Route 30 Pickups (formerly Sonic Soup) began as a deeply personal journey. In the early 1990s, founder JD Mauro picked up a humble acoustic guitar—like many do—but everything changed when a friend introduced him to electric guitar. One of his first electrics was a beat-up Gibson SG that quickly became a favorite. It wasn’t long before JD discovered that swapping pickups could dramatically transform a guitar’s tone, unlocking new levels of inspiration and playability.

As his collection of guitars grew, JD noticed a pattern: the guitars that sounded better got played more. Like most players, he experienced the natural ebb and flow of motivation, and he came to believe that the inspiration to pick up a guitar was priceless. That belief became the foundation for Route 30—an effort to build pickups that sparked creativity and made players want to play more.

Armed with access to a growing range of guitars, JD spent years building prototypes, meticulously testing them across genres and amps, and comparing them against industry benchmarks. Countless hours of A/B testing, detailed record-keeping, and tone analysis led to the creation of Route 30’s first set of humbuckers.

Today, Route 30 Pickups reflects the culmination of that obsessive journey. Like a chef sharing a signature recipe, JD’s greatest reward is watching fellow guitarists discover and appreciate the tones he’s spent years refining.

Though JD still works full-time in the financial industry, Route 30 remains his passion project. He continues to push forward, fine-tuning his designs and developing new offerings to suit a growing variety of players. Stay tuned—there’s more to come.