Our Story
I got my start tattooing just north of Baltimore in 1992. I served as an apprentice and later went on tattooing in classic street shops for several years. I soon realized that I needed to learn more about my new profession so I traveled and worked in the US and Europe with tattooers who were pushing the boundaries both compositionally and technically. This led to my interest in repairing and building tattoo machines.
“Today I focus my energy on further refining and developing machines that I love by enacting the design philosophy of form follows function.”
In 1996 I started making machines known as Bulldogs with Mike Malone. The previous builder of this classic machine had ceased production on the design and there was a void to fill due to its uniqueness and demand. The Bulldog shader begat the Pitbull liner, a machine that still stands to this day. After years of working to nail down what I wanted from my next design, I experimented with some single coil machines that produced the range and power that I believed hit the right mark. This design evolved to become my Ghost Dog liners and shaders.
Later models included the Ghost Dog compression machine, and then finally my collaboration with Dan Kubin, the Ghost Dog Revival. Today I focus my energy on further refining and developing machines that I love by enacting the design philosophy of “form follows function”. Meaning, all my machines are designed and built with the idea of presenting a solution to a problem that actually exists.
I’m proud to call these refined machines tools for the trade, which are built to make the professional tattooer’s job easier and more enjoyable.
—Adam Ciferri