Podcast 543: Rhys John Stubbs

Rhys John Stubbs, the mastermind behind UK pedal company Bigfoot Engineering, reveals a deeply personal side in his debut acoustic guitar album, *Zems*—a haunting, introspective record that emerged from a life-altering hand injury and a profound shift in creative identity. Once known for crafting cult-favorite distortion and fuzz pedals like King Fuzz and Yak Face, Stubbs now channels his sonic precision into a quiet, atmospheric world of fingerpicked baritone guitar, shaped by a rare fan-fret instrument from luthier Jacob Minea. The album, recorded with a focus on micro-dynamics and natural resonance, doubles as a memoir: each track maps a chapter of his life, from childhood in London and a near-fatal accident that severed his thumb’s nerves to his discovery of Latvian choral traditions and the quiet beauty of acoustic minimalism. What’s most striking is how Stubbs reframes his entire career—not as a gear builder, but as a musician who finally reclaimed his art after years of being consumed by his company. He scaled Bigfoot back to just himself, not for profit, but to reclaim time for playing. His philosophy? 'You can’t change how you’re built'—and so he builds pedals only when he needs them, not to meet industry cycles. The album’s title, *Zems*, is a nod to Latvian phonetics and David Bowie, but more importantly, it’s a word that feels universal, low, and full of space—just like the music itself. The episode is a masterclass in creative reinvention.