What aspect(s) of making BJFE CS pedals occurs in the USA?

[Tonefishin]

It made me curious when I looked inside my 1st BJFE Custom Shop pedal, the Arctic White Fuzz, and found "Made in USA/Sweden" along with the cool sketch (I love cracking those pedals open for that surprise inside).

So what aspects, or maybe parts, or assembly, etc. attributes to the made in USA note?

Cheers and thrills, one and all!!

[cabo]

i think the made in usa part refers to the outer box Donner paints...maybe there is more to it?? good question

[BJF]

Hi,

Made in USA Sweden means that the box is painted in US and pedal assembled and finalized in Sweden.
Some of the painting techniques that Donner has I do not possess.

Most often for me I'd pick a colour first to represent the sound and then a circuit is deviced to make the sound.
So in many ways the colours inspire sound. So for instance with Model H, I really wanted that black and then that's maybe plain so Donner came up with sparkling black as a night sky and then added black 'piping'. Now as made in Sweden I cannot do that type of paint but found somethingelse in seethrough black........

So paint and shape go together with sound and so for instance the 2SMV or the Sea Blue Mini Vibe got these waves made in USA to show the motion of the effect while the blue is painted in Sweden on that particurlar model.

Much of this is a collaboration to keep the funlevel high and inspiration flowing.

Colours have always been important to me and they also reflect sound in my mind.
My wife who does the graphics, is a trained artist and also musician and is a constant source of inspiration e.g when I explain a sound and what colour I think would be right she comes up with pictures and names and acronyms and what colours would go together.

So I might get a colour experiment from Don and then discuss what the sound would be and then I'd sometimes need to ask my wife what it suggests.

Such was the Cliffhanger, grey as a concrete wall or a cliff and really it's a distortion such as you'd use when you have a crane transporting you across the stage and you'd just hang there and play.

I have access to some basic colours and the seethrough shades cannot be mixed other than with black or they all turn brown.
I also have access to opaque colours.

But the imaginary colours and shapes and forms of illustration like Donner works like the sparkling yellow with a rim or peculiar brushings and multilayer paints I just cannot do.

I will say that all these colours inspire and so does sound and I believe that a sound inspires a certain way of playing too.

And you know a cross ocean collaboration is a great thing and something that wouldn't have been possible without internet.



That's all



Have fun
BJ

[Bobby D]

Bjorn -- I think Donner possesses painting skills that are FAR BEYOND what any pedal painter is doing

While I certainly like some of the other pedal artists, Like Jason Myrold, Laura Bennett and the rest of the zvex crew, what Donner does is pure magic!!!

[Tonefishin]

Thanks for the info...yes! Donner makes cool looking boxes...and BJ makes cool sounding pedals...we are very fortunate indeed!!

[Donner]

Wow, thanks guys!
I enjoy doing the painting part and Bjorns sound machines are very inspirational as you know....

Back before there was a 'customshop' we had a little TAPD & BFC (Trans Atlantic Pedal Designers and Beer Fanciers Club ) that was about pushing the envelope in different places and one thing we did a bit was 'Mystery Pedal ' or Id try some new odd tecnique and then see if it inspired BJ with an idea for its contents ..... but yes its all about increasing the fun and Ive always favored paint jobs that illicited responses like "What the heck is that' or 'Howd you do that' over 'thats pretty' . ...... ; ] I like the outside to reflect a bit of the inside if possible....

they may not be indestructable but Id prefer inspirational anyway ......... glad they add to the enjoyment factor.

[Bobby D]

not BJF -- but DONNER all the way!!!!

awesome finish on this one

[Donner]

wow very cool treatment !!!

I think this was the predrilled box for that one...

[Eskimo_Joe]

Donner, can you take an existing pedal and work your magic on it?

[Donner]

Donner, can you take an existing pedal and work your magic on it?

I have , depends on the pedal ad the paint..... if it can be easily gutted ...

you can sometimes just take sand paper and rough up the existing paint and then do a primer coat over that
.. I cant do the shining thing , that has t o be bare metal....