After 20 years of innovation in the music products industry, Visual Sound is changing its name to Truetone. Company president and founder, Bob Weil, explains why:
“The name of the company was derived from the first product I invented, Visual Volume; the volume pedal with a 10 LED scale to indicate volume level. That was the product that launched Visual Sound at the beginning of 1995. While Visual Volume was the cornerstone of the company back then, it became a secondary product over the past 20-years. Now, we are best known for our effects pedals, including Jekyll & Hyde, Route 66 and H2O. In addition, our 1 SPOT power supplies and accessories have become the industry standard. Our company motto has always been Real Tone for Real People, which underscores our approach to making reliable, high-quality products, at a fair price. With this in mind, we feel that our new name, Truetone, clearly states our vision in one word.”
Weil continues, “Several years ago we began this process by acquiring the trademark for ‘Truetone’ and even created a pedal by that name, the Truetone Clean Boost, in 2008. We also were able to secure Truetone.com and other related URL’s, clearing the way for us to make this move. Besides its great fit, the name also has a rich history, going back to the 1920’s with vacuum tubes and the old tube radios. We actually have a 1946 Truetone console radio in our showroom at the office. I love the history of the name as well as how Truetone ties into the ethos and vision of Visual Sound.”
The first Truetone branded products will be the new V3 version of the flagship Jekyll & Hyde pedal, along with two new 1 SPOT Pro power supplies. These will be the first Truetone products to appear in stores and on stages around the world. As with any change, there will be a time of transition as existing Visual Sound products are re-branded Truetone, and products with both names may be found on store shelves in the interim. Regardless, the same exemplary level of support and customer service that made Visual Sound famous will continue with Truetone.
