Inspiring Conversations with Maynard Madsen of Madsen Amplification

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maynard Madsen.

Hi Maynard, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve been a music fan for as long as I can remember. One of my earliest memories is of me running around my parents’ living room and singing at the top of my lungs along to Tom Petty’s Free Fallin’. I became obsessed with the sounds and tones I was hearing on my favorite records growing up and that led me to go to school for audio engineering. I absolutely love the recording process, but what I didn’t realize was how much I would love electronics. While I was in college, my guitar amp broke. Not having the money to fix it, I talked to my electronics teacher. I had no idea what I was doing at the time, but he guided me through what components to replace and where to solder them. That experience hooked me!

My first job after college was at Sweetwater Sound Inc. selling recording gear and musical instruments. I learned a ton about the industry and was able to network with musicians and other gear companies. Ultimately I decided a sales gig was not for me and my growing family moved to Missouri to be near my wife’s relatives in 2010.

In 2017, I decided to dive headfirst into pursuing electronics as my career. I took a couple of amp classes at the Chicago School of Guitar Making, I enrolled in the Kendrick Amps correspondence course and bought a big stack of books. I loved what I was learning but felt that I wanted to have a better grasp on electronics theory and in December of 2018, I enrolled in a two years course through the Cleveland Institute of Electronics (CIE). With all the lockdowns in 2020, I finished my coursework early and got to work building pedals.

I’ve been hand-building amps and pedals ever since.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
One of the challenges I faced early on was the fact that it’s relatively easy to find information about building tube amplifiers and effects pedals, but the hole in my education was in troubleshooting circuits when they weren’t working properly. If you’re a hobbyist, you can replace parts until the problem goes away and over time grow your knowledge and experience. Ideally having a good foundation in electronics gives you the knowledge you need for both designing and troubleshooting. That’s ultimately why I enrolled in the two year program at CIE.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Madsen Amplification is a small boutique amp and pedal company. I focus my attention on building high-quality great sounding gear that excites me. I hand build each and every amp and pedal one at a time and I back all of my products with a limited lifetime warranty. From the beginning, the guiding principle of Madsen Amplification has been to build simple and elegant amplifiers and effects that allow musicians to quickly and easily achieve great tones, freeing them up to think less about the gear and more about the music they are creating. Gear is absolutely fun, but my hope is that my customers view the amps and pedals that they buy from me as invaluable tools that help them in the creation of their art.

What I’m currently best known for is my GE Boost, which is a germanium treble boost pedal that utilizes both new and vintage components. They are available in a standard finish or a hand-painted alcohol ink enclosure.

I also build germanium fuzz pedals and one-off custom tube amplifiers. I’m currently prototyping two different amp models to add to my lineup, along with a few more pedals. I’m really excited for what’s in store in the future. The best places for people to stay updated on new products are on my mailing list and Instagram.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
One of my best friends, Jacob Schurmeier, was very instrumental in helping me getting my company going. He was a start up investor at the very beginning of my journey and has helped with web design and graphic design, not to mention being a good friend that I can bounce ideas off of.

Pricing:

• GE Boost $375.00
• GE 66 Fuzz $450.00

Contact Info:

• Email: info@madsenamps.com
• Website: www.madsenamps.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madsenamps/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MadsenAmps
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MadsenAmps
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSxEfmxAoVgBfeq9BueWLjA

Image Credits:
Sarah Madsen, Maynard Madsen