About SAVAGE
A the intersection of art and engineering since 1990
OUR STORY
Savage Audio began with founder Jeff Krumm's lifelong love of taking things apart — from childhood crystal radios to fixing 8-track players in high school. After three years in the Army working on communications equipment, Jeff studied at the Brown Institute in Minneapolis and spent his days as an engineering technician at Sperry Univac, while building a repair business on the side.
That side business took off in 1983, growing entirely by word of mouth until amps were arriving from both coasts. By 1991, it had outgrown a side hustle, and Jeff went full-time. Soon after, Andy Wolf joined, and together they built Savage's first amplifier, the Blitz 50, in 1995 — inspired by the Marshall Bluesbreaker and tweed Bassman, with hand-built birch cabinets. The lineup grew to include the Rohr 15, with a custom reverb circuit derived from the brown-panel Fender Vibroverb, and the higher-headroom Glas 30.
Today, custom transformers are built to Savage's specs by Heyboer Transformers. Each amplifier passes through four or five builders and a full week of burn-in before it ships — a hands-on approach that's earned Savage a following among touring musicians, including Jeff Beck, Sheryl Crow, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Tom Waits, Counting Crows, R.E.M., and Doyle Bramhall.
Savage Audio has never aimed to mass-produce amplifiers. The goal has always been the same: build something reliable, honest, and true to the tone players are chasing.
SAVAGE TEAM
Jeff
Founder & Head Designer
Jeff Krumm's path to building amplifiers started with taking them apart. As a kid, he built his own crystal radios; by high school he was fixing 8-track players between classes and had already earned a reputation as the friend who could repair anything. He played drums and picked up guitar and bass — enough to test amps properly.
After three years in the Army training on communications equipment, Jeff studied at the Brown Institute in Minneapolis and worked as an engineering technician at Sperry Univac, all while quietly building a reputation fixing amps on the side. In 1991, he left Sperry to build amps full-time.
Today, Jeff leads a small team building Savage amps. For Jeff, the mission has never been about profit margins — it's about building something dependable, honest, and true to the tone players are chasing.
Aric
Finance & Operations
Aric is an IT executive and entrepreneur. Despite years in the corporate world, his passion has always been music. He started playing guitar at 15 and has spent the last few decades playing in bands around the Twin Cities. During the start of Covid, Aric started making 76Owl guitar pedals. In 2025, Aric started working with Jeff to revive SAVAGE AUDIO Amplifiers.
Catch Aric around town with his band Perfectly Adequate or helping amp tech for local & national artists.