Meet David James of Cascade Heights in SW

Today we’d like to introduce you to David James.

Hi David, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started building effects and amplifiers for guitar because I love the echo effect on guitars and I couldn’t afford one! I saw plans for one that I could build in a cake pan for 100 dollars, rather than buy one for $1000 and it sounded great. I was absolutely hooked. The more effects and amplifiers I built the more I realized that there weren’t any brands that built amps or effects that celebrate Black culture. I make amps for people that understand why they store plastic grocery bags under the sink, or folks that know that there are sewing supplies in the blue butter cookie can.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Well the very start of the business came at a tough time. I’d been let go from my software engineering job and I had to sell most of my gear to make ends meet. I’d purchased my first real tube amp which was a Fender Princeton Reverb. I’d made custom grill cloth for it from a pair of shorts I’d found on E Bay. The orange and blue shorts were made to celebrate Crooklyn, one of my favorite Spike Lee movies. I’m very proud of my upbringing in Bed Stuy Brooklyn, which is also Spike Lee’s neighborhood. When hard times came I had to sell that amplifier, and was told by potential buyers that I should take “that Spike Lee crap” off of the amp. After selling the amp I scraped together savings to build an amp from scratch, and I swore to make the amp celebrate Black culture so much that no one could possibly want to buy it from me if I hit hard times. That was how my amp called “The Grease Can” came to be.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m pretty proud that I recognize that Black musicians and creators have made music technology what it is today. The mission of my company is to build amplifiers and effects that sound great, and makes folks proud of their culture. I also source the fabric for my pedal bags and designs from a Black woman owned business in Kentucky. Each piece is made by hand, so musicians have the chance to make an amp or effect themed around their favorite movie, food item, hair grease or piece of music. For instance Eddie Murphy, another Brooklynite, made my all time favorite movie Coming to America. In the movie they have a fictional hair styling product called Soul Glo. So my grill cloth has the soul glo logo, and one of the switches on the amp is made from a can of Murray’s hair grease, which coincidentally looks a lot like the branding for Soul Glo. I also celebrate the history of Black folks making the best out of what they have on hand to do what they need to do. I wanted the amp to look like chocolate, and made the choice to use some left over food coloring to stain the wood on the amplifier cabinet. The Loose Button fuzz, came from the same place, as my mom would use those containers for her sewing supplies. She sent me a can of those cookies one day, and I knew once I ate those cookies, that I had to reuse the container as a housing for my fuzz pedal….since we all know the container NEVER has cookies in it. The things that I build are a love letter to other Black musicians, to say that I see them and understand the immeasurable impact we’ve had on American music, technology and culture.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My advice for newcomers is that most of the good things in my life have come from being myself and embracing that, rather than trying to chase what’s popular. Once you know your identity it can serve as a filter for the stuff that will work for your brand, and attract people and opportunities that line up with who you are. Its also impossible to do everything by yourself, and I would not be able to do all of this without my wife who handles order fulfillment logistics and billing for Fulton Street Amps. Whenever folks read correspondence from the company that is warm and embracing it comes from her. Though I like to make folks feel the love through the time and care I put into the designs, my writing at times doesn’t convey that, which is her strength. She also sends care packages with coffee in handmade bags, to our customers who purchase an amp or a pedal, as a token of care and appreciation. Community is also important, in that my fellow musicians in Atlanta tell me what they think of the gear when they see me at jam sessions. In addition they let me know how I can serve them with tools they can use as working musicians.

Pricing:

• The Grease Can $2250
• Loose Button Fuzz $150
• Preamp Build Class $500

Contact Info:

• Website: https://fultonstreetamps.com/shop
• Instagram: rhythminbytes
• Other: https://bit.ly/preampclass

Image Credits
Tiffany Johnson James