Today we get a chance to interview the man we all strive to be, Nick Williams from Dunwich!
Q: What was your first encounter with guitar and/or pedals?
A: I received a hand-me down MIM Fender Telecaster and a low-wattage Fender solid state combo amp in middle school. That was my first guitar and amp. A little while later I bought a BOSS MD‑2 Mega Distortion from a local music store which was my first guitar pedal.
Q: When did you start getting into building?
A: In college (undergraduate EE degree at UCONN, 2006-2007), I became interested in building my own amps. I bought a kit from https://www.ax84.com/ which offered a few different single ended tube amp DIY designs. Donato from Dual Stage Amps mentored me during my first tube amp build and helped me get it running. Shortly after building the kit tube amp, I bought a tubescreamer kit from General Guitar Gadgets for my first pedal build.
Q: When did you design your first pedal?
A: The first pedal I would consider a "design" would be the FAC OFF. I use "design" a little loosely here because it was a YAFF, a modified Meathead type circuit, but it was the first pedal where I designed a PCB, created an artwork, had said artwork silk screened onto an enclosure, and built/sold an entire run of pedals. The circuit had a rotary input cap selector and a small toggle switch that swapped between different input transistors. This would have likely been designed around 2010-2011
Q: What do you do for a living?
A: Lab Director (Director Of Operations) at a company that tests for counterfeit electronics in critical/high reliability supply chains. As director, I oversee all of our testing labs. Anything pedal or amp related is more of a side-gig in terms of making a living.
Q: Any long term goals?
A: To continue to mentor new pedal and amp builders. To continue to collaborate with other brands and design/release new pedals and amps. Find some time to actually play guitar.
Q: Any other hobbies besides music?
A: With 3 young kids under the age of 10, I don't have much time for other hobbies.
Q: Pets?
A: Emmy, 8 year old Field Spaniel
