Malto Stomp Deck

“One way I approach developing ideas for new board graphics is by identifying cultural elements that have seemingly unrelated ties to skateboarding. In this case, I was thinking about individuality and the role it plays in both skateboarding and music making. Every skater has a particular style for setting up their board. Whether it’s the way they lay down the grip or how tight they dial in the truck tension, each choice contributes to a larger whole, like the varied lines of a fingerprint. No two skateboarders are the same.

Similarly, guitar players face myriad options when building their pedalboards. The "stompbox" combinations are endless, and no two guitarists do it exactly the same way. The result is a system that gives each player a sound uniquely their own. I chose four classic pedals for this series, though it could easily have been many more.

Each of these legendary pedals has played a significant role in forming unique guitar sounds across vast genres of music for decades. Skateboards and pedalboards are tools of their respective trades. But it is the individuality of each user that turns these inanimate objects into otherworldly art."

- Tony Larson, Art Dump Alumnus