Thank You
(Happiness is only real when shared, or whatever the bus guy said.)
Tomorrow’s the big day!
It’s been a long ride already. And really, tomorrow is only the beginning. As I think back on all that it’s taken to get to this point, I can’t help but be grateful for the help so many of you have offered along the way.
I’ve noticed a certain phenomenon in the music industry, whereby many wish to weave a narrative of being a one-man show, mad scientist, unfortunate genius type of guy, who’s destined to design gear and endure the Sisyphean task of maintaining the basic operations of a tiny business (a word I use here lightly). In many ways, I see the appeal of portraying yourself this way. Reddit will surely rally to your defense; you may even become a mythical figure in the eyes of the internet forum! This identity opens up a whole can of excuses when your products are behind schedule (or just… bad). And maybe I’m just a hater. Maybe there are a lot of folks out there who truly are renaissance people who are capable of doing everything all by themselves. But overall, I think this overplayed story and mentality miss the point of music, and life altogether. I mean… wouldn’t you rather play with a band?
I did not and could not do this all myself. And I think that’s cool. A lot of people have offered support to this project over the years, even before it had a name or direction. Let’s celebrate that! Let’s meet the band!
The only logical place to start on this journey of gratitude is Paul Reeves. Paul runs a recording studio in his house, and for years I interned there. My interest in the peripheral aspects of music absolutely began in that basement, and Paul was the right guy to nurture that spirit. He was always willing to lend, to teach, and to open up his home to anyone who asked. That basement studio gave me so many lifelong friends, and even landed me spots playing in some bands! I spent years working with Paul in a lot of stressful situations (as anyone who’s recorded an album knows), and I don’t think I’ve ever once seen him angry. He’s truly one of our best, and an important starting point in my personal relationship with the music business. Thank you, Paul! And thank you to the Domus Sound and Classic City families!
I put a conscious effort into NOT talking about the pedal companies I’ve worked for in the past. I don’t want anyone to feel like I’m trying to ride coattails or take advantage of someone else’s hard-earned reputation. I’ll put that aside for now though, because it is important to share how much Nick Greer means to me and this little project. Nick quite literally taught me how to build pedals. Like… he physically put a soldering iron in my hand and told me what a PCB is. More than that, Nick showed me what it means to work hard and persevere. His company has existed for a long time in many different stages, but he’s always grown and pushed through. I find that very admirable.
I also find Nick’s design philosophy admirable. If you look at any of the Greer pedals or amps, you’ll immediately notice how simple and easy to use they are: intuitive controls, approachable layouts, no “filler”. This is not an accident! Nick is a master at distilling the very quintessence of an idea or circuit and stripping away everything that is not essential. His pedals and amps don’t need complex tone stacks, or clipping options, or variable whatever. They just sound good. They just work. You have all that you need, and nothing you don’t. In a world where pedals and amps increasingly have millions of modes, toggles, options, etc, I find it refreshing to have an amp that leaves me speechless with only Volume and Tone knobs. It’s inspiring. Nick is one of a kind, and I’m proud to have started my career with him. Thank you, Nick!
While I’m breaking my own rule, I must also mention Matthew Farrow. I showed up in Raleigh in March 2020. We all remember that time. I didn’t have a job, so I called the only guy I knew in the entire state of North Carolina, and his response was, verbatim, “we can find something for you to do here.” And he really did.
At Matthew’s company I was exposed to a completely new side of the pedal game. I was able to learn and understand all of the less obvious, more “behind the scenes” aspects of the manufacturing process. Namely CNC drilling, powder coating, and UV printing. Matthew was supportive of all his employee’s creative endeavors. So long as it didn’t throw off the company’s production schedule, he was happy to let anyone use any of the equipment at the shop. Even more, he was usually more excited about the results than I was! Without this specific freedom and support, I would not have been able to dial in the Millstone Audio pedals’ enclosures. The drilled box, powder coat, and print were all tested and prototyped at the shop where I worked, a privilege which I can’t take for granted!
Matthew was also something of an electrical engineering teacher to me. If I had a question about a circuit, or how a part of a pedal worked, he was always willing to explain the concept behind it to me. Thankfully, he would usually do so in a mystical Yoda kinda way, where he would stop just short of telling me exactly how to do something, but would point me in the right direction with the proper knowledge in hopes that I’d figure it out myself later. That’s a good teacher, if you ask me. Knowing that his door would be open if I ran into issues was honestly such a wonderful safety net to have while working and designing pedals! Thank you, Matthew!
Every company is more than its founder, and every workplace is more than its boss. You can’t last in an industry for years without your co-workers! I learned innumerable building tips and tricks from Tim and Grayson. I don’t think I’ve ever had more fun at work than with those guys. Tim is also the person who introduced me to Taqueria Juaritos, which feels important enough to mention. Elise taught me how to program and operate the CNC machine. Max’s powder coating mastery (and all-around friendly demeanor) were pivotal to Millstone’s early iterations. Same for Travis, who also ended up being my go-to prototype tester in NC. He was a true believer in Millstone from the beginning, and would periodically bring me repair work too, for which I am grateful. Travis and Elise play in a band called Truth Club, who put out my favorite album of 2023. Check it out! Causey, Isaac, Joshua, Mike, and Dylan are also forever homies who supported Millstone throughout our time as co-workers. From dialing in drill templates, picking out powder coat colors, finding time in the schedule to slide my projects in, and simply being supportive pals, I’m thankful for all of them. Ian Jones deserves a special mention here- I think the hardest part of building the Millstone lineup was the art. As the shop’s printer guy, Ian was an invaluable resource. He was my idea sounding board for an embarrassingly (to me) long time, and at several points directed me towards the correct decisions. Millstone would still be sharpie labels on blank black boxes without Ian. Thank you, everyone!
I must thank Millstone’s best salesman. Hampton Peay. Hampton is primarily a drummer (he’s also the mayor of Keysneyland) who doesn’t really play much guitar. How is he so able to convince people to buy guitar pedals? I don’t know. But Hampton has ALWAYS been spreading the good news of Millstone Audio. In the bleakest early days of this endeavor, Hampton was sending folks to me for custom pedal orders on an almost weekly basis. This consistency was crucial in allowing me to build up a stock of common parts and streamline my building process. I have a storied history of quitting and giving up on things. Hampton’s unfounded belief in me and my project basically took giving up off the table. How could I quit when Hampton was sending me new orders constantly?
On that note- I’d also like to thank the Chattanooga music scene as a whole. Thank you for being susceptible to Hampton’s charm. Thank you for believing in a guy you’d never met and his sharpie pedals. Walter Slide is the best band on Earth, and I can’t wait to catch you guys live. They’re the entire reason that I’m probably most known for building modded chorus pedals. I guess I’ll have to make a legit version soon…
Obviously I’m going to mention Zac Crook now. My favorite Florida man. Zac was an early (maybe my first?) customer, who bought several custom pedals from Millstone early on. He makes incredible, demented, catchy music. SHARKATTACKCHRISTAIR is my favorite song from this decade so far. Zac is also the t shirt printing king, and you must check out supercoolbadass print shop if you need t shirts for your band or brand. He really hooked me up with shirts and several designs. Zac is a true creative, all-around good hang, and reliable friend who I’m stoked to have along for the ride. Thank you, Zac!
Tommy and Elijah. The best songwriters and bandmates. I was lucky enough to be the Ringo of their extended cinematic universe for a few years. Truly, these two have felt like my righthand men since the beginning. They listen to the stupid ideas I have and play the half-baked prototypes that are objectively bad. Elijah was very helpful in directing me towards the final pedal art direction. Tommy, who records and produces full time (We Bought A Zoo Records, the best option in town!) is always the first guy I ask when I need input on how something needs to sit in a mix (side note: you should always be asking how something works in a mix. I mean… wouldn’t you rather play in a band?). Check Out Elijah Johnston’s solo records, and Tommy’s band Well Kept. The best bands of their Athens generation, in my opinion. Thanks E and T!
Ian White replaced me in Well Kept after we moved to North Carolina. I’ll call it a strict upgrade. Ian has been on board with Millstone for so long. He was the first person I thought of when it came time to make a demo video showing off ** /redacted pedal name/ **. You’ll see it tomorrow, but he destroyed it. Yet another guy I’m so happy to have on the team! Go listen to his band Jack & Jealous for riffs and emo-tinged rock! Thank You, Ian!
I also have to shout out to Win, who years ago asked me to build him a custom pedal. That project morphed over time into the product you’ll be seeing tomorrow! He plays guitar in an indie-folk band called Lighhearted. They are all forever friends, my favorite overnight house guests, and thoroughly worth checking out! Thanks Win!
A few years back, my favorite guitar youtuber/instagrammer/online shop owner Andrew sold me his old DSLR camera for a total sweetheart deal. That one simple acquisition has enabled me to do SO MUCH of this launch by myself and saved me SO MUCH time and money and heartache in the process. He probably has no idea how helpful he’s been to me! PLEASE go follow Ambient Endeavors on YouTube and Instagram. He’s the best. And while you’re at it, go buy something from LittleBoxEffects. He only stocks the coolest stuff. He’s an asset to the music community! Thank You, Andrew!
Almost done!
Jason Harwell, in virtually every way, is the godfather of Millstone Audio. He’s been supportive from before the beginning. Whenever I’m proud of something, he’s the first person I want to show. His perspective has kept me on track for years. More than anyone, he’s helped me realize that the path I’ve been on in the music industry could be a path towards something, and not just a bunch of random jobs and bands strung together. I hope he’s right. Jason is another of my favorite musicians and songwriters, and I’m quite proud that his pedal board is almost entirely pedals that I’ve built for him. Jason, thank you for everything! Lets get you some non-dirt pedals soon!
The penultimate thank you goes out to Caroline! We are married! She let me use an entire room in our small house for guitar, pedal, and amp storage, even though it would have been put to way better use as a WFH office during the pandemic. Without this physical space carved out for Millstone to call home, I don’t think any of this could have happened. She also never questioned the various expenditures for parts or tools. She’s always been full send on Millstone Audio. Notably she isn’t tired of hearing my 3 stock test riffs, either! That’s more than deserving of a resounding Thank you, Carol!
Aaaaaand finally. I want to thank each of you. You’ve all been along for the ride with me for days, weeks, months, or maybe years. I don’t want to take that for granted! You’ve cared enough to follow along on Instagram. Or on a blog. You’ve cared enough to ask how things are going. You’ve asked about shirts. You’ve committed to buying a pedal! The interest and support is insane to me. I’m a college dropout with a proven history of not seeing things through. Left to my own devices, I don’t know that I would believe in me. But for some reason, so many of you do. And that’s given me enough to see this to fruition. And even more so, it’s given me enough to go beyond tomorrow. Millstone Audio won’t be stopping with one release! Millstone Audio is going to continue to grow. There will be more days like tomorrow. More pedals. More music. More celebrating. And that’s a Promise.
Millstone Audio would be nothing without each of you.
So, from the bottom of my heart:
Thank You.
