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It all started...
Back in 1961, Michael was an ambitious 12 year old bass player/guitar player with boundless energy,
playing in an Albany band covering the likes of Herman’s Hermits, Dave Clark Five and of course, the
Beatles. Being a kid entailed having no money, but with youth came an imagination that had no
limitations. Michael would spend countless hours tinkering with an old soldering gun and whatever
electronic parts he could dig up, trying to create cool new sounds while teaching himself what would
later become a calling. By 15, out of necessity he hand built his first PA system complete with a mixing
console, monitors, power amps and handmade speaker enclosures. It didn’t take long to go from
soldering homemade gear in his garage to beginning what would later become an undeniable staple in
every up and coming guitar player’s rig. A few years later he graduated from the garage to a small
factory on Goodman Street, in Rochester NY, where Michael cofounded MXR®. The initial vision was
to build mixing consoles, hence MXR® (mixer) but history would write a different legacy... they would
forever be remembered as the worlds first roadworthy guitar effects pedals.