Behind the Music: Mn music Gear Makers
Minnesota is home to an extraordinary community of craftspeople building distinctive musical instruments and equipment by hand. This directory introduces local makers of amplifiers, effects pedals, drums, guitars, harps, banjos and other specialty instruments, with a brief look at the gear each company creates and links to explore their work. From innovative boutique designs to instruments rooted in generations of traditional craftsmanship, these Minnesota makers help shape the sound of music both here at home and far beyond the state.
ToneTron Amps
ToneTron hand-builds custom tube amplifiers for guitar and bass, including compact combos, standalone heads, vintage-inspired circuits and original designs created around a musician’s needs. Its models range from the five-watt Full Five to the Billy Rocker guitar amp and the powerful B-120 bass head.
Rusan Guitarworks
Rusan Guitarworks hand-builds the distinctive Rusan Original electric guitar, recreated by Dave Rusan from the specifications of the Cloud guitar he made for Prince during the Purple Rain era. Each neck-through instrument is carved one at a time and can be ordered with custom colors and details.
Hoffman Guitars
Hoffman Guitars has built handcrafted steel-string and classical guitars in Minneapolis since 1971. Its custom instruments are made one at a time from carefully selected solid woods, with dimensions, materials and decorative details chosen to suit the individual musician.
Henretta Engineering
Henretta Engineering makes compact, handmade analog effects pedals designed to save valuable pedalboard space. Its signature two-inch-square “no-knob” pedals use internal trim controls, while the larger product line includes fuzz, phaser, flanger, reverb, tremolo, filtering and custom multi-effect units.
Mill City Lutherie
Mill City Lutherie hand-builds electric guitars and basses in Minneapolis, including the Longfellow, Minnehaha, Hennepin and Taconite models. Builder Adam Meyer combines familiar instrument forms with original construction details and, on select builds, pickups wound in his own shop.
Whalehazard Guitars (and Basses)
Whalehazard Guitars builds custom electric guitars and basses one at a time in South Minneapolis. Andy Webber’s original models include the Andromeda and Siren guitars, the Nebula bass and the Tyche short-scale bass, with custom inlay and carefully selected components available for distinctive builds.
Klash Custom Drums
Klash Custom Drums builds made-to-order drum kits around each drummer’s preferred sound, playing style and visual identity. The family-owned Minneapolis company works directly with musicians to create personalized instruments rather than one-size-fits-all production kits.
Super Larry Amps
Super Larry makes meticulously hand-wired vacuum-tube guitar amplifiers in Minnesota. Its Rally Sport Reverb is a boutique 20-watt, 1x12-inch combo featuring tube-driven spring reverb, adjustable breakup, a solid-pine cabinet and carefully selected components.
Heinonen Guitars
Heinonen Guitars creates one-of-a-kind custom steel-string acoustic guitars in Grand Marais. Builder T. Drew Heinonen applies experience gained in the workshops of Jim Olson and Dana Bourgeois to carefully voiced instruments designed around the individual musician.