Though they’ve been part of the electric guitar
scene for nearly half a century,
stompbox builders have always had
something of a reputation for being odd outsiders,
maybe even a little romantic—in that
garage-entrepreneur kind of way. Luthiers? It’s
easy to imagine them as crabby old cobblers
and cabinetmakers, clad in overalls, bifocals,
and tweed. But pedal makers—they’re a cross
between some Manhattan Project dropout and
a greaser chopping a ’49 Mercury on the front
lawn. A little bit weird, an affront to the status
quo, and most certainly up to no good.
Like any legend, it’s partly true (just have
a look at some of the oddities among the
30 pedal reviews elsewhere in this issue).
But for all its fringe tendencies, the world
of independent and boutique stompbox
builders is fast transforming into a brave
new world of refined craft, high technology,
creatively applied engineering, and
soundscapes yet unexplored. And, ultimately,
the transformation is a boon to
us, the players. Because whether a pedal
is designed to capture the unholy fuzz of
some all-germanium obscurity made for
three days in 1967 or help us make wholly
original sounds, boutique builders are
helping guitarists be more expressive and
creative than ever.
The five stompbox builders profiled here
are among the most inventive and respected
in the trade. They are certainly not the
only innovators in the pedal industry, but
they represent a cross section of the traditionalists
and the tweakers who continue
to make our artistic and tonal pursuits
an adventure.
Strymon
Red Witch
Mad Professor
Crowther Audio
Empress Effects