The story: from Holland, Michigan to Mojo Hand FX
Jon Cusack founded the company with a deliberately technical outlook:
"Jon Cusack founded Cusack Music with the simple goal of taking a true engineer's approach to guitar pedal design1."
That grounding in physics and electrical principles rather than hype is how the maker itself describes the company's origin1. Everything is built in Holland, Michigan: the manuals for the Tremolo AME, Delay TME, Pedal Cracker and Stereo Pedal Tamer all state the products are manufactured there672.
Mojo Hand FX grew from a small custom shop in Evans, Louisiana into what one reviewer described as an ever-growing company with international distribution and a loyal cult following8. Its pedals are handmade, and the brand is described as Michigan-based9. Mojo Hand FX circuits reach back to well-known designs: the Mister-O Phase Shifter is based on the sound and design of Maestro's first-ever phaser1011, and the Little Wonder filter pedal is the brand's take on the coveted Mu-Tron filter pedal from the 70s11.
Reverbs, delays and pedals built for other brands
Cusack Music's reverb line includes the Reverb SME, a reverb pedal the maker describes as a "size modulation emulator" and a rather simple 'verb12. The Tiny Verb and the Resound have since been discontinued1314. On the delay side, the Rebound is a multi-program delay pedal offering multiple delay options in one box with its 8 programmable presets15.
The Tap-A-Delay family centers on the Tap-A-Delay, a delay pedal with an external RCA jack on the back that can be used as either a Tap IN or OUT1617. It was joined by the Tap-A-Delay Deluxe, a delay pedal with tap tempo18, and the Cusack Delay TME, a scaled-down delay pedal with modulation based on the fan favorite Tap-A-Delay19. The company has also shown a Prototype Delay intended to replace the current flagship Tap-A-Delay model, with tap tempo, stereo output, expression pedal control, and trails20.
The company also works behind the scenes for other makers:
| Partner | Work |
|---|---|
| JHS Pedals | Populated the PCBs for the Steak & Eggs in Holland, MI20 |
Several Cusack pedals are no longer available: the Tiny Verb and Twirl are discontinued, and the Tap-A-Phase is sold out. The Tap-A-Whirl tremolo, which the maker calls "the world's first analog tap tremolo pedal," was discontinued several years ago due to lack of component availability132122.
Jon Cusack
Jon Cusack remains the company's designer and public face. Each Screamer Fuzz Selenium pedal is signed inside by him, and the Project 34 preamp and drive pedal followed it after Cusack located a new supply of selenium rectifiers following over a year of searching23. The Screamer Fuzz Selenium itself was a very small run of 20 pedals that sold out immediately.
Support and contact
Cusack Music handles support and modifications directly. For a Z-Tap modification on a ZVEX pedal, the company asks players to email support@cusackmusic.com to initiate the modification24. A phone number, (616) 546-8888, appears in the Louder manual5.
The range (34)
News
Questions
Did Cusack Music buy Mojo Hand FX?
Yes. Brad Fee sold Mojo Hand FX to Cusack Music in 2015, and Cusack Music has continued the brand since then. Mojo Hand FX products such as the Kensrue Rook signature overdrive remain part of the company's lineup.
Is the Cusack Resound reverb discontinued?
No. The original Resound stereo reverb was first shown at Summer NAMM 2018, and a revamped Resound V2 with new algorithms, an Expression output and presets was unveiled at the 2023 Winter NAMM show. The V2 is the current version.
Who builds pedals for ProAnalog Devices?
Cusack Music does. In November 2018 ProAnalog Devices hired Cusack Music to engineer its entire line of effects pedals releasing over the following 24 months, starting with the Klon-style Manticore V2 overdrive re-engineered by Jon Cusack.
What does the Cusack Pedal Cracker do?
It is a mic preamp with an effects loop that lets anyone with an XLR microphone output run standard stompbox pedals on their voice. It offers separate wet and dry controls, momentary functions, on-board 48v phantom power, and a version 2 adds a MIC GAIN control and soft switch relay.
Where are Cusack pedals made?
All Cusack Music products are made in Holland, Michigan, USA. The company's manuals for pedals such as the Delay TME, Tremolo AME, Pedal Cracker and Stereo Pedal Tamer all state this manufacturing location.
Sources (24)
- Screamer V3 Tube Style Overdrive Pedal, Cusack Music
- Stereo Pedal Tamer design.ai, Cusack Music, 2023
- Microsoft Word, Cusack Music, 2023
- About Us, Mojo Hand FX
- Louder.pdf, cusackmusic.com, 2021-12-08
- tremoloAmefinal, Cusack Music, 2025
- PedalCracker.pub, Cusack Music, 2022
- Review: Mojo Hand Analogue Filter, Nebula & Luna, Premier Guitar, 2008-06-15
- Mojo Hand FX Octaverse Reverse Octave Delay, Delicious Audio, 2022-11-17
- Mojo Hand FX introduces Maestro-inspired Mister-O Phase Shifter pedal, Guitar World, 2021-03-17
- Mojo Hand FX’s Little Wonder is a compact filter pedal inspired by the Mu-Tron, Guitar.com, 2020-09-14
- Quick Hit: Cusack Reverb SME Review, Premier Guitar, 2016-05-29
- Tiny Verb Never-Off Mini Reverb (Discontinued), Cusack Music
- Resound Reverb Pedal with Presets and Extend, Cusack Music
- New At NAMM: Cusack Music Rebound, Delicious Audio, 2024-01-28
- on:, Cusack Music, 2021-02-17
- Delay TME Time Modulation Emulator (Original), Cusack Music
- New At NAMM '22: Cusack Music Prototype Delay, Delicious Audio, 2022-06-03
- What we're changing about Kilobyte, and why., Caroline, 2014-04-19
- STEAK N EGGS, JHS Pedals
- Tap-a-Phase Tap Tempo Phaser Pedal, Cusack Music
- Twirl Never-Off Tremolo for Loop Switchers, Cusack Music
- Project 34 Selenium Preamp and Drive Pedal, Cusack Music
- ZVEX Tap Tempo Mods, Cusack Music