About Us
The story behind Brown Bear Pedals
Brown Bear Pedals is a small, one–person shop building tarot-inspired and vintage-flavored guitar effects in the Midwest. Here's a bit about where the name came from, how the whole thing started, and where it all happens.
I grew up in southern Illinois, and as a child we would visit my mom's side of the family in San Antonio, Texas. I would run around outside all summer long, playing whatever games my cousins and I made up and having an absolute blast.
By the end of the summer I would be so tan from being outside all day that my grandfather Martin would call me Brown Bear. I loved the nickname and decided to honor his memory—and my memories of visiting family—by using his nickname for me as the name of this pedal company.
In 2018 I decided to take on yet another hobby in addition to playing guitar: I wanted to make a guitar pedal. Knowing that I tend to jump head-first into hobbies, I ordered enough parts to make several pedals.
By the time the pandemic came around, I decided it was time to design my own circuit boards and artwork. I wanted to take the hobby a step further and make professional designs, so I learned how to use Illustrator. That let me get the graphics UV printed and really took my pedals to the next level.
Brown Bear Pedals is based about 20 minutes from downtown St. Louis, in Belleville, Illinois. A nice drive from the city brings you to my hometown.
I've moved away more times than I can remember, but I've always called this place home—just like my parents have, and my grandparents on my father's side as well.