GalahcoreFX Feature Builder

I’ve been looking at local builders of late and doing some profiles to help shine a light on the Australian guitar and gear industry. So far we have looked at Mr Glyn’s Pickups and Tonecat Pedals and this week we are looking at a proper Galah – namely GalahcoreFX and I’m speaking with owner, Paul.

From Social Housing to Signal Chains

Paul says that Galahcore FX officially hatched on 7 May 2022. After the seed was sown much earlier during the COVID lockdowns in Melbourne. After two decades away from the fretboard, our founder dusted off an old guitar and realised that he is ‘a better type of bad’ than he was previously and decided to have a look at some pedals to make him sound better (Ah, the relatable story of a guitarist..)

A bargain-basement Donner overdrive sparked an obsession, and YouTube deep dives turned pedal-passion into a daydream, maybe he could learn to make pedals and move away from his work in Social Housing, offsetting that work with something creative and that he was passionate about. With nothing more than that spark and a willingness to learn, Paul signed up for a beginner’s pedal-making workshop and fifteen months later launched Razorbeak, his debut stompbox.

An Aussie Pedal with a Punk-Rock Heart

GalahcoreFX pedals wear their Aussie DNA on their sleeve. Every unit is hand-built in small batches, no assembly lines here, and priced to compete with the big brands, so you’re not forced to pay import premiums. Buying a Galahcore pedal means backing a local maker (and uncovering gear your mates won’t have), not just another mass-market box.

Paul is also a big supporter of the local scene, a collector of Australian made pedals, he has belief in the Australian builder community to have something that will blow your mind and that even a single sale will mean more to a local builder than it would mean to a massive overseas company.

Even the name celebrates the local: the galah is as quintessentially Australian as it gets, and that cheeky, “have-a-go” punk attitude is woven into every circuit. In fact, our founder is in the process of becoming a citizen, but it was Melbourne’s creative energy, the “fuck it, let’s have a go”, that made Galahcore FX possible.

Biggest Win, Biggest Hurdle and Hard-Won Advice

Win: Simply seeing Galahcore FX exist. “On paper,” Paul admits, “I had no right to pull off a pedal company but I did it anyway.” That leap of faith, from a person who always found a million reason not to try something to a now boutique builder, is his proudest achievement.

Challenge: Selling the things! The boutique-pedal market is crowded, and convincing players to take a chance on a new name is an ongoing battle.

Advice for New Makers:

1. Be patient with yourself. Expect moments of doubt, but remember you’re only held back by your own expectations.
2. Don’t quit your day job… yet. Build pedals for the love of it, not the income, overnight JHS fame is rare.
3. Launch early, iterate fast. There’s no diploma required; the only way to become a pedal maker is to make pedals.

Musical First Loves and Live-Show Heroes

• First hook: Growing up in the UK, Oasis lit the fuse, those anthemic riffs got him playing guitar again.
• Mid-teens obsessions: Deftones, Silverchair, Slint and Shellac—“that’s when I got cool.”
• Best live show: Tough call, but .…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead reign supreme: “They’re colossal live, and they even lent their singer Conrad Keely for our Razorbeak artwork.”
• Dream gig: Slint, unlikely they’ll reform and tour Australia, but if they did, Paul would be there.

Finding Galahcore FX in the Wild

Online stockists:

• GalahcoreFX website
• AME Audio
• Not Pedals

Bricks-and-mortar:

• Found Sound, Brunswick East VIC
• Jaks Music, Warragul VIC
• Toshco Music, Colac VIC

Ride-Or-Die Rig and Irreplaceable Pedal

Paul’s heart belongs to pedals above all else, but for a core setup he reaches for:

• Guitar: 2008 MIJ Fender Jaguar
• Amp dream: Vintage SUNN((0)))) someday
• Can’t-live-without: The original Razorbeak prototype from that first workshop—proof that “just have a go” works.

And again, if there are any Australian (or NZ) companies that you think that I should feature on the page, please reach out in the comments!