I was chatting with Philippe Herndon, the man behind Caroline Guitar Company, at a show recently when I told him that his pedals have created a “sound” for South Carolina musicians and bands. He might know it, but he wouldn’t admit it. Local musicians love Caroline guitar pedals, not only because they are made here in Columbia, SC by fellow musicians, but also because they sound great. It’s becoming more and more rare that you see SC bands that don’t have a Wave Canon, Olympia, or an Icuras on their pedal board. Even recording studios like Archer Avenue have an arsenal of their pedals, recording the Caroline aided sound for the ages.
The only reason I hesitated when donating to the Kickstarter for the Kilobyte delay pedal was to decide at what level to donate. Right now, I’m at the $25 level, but hopefully that’s only temporary. I see it like I have 14 days to find $200 more to order one of the first handmade pedals. Even if you don’t play guitar or have any need for a pedal, you can know that you’re donating to something local that matters. A group doing what they love, making guitar pedals, and changing the tone of SC music in the process.
