Photo courtesy Lantern Manufacturing
“Sycamore,” “Marigold,” “White Oak” — these might not sound like pieces of machinery, but pairing environmental influences with signal-distorting electronics is second nature for Lantern Manufacturing, says owner Andon Whitehorn. The one-person pedal brand makes effects boxes for guitars and other electric instruments and has a following well beyond Richmond, including spots on best-of equipment lists and praise from major brands.
Whitehorn’s naming convention for the brand’s half-dozen offerings draws influence from his background in another creative field: the dining industry.
“My background in cooking led me to the idea of locally sourcing and foraging things,” he says. “Anything named after a tree is a distortion or a gain-style pedal; anything named after a plant is usually a modulation effect, whether that’s a chorus, phaser or things like that.”
Whitehorn moved to Richmond in 2019 from his native Oklahoma City, soon playing guitar in bands while working at Alewife restaurant as bar manager. His interest in DIY electronics arose out of necessity; in search of a specific sound, he sought to invent his own guitar pedal.
“I had the common fallacy, like, ‘Surely I can just build this for cheaper than buying one,’ and then, a few thousand dollars later, I ended up making one,” he says. “And that was the first pedal I released, the Sycamore.”
Lantern’s boutique effects are designed in Whitehorn’s home studio, with certain assembly tasks done through a partner in North Carolina and sold online (lanternmfg.bigcartel.com). Richmonders have the chance to try before buying this month at the first Effective Slam, a free electronics expo hosted by Lantern at Stone Brewing on March 14. After visiting major regional pedal shows, Whitehorn decided to host his own, bringing some 30 makers to the city for the event.
“Richmond’s DIY music scene is part of what brought me here,” he says. “Knowing how good it is here, I think this show really fits.”
