And the answer to the question, “Who Let The Dogs Out ?"
By Richard Rick Excellente ©2017
“Let a snarling dog bark until it loses it’s bite.”
I have been a designer in the guitar and effects device business for over 45 years. Being a guitarist, I always maintained an interest in guitar effects. My first project was in a high school electronics class where I built a “fuzz box” for guitar. It was based on a circuit for the Maestro Fuzztone, the first “stomp box” distortion effect for guitar. The fuzztone guitar sound was originally made famous by The Rolling Stones on “Satisfaction” and Paul McCartney first used a fuzztone on his bass track of “Think For Yourself” on Rubber Soul. “Fuzz” was also an essential element in Jimi Hendrix’s guitar sound. This distortion effect became a necessity during the mid to late ‘60s, and remains a useful tool for guitarists even in today’s world.
After high school, I landed a job with Clark Electronics in Clark N.J. assembling P.A. column speakers and wiring fuzz boxes. It was a only three man operation. The Clark fuzz sounded raunchy, and Jimi Hendrix purchased one from Manny’s Music Store in N.Y.C., although I don’t know if he ever used it on any of his recordings.
During the early 70's I worked for Guild Guitars in Elizabeth, NJ. where I was in charge of the Guild/Madeira service dept. In 1972, I designed the GUILD D-40C , the first acoustic dreadnought guitar with a “cut-away”. It’s still in production today, and most guitar manufactures have followed suit by adding a cut-away feature to an acoustic guitar.
(ref. Wikipedia- "Guild Guitar Company Pre- Fender Era")
At Guild, I also met Mike Matthews who manufactured Guild fuzz boxes called "Foxey Lady". It was actually a repackaged version of the "Big Muff Pi" made by Mike Matthews company Electro Harmonix, in New York City.
During the mid-70's, I began experimenting with a 6 channel guitar pickup that would isolate the output of each string individually to accomplish an “over dubbed” distorted guitar sound live,
( as in Brian May’s multi track "hex fuzz" sounds that he recorded with Queen). Today, although not that widely used, the 6 channel pickup is a necessity for "hex fuzz" effects and poly-phonic guitar synths. At that time, I wanted to isolate and route each string through a separate amplifier. I contacted Mike Mathews of Electro Harmonics and I inquired about purchasing six small amps known as “The Freedom Amp”. He asked why I wanted six of them and I explained my idea of a discrete 6 string/amp setup. He then offered me a position with the company. I made no commitments, but I remained in contact with Matthews.
The six amp set up proved to be too cumbersome and nothing “earth shattering”. I then sold one of my Freedom amps to a fellow New Jersey guitarist named John Korba. He liked the Freedom amp as a second amp to his existing rig, and asked me if I could build him a switching device so he could instantly switch his guitar back and forth between two amplifiers. I had a couple of broken Electro Harmonix “Small Stone” phase shifters, so I gutted them and used the cases to build a simple switching mechanism that accomplished the purpose. I decided to call it a “Switchblade”.
I hand drew a “Switchblade” logo on some construction paper and pasted it to the case and I gave one to Korba. It was the first A/B switching device of it’s kind. The next time I visited Mike Mathews, I showed it to him, and he asked to borrow it.
Several months later, while browsing through a guitar mag, there it was, THE SWITCHBLADE produced by Electro Harmonix. It was identical to the one I built and even sported the “Switchblade” logo that I created. Despite the fact that I wasn’t offered any commission, I found it amusing. Mike Mathews was very accommodating and then offered me a position as an Electro Harmonics field representative. I accepted Mike Matthews offer and I spent the next three years traveling throughout the US, Canada, and England, demonstrating and promoting Electro Harmonix guitar effects.
In 1977, when I returned to New York in between trips, Mathews expressed an interest in developing the 6 Channel Pickup system to drive a guitar synthesizer, but it proved to be too inconvenient. Mathews opted to develop an all analog “stomp box synthesizer” and teamed me with his chief engineer David Cockrell, a former electronics expert for the British Navy. Working with Cockrell, we devised a method to modify and shape an analog guitar signal to make it generate “other worldly” guitar sounds. Within a month, we had a working prototype that featured a combination of a unique touch sensitive fuzz, a sweeping graphic equalizer, upper and lower octave generator, and an envelope follower with variable attack/decay settings. It was dubbed “The Micro Synthesizer”, the first stomp box synthesizer for guitar. Guitarist Jimmy Page used a Micro Synthesizer on Led Zeppelin’s recording of “No Quarter”.
Although there were none at the time, I wanted EH (Electro Harmonix) to produce a pedal which simulated the sound of an overdriven tube amp. Mathews then teamed me up with a “swami” who was an electronics engineer at EH. His name was Madhava, a very sharp individual. In several months, we had the first tube amp distortion simulator known as “Hot Tubes”. The Hot Tubes was based a circuit previously designed by electronics guru Craig Anderton, but we added an additional output stage. The unique thing about Hot Tubes is, unlike other distortion pedals at the time, it simulated the dynamics and compression of a rectified tube amp, something that previously had not been accomplished. During April, 1978, the first “Hot Tubes” tube distortion simulator came off the assembly line. It soon became a hit. Within a year, Ibanez followed suit by introducing the “Tube Screamer”. These units were a must for guitarists like Stevie Ray Vaughn and Joe Bonamassa.
I also wanted to develop a pedal that would simulate a backwards guitar (reversed tape) effect. At that time, there was no way to do this live. Matthews paired me up with an EH engineer named “Lyle”. Lyle was also a wiz at building circuitry. Within a week, we had the first backward tape simulator for guitar which was a pedal that incorporated two adjacent potentiometers activated in reverse . It’s up/down sweeping motion simulated a semi authentic backwards guitar and it even had a glitch that reproduced the sound of the pick attack at the end. Electro Harmonix did not to produce this pedal because Matthews felt it was “too esoteric” for the market at the time, and guitarists would need to develop a special skill to play it. Matthews gave me the prototype and in the coming years, I would develop it into a product.
During the early 80's, the electronics union strong armed their way into the Electro Harmonics workforce. Some of the EH workers were being assaulted by union thugs. I was lucky not to have been involved, but Mike Mathews closed the doors on the 23rdSt Electro Harmonix factory and sold the company. I then took a job as a session guitarist /recording engineer in a 16 track studio in Roselle N.J. recording demos for local New Jersey bands and artists like Joey George, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, and others like Peter Tosh and Andrea True. The hours were long and tedious. I decided not to continue as a recording engineer.
I already had a number of years experience as a guitar builder and repairman working for Guild Guitars in Elizabeth, NJ. during the 70's. In 1983, I opened a custom guitar shop in Maplewood, NJ, which I called “American Showster Custom Guitars’. I coined the name from a suitcase at Electro Harmonix which was designated to go to the NAMM music trade show/convention. The luggage was made by The American Tourister Company, but someone placed a “SHOW”label over the logo and it now read “American SHOWster”. I knew it would be a great name for a guitar and I named my new place of business accordingly.
At my custom guitar shop, I had a good clientele, with a mix of local guitarists and some famous one’s like Alec Such from Bon Jovi. I already had performed some custom work and repair maintenance for Alec, who like myself, was a classic auto enthusiast. One day, during our conversation about guitars and cars, I mentioned that I had a long time dream of building a guitar that resembles a ‘57 Chevy tail fin. He gave me the first standing order for a bass version. The project was initiated and a year later, with the expertise of the super talented NJ sculptor and long time associate Mark Dornan of Pt. Pleasant NJ., I had built a ‘57 Chevy Tail Fin guitar and bass prototype,
The Chevy guitar project was a grueling experience. These guitars were difficult to build and required tens of thousands (actually hundreds of thousands) of dollars to tool up and produce. During the next four years I built just under 100 Chevy Guitars but profits were absorbed by overhead, costs of materials, and a long assembly time.
As an accessory to the Chevy guitar motif, I wanted to incorporate a sound clip of an engine starting when it is first plugged in, and have a foot pedal that resembled a custom “hot rod foot” gas pedal cover ( like the one’s sold in Pep Boys stores), but these never came to pass during the Chevy guitar project.
In the early 90's, the recession and financial stress were taking its toll on my business and marriage. I went through a separation and divorce. Money was tight.. I closed shop and began teaching guitar for a living. It was much less complicated than the guitar building business.
Not having a place of my own to live, I moved in with former Mirthrandir bass player, Jim Miller, who lived in a house trailer in Edison NJ. (How do you take the trash out when you live in a trailer camp? Invite the next door neighbor to dinner).
During 1993, I landed a job at a vintage guitar shop in Plainfield, New Jersey called Outlaw Guitars, doing mostly repairs and setups. I still had parts to build Chevy Guitars, and Outlaw commissioned me to build a Chevy guitar which they sold to Dolly Parton.
During my tenure with Outlaw Guitars, guitarist Ken Segal came into the shop. He was a long time friend and client of the recording studio where I used to work Ken told me that he worked with his dad in a small electronics assembly shop the next town over. I dropped by to pay them a visit. It was a two man operation, with Ken and his dad being the only employees. They built electronic testing equipment for the government. I showed Ken the Electro Harmonix Hot Tubes which I had developed with EH some years earlier.
Seeing that his shop was a equipped to build electronics, I asked Ken if he could help build me a version of the Hot Tubes. I gave Ken my Hot Tubes unit and he worked up a prototype, based on it’s circuitry. It sounded great. During the next few months, Ken built several more protoypes which incorporated the same circuitry, but built with a compact circuit board and components.
The original unit had the character of a 6L6 vacuum tube ( as used in Fender amps), and we discovered the more compact version sounded closer to EL 34's as used in Marshall amps. Outlaw Guitars then gave us a standing order for 50 units which were to be sold to a Japanese distributor .
I met with Ken and his dad, Bernie Segal, a sweetheart of a man, and told him that I, along with Ken, could assemble these units at his shop and Mr. Segal agreed to give us workspace. I left my job at Outlaw to devote full time to building and marketing the unit with Ken. We decided to simply call it “The Boxx”, and named the units “The 6L6" and “The EL34". It was a niche marketing opportunity. Ken and I agreed to split profits 50/50.
Ken already knew of a shop to make the cases in stainless steel. I contacted a long time printing associate to work up the graphics for silk screening “The Boxx”. Ken’s dad Mr. Segal also offered to loan us about $2000. for materials and components necessary to produce the units, however, we knew it would take time to see a positive cash flow and pay back the loan.
During the following months, Ken Segal and myself built a number of “The Boxx” units, selling most of them to Outlaw Guitars. I worked at Mr. Segal’s shop on a daily basis, and although Ken continued to receive a salary from his dad’s business, I would get paid only when the Boxx units were shipped and paid for. I was living on a shoestring and I began to fall deeper into debt. Mr. Segal kindly gave me a personal loan to cover my living expenses which I managed to pay back.
One day, at Segal’s shop, while browsing through a guitar magazine and I came across an ad for “Snarling Dogs’ guitar strings. The company was owned by Charles Stringer, whom I had dealt with in the past. Charlie was a “larger than life’ individual, and he had a great sense of humor which he incorporated into marketing his strings. Coincidently, his warehouse was literally around the corner from Segal’s shop.
I contacted Charlie, and he paid Ken and I a visit. We showed him the “Boxx” units that we were building. Charlie expressed an interest in marketing a guitar effects product line, but Stringer was already distributing Arion effects pedals, an Asian company. We discussed the scenario of having Stringer market The Boxx, but we were limited by the amount of units we could build in a short amount of time.
I felt that Stringer would get behind the project if it had his name on it. I took a Snarling Dogs string insert which had a rendering of an angry, snarling rottweiler dog, and mounted the string insert it to one of our “Boxx”units. We showed it to Stringer, but he immediately rejected it because he wanted the Snarling Dogs name to be exclusive to his string line. I decided to kick it up a notch, and I drilled holes through the eyes of the dog, and mounted led’s which became activated when the pedal was on. At first, Ken Segal rejected the “lit eyes” idea, saying the led’s would get crushed by one’s foot. I demonstrated that they actually would not. We showed it to Stringer and now... he loved it. Charlie Stringer became convinced to have a guitar effects line called “Snarling Dogs Pedals”.
Ken and I then signed a contract with Stringer Industries and we were commissioned by Stringer to design a complete Snarling Dogs pedal line, which we would receive a royalty on each Snarling Dogs’ pedal, to be split equally between Ken and myself. All Snarling Dogs pedals would be mass produced by Stringer's factory in China..
Stringer expressed that he now wanted a wah pedal for the Snarling Dogs line. Ken Segal built a prototype that was basically a circuit of a wah built by Foxx. It had a selector switch which gave varied wah sounds. Ken mounted the circuit into an old gutted wah pedal, which had a lackluster black finish, but it sounded good. I felt it needed some cosmetic “sprucing up”. I recalled the hot rod “foot” gas pedal I wanted to build for the Chevy guitar, and I told Ken to go to Pep Boys and pick up a custom gas pedal overlay (which looks like a foot with toes), and mount it to the wah intended for Stringer.
Ken liked the idea, but when we showed it to Charlie Stringer, he rejected it saying it was “ too funny”. I told Stringer we could give it the same treatment as the other Snarling Dogs pedals, but with a glow in the dark Snarling Dogs logo and lit eyes. Stringer agreed to move forward and test market it.
We displayed a makeshift Snarling Dogs “ Foot” Wah prototype at the next NAMM show in Anaheim,CA. The Snarling Dogs wah had the Pep Boys Foot mounted to a wah case that housed the modified Foxx wah pedal circuitry complete with a 3 way selector knob for various wah sounds. But during the NAMM Show, the pedal case broke. The following morning before the show opened, Ken and I took it to an Anaheim auto body shop to have it repaired. From the truck of a car, they fiberglassed the unit back together and it got us through the show. Stringer took standing orders for the Snarling Dogs Wah, and also for the other Snarling Dogs distortion pedals that were based on the Hot Tubes/Boxx circuits, now known as the Tweedy Dog, The Blue Doo, and the “The Black Dog” names designated by Charlie Stringer.
Stringer was now convinced to move ahead with the Snarling Dogs Wah, and I was commissioned to design the wah case and its dimensions, which would be mass produced in Asia. I spent several months at Segal’s shop devising the dimensions and mechanics for the pedal. It was a complex maze of geometric gear and pinion travel ratios. I also named the sound selectors to indicate 3 types of wah sounds, i.e. “Voodoo” based on Hendrix’s Vox wah, , “Shaft” as heard on the song, based on a Maestro Boomerang wah, and “White Room” which typified Clapton’s Cry Baby wah with Cream. I then decided to incorporate a double mast for two pots, so it could also be utilized for the dual pot “backwards guitar’ effect, if necessary, and I also added a simple "Stratoblaster" style pickup pre-amp with a master volume control to allow variable boost to the output signal when the wah is activated.
I collaborated with local computer artist Paul Elwood, an ace graphic designer for Snarling Dogs. Paul Elwood had an important role in the design of the "foot" pedal, which he created on a computer. The layout was finally completed the blueprints were presented to Stringer. I had to meet with the owner of the Asian factory to discuss manufacturing logistics.
In about a month, we got the first Snarling Dogs wah prototype case. But it was too tiny. I told Stringer to make the case larger, which they did. Now, the case was unusually large and heavy.
(I would have opted for a size in between, but there was already too much time invested in the project.) On the plus side, the larger case was more visually outstanding and it’s weight made it more stable. (I don’t know how well it was actually received in the marketplace, but looking back, I would have modified it’s size and decreased the weight because it might require the use of a hand truck to lift five or six of these pedals mounted to the same pedal board.).
I then decided to patent the “Foot Pedal” design and applied for a US Patent during Feb. of 1997. I already had been issued four U.S. Patents over the years, pertaining to the Chevy Guitar, and Metal Loading which I previously licensed t Kramer.
The patent for the “hot rod foot” pedal would be issued to me as the designer.
Stringer and Ken Segal were fully aware and agreeable that I was to obtain the “hot rod foot pedal” patent in my name, but Stringer would have the exclusive right to use the design. However, I was to pay all costs in obtaining the patent. It cost me over a thousand dollars in patent fees.
On Feb. 9, 1999. I was granted a U.S. design patent for the electronic signal processor. foot pedal
US Des 405,461 (ref. Google search "Patents of Richard Excellente")
None of my patent costs were contributed or reimbursed by Stringer or Segal, but Stringer began paying us advanced royalties to help me with expenses which only lasted about 6 weeks. Stringer was paid back with my share of royalties in the Snarling Dogs project.
During my tenure with Stringer and Segal, Stringer also expressed interest in the “backwards guitar” effect. I dug out the unit I had developed with Electro Harmonics years earlier. However, it was not working. Stringer gave me a deadline on producing a prototype. I took it to a local college where an electronics professor named Kevin Wine agreed to repair it and print a schematic. I don’t recall exactly how much I paid Kevin, but it was nominal I was glad to have it working and meet Stringer’s deadline. I submitted the schematic and a working prototype to Stringer which he named “The Erogenous Moan”. My prototype unit was sent to China, but it was never returned.
I also designed and named the Snarling Dogs "Crossroads" a/b switching device, which was actually the "Switchblade" I designed for Electro Harmonix years before. However, the first units built did not have "hard bypass" wiring. I also named the Snarling Dogs"Very Tone" pedal and the sound menu that appears on the rear of the case.
Ken Segal and I still had orders from Outlaw Guitars for a couple dozen of The Boxxs’which had to be built ASAP. During this time, Ken Segal continued getting salary from his dad’s business but I had to take another day job. At night and on weekends, I would go to Segal’s shop and assemble Boxx’s until the shipment was filled. The last Boxx shipment yielded about $2,200. which I was to receive half ($1100. ) Royalty advances had run out, and I still awaited actual royalties generated from the Snarling Dogs pedals. I had already contributed much time and money to the Snarling Dogs project. I now became faced with an eviction and several nights I had to sleep on at desk at Segal’s shop.
We finally delivered the last shipment of ‘The Boxx’ to Outlaw guitars, and they paid me $2200. I was entitled to half, (a 50/50 split) with Segal. I then asked Ken Segal if I could borrow a little extra money to at least cover the debts which I incurred from the Snarling Dogs project. Ken Segal told me that not only can I not borrow the money, but we had to pay his father back the entire amount immediately for the money he loaned to us.... meaning... I would get nothing. REALLY?
I had already spent a year of time initiating and developing the Snarling Dogs pedal line for Stringer and I incurred out of pocket costs into the thousands without reimbursement, and I worked for months without pay. Now, I was in a hole. At one point, Ken Segal and his dad actually suggested that I should get a job at a carwash. What? This was a wake up call, but I didn’t anger. I realized that I was involved with ruthlessness. So what did I do? In order to survive, I now had to look out for myself. Whether they liked it or not, I helped myself to the money which I worked over a year for, BUT with the intent to pay back, at least, with my share of future royalties from Stringer. I didn’t want to piss anyone off, but I was walking a gang plank into a financial blood bath and they didn’t give a damn.
After explaining this to Ken and his dad, hoping they would understand, they told me to leave their shop and not return. However, I was still entitled to royalties from Stringer’s Snarling Dogs pedals.. I planned to negotiate by taking legal action. The next time I spoke with Ken Segal, he told me his dad Bernie had suffered a heart attack, but he was okay and recuperating. Thank God!
I know how stressful this situation had become, and I didn’t want to add hardships with a lawsuit which may have put Mr. Segal’s health at further at risk. To calm the waters, I then sent Mr. Segal a get well card, and I drafted and signed a document that I would relinquish my share of royalties,
until his father was paid back in full. I left the ball in their court, and I hoped that after all was paid back, they would do the right thing and forward me a fair share of royalties which I was yet entitled to from Stringer on Snarling Dogs pedals.
The next time I spoke with Mr. Segal, he told me that I was going to get nothing, meaning Ken Segal would receive a 100% share of all Snarling Dogs royalties. To avoid further confrontations,
I turned my back and walked away. Since that time, I believe a number of Snarling Dogs pedals were advertised, produced and sold throughout the world, and I also believe substantial royalties were generated. Since then, I received not a penny in royalties and no mention was ever made by Segal or Stringer as to my contribution to the Snarling Dogs Effects pedal line. Ken Segal has been the recipient of all royalties, and somehow has taken full credit for designing all Snarling Dogs pedals.
Although I initiated the concept of Snarling Dogs pedals, including the “Hot Rod Foot”, "Lit Eyes", tube distortion & boost circuits for Snarling Dogs pedals, I must give credit where it is due. Ken Segal spent a good deal of time building prototype circuit boards, and he devised an original circuit layout known as the “Mold Spore”which utilizes a ring modulator in series with the wah circuitry. But this effect would not have been possible without the dual potentiometer system driven by an extra wide rack gear which I incorporated for the Snarling Dogs “Erogenous Moan” pedals. Ken Segal also devised “hard bypass” wiring to Snarling Dogs pedals which allows a true normal sound when the pedal is not activated, and a dual inductor system which produces the additional Snarling Dogs wah sounds labeled “Testosterone” and “Estrogen”, and a bass wah for Bootsy Collins. I don't know who labeled and named these units.
Before I could ever meet with Charles Stringer again, regretfully, he died sometime in 1999. I understand the company was then sold by his wife to Ryan & Matthews which is a Long Island based music distributor; and later to D’Andrea, who distributes picks and other guitar accessories.
I don’t know what royalty arrangements Ken Segal currently has with these companies, but Ken manages to appear in their ads as the designer of Snarling Dogs Pedals, and I believe Ken Segal continues to receive 100% of all royalties that are generated by Snarling Dogs pedals, despite my contributions and patent.
Looking back, a lesson is learned. The problem is, although Ken Segal and I had a written contract with Stringer, I failed to enter into a binding agreement between Ken Segal and myself, although I do recall some sort of a hand written agreement with Jersey Technical Electronics (Ken’s father’s company) pertaining to workspace and accident insurance liability
I didn’t think it was important at the time.
An interesting side note: The first shipment of Snarling Dogs wah pedals were made with a transformer instead of an "inductor". This causes noise and hum. After all was said and done, Ken Segal actually wanted me to help him repair dozens of the first batch of Snarling Dogs pedals. What? I never approved a transformer design, and at that point, it wasn’t my problem.
Sometimes in friendships, we overlook the principles that solidify the foundation of a business relationship and we’re inclined to enter deals on a hand shake. Verbal commitments tend to fade with time. Many of the problems encountered in the Snarling Dogs project could have been avoided if there was a legal written contract between Ken Segal and myself. I enjoyed Ken Segal’s and Charlie Stringer’s company, (until I became involved with their "companies”).
Perhaps, now you know who really let the dogs out
I am now retired, and I currently live in South Florida, in good health and with peaceful surroundings. For the most part, I’ve turned my back on the music instrument business and all the calamity that I have experienced in it. But my work in the guitar business will continue to speak for itself. Needless to say... every dog has it’s day.
R. Excellente
