22/08/2023
A brief Gag N Flow history from Mr. B
"Around 1995 to 96, I began exploring the concept of an external killswitch - similar to a Family Computer controller attached to the guitar below the bridge, to produce a fast stuttering sound from pressing the button as compared to a toggle switch, like when I was playing "Yie Ar Kung Fu" or any Family Computer game as a kid.
As for the how and why, it's a long read, but here it is...
Similar to Tom Morello's experience, but I wanted to create a fast DJ scratch sounds from my guitar, inspired by Scratch battles (DMC), 70s Funk, 70s Disco, 90s Hiphop, Rap Metal, Funk Rock, and artists like RATM, FrancisM / DJ Kimosave, Andrew E / Dj Coki, Legit Misfitz, Mastaplann, Prodigy, Daft Punk, and early Techno / EDM music. I was truly driven to achieve that fast stuttering sound.
My primary guitar is a 90s Fender strat, and being a strat user, I didn't have the option of a Les Paul's toggle switch, nor did I want to drill holes or cut wires in my cherished, semi-expensive guitars.
At that time, I had an Ibanez JEM77(Vai) and a JS1000(Satriani), a 90s Fender American Standard, a vintage 60s Fender American Standard, and a vintage Gibson Chet Atkins signature electric nylon guitar.
Those were my choices to drill holes into and honestly, I almost gave in. If only I had a spare guitar, this entire concept might never have come to be.
That was when the idea first hit me.
For my first prototype, I used cassette tape cases as an enclosure, and then after, a harmonica case. (I bought harmonicas just to use their plastic cases. Lol)
Around 1999, I applied for a patent, but when asked about the product's name, I hadn't thought of one yet. Back then, I didn't even know it was called a "Killswitch," and I considered "Mute Machine?" as a possible name. This was the pre-Wikipedia era, and only a few guitar magazines covered this topic.
Searching for a product name, I glanced at my bag's contents and spotted a Wolfgang band sticker I had obtained from one of their album tour gigs.
I took my scissors and crafted an anagram that made sense, at least for me, hence from WOLFGANG to GAG N FLOW.
I lacked the funds to mass-produce the product - I was only in my 20s at that time. To create an enclosure mold alone, you needed to order at least a thousand units. I didn't even get to the parts, design, or packaging yet, so I decided to wait for someone or another brand to invent the product. I was willing to purchase, just to have a decent-looking gadget to use for gigs.
When the internet/soc-med era arrived, I tried to reach out to popular guitarists for help via emails and even on Facebook - from Tom Morello, Dave Navarro to Nuno Bettencourt, and others. Unfortunately, no one replied (and I'm not sure if those were their actual FB accounts, lol).
I thought this was a problem many guitarists faced, including popular musicians from Hollywood bands or solo acts. So, I believed someone would figure it out soon enough. But no one did.
And after almost 30 years of waiting... Here we are.
This is for this generation and the next generation of musicians.
Mr. B"
