fuzz box that was built by Sola Sound in the mid-1960s. The exact origins of the […]

History Zonk Machine fuzz boxes were manufactured during the mid-to-late 1960s and distributed by John Hornby Skewes’ now-famous musical instruments retail company in Leeds. Skewes […]

Background One of the lesser-known British Invasion-era fuzz boxes was the one that Sola Sound supplied to Dallas Music. Dallas sold a range of amplifiers […]

History Sola Sound Limited was incorporated on November 3rd, 1964, and served as the brand under which the Macari’s Musical Exchange chain of shops went […]

Overview Carlsbro was a British guitar amplifier manufacturer, founded by Stuart & Sheila Mercer in Nottingham, in 1959. Carlsbro was formally registered as a company […]

Overview The Buzzaround was developed by Jim Burns’ guitar company in the mid-1960s, and manufactured in relatively small numbers over the course of several years. […]

John Kelly (Sr) was an employee at Selmer’s Service & Repair Department during the early 1960s. At some point, likely during the mid 1960s, John […]

Overview Introduced in 1968, the Tone Bender MKIII was the latest incarnation of the series of Tone Benders that Sola Sound had been supplying to […]

Overview One of the most well-known versions of the Sola Sound Tone Bender MKII is the one that was supplied, by Sola Sound (via Macari’s […]

The Sperrin Fuzz Box was made by David Sperrin, in Southport, in the North of England. The model was advertised in the music press various […]

TVM Manchester Ltd (also known as TVM Sound) was incorporated on the 26th of September 1957, and manufactured amplifiers and PA equipment during the 1960s […]

Background G. P. Electronics was a company in Bovey Tracey, Devon, founded by inventor Gerry Pope. G. P. manufactured guitar amplifiers and PA units during […]

History Origins These early Tone Benders were built with a three-transistor fuzz circuit, based on Gibson’s 1962 Maestro Fuzz-Tone. The Maestro Fuzz-Tone was an American […]

Overview Selmer is a household name among brass and woodwind musicians, but for a brief period, the organisation’s branch in the UK offered equipment to […]

Background The Zonk II was a fuzz box that Hornby Skewes offered alongside the ZZ.1 ‘Zonk Machine’ during the period of approximately 1967 through to […]

Overview Jennings Electronic Developments (JED) was formed by Tom Jennings, following his dismissal from Jennings Musical Industries (Vox) in 1967. The vast majority of the […]

Background Rotosound was (and still is) a British manufacturer of musical instrument strings. The company was founded by James How during the 1950s, and it […]

Part 1: History Part 2: Overview Part 3: Analysis Part 4: Appendix Share your fuzz! Part 1: History The early days Ivor Arbiter was born […]