MF: Honestly I love analog circuits, but
these days pedalboard space is really at
a premium and there’s only so much you
can cram into an analog box. There are
definitely some analog innovators like
Joel at Chase Bliss and the dudes at
Subdecay, but even those guys have to
leverage digital control to interface with
the analog side. Digital done right can
be musical and inspiring, just like the
best analog boxes. That’s what we’re
going for.
TRW: You started out your line with
four pedals, that’s quite a lot! Do you
have plans for anything new on the
horizon, or are you going to wait a
while before introducing more pedals?
MF: I never sit still! I have a whole bunch
of amazing prototype units here on my
desk, some are ready to go. If we do
decide to release anything else this year,
I’ll probably wait until Summer NAMM to
announce. Follow @alexanderpedals on
Instagram or Facebook for the most upto-date info.
TRW: Thank you for the time and the
tones Matthew. In closing, tell the
Tone Report consortium how buying
an Alexander pedal not only benefits
their ears, but humankind altogether.
28
INTERVIEW //
MF: Thanks for having me! People might
be wondering why we called the
company Alexander Pedals, since that’s
not my name. Alexander Farrow was my
little brother, who passed away in 1987
from a form of cancer called
neuroblastoma. Even though he was only
seven years old he had the heart of a
lion, and I miss him every day. Alexander
Pedals is my way of honoring his
memory, and we’re donating a portion
of every single pedal we sell to
childhood cancer research. Please check
out the About page on our website for
more details. Rock on.
“I READ MY COPY OF EPFM
UNTIL THE COVERS FELL
OFF. MY FIRST DESIGN WAS
THE SWEET CHEETAH, A
FAUX-FUR COVERED
FUZZ PEDAL. IT WAS
PRETTY GOOD BUT TOOK
A LOT OF TIME TO COVER
WITH FABRIC.”
Family Over Everything: Matthew Farrow of Alexander Pedals