Fran Blanche is a name that evokes the essence of Americana ; a downhome Midwestern secretary with a penchant for baking and collecting china dolls straight out of ‘ 50s nuclear America . While her designs do somewhat adhere to this aesthetic , Fran Blanche is anything but unassuming . Spearheading the boutique movement with her effects company Frantone in the mid- ‘ 90s alongside her contemporaries Zachary Vex , Bill Finnegan and James Demeter , Fran Blanche enjoyed cult success with her incredibly unique original designs , such as the Peachfuzz , Cream Puff , and The Sweet , to name a few .
“ Any guitar forum will show that this is not a culture that women would create or really ever desire to be a part of – which is a major obstacle to diversity right at the front gate …” -FRAN BLANCHE
In addition to being in the boutique game almost longer than anyone who is in it today , Fran is also one of the only prominent women in the industry , and she has overcome some tremendous obstacles in the years she has been in business . Around 2008 she began to taper away , and by 2009 she had all but disappeared , making the prices of her pedals on the secondhand market surge . Now in 2016 with the help of Kickstarter , Fran is back in full swing with two of her flagship pedals , the Peachfuzz and the Cream Puff . Other than making the author ’ s stomach rumble , these effects embody Fran ’ s dogma of “… only original analog effects and accessories with an emphasis on tonal quality , clarity , and rugged reliability .”
We at Tone Report had a rare opportunity to sit down with this effects veteran and legend , to speak about her story , where she has been , where she ’ s going , and what ’ s next for the new Frantone .
TONE REPORT : It ’ s a pleasure to get to speak with you , thanks for giving us some of your time ! Tell us a little bit about the current line of pedals you are offering .
FRAN BLANCHE : Right now for the summer of 2016 I am making the Peachfuzz and Cream Puff as you know , both were brought back with successful Kickstarter campaigns earlier in the year . Now that Frantone has some traction I am self funding the re-release of The Sweet and a newly redesigned Vibutron and hopefully I can get all the parts issues ironed out in time for those to be added to the new line this fall .
TR : When did you start to get into pedal building ? Did you just sort of start tinkering or is it something you wanted to do from the beginning ?
FB : I talked about the long story of how this all started in a video of a lecture I did at the University of the Arts recently , but the short story is that I never had a plan to be a pedal maker . I did have a need for a pedal back in 1994 because I
Fran Blanche is a name that evokes the essence of Americana ; a downhome Midwestern secretary with a penchant for baking and collecting china dolls straight out of ‘ 50s nuclear America . While her designs do somewhat adhere to this aesthetic , Fran Blanche is anything but unassuming . Spearheading the boutique movement with her effects company Frantone in the mid- ‘ 90s alongside her contemporaries Zachary Vex , Bill Finnegan and James Demeter , Fran Blanche enjoyed cult success with her incredibly unique original designs , such as the Peachfuzz , Cream Puff , and The Sweet , to name a few .
“ Any guitar forum will show that this is not a culture that women would create or really ever desire to be a part of – which is a major obstacle to diversity right at the front gate …” -FRAN BLANCHE
In addition to being in the boutique game almost longer than anyone who is in it today , Fran is also one of the only prominent women in the industry , and she has overcome some tremendous obstacles in the years she has been in business . Around 2008 she began to taper away , and by 2009 she had all but disappeared , making the prices of her pedals on the secondhand market surge . Now in 2016 with the help of Kickstarter , Fran is back in full swing with two of her flagship pedals , the Peachfuzz and the Cream Puff . Other than making the author ’ s stomach rumble , these effects embody Fran ’ s dogma of “… only original analog effects and accessories with an emphasis on tonal quality , clarity , and rugged reliability .”
We at Tone Report had a rare opportunity to sit down with this effects veteran and legend , to speak about her story , where she has been , where she ’ s going , and what ’ s next for the new Frantone .
TONE REPORT : It ’ s a pleasure to get to speak with you , thanks for giving us some of your time ! Tell us a little bit about the current line of pedals you are offering .
FRAN BLANCHE : Right now for the summer of 2016 I am making the Peachfuzz and Cream Puff as you know , both were brought back with successful Kickstarter campaigns earlier in the year . Now that Frantone has some traction I am self funding the re-release of The Sweet and a newly redesigned Vibutron and hopefully I can get all the parts issues ironed out in time for those to be added to the new line this fall .
TR : When did you start to get into pedal building ? Did you just sort of start tinkering or is it something you wanted to do from the beginning ?
FB : I talked about the long story of how this all started in a video of a lecture I did at the University of the Arts recently , but the short story is that I never had a plan to be a pedal maker . I did have a need for a pedal back in 1994 because I
ToneReport . com 19
F
ran Blanche is a name that
evokes the essence of
Americana; a downhome
Midwestern secretary with a
penchant for baking and collecting china
dolls straight out of ‘50s nuclear
America. While her designs do
somewhat adhere to this aesthetic, Fran
Blanche is anything but unassuming.
Spearheading the boutique movement
with her effects company Frantone in
the mid-‘90s alongside her
contemporaries Zachary Vex, Bill
Finnegan and James Demeter, Fran
Blanche enjoyed cult success with her
incredibly unique original designs, such
as the Peachfuzz, Cream Puff, and The
Sweet, to name a few.
“Any guitar forum will show that
this is not a culture that women
would create or really ever desire
to be a part of – which is a major
obstacle to diversity right at the
front gate…” -FRAN BLANCHE
In addition to being in the boutique
game almost longer than anyone who is
in it today, Fran is also one of the only
prominent women in the industry, and
she has overcome some tremendous
obstacles in the years she has been in
business. Around 2008 she began to
taper away, and by 2009 she had all but
disappeared, making the prices of her
pedals on the secondhand market surge.
Now in 2016 with the help of Kickstarter,
Fran is back in full swing with two of her
flagship pedals, the Peachfuzz and the
Cream Puff. Other than making the
author’s stomach rumble, these effects
embody Fran’s dogma of “…only
original analog effects and accessories
with an emphasis on tonal quality, clarity,
and rugged reliability.”
We at Tone Report had a rare
opportunity to sit down with this effects
veteran and legend, to speak about her
story, where she has been, where she’s
going, and what’s next for the new
Frantone.
TONE REPORT: It’s a pleasure to get to
speak with you, thanks for giving us
some of your time! Tell us a little bit
about the current line of pedals you
are offering.
FRAN BLANCHE: Right now for the
summer of 2016 I am making the
Peachfuzz and Cream Puff as you know,
both were brought back with successful
Kickstarter campaigns earlier in the year.
Now that Frantone has some traction I
am self funding the re-release of The
Sweet and a newly redesigned Vibutron
and hopefully I can get all the parts
issues ironed out in time for those to be
added to the new line this fall.
TR: When did you start to get into
pedal building? Did you just sort of
start tinkering or is it something you
wanted to do from the beginning?
FB: I talked about the long story of how
this all started in a video of a lecture I
did at the University of the Arts recently,
but the short story is that I never had a
plan to be a pedal maker. I did have a
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