“Back in 2000 to 2005, what we would call a boutique pedal was different”: Pedal ...
(WorldNews Music)

Effects pedal designers tend to come to their craft via one of two routes: through formal education, technical training, and a slog up the industry ladder; or by pursuing a passionate hobby, poking around where their probe possibly didn`t belong, and learning through the process of repairing and modifying their own gear. Brian Wampler definitely came into the business via the latter path, but you wouldn`t know it given the heights to which he has ascended, or the often-breathtaking complexity and technicality of much of his company`s current work. But if the man`s progress has gone from a love of dirt pedals, to high-tech digital wonders, to plug-in software emulations of his own effects,...