In this episode of the Tone Mob Podcast, host Blake Wyland interviews David Greeves from Great Eastern FX. David shares his background as a music journalist and how he fell into writing about equipment from the gear world. He also discusses his journey into pedal design and the challenges he faced along the way. The conversation covers the inspiration behind the name Great Eastern FX and the launch of the company. Also in this episode, we get a sneak peek at the XO Variable Crossover pedal and Blake shares a short demo. (A first on this podcast!) David and Blake discuss the versatility and educational potential of the crossover pedal. Including creating complex effects chains and splitting the signal for different amps. David shares the origin of the pedal and how it evolved from a harmonic tremolo concept. They also discuss the importance of using your ears and understanding frequency ranges in music. The conversation concludes with David's favorite Boss pedal, the TR2 Tremolo, and his favorite kind of pizza. Takeaways David Greaves started his career as a journalist writing for music magazines before transitioning into pedal design. The inspiration for the name Great Eastern FX came from the Great Eastern Railway Company and the desire to project a sense of establishment and professionalism. The XO Variable Crossover pedal allows users to split their guitar signal into low and high frequency bands, enabling the use of different effects on each frequency range. The XO Variable Crossover pedal offers new creative possibilities for guitarists, allowing them to experiment with different effects on specific frequency ranges. Sound Bites Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 01:09 Getting Started in Music and Pedal Design 15:19 Launching Great Eastern Effects 24:04 Introducing the XO Variable Crossover Pedal 27:48 Blake's Experience with the XO Variable Crossover Pedal 30:41 Exploring Different Ways to Use the Pedal 32:21 The Versatility of the Crossover Pedal 33:01 Excitement for Bass Players 34:08 Educational Potential of the Pedal 36:31 The Origin of the Pedal 39:56 The Importance of Using Your Ears 43:24 The Impact of Frequency Ranges 46:37 The Complexity of Sound in a Band Context 49:02 Designing Pedals for Different Guitarists 50:29 The Innovation of Rock and Roll Sound 52:59 Favorite Boss Pedal: TR2 Tremolo 54:12 Favorite Kind of Pizza: Italian with Artichokes, Ham, and Mushrooms Support The Show And Connect! The Text Chat is back! Hit me up at (503) 751-8577 You can also help out with your gear buying habits by purchasing stuff from Tonemob.com/reverb Tonemob.com/sweetwater or grabbing your guitar/bass strings from Tonemob.com/stringjoy Release your music via DistroKid and save 30% by going to Tonemob.com/distrokid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices