Cunningham Amps MK 1.6 (Silicon, BC108)

The missing link between two of the greatest fuzz circuits ever made — built by hand in New Zealand. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.

The Cunningham Amps MK 1.6 Fuzz runs into the Kauer Guitars Electroliner — Lollar Sixty-Four Stratocaster pickups — into the vintage 1957 Fender Tweed Princeton 5F2-A with a re-coned vintage Jensen P12Q. The JAM Pedals RetroVibe MK.4 joins from 03:39.

The MK 1.6 is Tim Cunningham's clever bridge between two mid-1960s legends — drawing from both the MK 1.5 Tone Bender and the Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face, sitting right in the fertile middle ground where so much classic British fuzz tone actually lived. This particular unit is built around a first-class pair of NOS BC108 silicon transistors — a brighter, tighter, more aggressive voice than the warmer germanium variants, with excellent note definition and a firm low end that cuts beautifully through a mix.

Explored from Attack cranked with Volume at amp unity (00:35), boosting the amp with fuzz volume above unity from 01:37, pushing further from 02:22, then reducing fuzz volume for less amp compression at 02:44, with extensive volume knob cleanup from 03:14. The JAM Pedals RetroVibe MK.4 joins from 03:39 with guitar volume fuzz cleanup, and Uni-Vibe on the bridge pickup with guitar volume at 10 closes the demo from 05:00.

Like every Cunningham build, the MK 1.6 is made by hand, one at a time, individually voiced to its specific pair of transistors — no two are ever exactly alike. Built on a precision-etched board with the highest quality components. The tonal range spans from sparkling cleans through tube-like overdrive to fully saturated fuzz. Attack dials up fuzz intensity, Level sets output from soft and subtle to sonic destruction — raising Level also slams the amp's input harder for beautiful overtones and natural breakup.

The three-way Gain Mode switch offers Low, Med, and High settings — Low is a bright, firm boost, High is fat, juicy, and fully saturated. Designed to provide significant volume boost — this is a fuzz that will not disappear in the mix.

Into the warm, compressed voice of the 5F2-A's single 6V6 circuit and the mid-focused alnico character of the vintage Jensen P12Q, the silicon-fueled MK 1.6 absolutely sings. The Lollar Sixty-Four single coils — scatter-wound, Alnico 5, degaussed to pre-CBS spec — give the circuit exactly the clarity and midrange it wants to chew on.

Every MK 1.6 ships with a custom carry bag, signed and numbered certificate of authenticity, and instruction card.

This is what happens when a builder understands exactly where two legends meet.

🎛️ Cunningham Amps: https://www.cunninghamamps.co.nz 🎸 Kauer Guitars: https://www.kauerguitars.com 🎛️ JAM Pedals: https://www.jampedals.com

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🎸 Kauer Guitars Electroliner | Lollar Sixty-Four Stratocaster Pickups 🎛️ Cunningham Amps MK 1.6 Fuzz | NOS BC108 Silicon Transistors | JAM Pedals RetroVibe MK.4 🔊 Vintage 1957 Fender Tweed Princeton 5F2-A | Re-coned Vintage Jensen P12Q Alnico 12"