What Happened To Frantone?

A mini-Frant about my old company Frantone.

#pedal #ElectronicsCreators #peachfuzz
- Music by Fran Blanche -

[tridium-gohw]

Frantone Rare Edition - Just one of each model per year, assembled, dated, and signed by the designer! Worth a fortune!

[J]

Your Big Muff design is absolutely great.
20 years now using it here.
Thank you.

[geoffstockton]

I am a musician who has been enjoying your videos for at least a couple years and somehow I had no idea about your involvement in the pedal industry. I’m an even bigger fan now!

[dandean]

Yep 3003a v9, just fixed a botched modded Frantone Big Muff, loved it so much I persuaded the guy to sell it to me

[Crobisaur]

That's awful how little they portrayed your contributions to the industry. You're an awesome inspiration to the industry & electronics world imho and I was hoping this doc would portray your contributions justly. Keep being awesome Fran, you're doing great stuff all the time <3

[lordmuntague]

If they have any sense they'll do an entire documentary about Frantone. TBH, I'm surprised the BBC haven't approached you, you'd be perfect for Arena or similar.

[SheplerStudios]

Wish the documentary gave you the credit due, Fran. Unfortunately, there’s always more people willing to steal than to innovate.

[paulskala]

I saw your piece on the echo plate I didn't se the whole thing but I got the impresion that you thought the model you had was the first . check this out.However, German company EMT (Elektromesstecknik) made a huge breakthrough in 1957 with the release of the EMT 140 Reverberation Unit — the first plate reverb. EMT was birthed from the Broadcast Technical institute in Nuremburg and the Institute for Broadcast Engineering in Hamburg. EMT in its day was by far the most popular developer and manufacturer of artificial reverb solutions for the recording industry.

They were a bit hairy to setup but they worked great.
pc Skala'

[oldmanofcotati]

For months I have been seeing this cute face pop-up in suggested YouTube videos on my PC . Today I finally watched & listened to a Franlab YT. She is fascinating. For months I surmised that this old woman with no makeup was a Mr. Science but in a different package. All joking aside, I am very happy I found Blanche. I should be over this crush I have on her by midday tomorrow, then I can fully appreciate her presentations. Lots of fun viewing ahead for this old man.

[chewiecovers]

I’d love to get my hands on a Hi-ball, if Brian Fallon gave it the A-okay then I need it on my board, can’t seem to find any sound demos of one anywhere though

[Ian_sheridanuk]

So what made you interested in the 386 IC?

[chrisa-hz]

Who else Has fallen in love with Fran lab the past couple years? I definitely have!☺️ Fran is so Knowledgeable and cool!

[Paul_Lenard_Ewing]

I have a Blog ...Stomp Box Steals ...I have reviewed over 1600 pedals. I have a following of 466, 000 so over the last 5 years I have constantly chased the history of pedals and tried to establish rapport with as many independent builders as I could to share their stories on my site and to know what I am listening to. I swear every month there are 3 or 4 more Tube Screamers being sold as a new pedal that they claim has reinvented the wheel. lol After seeing exerts and commentaries of the pedal movie I am convinced it is an infomercial for Reverb. So what you have said does not surprise me.
Even most of the best of the small manufacturers are not making the best pedals. I have no problem with makers basing a product on basic and excellent ideas that are decades old. We would all be driving model T Fords if that had not happened. But what we are getting is primarily inferior not better. Have they no ears???

[fabriziooldrini]

In one video I heard you talking of slot cars. I had this hobby for some time, late 60s. I was not rich and that hobby, at least here in Italy, was for rich sons of rich people. But I had a father that run an electromechanic shop, so I grew among electric motors, copper wire, lathes, hydraulic press... So I managed to tune up my mabuchi motors with all the gauges of copper wire my father had in the shop. The first car I had was made by Cox, it was a sidewinder d36 motor with a Porsche Carrera body. Then Cox started to sell the Cucaracha, with a d16 motor, but the best was to fit into it a d26 motor and then get the magnets closer to the rotor, take away some turns of copper from the bobbins or rewind them, then changing the anticipation of the collector. I didn't had enough money for the Cucaracha but I bought an Italian version which was called miniA. But any way, do you remember that a sort of oil that was used to increase the contact of tires on the surface of the track? It has a marvelous scent, that I have all life searched for... It's something similar to Chinese tiger balm. Anyway, just wanted to share my memories of slot cars, and obviously, they where 1/24 scale, 1/32 was for little childrens 🤗

[robhiller]

How about an occasional build series of a classic pedal, talking about the how and why, then auctioned for hopefully ludicrous money?

[randynovick]

When you were in a tough spot last year, I bought a Frantone overdrive pedal from you - gave it to a friend who was picking up guitar. Money well-spent.

[fredsalter]

Is that a hand-held football game right above the +692? I used to have one back in 1979!!! Me and my friends loved it! Coleco made a bunch of LED hand held games back then.

[BiologyTube]

Considering the target audience of FranLab, I wonder if Frantone pedals could have a second life (and maybe produce a small amount of income) if sold as kits.

[johnporter]

My pedal collection is now clocking in at 327 and by far THE BEST FUZZ I own is my Frantone Cream Puff!!! In fact, if I was only allowed to keep 3 pedals, the Cream Puff would be the first to make it to the “safe” pile!.. Thank you Fran
Love the song btw!..

[timescobedo]

The boutique pedal business bores me to tears, being driven mostly by clones and clones of clones, and a whole lot of mojo nonsense.

Cool hearing about the LM386. I was a big fan of it as a building block, mostly because I'm lazy.

Haven't seen the Reverb movie, but there was a video on youtube a couple years back which was kind of interesting. Can't remember the name of it, unfortunately, but it touched on the business end of gear, and the garage nature of so many boutique operations. I don't know who put it together, but it was interesting and kind of laid back.