Who we are
Dylan Kennedy
Born to a musical family in Nashville, Dylan grew up with a fascination for musical instruments of all kinds and a love for crafting sounds of his own. In 2019, he decided to officially pursue lutherie by studying at the prestigious Galloup Guitar School. It was here that he built his first amplifier, a 5E3 clone, and fell in love with the craft.
After graduating from the Master’s program, he worked briefly for Nashville repair guru Joe Glaser before deciding to move to Savannah, Georgia to work at the legendary Benedetto Guitars. It was here where he truly learned about building a quality, timeless product that is as much a work of art as it is an instrument.
After four wonderful years in Savannah, he and his wife gave birth to their son and decided to move back to Nashville to be closer to their families. Being back in a city filled with great music, and having learned some valuable lessons in instrument manufacturing, he decided to start a company and apply some of that wisdom to amplifiers and thus, Underdog Amplifiers was born. He credits the support of his wonderful wife and family with helping to bring this vision into reality.
Kevin Butler
Kevin is a woodworker and CNC maker with a background in manufacturing engineering across multiple production environments. He brings a steady, detail-driven approach to Underdog Amplifiers, shaped in part by five years at Gibson Guitar as an engineer and later as Area Manager over Final Assembly and Finish, where craftsmanship and consistency were fundamental to every instrument.
At Underdog, Kevin designs and builds nameplates, templates, fixtures, and custom components, supporting the hands-on work behind each amplifier. Outside the shop, he creates finely detailed wood carvings and functional pieces, blending traditional woodworking techniques with modern tooling. His work reflects a deep respect for materials and for the craftsmanship behind musical instruments—especially guitars—and a belief that quality shows up in the details you don’t rush.