Up for sale, a 1960s JEN Elettronica Tone Bender MkII Fuzz in exceptional, 100% original condition and in perfect working order. Manufactured in Italy, this pedal traces its genesis to a partnership between Thomas Organ, JMI (Vox), and Italian guitar manufacturer Eko, who joined to form the European Musical Electronics. In 1968, upper management at EME broke off and formed JEN Elettronica, who made pedals directly for Vox and Thomas Organ, and released their own line of JEN-branded pedals. This Fuzz is identical to the Vox-branded MkII Tone Bender, loaded with the original pair of Germanium transistors (SFT 337 and SFT 363).

This Fuzz delivers the immediately recognizable sounds of the best Tone Benders, with ample aggressive bite and headroom, ranging from splatty buzzsaw sizzle to churning, biting aggression with the Attack knob dialed all the way up. It cleans up a surprising amount with the knob around noon, and the low end is very tight, ensuring optimal articulation and punchiness at all volume levels. The circuit is 100% original, including the pots and the aforementioned transistors.

The silver faceplate and cast, Hammerite-finished rugged enclosure are also identical to the MkII Tone Bender, and this is a clean example, with cosmetic wear limited to a couple small chips in the Hammerite around the edges. The silkscreen graphics on the lightly-aged silver faceplate are pristine, the original pair of chickenhead knobs are present, and the baseplate also retains its distinctive white rubber bumper and four rubber feet.