From grading exams to soldering circuits.

Founded by Mark Turley in 2021, Summer School Electronics is a boutique guitar effects company located in Syracuse, NY. Featured in JHS’s “Best of 2022” list & on SPIN.com, Summer School Electronics might be the new kid in school but is already proving to be an A+ student.

Summer School Electronics is the culmination of many projects that Mark has been involved in thought his life. Mark began playing music at the age of 12, first on the drums then learning guitar soon after.

From an early age, Mark was an avid gear-nerd. He was constantly at local music stores trying new pieces of gear to learn everything he could about them. Buying, selling, and trading gear become very normal while playing in high school garage bands.

After high school, Mark went to Binghamton University. He started as an engineering student before transferring to major in Sound Recording Production. Once he graduated, Mark got a job at a local music store and began teaching guitar, bass and drum lessons. He was also performing and recording local bands in his garage-turned-studio at the same time. Mark started touring with Syracuse-based post-hardcore rock bands; The Andrea Doria, Bridge Under Fire (on guitar), and Stonelord (on drums).

These experiences opened his eyes to many aspects of the musical instrument business. Always acquiring new and vintage gear, he was searching for items that were affordable for younger musicians (like his students), as well as items that were strong and durable for touring musicians (like himself).

In 2010, Mark returned to school, this time to LeMoyne College for a Masters in Inclusive Childhood Education. Following graduation, he began his career in elementary and special education in the Syracuse Area, all the while performing in bands; Bridge Under Fire, My So-Called Band, Operation Hennessey, and Against The Giants.

In 2013, Mark launched LRS Records with a friend. LRS Records is a Syracuse-based record label that specialized in vinyl releases for Central New York-based bands, and even some from around the world.

This was Mark’s first experience in business and opened many doors for album releases as well as live events l LRS Records-sponsored stages at the Taste of Syracuse festival and The New York State Fair. This marked the first time the worlds of education and music collided as LRS released a 12” vinyl by the Baldwinsville High School Pep Band prior to their performance at the Rose Bowl Parade.

In 2016, Mark began his current teaching position as a Math AIS (Academic Intervention Services) teacher. During the 2020 shutdown, Mark’s classroom shifted to his dining room table and a summer break, usually filled with gigs, was approaching. He purchased a BYOC pedal kit and began building a homemade fuzz pedal. This kit would lead to a few more kits, and then to local musicians asking for custom pieces.

During the 2020/2021 school year, Mark would build pedals for himself and friends while also selling some online to fund future builds. He starting reading about circuits and doing research on pedals to figure out how they work.

With the Summer approaching and gigs still not as regular as they once were, Mark entertained the idea of breadboarding and modding a circuit to create an original pedal. This became the Gus-Drive, named after the dog that he and his wife rescued during the Covid shutdown, and Summer School Electronics was born. His lifelong friend and bandmate, Steve Peterson, provided the artwork and support along the way.

Since teaching was still his full-time occupation, Mark’s idea was to build pedals in bulk during the summer months then sell them throughout the rest of the year. The first step was to make 12 pedals, and see if anyone would be interested in purchasing them. After 13 orders were received, the business was up and running. Before the end of the year, a second pedal named Gladys, named after the other adopted pup, was released on Black Friday.

In 2022, 6 more pedals would be introduced to the line: The Bootster Booster, Stone Thrower, Snow Day Delay, Trash Panda, Science Fair and Gus-Plus. 2023 is shaping up to be a bigger year for the company. Stay tuned for new models on the way.

As the business grows, Mark continues to teach full-time while hand building pedals and running the operations of Summer School Electronics.