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			{{Short description\|Effects pedal manufacturer}}
	'''Frantone Electronics''' is a Philadelphia-based ] manufacturer run by Fran Blanche. Blanche first made pedals in the 1990s and her boutique fuzz pedals were used by notable musicians including ] and ] The company's growth was never steady; Blanche moved Frantone repeatedly, being ] out of several NYC-area locations.
			{{Infobox company
			\| name = Frantone Electronics
			\| logo = Frantone logo.png
			\| logo_size = 200px
			\| type = ]
			\| industry = ]
			\| fate =
			\| predecessor = <!-- or: \| predecessors = -->
			\| successor = <!-- or: \| successors = -->
			\| founded = {{Start date and age\|1994}} in ]
			\| founder = Fran Blanche
			\| defunct = <!-- {{End date\|YYYY\|MM\|DD}} -->
			\| hq_location_city = ]
			\| hq_location_country = ]
			\| area_served = Worldwide
			\| key_people =
			\| products = ]
			\| owner =
			\| num_employees =
			\| num_employees_year =
			\| parent =
			\| website = {{URL\|www.frantone.com}}
			}}

			'''Frantone Electronics''' is an American Philadelphia-based hand-made ] manufacturer founded and run by Fran Blanche. Blanche operates a ] channel<ref name="youtube">{{YouTube\|u=Frantone}}</ref> where she discusses the company's history and showcases various electronics projects.
	Blanche's personal life as a ] individual also led to online attacks which she has cited as affecting the company's reputation and growth. Blanche's insistence on staying personally involved in manufacturing, instead of outsourcing, may have also limited revenue growth. For a time, Blanche worked as an employee of ], where she designed the second version of the Big Muff, one of EH's most popular effects pedals.

			==History==
	In response to Blanche being attacked on social media, Frantone used social media to reach out. Blanche made and still posts videos on wide-ranging topics; some matter-of-factly describe and demo effects pedals, others are quite personal, addressing the issues of being a small business owner, transgender, and the struggles of working in today's music world.
			Frantone Electronics was founded in 1994 in ] by Fran Blanche, a self-taught ]. The company was one of the world's first boutique guitar effects companies.<ref name="d1Zfq">{{Cite web\|date=2019-09-03\|title=Meet the Maker: Fran Blanche\|url=https://www.tested.com/making/886585-meet-maker-fran-blanche/\|access-date=2021-05-09\|website=Tested\|language=en-US\|archive-date=2021-04-28\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428071116/https://www.tested.com/making/886585-meet-maker-fran-blanche/\|url-status=live}}</ref> Over the years, the company's boutique pedals would be used by notable musicians including ] and ]<ref name="shreds">{{cite magazine \|last=Schemmer \|first=Cynthia \|date=14 October 2015 \|title=An Interview with Fran Blanche of Frantone Electronics \|url=https://sheshredsmag.com/rule-1-is-youre-not-invited-an-interview-with-fran-blanche-of-frantone-electronics/ \|url-status=live \|magazine=She Shreds \|publisher= \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190625160727/http://sheshredsmag.com/rule-1-is-youre-not-invited-an-interview-with-fran-blanche-of-frantone-electronics \|archive-date=25 June 2019 \|accessdate=1 May 2020}}</ref> The company's growth was never steady; Blanche moved Frantone repeatedly, being ] out of several NYC-area locations.<ref name="lenny">{{cite magazine\|url=https://www.lennyletter.com/story/the-lenny-interview-fran-blanche\|website=Lenny\|title=The Lenny Interview: Fran Blanche\|accessdate=30 April 2020\|date=\|archive-date=7 April 2020\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407100549/https://www.lennyletter.com/story/the-lenny-interview-fran-blanche\|url-status=live}}</ref>

			In the early 1990s, Blanche built an effects pedal for herself named the "Fuzzy-Wuzzy". She subsequently founded Frantone and designed the Hep Cat, the company's first commercial product, which was followed by more pedal designs in the years to follow. Blanche took a hiatus from operating Frantone and worked at ],<ref name="Ql5d3">{{cite book\|title=ROCKRGRL\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ogk5AQAAIAAJ\|year=2002\|publisher=ROCKRGRL\|access-date=2017-02-27\|archive-date=2017-02-28\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228005412/https://books.google.com/books?id=ogk5AQAAIAAJ\|url-status=live}}</ref> from about 1997 through 2000,<ref name="shreds" /> where she designed the company's 2000 version of the Big Muff pedal.<ref name="lenny" /> Blanche also went on hiatus from Frantone in 2009, but revived the company in a 2016 ] campaign to restart production of her Cream Puff pedal.<ref name="MusRadar">{{cite web\|last1=Astley-Brown\|first1=Michael\|date=19 April 2016\|title=Frantone announces return of Cream Puff guitar effects pedal\|url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/frantone-announces-return-of-cream-puff-guitar-effects-pedal-637181\|website=Music Radar\|accessdate=1 May 2020\|archive-date=30 July 2020\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730022942/https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/frantone-announces-return-of-cream-puff-guitar-effects-pedal-637181\|url-status=live}}</ref>
	After some years out of production, Frantone has announced the release of new pedals, such as the Vibutron, and reintroductions of the Peach Fuzz and other designs as limited editions.

			After some years out of production, the company announced the release of new pedals in 2017 as well as reintroductions of the Peach Fuzz and Cream Puff designs as limited editions.<ref name="MusRadar" /> In 2021, Fran announced in a video on her channel that she will no longer be manufacturing the pedals herself, although she is open to a licensing deal.<ref name="Frantone">{{Cite AV media\|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc00CpPvhlI\|title=What Happened To Frantone?\|publisher=YouTube\|last=Blanche\|first=Fran\|date=2021-04-30\|access-date=2021-05-05\|quote=The future of Frantone is sort of open, but I personally don't ever want to manufacture pedals again.}}</ref>

			== Fran Blanche ==
			{{Primary sources\|section\|date=February 2024}}

			Blanche is a trans woman and strong supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. In the video "When Google Calls you a Slur"<ref name="Google">{{Cite AV media\|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LDEP3H0mkU \|title=When Google Calls You A Slur\|last=Blanche\|first=Fran\|date=2022-05-02\|type=YouTube\|access-date=2022-04-02\|quote=But they dont realize that this is a slur. It's a slur. It's the T-word.}}</ref> in which she demonstrates Google's search engine auto populating the suggested term "Is Fran Blanche a tranvestite?"; she addresses this as a slur, prompting her subscriber and fanbase to mass contact Google to rectify the search results. The video got the attention of Google and as of May 1, 2022, this term no longer appears in Google searches for Fran Blanche or Frantone.<ref name="Google aftermath">{{Cite AV media\|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1F9Z9mUODA \|title=The Day After The Google Video\|last=Blanche\|first=Fran\|date=2022-05-02\|type=YouTube\|access-date=2022-04-02\|quote=When I went to do the same searches this morning, totally different. The Google search result page is completely different, not only for ''Frantone'' but also for my name.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web \|title=The Lenny Interview: Fran Blanche {{!}} LENNY \|author= \|work=lennyletter.com \|date=30 March 2018 \|access-date=8 December 2024 \|url= https://www.lennyletter.com/story/the-lenny-interview-fran-blanche \|quote=Restless creativity, self-effacing charm, and generous candor set the tone for her dispatches — see her refreshingly straightforward (3) (which feature Fran herself on “the shredcam”), and her electronics tutorials and vlog posts about trans issues. }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web \|title=Fran's Writings on Transgender Issues \|last=Blanche \|first=Fran \|work=contourcorsets.com \|date= \|access-date=8 December 2024 \|url= http://www.contourcorsets.com/transgender_writings.html}}</ref>

			She is a Senior Member of the ] since April 2021.<ref name="SMIEEE">{{Cite AV media\|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D_rhNFSXu4\|title=That's SMIEEE To YOU!!!\|last=Blanche\|first=Fran\|date=2021-04-25\|type=YouTube\|access-date=2022-04-02}}</ref>

			She has two Youtube channels: One is ''FranLab'', where she discusses and demonstrates vintage electronics, and the other is ''Frantone'', which includes the making and maintenance of her Frantone guitar pedals, along with some music she and others have performed with them.<ref name="youtube" />

			Fran has played guitar for many years and has previously performed as lead guitarist in a band called the Mysterons.<ref name="MystSAM">{{Cite AV media\|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPHKz-Gw9X0\|title=The Mysterons - Secret Agent Medley\|last=Blanche\|first=Fran\|date=2006-08-09\|type=YouTube\|access-date=2022-12-09}}</ref><ref name="MystSB">{{Cite AV media\|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg8KHu1Zf2I\|title=The Mysterons - Sludge Beat\|last=Blanche\|first=Fran\|date=2006-08-09\|type=YouTube\|access-date=2022-12-09}}</ref>

	== References ==		== References ==
	<!-- Inline citations added to your article will automatically display here. See https://en.wikipedia.org/WP:REFB for instructions on how to add citations. -->
	{{reflist}}		{{reflist}}

			== Further reading ==
	* {{cite magazine\|url=http://sheshredsmag.com/rule-1-is-youre-not-invited-an-interview-with-fran-blanche-of-frantone-electronics/ \|title=An Interview with Fran Blanche of Frantone Electronics \|publisher=Sheshredsmag.com \|date=2016-02-05 \|accessdate=2016-12-19}}
	* {{cite web\|last=Astley-Brown \|first=Michael \|url=http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/frantone-announces-return-of-cream-puff-guitar-effects-pedal-637181 \|title=Frantone announces return of Cream Puff guitar effects pedal \|publisher=MusicRadar \|date=2016-04-19 \|accessdate=2016-12-19}}
	* {{cite web\|author=Nicholas Kula \|url=http://tonereport.com/blogs/tone-tips/welcome-back-frantone-her-5-best \|title=Welcome Back, Frantone: Her 5 Best \|publisher=Tone Report \|date=2015-06-18 \|accessdate=2016-12-19}}		* {{cite web\|author=Nicholas Kula \|url=http://tonereport.com/blogs/tone-tips/welcome-back-frantone-her-5-best \|title=Welcome Back, Frantone: Her 5 Best \|publisher=Tone Report \|date=2015-06-18 \|accessdate=2016-12-19}}
		⚫	* {{cite web\|title=The Return of Real Boutique: A Chat with Fran Blanche of Frantone\|url=http://tonereport.com/blogs/interviews/the-return-of-real-boutique-a-chat-with-fran-blanche-of-frantone\|website=tonereport.com\|accessdate=19 December 2016}}
	* {{cite web\|author=Johanna Fateman \|url=https://www.yahoo.com/style/lenny-interview-fran-blanche-162915931.html \|title=The Lenny Interview: Fran Blanche \|publisher=Yahoo News \|date=2016-09-24 \|accessdate=2016-12-19}}
⚫	* {{cite web\|title=The Return of Real Boutique: A Chat with Fran Blanche of Frantone\|url=http://tonereport.com/blogs/interviews/the-return-of-real-boutique-a-chat-with-fran-blanche-of-~~franton~~\|website=tonereport.com\|accessdate=19 December 2016}}
	* {{cite news\|title=#263 – An Interview with Fran Blanche\|url=http://theamphour.com/263-an-interview-with-fran-blanche/\|accessdate=19 December 2016\|work=The Amp Hour Electronics Podcast\|date=21 August 2015}}		* {{cite news\|title=#263 – An Interview with Fran Blanche\|url=http://theamphour.com/263-an-interview-with-fran-blanche/\|accessdate=19 December 2016\|work=The Amp Hour Electronics Podcast\|date=21 August 2015}}
			* {{cite web\|author=Dave Mosher \|url=https://www.popsci.com/article/diy/welcome-lab-apollo-computer-anatomist/ \|title=Welcome To The Lab Of An Apollo Computer Anatomist \|publisher=Popular Science \|date=July 22, 2014 \|accessdate=June 6, 2021}}

	== External links ==		== External links ==
	* {{official website\|http://~~www.frantone.com\|~~www.frantone.com}}		* {{official website\|http://www.frantone.com}}
			* {{YouTube\|u=ContourCorsets\|Fran Blanche}}
			* {{YouTube\|u=FrantoneElectronics\|Frantone}}

	]		]
	]		]
	]		]
			]

Latest revision as of 13:54, 8 December 2024

Effects pedal manufacturer

Frantone Electronics

Company type	Sole proprietorship
Industry	Music technology
Founded	1994; 30 years ago (1994) in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Founder	Fran Blanche
Headquarters	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Effects units
Website	www.frantone.com

Frantone Electronics is an American Philadelphia-based hand-made effects pedal manufacturer founded and run by Fran Blanche. Blanche operates a YouTube channel where she discusses the company's history and showcases various electronics projects.

History

Frantone Electronics was founded in 1994 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania by Fran Blanche, a self-taught electronic engineer. The company was one of the world's first boutique guitar effects companies. Over the years, the company's boutique pedals would be used by notable musicians including Lou Reed and R.E.M. The company's growth was never steady; Blanche moved Frantone repeatedly, being gentrified out of several NYC-area locations.

In the early 1990s, Blanche built an effects pedal for herself named the "Fuzzy-Wuzzy". She subsequently founded Frantone and designed the Hep Cat, the company's first commercial product, which was followed by more pedal designs in the years to follow. Blanche took a hiatus from operating Frantone and worked at Electro-Harmonix, from about 1997 through 2000, where she designed the company's 2000 version of the Big Muff pedal. Blanche also went on hiatus from Frantone in 2009, but revived the company in a 2016 Kickstarter campaign to restart production of her Cream Puff pedal.

After some years out of production, the company announced the release of new pedals in 2017 as well as reintroductions of the Peach Fuzz and Cream Puff designs as limited editions. In 2021, Fran announced in a video on her channel that she will no longer be manufacturing the pedals herself, although she is open to a licensing deal.

Fran Blanche

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Blanche is a trans woman and strong supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. In the video "When Google Calls you a Slur" in which she demonstrates Google's search engine auto populating the suggested term "Is Fran Blanche a tranvestite?"; she addresses this as a slur, prompting her subscriber and fanbase to mass contact Google to rectify the search results. The video got the attention of Google and as of May 1, 2022, this term no longer appears in Google searches for Fran Blanche or Frantone.

She is a Senior Member of the IEEE since April 2021.

She has two Youtube channels: One is FranLab, where she discusses and demonstrates vintage electronics, and the other is Frantone, which includes the making and maintenance of her Frantone guitar pedals, along with some music she and others have performed with them.

Fran has played guitar for many years and has previously performed as lead guitarist in a band called the Mysterons.

References

^ Frantone Electronics's channel on YouTube
"Meet the Maker: Fran Blanche". Tested. 2019-09-03. Archived from the original on 2021-04-28. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
^ Schemmer, Cynthia (14 October 2015). "An Interview with Fran Blanche of Frantone Electronics". She Shreds. Archived from the original on 25 June 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
^ "The Lenny Interview: Fran Blanche". Lenny. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
ROCKRGRL. ROCKRGRL. 2002. Archived from the original on 2017-02-28. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
^ Astley-Brown, Michael (19 April 2016). "Frantone announces return of Cream Puff guitar effects pedal". Music Radar. Archived from the original on 30 July 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
Blanche, Fran (2021-04-30). What Happened To Frantone?. YouTube. Retrieved 2021-05-05. The future of Frantone is sort of open, but I personally don't ever want to manufacture pedals again.
Blanche, Fran (2022-05-02). When Google Calls You A Slur (YouTube). Retrieved 2022-04-02. But they dont realize that this is a slur. It's a slur. It's the T-word.
Blanche, Fran (2022-05-02). The Day After The Google Video (YouTube). Retrieved 2022-04-02. When I went to do the same searches this morning, totally different. The Google search result page is completely different, not only for Frantone but also for my name.
"The Lenny Interview: Fran Blanche | LENNY". lennyletter.com. 30 March 2018. Retrieved 8 December 2024. Restless creativity, self-effacing charm, and generous candor set the tone for her dispatches — see her refreshingly straightforward (3) (which feature Fran herself on "the shredcam"), and her electronics tutorials and vlog posts about trans issues.
Blanche, Fran. "Fran's Writings on Transgender Issues". contourcorsets.com. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
Blanche, Fran (2021-04-25). That's SMIEEE To YOU!!! (YouTube). Retrieved 2022-04-02.
Blanche, Fran (2006-08-09). The Mysterons - Secret Agent Medley (YouTube). Retrieved 2022-12-09.
Blanche, Fran (2006-08-09). The Mysterons - Sludge Beat (YouTube). Retrieved 2022-12-09.

External links

Categories:

Latest revision as of 13:54, 8 December 2024

History

Fran Blanche

References

Further reading

External links