It's the SOUND, SOUND, SOUND... From the time I remember learning to play the guitar, the one thing that always stuck in my memory was the sound of a great solo. Mark Knopfler and David Gilmour were my first influences and if you think about both of them, they are not what we call technical players, or shredders, etc.. But it was always about their tone and the beautiful solos they played. Since the beginning of my playing, I was never keen to a lot of effects. I always loved the natural sound straight from the guitar to the amp and, of course, it has to be a good amp. One effect I always loved was the reverb or a nice echo. Later on I began to like a good overdrive added to my tone. There are so many options in the market; it can be overwhelming. You have digital effects, analog effects, stomp boxes, multi effects, rack mounts and so on and so on... Just like guitars and amps, guitar effects can either add to your tone or take away from it. You can have a nice guitar with mediocre pickups and it will sound "OK", and you can have a so so guitar with great pick ups and it will sound great. That's what I've discovered about effects. You can have an "OK" guitar with an "OK" amp, but then add a great pedal and you'll sound awesome. Enhancing your sound with lots of effects can lead to a great sound, however, lots of effects can mean lots of separate pedals or digital effects. I don't like clutter, and I am not so fond of digital effects. I never had multiple stomp boxes because there is too much clutter. You need short cables, adaptors, and batteries. The more pedals you have the more accessories you need for all those pedals, and now you need a case for all of it! Remember what I said earlier - I don't like clutter and you can see how messy all these separate effects can be. So I started thinking, "why can't I have a box that will have all my great sounding pedals all wired in and all I need is my guitar and my box." Also, I was inspired years ago by Pete Cornish and the effect board system he makes for all the big names. If you can afford it that is a great choice, but not all of us can. This is how the idea for BenadoEffects came to be. A few years ago I had the privilege to meet Brian Wampler from Wampler pedals, and I asked if he can design such a pedalboard for me. Something that is simple to use, high quality, with all analog pedals. After almost 2 years working together we finally developed our first model of the pedalboard: Great unit, all analog pedals, the basics that every guitar player needs for playing live or at the recording studio. Along the way, two of my great guitar playing friends - Sam Shamir and Naor Dayan - added some of their thoughts to the idea for the pedalboard. Some of the features included on the pedalboard are credited to them. My vision is to one day see some guitar players walking to a gig or the studio with just a guitar and my pedalboard, and they are ready to go with no worries about weight, clutter, space, etc.. Just like I thought about myself many years ago, "Wish I could just show up for a jam or a gig with my guitar and a great pedalboard all in one gig bag". That time is now... Finally, a great product is only as good as the customer service that accompanies it. My vision is to help each and every one of my customers if ever needed with customer support/service that is personable, as fast as possible, and professional. Sage Benado.