We were lucky to catch up with Jordan Gale recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jordan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

My business was born out of my passion for sound – I was 19 and studying for a computer science degree when I saw that one of the professors of electrical engineering had built a guitar amplifier and had it sitting in a display case on campus. I had been playing guitar for a couple years at that point, and was fascinated with the science of it. I wanted to understand how it worked, I wanted to make my own. I switched majors to Electrical Engineering the following semester.

Once I had some electronics fundamentals under my belt, I set my mind to learning how some of these classic circuits work – Tube amps were a bit intimidating, so I figured pedals would be an easier entry point. I had been obsessed with trying out different boost pedals at the time out of a desire to get the massive guitar tones I heard on records or at shows. I ended up learning how boost pedals functioned, and from there started to recognize what sound characteristics I found desirable in a boost.

Eventually I built my first pedal, and got some friends to check it out. They seemed to like what I was doing, so I took to offering custom modifications on circuits through various online discussion groups. After I did enough business that way, I had a concrete idea of what I wanted to offer in my own product, and so I discontinued my custom work and elected to offer standard options.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am the owner and founder of Highwind Amplification – A business I started to express my love of sound and design. I primarily make effects for the guitar, but I recently expanded that to making amplifiers as well.

For as long as I have been a fan of rock and metal music – even before I was a guitarist myself – I have had an obsession with the sound/tone of guitar. There was always something magical to me about earth shaking distortion, and once I started playing guitar, that obsession only grew. I didn’t know anything about production or double tracking, but I knew that the bands I loved to listen to sounded huge and I wanted to understand how I could make that happen for myself. I set about trying to achieve that through the design of circuits I could use in my own guitar rig.

In my quest to craft the types of tones that I loved hearing on records, my sensibilities lead me to modify circuits and add features that were not present. Ultimately, I started collecting all of those ideas and packaging them into my own products that I could share with others. For me, this endeavor has always been about expressing my love of sound and tone through the lens of engineering. I view my products as tools, like paint and brushes to a painter.

My proudest achievement was the success of my first flagship pedal – The Direwolf. The Direwolf is an overdrive circuit meant to EQ and add some grit to a guitar signal before it gets to the amplifier. To date I have made around 1300 of those pedals, which is something I would have never imagined when I was starting out. The Direwolf was created out of a desire to have a boost circuit with enough options onboard for nearly any use context. I wanted to be able to transform my tone into something awesome regardless of what amp or guitar I was using, and at the time I had not found a circuit that really offered all of that as a standard.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

One of the most important elements of my success, from my perspective, was community. Among the numerous titans in my industry, it can be very difficult to get to a place where you stand out, but there is something to be said for a personal touch.

Early on in my journey I spent a lot of time in various online guitar communities – Forums, social media groups, and the like. I would talk to people, learn what it is they wanted, and offer to facilitate that for them. I was always answering questions, helping people with issues unrelated to what I was doing, and trying my best to be a good resource for those around me. I am a strong believer in sharing knowledge and offering my shoulder for others to stand on, as I have stood on the shoulders of giants myself.

I have a genuine love for the music community, and I am grateful to be a part of it. When I switched from offering custom builds and modifications to my own designs, I had built up enough credibility within these circles that there were people willing to take a risk and try my stuff out – For this I will remain forever grateful. Once these people had a chance to check my stuff out and spread the word, it all began to snowball from there. To this day I am still an active participant in these online communities, and even if my business disappeared tomorrow, that would not change.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Starting the business was a very taxing endeavor. I worked full time, and was attending college courses in the evenings. When I got home, I would spend all night building circuits, researching, or engaging in discussions in the communities of which I was a member. That last part was important, because that was how I found my first clients. It wasn’t uncommon for me to work all night and just go straight to my day job without having slept at all. I pushed myself in this way for several years – “burning the candle at both ends” so to speak. Even now, many years later, I still do this from time to time.

I always figured it takes a certain degree of dogged persistence and sacrifice to be successful, and I was committed to building something for myself. I love music, I love sound, and I love making things. It was my dream to be able to make a living while immersed in these things that I value, and I was willing to endure that level of strain and work to achieve that dream. That type of focus has a cost, however. It took a heavy toll on my health – Both mental and physical – And was very damaging to my personal relationships.

When I look back, I do wonder if I could have achieved what I have without that, and I honestly do not think it would have been possible.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://highwindamplification.bigcartel.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highwindamplification/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/highwindamps/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHXxV5hO-HkIVyuaEJZ1XHQ

Image Credits

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