The Ibanez No. 91 Tone Machine is a vintage fuzz pedal from the mid 1970s, sold under the Ibanez name but built by fOXX in California between 1974 and 1975. TONEHOME identifies it as a Steve Ridinger Associates made fOXX Tone Machine with a mere OEM branding, meaning the circuit is the fOXX design carrying Ibanez markings rather than an Ibanez original. It is a very rare pedal, though it is listed as a regular production model rather than a prototype1.
What it does
As a "tone machine" style fuzz, the pedal takes its character from the fOXX Tone Machine circuit. The fOXX original that the Ibanez version is based on sports three knobs for Tone, Gain and Volume, covering the tone shaping, the fuzz intensity and the output level2.
Why it is so rare
The No. 91 was only made during a short window, and its scarcity has a documented cause. The Ridinger company went through hard times in the mid 70s and finally ceased production, which makes the fOXX-made Ibanez pedals ephemeral today. TONEHOME puts it plainly: the Ibanez Tone Machine as well as its siblings Fuzz & Wa and Wah & Volume are as rare as hens' teeth these days1.
The No. 91 had two siblings in the same first-series line, both equally rare1:
- Ibanez No. 90 Fuzz & Wa
- Wah & Volume
This pedal has been out of production since the mid 1970s and turns up only occasionally on the used and collector market. TONEHOME notes that the Ridinger company went through hard times in the mid 70s and finally ceased production, which made the fOXX made Ibanez pedals ephemeral1.
Ibanez later returned to the fuzz name many times with pedals such as the Ibanez Tone Machine, the Ibanez No. 59 Standard Fuzz and the Ibanez 850 Fuzz Mini, but those are separate designs, not continuations of the fOXX-built original. For more on the effect type itself, see Fuzz Pedals.
Questions
Why is the Ibanez No. 91 Tone Machine so rare?
The pedal was made by Steve Ridinger's fOXX company in California, which went through hard times in the mid 1970s and finally ceased production. Because the fOXX-made Ibanez pedals were only built during that short window, roughly 1974 to 1975, they are described as rare as hens' teeth today.
Is the Ibanez No. 91 Tone Machine the same circuit as the fOXX Tone Machine?
TONEHOME identifies the pedal as a Steve Ridinger Associates made fOXX Tone Machine with a mere OEM branding, meaning Ibanez sold the fOXX circuit under its own name rather than designing a new pedal.
