Bare metal germanium Zonks available for pre-order, shipping within 14 business days of order.

The original Zonk Machine was a 3 transistor germanium fuzz derived from a Tonebender MkI and produced for a short time in the 1960’s. My version has a slightly modified circuit in that it includes a 3-way tone switch and two internal trim pots for adjusting the overall gain. These trims are important when compensating for temperature variations, as germanium transistors are very temperature sensitive and in hot conditions, the gain will increase. I produce my Zonk using high quality, professionally manufactured PCB’s. Specific transistors are selected for gain and leakage as opposed to any particular brand, and may not be exactly as pictured.

The Zonk Machine is one of the more esoteric designs on the market and has a fairly unique character. It can go from a soft reedy fuzz to all-out gain, almost overdrive in texture, but at all times there is a certain amount of gating, especially on the tail of the notes. Unlike a Fuzz Face, it will not clean up on the guitar volume. Despite the gating effects, the pedal is also capable of tremendous sustain, hanging on to the note even when it seems it ought to die. Check out the demo section for examples.

HYBRID ZONK - “THE SINK MACHINE”

There was a hybrid version of the Zonk built in the 60’s. Hybrid means it features a silicon transistor along with 2 germanium, and this version had a slightly different sound to the all-germanium Zonks. My version of the hybrid Zonk is slightly different to the original, as I have prioritised maintaining the sound of the germanium Zonk whilst offering improved temperature stability. I will be making a short run of these available using hand-wired eyelet board construction. Thereafter, I will be producing them with PCB’s.

The standard Zonk battery or external power options, and an LED indicator.