WTDP?: When and why did you start making effects pedals?
Sayer: I repaired a lot of pedals as a regular task for years while working at a vintage store, here in Minneapolis. That became a really formative era for how I construct my pedals now. The owner, he really helped me conceive products from a design perspective. It really insured that I could avoid falling into so many weak concepts and appreciate what really makes something work right. On the other side, I sometimes wonder if that has led me to be a control freak about the production process. It’s why I try to do everything myself. I designed all the circuits one at a time 8 hours a day for two months. I do my own web page and graphic design, as well as circuit board printing, populating and wiring. That type of obsession is pretty unheard of in the industry.

WTDP?: At what point did you realize ‘Hey, I might be able to make a little money doing this.’?
Sayer: I liked the idea of doing the pedal thing because I felt like I was ready to be a business owner and I felt that I could flip my experience into manufacturing side and use it to my advantage. Coming out of Minneapolis, I had great role models. I remember being totally blown away the first time I saw the Z-Vex stuff and Lauren of Blackbox is a really nice guy. I started selling pedals branded as Heavy Electronics in October 2007. So much has changed since then. A little over a year ago I was painting pedals on my front deck. Now I have a multi point production line capable of providing hundreds of pedals monthly. I added 16 dealers in the first year and took Modern Builder in the effects edition for Premier Guitar. I feel so lucky.

WTDP?: Is there a stomp out there you wish you had made?
Sayer: I kind of have a rogue’s gallery. I’m always impressed by the quality of the Lehle stuff. I can still remember opening one and being totally shocked to see a Lundahl transformer in there. I love the creativity of the old EH stuff although reliability is so-so. The Roland Jet Phaser is a pretty cool pedal, cooler than the Bee Baa in my opinion. The Ibanez AD-80 is a favorite for delay although I rarely use delay in my own playing.

WTDP?: What’s on your workbench right now?
Sayer: Nothing, I’m sold out of pedals and waiting for more materials to come in. It’s a great feeling. In my dining room I have a breadboard with a ring mod and a repeat percussion on it. Maybe thats what you’re more interested in. I’ve been working pretty hard on modulation circuits and those two are pretty close. I’ll be releasing both of them soon but its in the background of updating the production line to fit the demand I deal with.

WTDP?: You’ve got free reign to assemble your dream trio. If you’re on guitar, who’s playing bass and drums (alive or dead)?
Sayer: I think Tchaikovsky would have been a great bass player, really, think about it. Todd Trainer on Drums. It’s just a personal loyalty.

Thanks, Sayer!

WTDP?: When and why did you start making effects pedals?
Steve: After Hurricane Katrina I was looking to replace the gear I had lost in the storm and was shopping for a pedal, but I just couldn’t find exactly what I wanted. Electronics has been a hobby for longer than guitar so the two finally met and the first LLE pedal was designed and built. A few friends saw the pedal and asked me to build one for them, and then a few more. And then a few more. One day my phone starts ringing from people who were given my number asking if I could build one for them. I definitely didn’t start out thinking “I’m going to build pedals”… it just happened.

Things have progressed to the point now that I need some help with the builds so my wife, Brandi, and our son, John, both help out – Brandi does all of the graphics on the pedal as well as handling the paperwork side of the business and John helps with shipping and keeping the shop clean. I couldn’t do any of this without their help and support.

WTDP?: At what point did you realize ‘Hey, I might be able to make a little money doing this.’?
Steve: If that day ever comes, I’ll let you know.

WTDP?: Is there a stomp out there you wish you had made?
Steve: Pretty much any pedal Mike, at Analogman, has designed. The man has a gift.

WTDP?: What’s on your workbench right now?
Steve: A few empty cans of Red Bull, various tools, parts and pedals in various stages of design. And before anybody asks (again) at the current time, no, I don’t plan on introducing a true overdrive, although some people do use the Flying Dragon as an OD. Unless I can design something totally unique and different in an OD, well, the world has enough TS-based pedals already. I have a few other prototypes in the works as well, so we’ll see what happens.

WTDP?: You’ve got free reign to assemble your dream trio. If you’re on guitar, who’s playing bass and drums (alive or dead)?
Steve: Anybody crazy enough to actually get on stage with me.

Thanks Steve!

WTDP?: When and why did you start making effects pedals?
Chris: Well, back in the summer of 2007, my good friend Jim and I were complaining about the way current amplifier and effects designs always falling a little short of excellence. We were annoyed at how people spent too much time focusing on things that don’t matter, and not enough time making a really great piece of equipment. We decided we wanted to start designing and building our own amplifiers. We were so damn excited and we got a little bit ahead of ourselves when we discovered that its going to take a TON of money to start building amps. Oops. So, we decided to start building capital by doing repairs. Sweet! …but then we realized that there was no way we would make the money we needed doing repairs.

Jim has years and years of experience in analog and digital design, as well as experience in the aerospace industry. He went to electronics tech school in the Air Force, and even worked with magnetic media. The dude is literally an electronics encyclopedia. Scratch that, he’s an EVERYTHING encyclopedia. I was just getting started with electronics, but was eager to get hands on and dirty. We decided we would try to do effects. It wasnt too expensive to get started, and the resources for the design of these circuits was abundant. So, we dove in.

We decided to make reproductions of classic effects first, then go with original designs. Our flagship is the Wattson Classic Superfuzz. So far,so good. The Superfuzz circuit has a very hardcore following, and with good reason. The thing sounds insane. It’s massive and nasty and loud and crazy, but it sounds divine. We KNEW we had to do it right. So we spent about 6 months on R&D, and when we finally got it out, the response was overwhelmingly positive. I love building effects and I love hearing the stories of people who use them. Jim and I are total gear nerds, and its awesome to get to talk to fellow gear whores every day.

WTDP?: At what point did you realize ‘Hey, I might be able to make a little money doing this.’?
Chris: We havent realized it yet. Ha, ha ha! Honestly, we aren’t in this to get rich, but we do want to have a company grounded in rock steady principles of quality and reliability, and we have been working our hands to the bone to do it. We have almost completely emptied our pockets into this, but we are hoping to make enough so we can pay for a good sized shop, some employees, and enough wood to make a bajillion amplifier cabs. Our main focus is amps, and we are working our way up to that.

WTDP?: Is there a stomp out there you wish you had made?
Chris: Ha, ha… all of them? Well, I wish I could have been a part of the design of any of the Electro-Harmonix stuff, but mostly just the DMM (Deluxe Memory Man). That pedal is amazing and has such a hardcore following.

WTDP?: What’s on your workbench right now?
Chris: Pliers, screwdrivers, a bunch of germanium diodes, a soldering iron, cables, cat hair, my dignity… you know, the usual.

WTDP?: You’ve got free reign to assemble your dream trio. If you’re on guitar, who’s playing bass and drums (alive or dead)?
Chris: Woah, hard question. Drums would ABSOLUTELY without a doubt be Jason McGerr of Death Cab For Cutie. Bass would have to be Nick Harmer, also of Death Cab For Cutie. Honestly, they have such a rock solid rhythm section, they can’t be beat. Well, in my opinion anyways. Jason is an extraordinary drummer… he can do anything. He can be soft and blow your head clean off, or he can go hard and destroy the universe. And nick? Damn. He’s just locked in. He’s got such a great feel and his tone is perfect… plus they are the nicest dudes ever.

Thanks Chris!

WTDP?: When and why did you start making effects pedals?
Brad: My first “attempt” at pedal assembly was a Craig Anderton Tube Sound Fuzz kit that I bought from Paia around 2000 or so. I immediately butchered it. I ended up requesting help from a fellow that I knew through the internet named Joe Delisi. That was the beginning of a great friendship and a lasting partnership. Joe has worked with me from day one (at Tone Factor) and is now one of the main builders for Mojo Hand, doing assembly on the Huckleberry, Mule and Copperhead. I’ve had so much help from people in the effects community. I can’t take much credit. Some of the best builders in the business are responsible for what’s under the hood of the Mojo Hand effects. I’m just lucky enough to count them amoung my friends.

WTDP?: At what point did you realize ‘Hey, I might be able to make a little money doing this.’?
Brad: My story and approach are probably very different than a lot of pedal builders out there. I sort of stumbled my way into manufacturing from my involvement in the retail side of the business. I never went through the “pedal building as a hobby” phase like most guys. Mojo Hand started out as the Tone Factor Custom Shop, before eventually splitting into it’s own company. It was basically a promotional thing that took on a life of it’s own. I was shocked the fist time another dealer contacted me about carrying some of my pedals. That’s the first time that I realized that we may really be on to something.

WTDP?: Is there a stomp out there you wish you had made?
Brad: I’d have to go with a classic and say the Big Muff. It’s such a ubiquitous sound, and a huge part of several records that I love.

WTDP?: What’s on your workbench right now?
Brad: We have a killer new Flanger scheduled to come out next month called the 770. It’s had great response from testers and I’m really looking forward to the release.

WTDP?: You’’ve got free reign to assemble your dream trio. If you’re on guitar, who’s playing bass and drums (alive or dead)?
Brad: I’m going to go with a couple of classics again and say Geezer Butler on bass and John Bonham on drums. If these guys could find a new guitar player they’d be doing alright.

Rock on, Brad!

WTDP?: When and why did you start making effects pedals?
Bill: As usual with the mainstream market, I couldn’t find anything with the sound I wanted. Boutique stuff seemed to be only clones of the same mainstream stuff, so I decided I would study up and build my own.
 
WTDP?: At what point did you realize ‘Hey, I might be able to make a little money doing this.’?
Bill:Some friends liked the sounds and options and wanted to buy them from me and it hit me that I could make an income out of this… and it just escalated from there! Now we’re being distributed worldwide!
 
WTDP?: Is there a stomp out there you wish you had made?
Bill: There are alot of awesome effects (builders) out there, my personal favorites are Moog and Electro-Harmonix, but really when I think of an effect I wish I made, I just make my own version of it! Not to toot my own horn and definitely not to knock the other guys, but mine usually turn out better! Tougher construction, better warranty, more options, etc… I would put my effects up against any in the industry and feel completely confident.
 
WTDP?: What’s on your workbench right now?
Bill: I’m finishing up prototyping on two things right now. The first being a pedal called the RUB. It’s a pulling vibration type modulator with several lo-fi EQs to choose from. Makes it sound like youre hearing yourself play on a bad cassette tape with dying batteries. The second is called the FOAM filter. its an optical super envelope filter with options to have an LFO control the filter sweep rather than the guitar dynamics. I’ll also have a seriously tricked out phaser and some other surprises coming this winter.
 
WTDP?: You’’ve got free reign to assemble your dream trio. If you’re on guitar, who’s playing bass and drums (alive or dead)?
Bill: Drums would be my friend Jesse Sprinkle – the best drummer and most amazing human being on the planet. Bass would have to be Tim Commeford from Audioslave/Rage Against The Machine fame, or Dirk Lemmenes from the late band Stavesacre.

Thanks Bill!

WTDP?: When and why did you start making effects pedals?
Greg: I started making pedals around May 2006. I made a few various pedals but locked in on doing the Precision Overdrive after a few months. I made a trip to LA and was able to get the pedals in the hands of some great players with great ears and they liked ‘em – so from there I knew I had something to build on. Before that I had been putting together pedalboard and rack systems for local players (Austin, Dallas, and Houston). I was using a bunch of modified Boss and Ibanez pedals in the systems I was building, when the quality of the mods declined and it became difficult to get pedals moded in a reasonable time frame, I started modifying them myself. My customers really liked the pedal mods I was doing so I decided to do a few pedals from scratch. From that point on I’ve been hooked.

WTDP?: At what point did you realize ‘Hey, I might be able to make a little money doing this.’?
Greg: You can make money at this? As soon as I get out of the red I’ll get back to you on that one.

WTDP?: Is there a stomp out there you wish you had made?
Greg: I wish I had come up with the 3Xfx Fatman / V2. At the recent pedalfest in Austin I thought that pedal was great and it was the most original idea I had seen in a very long time. I love the creativity of the 3Xfx stuff. Oh yea, and anything done by Jeorge Tripps – I love his work! He has great ears and is amazingly creative. His Foot Pig is one of my favorite pedals ever.

WTDP?: What’s on your workbench right now?
Greg: Right now it looks like my tool box threw up on my bench. It’s time to do a little housekeeping. I have a few Precision Overdrive boards that I’m working on and I am troubleshooting a pedal system that I’m doing for a friend of mine where I’m putting four (4) pedals and an A/B box (for tuner mute) into one enclosure ala Pete Cornish. It’s all XTS Custom Pedals – a Precision Overdrive, a distortion circuit I’m working on that has a few different types of clipping, a rotary chorus that’s similar to a Boss CE-2 but with a little more speed, and a digital delay that I have been doing that sounds very echo plexy and has about 600ms. I hope to have it up and running very soon.

WTDP?: You’ve got free reign to assemble your dream trio. If you’re on guitar, who’s playing bass and drums (alive or dead)?
Greg: Wow – man that’s a tough one – I think Steve Bragg came up with the best rhythm section every. So until Steve’s rhythm becomes available I guess my rhythm section would be Pino Palladino on bass and Carter Beauford on drums. I think the groove out of those guys would be amazing. Let me know if Pino and Carter become available – I’ve already booked the gigs.

Thanks Greg!

WTDP?: When and why did you start making effects pedals?
Eric: I built an Electra distortion when I was in high school, but I didn’t really start to build pedals until a couple years ago.

WTDP?: At what point did you realize ‘Hey, I might be able to make a little money doing this.’?
Eric: When I started learning how to modify existing circuits, and realized that if I got it down, I could come up with my own stuff, and I could learn to build things fast enough that I could make a fair amount of money for my time.

WTDP?: Is there a stomp out there you wish you had made?
Eric: Such a tough question! I seriously don’t know how to answer. I guess I wish I came up with the Klon or some other coveted fuzz with a waiting list, not for the money but because I find the exclusiveness kind of crazy! Man that was a dumb answer…

WTDP?: What’s on your workbench right now?
Eric: Some custom stuff- a Wolf Computer Deluxe and a Hi Five Deluxe… some screenprinted Singing Tree’s, and a 1940′s Magnatone amp to work on for fun.

WTDP?: You’ve got free reign to assemble your dream trio. If you’re on guitar, who’s playing bass and drums (alive or dead)?
Eric: I don’t really follow musicians very much, but whoever could play a small drum kit with brushes and someone with like a cool Music Master bass or something like that. Something mellow.

Thanks Eric!

WTDP?: When and why did you start making effects pedals?
Geoff: It was all our wives’ doing. Barry had been building and designing on-board bass preamps for his step-son’s custom lutherie business, and I was in the middle of doing an oil finish on a partscaster. The ladies had this vision of us building custom guitars, but we decided that stompboxes were a better fit for our interests and expertise.

WTDP?: At what point did you realize ‘Hey, I might be able to make a little money doing this.’?
Geoff: Right from the beginning, I think, and that’s exactly how it’s turned out – a little money. But realizing that we needed an employee and could afford to pay someone, taking our first paychecks, additions to the product line; those have all been good days.

WTDP?: Is there a stomp out there you wish you had made?
Geoff: Yeah, but we haven’t made it – yet.

WTDP?: What’s on your workbench right now?
Geoff: Die-cut vinyl samples, the Gold Master prototype of the MB-1, and a stack of 6550s and KT-88s.