Since the 1980s, the Guitar pedal market has skyrocketed. But, of course, it all changed during the innovation of the DSP (Digital Signal Processing) units. These units were used as a shortcut by every band during that era. Here are five of the many brands leading the resurgence of stompboxes since its decline in the 00s.
Death By Audio
In 2001, Oliver Ackerman developed the company that turned out to be Death by Audio. This company shaped the odd resurgence of guitar stompboxes in his hometown in Brooklyn, New York. Ackerman is a stellar musician and fronts the Noise band A Place To Bury Strangers. Ackerman was known for his simplistic, DIY stencil designs that marked his signature and aesthetic for his brand. Notable users that shaped the style of Death By Audio were Russian Circles, Gerard Way and Ray Toro of My Chemical Romance, Full of Hell, and A Place to Bury Strangers.
Behringer
In the middle of Europe used to be a brand that competed with the division of the Roland company that innovated the pedal world. But the unaware BOSS CEO Yoshi Ikegami did not know how he and his company were ready for Uli Behringer. Uli was a Swiss-born engineer who produced Audio equipment in Germany and produced stompboxes as well. His company transferred to Guangdong, China, in 2018 and housed 3,500 employees. In addition, his company introduced plastic clones and re-imaginations of Japanese pedals, mostly BOSS pedal clones. Notable musicians that use Behringer are Smashing Pumpkins, Black Country New Road, Heaven Shall Burn, Wilco, and Rolo Tomassi.
Way Huge
Suppose Death by Audio is similar in the minimalistic business approach of Electro Harmonix. In that case, Way Huge is the close counterpart of MXR in a unique design and color approach but has the sturdiness aspect that BOSS had advocated in their pedal design. As far as comparisons, Jeorge Tripps was a student of Zachary Vex. After that, he got employed in the Jim Dunlop company, where he innovated pedals in his Way Huge brand, a division of the Dunlop brand like MXR. Notable users of the Way Huge are My Bloody Valentine (it is not surprising now that the members of MBV are massive pedal hoarders.), Queens of the Stone Age, Incubus, Post Malone, and Yvette Young of Covet.
Earthquaker Devices
The Akron, Ohio, company started just like a typical backyard business. Jamie Stillman and Julie Robbins were partners who wanted to produce boutique guitar pedals. Until this writing, the duo had kept a minimum staff of less than 50 and had made the most iconic stompboxes in history. Notable Users of the Ibanez stompboxes were The Black Keys, My Bloody Valentine, Sunn O))), Lee Ranaldo, Thurston Moore, and Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth, and Matt Pike of Sleep and High on Fire.
Strymon
Strymon is a boutique division of the Damage Control Engineering company initially founded in 2008 in Westlake, California. The CEOs of the company are Pete Shelley, Gregg Stock, and Dave Fruehling. Notable users of the band are MBV, Muse, John Mayer, Tosin Abasi of Animals As Leaders, Wes Borland of Limp Bizkit, and Stephen Carpenter of Deftones.
