Collection: Lazy J

Jesse Hoff has lived in many different places, both in Europe and the US, making a living partly as a musician and partly as an amp tech. In each of these places he found himself working with fellow musicians on their specific ideas about tone and equipment. Someone would need a switching system, allowing them to use their equipment more effectively. Someone else wanted a certain type of preamp or distortion pedal. Then there was a whole host of amp modifications and set ups…

Over the years, Jesse has worked with countless musicians on their specific requirements. Through this work he learned that their biggest frustration was being unable to find anyone in their area who would work with them on their quest for better tone. While many techs have vast electronic knowledge, they often don’t have a musical background. Therefore they are sometimes at a loss when it comes to dealing with musicians and the tonal subtleties they are trying to achieve. It has always been Jesse’s goal to bridge this gap.

Offering a very personalized service, he draws on his own extensive experience as a musician to help him better understand each musician's pursuit of tone. Spending over 20 years on stages in clubs and bars, Jesse’s approach was born out of necessity. Like everyone else, he worked on ideas about how to get the best out of his equipment and in the process developed a certain philosophy about the crazy world of better tone. As a result, Jesse has built, serviced and customized countless amps and pedals. He has remained in contact with many of these players over the years and miles and continues to work with them now and will into the future. It is with their encouragement that Lazy J Projects has come about and is now making some of its projects more widely available.

It has been said that necessity is the mother of invention. Nowhere is this more applicable than when it comes to guitar amplifiers. The great amps that have defined (and continue to define) rock & roll were not conceived as marketable products at their inception, rather, they evolved to that point. Constant interaction with players in that new and rapidly developing field made sure that amplifiers were constantly tailored to suit specific needs and out of this ongoing relationship came some of the most ground breaking ideas; ideas that prevail even today. And from the shoulders of these giants, we continue to look forward...