Workbench wackos Luis Etscheid (left) and Caleb Henning. When Luis Etscheid and Caleb Henning began building effects pedals five years ago, they were working primarily off intuition, rather than
Workbench wackos Luis Etscheid (left) and Caleb Henning.
When Luis Etscheid and Caleb Henning began building effects pedals five years ago, they were working primarily off intuition, rather than experience. The pair, then in their early 20s, were (and still are) bandmates in the Denver-based experimental rock outfit Holophrase, and they spent much of their free time breaking open old toy keyboards and other electronics.
“We were circuit bending in order to make weird, wacky sounds for fun,” says Etscheid.
Today, working out of a cluttered two-car garage on a corner lot in Henderson, Colorado, Etscheid and Henning continue to make weird, wacky sounds under the name Mantic Conceptual, and the duo’s radical pedals have been embraced by some of rock’s more adventurous artists.
Adrian Belew and Jack White have versions of their Flex phase-locked-loop processor, Mars Volta and Racer X bassist Juan Alderete uses their Vitriol high-gain distortion, and Deerhoof’s Ed Rodriguez brought their Proverb spring-style reverb on tour. Additionally, post-hardcore heroes At the Drive-In offered a specially-made Mantic Axiom—an upgraded Proverb that added an oscillation circuit—with their recent reunion album, 2017’s in•ter a•li•a. Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer purchased, according to the pair, “two of everything” they produce. Jack White’s Third Man Records snatched up the entire 250-unit run of their Isaiah digital/analog hybrid delay, initially built for late Mars Volta drummer—and Holophrase producer—Ikey Owens.
“We had to temporarily discontinue that one,” says Etscheid.
That Mantic attracts such bold, exploratory artists is hardly a surprise—their boxes are not for the faint of heart. Their first, and best-selling creation, was a sub-harmonizer and low-frequency booster they named the Density Hulk—a slightly modified clone of the mid-’90s DOD Meatbox.
“We blew out all the speakers of a 4x12 cabinet during testing,” says Etscheid, “as well as