Why Don't I Just Make A Few Pedals?

Answering questions streamed live on April 2, 2022 - this one is about why I don't just crank out some more pedals. Easy peasy!
#Frantone #FranLab #stream
- Intro Music by Fran Blanche -

[tiktokyt]

Fran: (Twenty minutes of reasoned detailed explanation why not)
Teh Internetz: So...you're saying there's a chance?

[misayrules]

Hey Fran!!
The quality you describe is a boutique pedal.
Look at the old “Big Muffs”… that case cost about $1, total.
If I buy a pedal, I buy it for the sound… I put it on the floor and stomp my foot on it, and, often, tape my knobs when I find that sweet spot!!
I understand the pride and love you have for the Frantone… but there is a reality… No Secondary Manufacture is going to have the buy in that you’re looking for.
The electronics are everything… the rest is window dressing.
I’m going to bring up the modular idea again.
‘Frandrive’, ‘Franflange’, ‘Franchorus’, even ‘Franloop’… Standard small Eurorack and select modules, and expand as you wish!!
(BTW… register those names!!!)
Lowering expectations is tough, but reality is a double barreled crap storm!!
Stay Safe 😷 & Peaceful ☮️!!!

[DarrenBoxhall]

I'm a qualified painter.

Sand them quickly to knock down any crap. Send to powder coaters that do nice work. Have stickers made up in your design, sand the powder coat down dead flat with some 1000 grit wet, then apply your logo/design sticker. 2k clearcoat over the top of it all.

You don't want to paint again because you are used to doing it with a flawed process with old technology.

You could get some amazing stickers made up with whatever pattern you wanted, a couple of coates of of 2k clear and I think it would look amazing. I have done many...many little projects like this and it's not hard once you optimise the process

[AnalogueGround]

"I don't enjoy doing it". that's enough reason right there for not doing it.

[kensmith]

Many year back I worked on a project where the front panel was to be a casting. The casting took a lot of second operations to get the fine details and the surface ready for paint. It turned out to be cheaper to just have a machine shop start with a big slab of aluminum and machine the whole thing out of that. It took more metal being removed but far less "machinist time". The manual labor of setting up was far less on the big slab of aluminum than to grip the casting and machine places to clamp it, then move it to be clamped on those places to do the actual machining of one side and then flip it to do the other.

[jvin]

I spent years in manufacturing and product engineering and understand your experience -- however, the problems in manufacturing are due to design constraints set upon them. Based on your process description: while customers view the graphics as attractive, even though the cases are certainly a source of exceptional pride for you as the artist, the reason customers buy the pedals is for the sounds they provide. Start with an industry basic pedal box and put the artwork costs into a single graphics plate that is adhered to the top of the pedal during final assembly with adhesive plus the controls bolted through.That eliminates most of the areas you and the factories have struggled with yet still provides an artist's canvas while getting the tones to more guitarists and the pedal used on more music recordings. Before dismissing the idea, consider it the same as the process Gibson uses to build guitars: The Gibson logo and Les Paul signature are inlaid in a black holly veneer they glue on the face of the headstock. Focus on how you can cleverly design your product for manufacturing success.

[tacmason]

Having been a custom Painter/finisher-I fully understand your points !-Having been an Air conditioning Mechanic-I understand the issues with solid components. having been a Tube Amp collector, a song writer- a Guitarist / Bassist, and band leader- I see what you are saying- so, your last Arena of possibilities reside in the software Realm. Fran tone circuit chains, in a Frantone Virtual Universe ! with unique Frantone characteristics ! The end of physical circuits is at hand .

[fepatton]

Totally get it. I used to work for a small company that hand-built our own product, and every time we tried to outsource, it was a disaster. And having built a couple of pedal kits recently, yeah - the PCB is the easy part!

[jasonbrindamour]

Fran: Seeing those photos of your previous paint booths and your beliefs make me want a Frantone pedal even though I rarely use pedals. I fully support a name that believes and stands by their quality. Full and total build quality is NOT something you find in products these days.

[KeritechElectronics]

It's just a matter of perfectionism. I also catch myself at trying to set my goals way higher than I can, leading up to taking up projects and not finishing them because "it's not ready yet" blah blah.

Just thought about a different process: using an anodized Hammond box, then machining and laser-engraving all the markings and graphics on it, which strips the surface and reveals the unpainted "core", (inspired by Manley :)), and applying a clear finish e.g. by powdercoating.

[nutsnproud]

Fran I would love a real Peach Fuzz. I am not worried about the case being perfect. I just want the sound. Write the controls with a Sharpie and I would be delighted. If you have the parts to make one in Franlab I would buy one. Serious offer US $500 cash in the mail.

[melancholymonk]

its cost me close to 2 grand to set up a paint room in my shed with proper air treatment, dont blame you for not wanting to build one again Fran.

[edfederoff]

Fran - love your dedication to what you do. Long after you're gone - your products will carry your name and reputation to generations of guitarists in the future. That's about as close to immortality as anyone can hope to get. As a retired engineer with a career in NPD - I had to smile at this video - can't think how many times I've told the same basic story. Had some successes - more failures - and struggled daily with the rules and paradoxes of the mfg. game. The customer wants good, fast, and cheap - you have to tell them to choose 2 and then break your as* to even provide that. And you're always walking the quality/schedule/revenue tightrope - and falling off. I must admit - I don't miss it a bit - but when it works, it's a beautiful thing.

[rmora]

I totally understand all your frustrations. I had requests to manufacture a small quantity of custom electronics I designed for an intervalometer for the film industry and the price was thousands per unit before I could deliver them, so I resolved that it was simply not worth my time and effort and just cancelled the project after having built just 3 prototypes.

[joecichlid]

You have a high standard when it comes to the pedals you made and you should. The going rates of your pedals show that people want that kind of high quality. If you do a thing, do it on your terms and be proud of your work.
Having high standards these days is lost on a lot of people and that shows as well. How many of the pedals made these days will still be around and working in ten years? Much less, how many will be commanding the kind of money that your pedals are going for? Not a lot if you ask me.
Keep on being awesome!

[warrenwatkins]

I just found this and I have extensive experience in finishes. This includes water base, oil base, epoxy, lacquer, automotive, furniture, cabinetry, guitars and sign painting. Keeping a paint room clean isn't too hard. The booth I used, at a cabinet shop, I had to deal with lots of dust from the cabinet builders. I'd sweep the floor in front of the booth, close the door and turn on exhaust fan and blow everything down toward the fan. Blow the surface off your project while using a clean rag and this keep most dust off till you get finished. Easy, just don't turn your gun pressure too high or you'll get a lot of overspray. 25 to 30 psi is enough. I prefer a pressure pot for bigger jobs than a cup gun.

[aldntn]

Manufacturing is much more difficult and complex than people realize. Details, details, details.

[mre]

I remember you mentioning the Frantone pedal and thought cool!, now many years after I started watching youtube tech channels and came across your channel. You are the first live (all rolled into one) that I ever encountered! It is terrible that you spoke in a loud voice and no "man" heard you. It make me think of Madam Curie, Ada Lovelace Hellen Keller, and Jane Pittman Woman of great indigence who were not recognized till after they past. keep going!

[curiouscrandall]

Having watched to the end, it seems that there are two incompatible goals - making more "real Frantone" pedals, in all their deeply shiny finish and utter perfection of decals, which no doubt the owners treasure, and "getting them out there" so that people can actually plug them into guitars and amps and *play*. To do *that* requires that "new Frantone" pedals are a more spartan and simply-constructed affair.
At a guess, the people who would value them as musical instruments would be happy with a Fran-made PCB in a simple box. As long as they have "that sound". Or even, use a transparent acetate box, so the owner can show off the real Fran-ness inside! Ok, maybe not, then you have "wiring harness pressure" :-)

[euclidallglorytotheloglady]

I hardly believe "people" even take notice of the equipment artists use. It's the players themselves that covet the product. The crowd hears a distortion pedal. The player sees a Cream Puff and is smiling every single time he/she stomps on it and is proud of their investment.
It's a shame manufacturers don't have the patience for the details Fran requires to keep Frantone alive. But I'm also proud of her for not selling out just to make a buck, sacrificing what it means to be called a Frantone pedal.