“Especially with what’s going on in this world, it just doesn’t seem worth it anymore”: The maker of the cult classic King of Tone pedal is thinking of hanging up his soldering iron

The founder of Analog Man pedals has revealed that he might be forced to hang up his soldering iron in the not-too-distant future.

Famous, above all, for its legendary King of Tone overdrive pedal, the Analog Man brand faces an uncertain future in the face of rising tariffs and other economic uncertainties.

The impact of President Trump’s tariffs has rippled through the supply chains of guitar, pedal, and amp manufacturers across the US. With many parts made overseas, operating costs have gone up exponentially. Fender has seen its annual costs increase by $20 million, Electro-Harmonix has spoken out on the huge implications of the tariffs, and NAMM CEO John Mlynczak has criticized their sudden implementation.

Piera, who founded Analog Man in 1993 and whose King of Tone OD has found its way onto the pedalboards of John Mayer, Noel Gallagher, and John Petrucci, among others, has now had his say on the situation. For a small firm, the financial implications have been huge.

“I really don't know how long I can keep going with this,” he says in a candid interview with Products of Music. “Especially with what's going on in this world and making less profits every year. It just doesn't seem worth it anymore.

“Every part we get is going to cost 50% more due to the tariffs. We pay the tariffs, and then the consumer pays the tariffs. China's not paying the tariffs. They never have.”

“It's always been a problem with parts,” Piera continues. “In 2025, the tariffs were changing every month. There were certain times where we had to say, 'Don't ship our switches,' or, 'Don't ship us any Prince of Tone [overdrives] because the tariffs are too high right now,' or then we'll say, ‘Okay, ship them now,’ and then they get here we have to pay twice as much for the parts as we did before because some genius decided to double the tariffs that month. So that's pretty scary.

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“It's even getting harder to find parts,” he develops. “A lot of companies are saying that they don't want to deal with this – they’re saying, ‘We're not going to ship you parts because we don't know what's going on.’ There's no second source.”

Piera hasn’t kept the King of Tone recipe a secret, but while he says the pedal could have a future without him, he says other Analog Man stompboxes could fade out were he to step back from the game.

“Some of the other pedals, like the Sun Face [fuzz], need me because every time we get new transistors, I have to determine whether they can be used or not, or how to tweak the circuit to get the tones you want,” Piera details. “A lot of the knowledge is finding the parts, and knowing what to look for in the old transistors, because there are so many fakes.”

It showcases the mounting issues that gear manufacturers are facing. Indeed, Harley Benton has blamed the tariffs for its decision to close its US Reverb store, having only opened in October 2024, and Morgan Amps has said the tariffs will add $1,000 to the prices of its builds.

Others, though, are weathering the storms in innovative ways, including D’Addario and one astute Irish firm.