“I measure success by the number of knock-off clones I have – that gives me an idea as to how I’m perceived in the pedal world”: Robert Keeley on becoming one of the most imitated pedal builders in the biz – and the “smoking” drive he can't sell online

Derek Smith of Keeley Electronics loads Keeley pedals into a Mimaki UV printer as a new batch of Andy Timmons signature Halo delay pedal is made.

In 2001, Robert Keeley, a top-flight engineer out of Oklahoma City, founded Keeley Electronics. His goal was – and still is – simple: “If a player can become more expressive with my pedals, I’m super-happy.”

In the quarter-century since his company’s founding, largely through the success of his Compressor pedal, which essentially cloned what Boss had done years ago but brought it into the 21st century, Keeley has established himself as one of the biz’s premier tone-makers.