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Sunstone Engineers New Sounds with Boutique Musician
By Sunstone Circuits J
ohn Coloccia of JColoccia Guitars is a sought- after producer of warmth, buzz and snarl. Specializing in guitar effects pedals, some-
times called “stomp boxes,” Coloccia’s passion for his products and commitment to his customers is easy to see. The boutique nature of his business de- termined that he find a supplier able to keep up with the large variety of prototypes he requires to keep his sounds fresh. Since 2013 he has found that partner in Sunstone Circuits. The guitar effects market is certainly crowd-
ed. However, Coloccia sees this as an opportunity to experiment with new sounds and pedal designs. “My goal is to provide distinctive tones for my cus- tomers,” he says. “And, they should be at a price that doesn’t force them to choose between a pedal or a car.” He believes in focusing each design to- ward a specific sound, and as he says, “It should be hard to screw up.” Instead of trying to make a one- size-fits-all sound, he experiments and streamlines his designs until each pedal’s character is clear. “You shouldn’t have to twist knobs for an hour to find the magic settings that sound good,” John says. “You shouldn’t have to compromise.”
Reliable and On Time For any company, the supplier matters. For a
company working on a boutique scale in a crowded marketplace, it can make the difference between success or failure. Coloccia is very clear about his criteria for a PCB partner. He requires that his partner be reliable and on time. He states that he has a lot of factors that go into his products. He has components with long lead times, as well as machine shops, powder coaters, and silk screeners that all factor into his schedule. Over the past three years, John has become an enthusiastic advocate of Sunstone’s services. “It’s
Coloccia’s custom-made guitar effects pedal.
menter himself, customers tend to ask him, “What if a pedal did this?” Staying nimble, keeping fo- cused in his designs, and with a reliable PCB sup- plier to back him up, John is able to turn out pro- totypes that frequently find their way into his portfolio. “Audio, particularly this type, can be tricky
just fire and forget with them,” he says. Sunstone’s reliability and prompt delivery enable him to realize opportunities for new products. He gets an idea and sees a niche in the market to fill, and has to do it fast. He says that if he waits, in a matter of months someone else will likely fill the space. Often, Coloccia’s new products result from his relationship with customers. As an avid experi-
when it comes to engineering,” he says. “It takes a lot of experimentation.” Which kind of filters to use, which implementation, where they go in the signal chain, and many other considerations are part of his design process. He is able to turn out prototypes rapidly when he receives working boards in a day or two. Sunstone helps Coloccia by providing him with
his boards as quickly as possible. With around-the- clock availability, the company helps speed his ex- periments. “I can get up at 4 a.m., run downstairs, design the board, and order a prototype,” he says. “I can get working boards in two days.” If John likes what he gets, he passes the proto-
types into the hands of his army of testers, musi- cians who love trying new things. They put the ped- als through the paces live, in the studio and at re- hearsals. After a significant amount of testing, and some possible board modifications, John may end up with a marketable pedal to produce and sell.
It’s All About Speed A supplier who gets an order wrong or deliv-
ers late delays product shipment, which causes Coloccia to miss out on sales. On a recent project, Sunstone responded to a last-minute revision and kept production on schedule. “I was able to go through redesign in about a week on a four-layer board,” he says. “I ordered the revised prototypes and in three days I got them. That same day I placed the order for the production boards.” Coloccia has made a name for himself with
his current line of products, but he is not likely to sit still. There are many opportunities for him to apply his engineering experience to customers’ re- quests. As new ideas come to him, he connects with Sunstone personnel.
Continued on next page
May, 2016
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