History
Big John Music was started by professional musicians. The history is briefly explained in this interview from 2011 by Bart Provoost.
Belgian bassplayer/moogplayer Jan Detremerie started the project in october 2006 with guitarist Stijn Vandebril, just to design and build their own effects and soon other musicians who heard their sound started inquiring about them.
There is something special about them, since they were designed from scratch, and not the usual copies of popular effects. It took only a couple of weeks before the first pedals were obtained by music shops in Belgium... In 2013, Jan started working together with Arnoud Faber, who since then started soldering and building the pedals and running the website from The Netherlands. Arnoud also designed and introduced the "Dirty Sandwich" (using the exact "Lil' John Boost" circuit and components for the amazing boost/drive section), and runs the current Endorsement Program.
Right from the early days, artists like dEUS, Muse, Beck, Nine Inch Nails and other seriously great names (check our Artists Page) discovered the authentic sounds of the BIG JOHN Effects pedals. Soon the word (and the music) was spreading and worldwide dealers were starting to distribute Big John effects, from Japan to Canada and from Germany to Russia to the USA, Japan and Australia.
Still, every single pedal is completely built in-house by us personally by hand, and that's how it will always be!
Belgian bassplayer/moogplayer Jan Detremerie started the project in october 2006 with guitarist Stijn Vandebril, just to design and build their own effects and soon other musicians who heard their sound started inquiring about them.
There is something special about them, since they were designed from scratch, and not the usual copies of popular effects. It took only a couple of weeks before the first pedals were obtained by music shops in Belgium... In 2013, Jan started working together with Arnoud Faber, who since then started soldering and building the pedals and running the website from The Netherlands. Arnoud also designed and introduced the "Dirty Sandwich" (using the exact "Lil' John Boost" circuit and components for the amazing boost/drive section), and runs the current Endorsement Program.
Right from the early days, artists like dEUS, Muse, Beck, Nine Inch Nails and other seriously great names (check our Artists Page) discovered the authentic sounds of the BIG JOHN Effects pedals. Soon the word (and the music) was spreading and worldwide dealers were starting to distribute Big John effects, from Japan to Canada and from Germany to Russia to the USA, Japan and Australia.
Still, every single pedal is completely built in-house by us personally by hand, and that's how it will always be!