Cunningham Amps ZONK MKI Fuzz — Vintage Gibson Guitars ES-335 — Lost in Crystal Canyons
Same pedal as my previous demo, but this time with a 1967 Gibson ES-335. Completely different tonal universe. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
This is the second Lost in Crystal Canyons x Cunningham Amps ZONK | MKI demo on the channel — the first featured a Frank Brothers Arcade goldtop with Lollar P90s. Today the 1967 Gibson TV ES-335 goes into the Benson Amps Vincent with Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander for reverb. If you want the full pedal background, the first demo covers it in detail.
The short version: the ZONK | MKI is a collaboration between Robert Hart (Lost in Crystal Canyons — guitar and gear lifestyle photographer) and Tim Cunningham (Cunningham Amps, Auckland, New Zealand). Two fully independent NOS germanium circuits in one solid steel enclosure — a Zonk Machine on the left toggle position, a Tone Bender MKI on the right — each built to Tim's exacting hand-matched standard. Two knobs: Fuzz (left, gain) and Level (right, output). One battery kill switch. Single-digit production drops.
What the ES-335 brings to this pairing that the P90-loaded goldtop doesn't: the humbuckers and semi-hollow construction push a rounder, thicker low-end into both circuits, making the Zonk Machine warmer and the Tone Bender MKI's bark more mid-forward. The neck pickup on the 335 into the Zonk at high Fuzz is an entirely different animal than a P90 bridge. The guitar volume cleanup is extraordinary — the 335's humbuckers respond to the NOS germanium transistors in a way that rewards slow, deliberate volume knob work.
First demo (Frank Brothers Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_CSIo9B5i8
Robert Hart: https://www.instagram.com/lostincrystalcanyons/
Tim Cunningham: https://www.instagram.com/cunninghamamps/
🔊 Benson Amps Vincent: https://www.bensonamps.com/amps/vincent
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🎸 1967 Gibson TV ES-335
🎛️ Lost in Crystal Canyons x Cunningham Amps ZONK | MKI | NOS Germanium | Zonk Machine + Tone Bender MKI
🔊 Benson Amps Vincent
Recording: Royer R121 & SM57 on cab | Royer R10 on room
