Mike Livesley (MadeByMike)
Interview With Mike Livesley of MadeByMike
By Adam Ironside
MadeByMike is owned by Mike Livesley, one of the few great stompbox builders in the UK. His pedals maintain excellent standards and high quality without the insane price tags that some other ’boutique’ builders demand. After purchasing one of Mike’s products, and seeing as this website is based in the UK, I thought that Mike would be the perfect candidate for the first interview to go up on Dirtbox and Mike was more than happy enough to discuss the world of stompboxes with me.
DirtBox – Hi Mike, thanks for taking the time to do this interview. Where abouts in the UK do you live and where is the MadeByMike company based?
Mike – I live in Watford just outside central London. We have a tube stop so as far as I’m concerned that means my pedals are from London, England. It certainly gives them more of an international identity than Watford itself, which is perhaps not the most desirable area to live in.
DirtBox – Haha…So how long have you been making pedals Mike?
Mike – I’ve been making them seriously for only two or three years now, but I have a Master’s degree in Electronics and have always been mucking about with this stuff since I was a kid. In fact I remember making a burglar alarm system for my GCSE Electronics coursework which I sneakily built a guitar amp into, obstensibly to make the alarm brutally loud, but the jack input on the side was all about me and my obsession with guitars.
DirtBox – Sounds like a cool alarm! What made you start making your own pedals in the first place?
Mike -Anyway back to actually building pedals for people, this kicked off a while back after an idea my by friend Aen, from shortscale.org, (who builds the amazing articles of sonic destruction that make up Dwarfcraft Devices) had the idea of sticking together a simple booster pedal for cheap for the members of the forum. After a while production of his own effects became really insane and he couldn’t do both, so I took over building the pedals for the UK and Euro members, and also a bunch of members in the US bought them too. I believe the initial run stretched to 28 or so boosters, and I really cut my teeth doing these in terms of getting my drilling, wiring etc up to scratch and building a big stockpile of components and parts. Those initial pedals are all signed and numbered. They might be worth something one day. Each one was put together with tons of love as I pretty much knew everyone I built one for really well. They’re my friends.
DirtBox – Great story man, obviously putting love and enjoyment into what you do is essential, what other philosophies do you have on making pedals?
Mike – Well I pretty much didn’t stop loving building pedals, even when I expanded out into selling different designs to people I did and I didn’t know. I put a lot of effort, time and care into making sure the person who orders the pedal from me is not just satisfied, but really happy with the result. To do this I always have a chat with them if they’re not sure about what they’re after and really work out what their tastes are. I do custom stuff which obviously goes hand in hand with this, but I also do this with my “off the rack” stuff to ensure people will be happy with what they’re getting. So that is a main philosophy, along with of course using top quality parts and vintage correct stuff when it is important, and keeping the price at a reasonable level. I have no interest in ripping people off, and my prices reflect the complexity of the designs along with the time it takes me to build them. I’m also not afraid to recommend cheaper options from other manufacturers if they exist.
DirtBox – I think that is one of the best things about your company Mike. You offer honest advice and prices that cannot be beaten for the quality, you can tell that making pedals is a labour of love for you.
What is the the most popular selling MadeByMike pedal?
Mike – It’s probably a tie between the Saltbooster and the SaltMuff (or Green Muff, which is my reproduction of the famous EHX Green Big Muff they don’t make anymore). The booster is such a cool useful tool and the Muff just sounds great.
DirtBox – That brings me to my next quesiton…Just what is it with all the salt? haha…
Mike – Haha.. yeah.. the Salt thing. That actually all comes back to the forum, shortscale.org, where a particularly funny chap also called Mike once commented on my perhaps sometimes curmudgeonly sarcastic/dry humour as “Salty”. As in “Mike is a salty bastard”. It sort of stuck and went from there; when I built a booster, there was only one thing it was going to be called.
DirtBox – Haha, man that’s great. I notice there is more salt on the horizon, can you give us any top secret info on your soon to be released SaltBreaker overdrive circuit?
Mike – Well it’s been a while coming but I’ve finally got it sorted I think. I’ve been messing around with loads of stuff, circuit snippets, tone stacks, ways of making gain and I think I’ve found something that will please a bunch of people. It’s gonna be tight cramming the board into a small box but I know that’s important to people. It’s a standard three knobber (Gain, Tone, Volume) pedal with trimmers inside the pedal if you’re brave which can shape the EQ even more.
DirtBox – Sounds great man, I will keep an eye out for that on for sure. You mentioned earlier you undertake custom jobs? What sort of projects are you willing to undertake?
Mike – Pretty much anything within reason, some stuff is way to complicated for me to make by hand; like Wah pedals, sequencing stuff etc but I can have a crack at most things. A few people approach me with regard to reproductions of deleted or hard to get hold of pedals and I’m always willing to consider this stuff, but it’s important to note that I have no interest in taking business away from builders and companies that are selling good product at the right price.
DirtBox – Whilst we’re mentioning about prices, your prices are so low for the kind of hand-made quality you offer. Do you think it is justifiable for some other companies out there to charge HUNDREDS more than you do for a very similar product?
Mike – Well as I said before, it’s very much a key factor in how I do things – I do not want people to be turned off by my prices, or unable to buy my pedals. I’ve sold pedals to students, and kids who have got their parents to buy them for them as birthday presents etc. I’m happy with that, and I think it’s a good indicator. Maybe it helps that I have two jobs and the pedal stuff is not my main income, but my passion instead (not to say I don’t love my day job, I do). But I don’t want people looking at my stuff and thinking “this guy is taking the piss”.
As for other people’s prices? Well that’s their affair, but I’m not going to say I’m cool with people asking £200+ for a simple tubescreamer or electra distortion clone. But those guys know what they’re doing, and they know they’re not playing the game. I’m not sure I would sleep well in their shoes. Well shoes aren’t comfortable to sleep in but whatever, we’re getting sidetracked.
DirtBox – Haha, depends on the kind of shoe! Along the same lines, what do you think of so many comapanies tagging their pedals as ’boutique?’
Mike – It’s a bit silly. Most boutique pedals aren’t fit to be labelled as such, and in fact no pedals are. It’s a tool, not a handbag. My stuff is handmade, but it’s not boutique, you’re meant to play it, not show it off to your social climbing friends.
DirtBox – Fair point. I think so many guitarists are more concerned with their look and having ‘the right gear’ than they are with their actual playing.
What do you make of the effects pedal market today? Do you think it’s good that there are so many companies out there offering a plethora of effects?
Mike – Well, choice is always nice, and the internet information revolution has brought a lot of schematics, techniques and designs to light that have started a lot of people off, including me. The market is mental and really fast shifting, but to be honest I just see myself as one guy, it’s nice when people recognise me and stick me on their sites or write kind words and stuff (loads of my orders are from word-of-mouth, happy customers waxing lyrical and that’s a great thing).
DirtBox – I noticed your Echo Base pedal is a DIGITAL delay. What is your opinion on the whole digital vs. analog thing?
Mike – I think they both sound great to be honest and it’s more about application than anything. Your music and tastes will dictate which you prefer.
Want pristine stuff jumping out in the mix? Digital
Want long or infinite delay times? Digital
Like more washy stuff? Probably try Analogue
Self oscillation weirds? Get thee to Analogue land
I’ve used both many times in the past.
DirtBox – Fair comments. I think both have their advantages and disadvantages, digital is still relatively new though and has a long way to go.
So what are your plans for the future of MadeByMike?
Mike – More of the same I imagine. Maybe add a few more pedal designs next year but I’m clicking along ok at a decent rate at the moment and managing to keep my lead times reasonable.
DirtBox – And finally, what is your all time favourite dirt box?
Mike – I’d have to say the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret is pretty fabulous if you’re into that Marshall sound.
DirtBox – Mike, it has been an enjoyable and informative experience, thanks for being the first ever interviewee on DirtBox. I am sure there are many good years ahead of you.
Mike – Thanks for caring enough to ask me these questions. Cheers!
Thanks to Mike Livesley for this great interview and the fantastic work he is doing. I’m sure you will be hearing plenty more about MadeByMike on DirtBox in the years to come.
