Incredible Point to-Point Zonk Machine MKII NOS Silicon Fuzz | Reeves Electro ZO
Reeves Electro returns to the channel with the ZO — Markus Reeves' Zonk Machine MKII silicon fuzz, built from NOS components and voiced for exceptional touch sensitivity. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
The Reeves Electro ZO pairs with the Gronlund Guitars SC18 loaded with TV Jones TV Classic pickups, into the Greer Amps Mini Chief with a Scumback S75-PVC 8-ohm 65W speaker. The Effectrode Tube Vibe joins from 09:43.
The ZO is Markus Reeves' homage to the John Hornby Skewes Zonk Machine MKII — hand-built with a matched pair of NOS silicon transistors, period-correct resistors, and quality film and electrolytic capacitors in a minimalist, vintage-leaning circuit. True to the Zonk family lineage, the ZO sits somewhere between a fuzz and an overdrive — fast on the pick, rich in harmonics, animated in the upper mids without ever tipping into icepick territory.
Into a clean amp, the ZO delivers tight, articulate fuzz with a dry, percussive edge — chords stay separated, single notes have stringy bite, palm mutes thwack rather than flub. Roll the guitar volume back to 6-7 and it opens into a rawer, glassy drive that keeps the Zonk's characteristic rasp. Into a pushed amp at the edge of breakup, the ZO fattens into violin-like sustain with chewy compression — spit and snarl on attack that smooths as notes bloom, ideal for riff rock, proto-punk grind, and psychedelic leads.
Three controls, uniquely named: Drift (a fuzz/bias hybrid control simulating how original component values drift over decades — explored across its full range from 01:43 through 07:54), Texture (adds graininess and affects decay character — explored from 02:08 and returning as a favorite setting at 07:30), and Swell (output level, capable of pushing well above unity to slam the amp — explored from 04:47).
The guitar volume knob interacts with the ZO uniquely — not like a Fuzz Face, not like a Rangemaster, but its own three-channel-like sweep: saturated Zonk roar at 10, textured overdrive at 7, sparkly treble-tilted bite around 5. All three settings explored directly in the volume knob cleanup comparison from 04:09.
At the extreme low end of all three controls (explored from 08:42), the ZO produces crumbly, cracking, broken sound design textures — a genuinely different use case from the fuzz tones covered earlier in the demo.
Have you played a Zonk-style fuzz? Drop your favorite ZO settings and preferred amp pairing in the comments.
🎛️ Reeves Electro ZO: https://reeveselectro.co.uk 🎸 Gronlund Guitars: https://www.gronlundguitars.com 🔊 Greer Amps: https://www.greeramps.com
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🎸 Gronlund Guitars SC18 | TV Jones TV Classic Filter'Trons 🎛️ Reeves Electro ZO | Zonk Machine MKII Silicon | NOS Transistors | Drift / Texture / Swell | Effectrode Tube Vibe 🔊 Greer Amps Mini Chief | 3W | Class A | Scumback S75-PVC 8-Ohm 65W
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R121 & R10 | Ableton Live 12
