Company Interviews
Ernie Ball
If you play guitar, you have undoubtably seen, and most likely have used, Ernie Ball strings. Users swear by their Slinky's! But Ernie Ball is much more than just strings. They sell straps, pedals, cables, picks, etc. - and, the also own Music Man, makers of some fabulous guitars & basses. They got it all. (Full disclosure: I amp a kick-@$$ Music Man tube amp from the late seventies - it still rocks!)
I was fortunate enough to chat with Brian Ball about the company.
Me: "Hey Brian, thanks for chatting with me. So, give me the rundown - where do you make all of this great…
Mayes Pickups
One man, a cool idea, an awesome new guitar pickup. That's Trinity, from Mayes Pickups.
You've probably never seen anything like these pickups, a novel tri-coil design. And they sound great! Take a listen.
I got to chat with Adam Mayes, founder and owner of Mayes Pickups about his product.
Me: "Hi Adam. Tell me about Mayes Pickups."
Adam: "We're a small start up - my wife and myself only. I had an idea for a new style of electric guitar pickup and I made it. It sounded good, so I built a company out of it. I just praise God that I live in a country where I can…
de Lisle Guitars
Here's a pure gem of a company. Located in our nation's heartland of Zionsville, Indiana, Jer de Lisle creates everything a guitarists needs: Guitars, Amps, & Pedals. All American-Made, all rockin'!
I got to chat with Jer to find out about him and his company de Lisle.
Me: "When did you start de Lisle?"
Jer: "I built my first guitar sometime in the mid-90s. Around that same time, my father gave me a tattered old electronics book with a green cover and yellowed pages--looked like something he used in school. It wasn't long before I was working on my own amps. Things just…
Jarret Guitars
I've been playing guitar for decades now, and like many longtime guitarists I suffer from GAS.
When you look at the collection of someone afflicted with GAS, you often can see some commonality in the choices. Maybe it's an appreciation for hollow-bodies. Or maybe an affinity for '80s hair-metal axes.
Me, I like wood. Stain, no paint. No pickguard. I like to see the wood grain.
So, when Dave Gonsalves sent me a link to Jarrett Guitars, I was immediately smitten. Lots of wood - pure & natural. Just beautiful.
I had a conversation with Jack Camarda, the Managing…
Mack Amps
Every now and then I get an email from someone letting me know about a great American music gear company that's missing from Patriot Music. This past week I got an email from Dave Gonsalves telling me about three great companies I missed! And not only that, but Dave raved about each of the companies, and even gave me contact info so that I could interview them. That is one happy and loyal customer!So, I contacted the first company on the list, Mack Amps of Ontario Canada, and talked to Don Mackrill, owner and boutique amp guru.
Me: "Hi Don. Your products obviously generate…
Deering Banjos
Deering Banjos was introduced to me via email by an ardent fan. "You've got to put Deering on your site!" she said. Never having played a banjo, I'd never heard of Deering. But I found their website and after some reading I quickly realized that Deering is THE name in banjos.
I emailed Deering to ask if they'd be interested in an interview, and they warmly agreed. I chatted with Gary Hill, Deering's Vice President of Marketing.
Me: "Hi Gary. Where is Deering located?"
Gary: "Spring Valley, California, outside of San Diego."
Me: "How's business? Is Deering…
Empress Effects
I like to play around with a whole bunch of different instruments. 
Drums, keyboards, bass, vocals. But I'm a guitar player first. And like most guitarists, no matter how many guitars, amps, or effects we may have, we're always looking for "that better sound" that we don't currently have.
So, I'm always interested when a new company comes around, especially a cool new effects company like Empress Effects. I got to chat about Empress Effects with Dan Junkins, whose title is VP of Awesomeness.
Me: "Hi Dan. So, where are you located? And where do you make your products?"
Dan:…
Axiom Audio
One of the last items I picked up for my basement home studio was the studio monitors. Trying to find a domestically made pair of speakers that fit into my budget was very difficult. Same for an inexpensive domestic speaker amplifier. I was griping about it to a Canadian friend of mine who immediately said "Check out Axiom".
I googled them, found their website, and really liked what I saw. Decades of receiving awards, fantastic reviews, killer-low prices, free shipping, and made just north in Canada. I was sold - so I ordered an Audiobyte, in black. Just a few days later it…
Blue Microphones
There are many microphone companies. Most are based upon analog recording technology and are priced according to how many features they add to the same sonic signature (capsule)—the more the better. Also, have you ever noticed that most microphones look pretty much the same too—black, silver, black, silver. Well, there is one company out there that completely breaks the rules when it comes to microphones. Blue Microphones, founded by a professional musician and recording engineer from Latvia in the early 1990’s has focused from the beginning on creating with an eye to the future,…
Pintech USA
Just this past week I got an email from Lorrie Landry, Manager extraordinaire at Pintech USA. Pintech is the last and only USA manufacturer of electronic percussion. She had found this site, and wanted to be added. I of course obliged her request, but then I got curious. So I checked out their website and liked what I saw there. Lots of high quality and innovative equipment. Perusing their testimonial page I saw that this company has generated some real brand loyalty too. A long list of artists also stand behind (or sit?) their product. You can check out their myspace page too.
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Seymour Duncan
I've messed around with many brands of pickups in the various guitars I've owned over the years. But in my humble opinion, Seymour Duncan makes the best. I have a Phat Cat P-90 in the neck position of my '78 Gibson Les Paul (and you don't normally pull out Gibson pickups, 'cause they rock too), and when I decided to build my own guitar from scratch I went with two Quarter Pound Flats.
I contacted Seymour Duncan to learn about the company and was lucky enough to talk to Evan Skopp, the Vice President Marketing.
Me: "Where do you manufacturer your gear?"
Evan Skopp: "Every…
Audix
While I've owned many different microphones over the years, the two in my mic cabinet that get the most use are the Audix OM-2 for live stuff, and the Audix VX-5 for recording. They're both solid, phenomenal sounding, and priced very competitively. And of course, they're Made in America.
I had a brief chat with Cliff Castle, one of the co-founders of Audix, and he gave me the scoop about the company.
Me: "When was Audix founded?"
Cliff Castle: "Back in 1984. We started out in Redwood City California, but in 1991 we moved our home base to Wilsonville, Oregon."
Me:…
D'Addario
I became a dedicated user of D'Addario strings over a decade ago. Why? Well, of course they make great strings, and of course the strings are made in the USA. But the reason I became sold on their strings is because they pack them in a plastic pouch with patented Corrosion Intercept Technology which gives them infinite shelf life. That may sound like a strange reason, but I'd been burned too many times opening a "fresh" set of another brand's strings packed in those little paper envelopes only to find them already rusting. With D'Addario strings you can buy in bulk and never worry…