This is a missive from the post-equinox New England darkness. Prototypes are strewn about, the production floor is buzzing, I’m drinking coffee until it tastes like pennies. As I like to remind myself when completing a task, the reward is getting to do it again. Sisyphus is happy.
2025 was our ten year anniversary. The first Longsword that came off my workbench permanently changed the trajectory of my life in ways I am continuing to discover.
At this auspicious and surreal checkpoint, we found ourselves in a rebuilding year. Our output consisted entirely of sequels (Glaive, Mirror House V2) and farewells (0xEAE Series, Eldritch Blast). In the case of the 0xEAE Bass Driver, the hello and farewell were simultaneous. In any case, the lineup is leaner and meaner now.
Near the tail end of 2024 I began to feel the lingering specter of technical debt, so we brought on our pal Ryan to help with continuing engineering efforts. It was a good move. Some of our pedals have been in production for a while, so there’s always the question of what to change and what to leave alone. This is entirely natural in manufacturing, but only recently did it feel like a problem that was specifically ours. So, we have been sharpening our tools and taking time to learn new ones (shout out to KiCAD, which I am thoroughly enjoying).
Another big change this year was a significant push to make more long format video. I think the Glaive demo is a good example of this and I’m excited to keep honing the craft, especially with an opportunity to revisit certain existing pieces in the lineup.
On a more bittersweet note, I think the industry is at a tough crossroads right now. We’ve faced the one-two punch of an inevitable post-pandemic correction plus economic self-sabotage in the form of tariffs.
I don’t want to belabor the tariff point—there’s nothing I can say about the situation that Julie Robbins of EQD hasn’t said better. (Side note: Julie has been a steadfast advocate for our industry, and we are grateful that she’s put herself on the line to fight for us—even testifying in front of congress.) Suffice to say, all of our assembly work is performed in the United States, and we’re still dealing with the effects.
Fortunately, we have been able to hold off on price increases. I hope we can continue to do so. I want our prices to reflect the complexity of our assemblies and our desire to pay a fair wage, rather than sloppily implemented taxes. For now, we are staying the course.
I feel like this year contained an explosive wave of creative output. Maybe moreso than usual? Our collective favorite albums barely fit on a 5x6 grid, and I lost count of the unique new pedal releases this year.
Most of our favorite releases from this year. Any more and the grid would be unreadable :)
An incomplete sampling of the excellent pedals that found their way into the shop this year. Not pictured: Fairfield 20% more (glued to my pedalboard) and Intrepid Audio Crossflow (which I’ve been using quite a bit at home.)
Our pedals have found their way onto some pretty amazing records (including a couple above), and sometimes I get a pedal in the mail only to realize I had a little bit of input on some technical detail. We get so much joy out of shared community and mutual inspiration.
Of course, many uncertainties await. Are pedals dead? Is everything computer? Is the economy going to explode when data center construction stalls out? No answers here, but I do know that our best work is still yet to come. Next year, some things that have been in the works for a long time will come to fruition. I appreciate you all believing in us.
-John
