Description:

The original mass-market fuzz box, in its earlier Kalamazoo, Michigan form. The FZ-1A is Gibson’s revision of the FZ-1 that made “Satisfaction” famous — same three-PNP-germanium-transistor topology, reworked around 2N2614/2N2613 devices running on a single 1.5V AA battery instead of two. Black wedge enclosure, Volume (with detented OFF) and Attack controls, output jack marked AMPLIFIER, attached instrument cord for your guitar.

Faceplate reads PRODUCT OF ELECTRONICS DIV. GIBSON INC., KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN. Production moved to Lincolnwood, Illinois around 1968, so this is from the earlier run.

Inside: original phenolic eyelet board, carbon composition resistors, period film and electrolytic caps, cloth-insulated leads, and the metal-can germanium transistors all present and unmolested. No hacked traces, no transistor sockets, no modern component swaps in the audio path.

Serviced and working. It arrived non-functional and has been through a professional bench service:

• A previous owner had wired the battery backwards, and the battery leaf contacts were broken, with wires simply wrapped around the remaining connections. Proper terminal lugs were soldered on and the wiring correctly re-terminated.

• The footswitch was sinking into the case; hardware was added to seat it upright.

• Both pots cleaned — smooth and quiet through the sweep, with the OFF detent working.

• Two missing case screws replaced with substitutes.

Note on the interior photos: the shot showing wires running directly to the battery cell is the pre-repair condition, included so you can see exactly what was wrong and what was original before service.

On originality: the battery contact hardware and two case screws are not original. The entire audio path — transistors, resistors, capacitors, pots, board, wiring — is original and untouched. The itemized repair invoice is included with the sale.

Cosmetics: genuine 60-year player wear, no restoration attempted. The top face shows the Fuzz-Tone silkscreen chipped and worn through in spots, with scuffing and finish loss around the footswitch collar and along the edges and corners. The control panel is legible throughout. Original numbered dial rings and knobs, with tarnish and residue on the knob caps. Grime in the crevices consistent with a pedal that lived on floors and in cases, not in a display cabinet. It looks its age.

All photos are of the actual unit. Ships [double-boxed / insured]. Happy to answer questions or grab additional photos.

Listing text written with the help of Claude (Anthropic). All condition details, repair history, and photos are the seller’s own and have been verified by me.