Editors note: names have been changed to protect the innocent.

1- When did you get started with electronics?

Well Todd, mind if i call you Todd since i dont know how to pronounce gry-gry-gry-g-r-x? Back in the mid 1980s i caught a bug, not the kind of bug that makes you throw up every time you eat your moonpie snack, the kind of bug only a synthesizer could cure…the problem, i was too poor to have one. But a great thing was on the horizon…the yamaha DX7, the keyboard that started the digital revolution and making all those keyboardists ditch their sweet sweet synthesizers for that crappy rhodes sound the DX7 would produce. Whew, I’m a little winded, mind if I sit down Todd? Will you hand me that Shasta? Thanks, now where were we…oh yes, so now it’s the early 1990s and synths that were once $5000.00 were now a mere $150.00, i snatched them up faster than…well you get the point. Thanks for having me here by the way, i really like what you’ve done with the place.
What were we talking about? oh yes, come sit on my lap and we’ll finish this up. All was well until i started getting synthesizers that “work perfect” and the ones that used to work perfect are now not working so perfect…will you take off that shirt? The color offends me…i didn’t want to mention that earlier but now my eye sockets are starting to hurt.

Um…oh yes, luckily i have a father that is an electrical engineer and helped me diagnose and sometimes even fix my poor battered synthesizers…i tried to do most of them myself so i could learn the ways of electricity and electrical whatnots…I’m not proud to say, but i’ve left many a synth worse off than when i got my hands on them…will you hand me that box of tissues Todd.

2- Where did the name of your company come from?

Wow Todd, were already on question Two? i was unaware that there would be more than one question. Okay, in 2004 or 5 i dont remember the EXACT year, my close friends and very talented musicians Adam Grossman, Dwayne Dassing and I were in a band…oh and some previously unheard of guy named Paul Barker wanted in on the project. The project didn’t have a name at this point so we consulted many a magic 8 ball to see what we would be called…i was up late one morning watching jewelry television, trying to get a deal on a new pair of cubic zircon earrings when my poodle stepped on the remote control…it was a show about Mark Chapman, he told his wife he needed to go from Hawaii, to New York for inspiration to write a children’s book called Malekko the Gecko…but then he got all sidetracked with killing John Lennon and the book was never published or something like that. I called up my music buddies and they agreed, Malekko it was. Mal in Latin is Bad and an ekko is sort of a sound….so it is bad-sound. The band dissolved, mostly because of Pauls out of time playing.

During the band time, Paul asked me if me or my father could replicate his “secret weapon” he relied on in some band “Ministry” and “REVCO”, i know, i’ never heard of them either..due to the fact that the other “clones” although nice in their own regard weren’t actually “CLONES”…I’m so sorry Todd, look at me ramble on…music project failed, pedal company emerged, name stayed the same. I’m so sorry for going on like that…it just brings back some wonderful memories…

3- What’s your favorite effect made by someone else?

Oh Todd, that’s a tough one, there are so many great effects out there, where do i begin, the Foxrox TZF is great, anything Skreddy…I’m just gonna stop there, you know how long winded i can be! By the way, are your shorts ultrasuade? they are H-O-T!!!

4- What’s the favorite effect you make?

Gosh, This is tough, it changes so often, if it’s a effect that has been officially been released, the E600D, but if it’s a yet to be released effect i’d have to say the Throbbing Mass…oh wait i’ve said too much!

4.5- Favorite Fuzz

Todd, as you well know, Favorite fuzz depends on sooooo many variables, the Silicon B:ASSMASTER is my favorite on a stringed Bass, but the Germ B:ASSMASTER is better on a bass synth, but ones that i dont make are the cognitive dissonance by Skreddy, the Mingebox and I have a Haunting Mids fuzz that also blows me away!

5- What instruments do you play? Skill level at each?

I’m a synthesist, on a level higher than Yanni!

6- Is making effect pedals your primary gig? If not, what is?

yup. What’s with all the questions? Oh, i forgot…it’s an interview

7- Do you think about bass players before or after you prepare a circuit?

It depends on a circuit, for example we are about to release an analog octave divider, most analog octave dividers work fantastic on a guitar but we have yet to find one that is Great with a bass…even from “bass effect manufacturers” So we set out to make one, and months and months later, i believe we have it. Realistically Todd, we think about all types of musicians, i think how is a bass gonna sound, how would vocals sound etc. we actually TEST our designs on synth, guitar and bass guitar to see how well they respond.

8- How many pedals do you sell a month?

Todd, I’m not a salesman, i dont sell any…why, do you want to buy one? Because if you do i will sell you one…or maybe trade you for those loafers you got on.

9- Triplet :

• E-bay: Savior or Curse?
  Well before Ebay it was a LOT harder to find an Original Bette Midler autographed VHS tape of “beaches”…now i can get one 7 days a week. But i do hate how Ebay is killing the Pawnshop, i used to go “pawnshopping” at least once a week…i haven’t done that in years..because i think if people need money, they just sell something on Ebay instead of taking 1/16 the price from a pawn shop.

  But i do think Ebays fees are a little high, and PayPal is the devil…i’ve been ripped off as both a buyer and a seller…and Paypal does nothing.

  Also theres a fella named Karim in Australia that found a “sweet” loophole in Paypal resulting in him getting a free Swankbox B:ASSMASTER…that blows because a small company like ours really feels that kind of loss.

• Bassplayers: Foreground or Background?
  both.
• Color: Chartreuse or Magenta?
  My favorite colors are clear, pink, and Glow-in-the dark. Speaking of pink your thong is sticking out of your shorts…you may want to fix that…or not…

10- Any cool products in the pipeline you want to share?

Well, I already mentioned the Oct Down for Bass, we have a sequencer coming along, i believe there are some youtube videos of the prototype out there…the first video is long and boreing, but the pt 2 and 3 start to show where the sequencer really shines, there are a few features that have never been done before..other than that, we have about 4 or so other designs we’re working on so stay tuned

11- Anything else you want to add?

Todd, it’s been a real pleasure spending this time with you, i feel as though we are close friends now and have shared so many facets of our lives with each other.

Will you point me in the direction of your bathroom, i really have to pee, ya know, my pee has been smelling a lot like coffee lately, even when I’m not drinking coffee. Does yours do that sometimes?

1- When did you get started with electronics?

when i was a kid i guess.i was one of those kids that like to pull things apart to see how they work.
i got serious about it in my teens and early 20’s. i was a recording engineer and went to college
for electronics engineering so i could fix my own equipment.the studio folded and the repair business kind of took over.

2- Where did the name of your company come from?

actually, a friend just suggested it one day. i liked the way it sounded so i kept it.

3- What’s your favorite effect made by someone else?

i’m kind of mental for the early 80’s small box rats with no l.e.d.. they sound great regardless of the amp
you play them through and they’re insanely well built.

4- What’s the favorite effect you make?

recently i’ve been using the catastrofuzz for all my dirt/fuzz needs and i dif it quite a bit.

4.5- Favorite Fuzz

it would be a toss up between the aforementioned rats and catastrofuzz.i’m a sucker for overdriven
marshall type tones and like pedals that can do that sound as well as go a little into
fuzz territory as well.

5- What instruments do you play? Skill level at each?

drums – my father is a drummer and i started getting lessons before i can remember.
guitar- i’m proficient i guess.i’ve been playing for about 20 years.
bass – started playing bass between drums and guitar some time.i’m ok at best.
banjo,lap steel,piano – i’m terrible at all of these but enjoy playing them anyway.

6- Is making effect pedals your primary gig? If not, what is?

no.i’m a repair guy. i do mostly tube audio repairs and tube amp builds.effects pedals have become
a huge part of what i do over the last couple of years. i enjoy building pedals though and do it
whenever i have time.

7- Do you think about bass players before or after you prepare a circuit?

definitely before.there are issues specific to low frequency heavy instruments and certain
things i want to hear from a bass effect. so it’s always easiest for me to start out with a specific
goal in mind and work from there.

8- How many pedals do you sell a month?

it varies pretty wildly due to the way i operate.i would hazard to guess on average 10-12.

9- Triplet :

• E-bay: Savior or Curse?

curse

• Bassplayers: Foreground or Background?

foreground,of course.

• Color: Chartreuse or Magenta?

magenta

10- Any cool products in the pipeline you want to share?

not really at the moment – i’ve always got ideas but it may be a while before i get to implement them.

11- Anything else you want to add?

just want to say thanks to you for your site. it’s always awesome to meet a fellow fuzz junkie.

1- When did you get started with electronics?

With building pedals in 2002. I toyed around with electronics a little before in my youth but the idea of making noise makers is the thing that really got me hooked.

2- Where did the name of your company come from?

It was actually on a short list of names that we had for a band I was in. The guitar player pointed out that initials of the name “Differential Audio Manifestaionz” was the same initials as my name. I thought that was pretty cool and it must of stuck around in my head when I came to name the company. A little irrelevant info which may or may not be of interest: “Neutral Analog Device” AKA N.A.D was also on the short list when I was thinking of a name for my business but there was/still is? an amplifier company called NAD. I also made a pedal or two that used the name “Space Tractor 25″ That was a quite short lived until I settled on D*A*M.

3- What’s your favorite effect made by someone else?

Vintage : At the moment I’d have to say the Burns Buzzaround but I feel a certain loyalty to the Tone Bender Professional MKII as I’ve been so obsessed with it over the years. The Buzzaround is something else though! Totally wild but insanely usable with just about any set-up. Its saturates like hell but stays almost spookily controllable and focused.
Modern : Zvex Fuzz Factory. How can you not like this pedal! Its bliss for any fuzz loving junkie. I do prefer the older ones with the “spam can” Germs inside. They sound a little warmer to my ears and the controls seem to interact a little better than the modern models I’ve had. My favorite being a 1997 model I have.

4- What’s the favorite effect you make?

Ha-ha! Tough call. Depends on my mood really and what aspect of the pedal we are talking about. The Pro MKII because of the enjoyment of the build and as mentioned above because of my unhealthily obsession with it. Tonally, if I had to pick only one I have to say the the Meathead. I love the Meathead because its so simple and because of its uncontrollable nature. I really like its stupidity factor too, I think the whole one knob set-up is great.

4.5- Favorite Fuzz

Baldwin Burns Buzzaround.

5- What instruments do you play? Skill level at each?

Bass & guitar….and drum machines, do they count? I guess I’m pretty narrow minded in how I play but I enjoy it so I ain’t too bothered. With that in mind I’d say a 3.5 out of 5.

6- Is making effect pedals your primary gig? If not, what is?

Yup, full time since 2004. Don’t see that changing anytime soon.

7- Do you think about bass players before or after you prepare a circuit?

Before if I know the circuit will work with bass. For example the the 1966 don’t sound too hot on bass so I didn’t think about whether or not a bass player would want to use it…they wouldn’t.

8- How many pedals do you sell a month?

It varies lot due to the nature of how we build (slowly) but roughly between 30-60. Also depends on what I am are working on and how fast they get get built.

9- Triplet :

• E-bay: Savior or Curse?
  Saviour, wouldn’t be in business otherwise.
• Bassplayers: Foreground or Background?
  Foreground, listen to Sabbath.
• Color: Chartreuse or Magenta?
  Chartreuse, though Magenta is pretty cool in the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

10- Any cool products in the pipeline you want to share?

New products yes, share no….haha sorry!

11- Anything else you want to add?

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.

1- When did you get started with electronics?

About five years ago, about a month before I started Effector 13, my first fx company.

2- Where did the name of your company come from?

My current pedal company name is devi ever : fx, and my name is Devi Ever, so it’s kind of self explanatory. :)

I named my first pedal company Effector 13, because I wanted to eventually sell in Japan, and I had heard “effector” was the english term they used for guitar pedals. The 13 came into play due to multiple reasons.

1. It looked good in a logo with E13 where the E and 3 mirror each other (very Pink Floyd Division Bell)
2. It had a sound that was very much “Plan Nine from Outerspace”. Kind of gave the name an air of mystery and drama.
3. 13 gets such a bad wrap as being an unlucky number. :)

3- What’s your favorite effect made by someone else?

It was the green Sovtek Big Muff PI, but the switches fail so easily on those pedals. Eventually Electro Harmonix got the Big Muff design right for a second time (imho) with the Little Big Muff PI. That’s my go to fuzz when I’m laying down fuzzed guitar tracks.

4- What’s the favorite effect you make?

Bit Mangler, hands down. You don’t even need a guitar to have fun with that pedal. :)

4.5- Favorite Fuzz

Ha ha. All I make is fuzz and dirty pedals. If I had to name my favorite general purpose fuzz in the devi ever : fx arsenal, it’d definitely have to be the Aenima.

5- What instruments do you play? Skill level at each?

I’m relatively proficient at guitar and keyboard / synth / piano. I sing, but I can’t say that I’m a great singer, or a bad singer. That’s all in the eye of the beholder. I’m definitely pleased with what I am capable of with my voice, and people seem to like it. :)

6- Is making effect pedals your primary gig? If not, what is?

Yes. Very much so. All the time. It is my life… for now.

7- Do you think about bass players before or after you prepare a circuit?

Ha ha. I usually don’t think about anyone when I design a circuit. It’s always just been me, a guitar, and chance and circumstance. Though, actually, the Dark Boost was one that I had originally intended for bass, now that I think about it. Of course, there is also the Bass Fuzz, which was designed by Mountainking Electronics to be a specific bass fuzz. In the end, although I generally design with nothing in particular in mind other than creating something useful and interesting, I am always keeping in mind the possibilities of my pedals being used for everything from vocals, to synth, to drums, to bass, etc. etc.

8- How many pedals do you sell a month?

As many as my love Kimberly and I can build. :)

This year we’ve been selling around 110 a month on average, though we are set up to build 180 a month, and have honestly been slacking a little recently. :o

9- Triplet :

• E-bay: Savior or Curse?
  Savior. Totally. For a while there I was pumping out the Soda Meiser’s (now sold through Effector 13 and Ooh La La Manufacturing) every day and putting them on ebay with penny starting bids. They’d end up selling anywhere between $65 and $110, and I was getting a lot of new pedal users in on the Effector 13 game. Also, being able to clear out a Soda Meiser a day pretty much guaranteed word of mouth advertising spread like wild fire, and the Soda Meiser end up being a guitar player favorite for a long time!
• Bassplayers: Foreground or Background?
  It depends on what kind of music. :)

  Some of my favorite bands have always had bass players who’s contribution was mixed, but always unique : Radiohead, Tool, 311, Pink Floyd, Rancid

  I definitely tend to have more respect for bands who know how to balance out all the sound and style of all contributing members. Ultimately it leads to a much more enjoyable listening experience than having songs be simply guitar-centric.

• Color: Chartreuse or Magenta?
  These days… definitely Chartreuse.

10- Any cool products in the pipeline you want to share?

Two words : Improbability Drive.

It’s the pedal Jimi Hendrix would have loved, and I hope Jack White will give a try someday. ;)

11- Anything else you want to add?

I think it’s really great you started this website! The gear whore community has long needed an informative place to go for complete, detailed reviews of gear, and the bass community definitely needs a stronger voice when it comes to effects pedals! So yeah… thanks again and I look forward to seeing more of your reviews and interviews in the future!

1- When did you get started with electronics?

I was about ten years old. All of the men in my family were into various hobbies, audio/music, R/C cars and seeing how things worked in general.

2- Where did the name of your company come from?

Well, originally the first germanium FuzzBeard pedals were sold under the name Nina Electronics. After the “Nina” stage of my life, I became an Audio Monk and aspired to higher pursuits in audio enlightenment.

3- What’s your favorite effect made by someone else?

There’s not just one, so I’ll give 3. lol…Morely Bad Horsie Wah, Boss CE-5 and Akai Headrush

4- What’s the favorite effect you make?

The one’s I haven’t made yet.

4.5- Favorite Fuzz

FuzzBeard

5- What instruments do you play? Skill level at each?

Trumpet, Piano, bass and guitar. Trumpet and piano to highschool level and bass and guitar to Mars.

6- Is making effect pedals your primary gig? If not, what is?

No. Musical Instrument repair and building.

7- Do you think about bass players before or after you prepare a circuit?

Before, always a goal of design.

8- How many pedals do you sell a month?

About a baker’s dozen.

9- Triplet :

• E-bay: Savior or Curse?
  Pergatory
• Bassplayers: Foreground or Background?
  Background, no need to ruin it.
• Color: Chartreuse or Magenta?
  Chartreuse, like the cat

10- Any cool products in the pipeline you want to share?

I would, however legal counsel told me not to…just kidding!!

11- Anything else you want to add?

Peace