About Us

Graig is originally from Nebraska, and I (Zera) grew up in Rhode Island. We met in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1997, when Graig’s band was passing through on tour from Seattle. I had just moved to Charleston and didn’t quite feel at home, so when the opportunity came to hop in the van and join the tour, I took it. Not long after, I packed a bag, grabbed a guitar, and bought a one-way ticket to Seattle. We moved in together, started a band, and began building a life rooted in music and creativity.

Over the last 28 years, we’ve released several records, played local clubs, and toured the US a few times. We also got married, adopted cats and dogs, and bought a fixer-upper with a detached outbuilding where we built our dream recording studio called the Recovery Room.

Graig often found himself repairing our gear, which eventually led to an interest in designing his own tools. In 2009, he started building pedals and selling them on eBay, and that slowly grew into Recovery Effects. I helped out where I could — building a website, setting up social media — while holding on to my day job that gave us a bit of stability.

We used to daydream about working together, but the idea of giving up a steady paycheck was daunting. Then the pandemic hit, and like a lot of people, we were forced to rethink everything. In 2020, I learned to solder and designed my first pedal, Gallows in the Morning.

Since joining full-time, I’ve come to fully appreciate just how much Graig was doing on his own all those years — designing, assembling, packing, shipping, handling customer support, and even recording bands in the studio. He truly wore every hat. Now, we divide the work, play to each other’s strengths, and feel incredibly lucky to be building something together.

Balancing both sides of our work means our time is often split between recording sessions and the workbench. With limited space in our workshop, and just the two of us handling every step, most devices on our website are made to order. We truly appreciate your patience and support — it allows us to keep doing what we love, and we don’t take that for granted.

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The studio work not only supports us financially but also inspires new ideas and innovations for the instruments we create. It’s a constant source of creativity that feeds back into everything we build.

Thank you for being part of our journey. We’re grateful for your support and excited to share what’s next as we continue making gear that inspires musicians everywhere!

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Why are we called Recovery Effects?

Graig named our first rehearsal and recording space The Recovery Room. It was a sanctuary — a place where we could escape from reality and focus on creating music. Out of necessity, Graig learned to repair our gear, which eventually led him to design and build his own effects pedals. Those pedals became an extension of the studio, and so did the name.

People often ask if the name relates to recovery from addiction. While we have family members who have faced challenges with substance abuse, we have been fortunate not to experience that ourselves. For us, recovery means regaining control and using difficult situations as fuel to grow, learn, and create.