122 PREMIER GUITAR NOVEMBER 2009 www.premierguitar.com
Coupled with this was the prevailing attitude
that the bulk of new makers were offering
products that were essentially the same as
what was already abundantly available, the
biggest offender being the “boutique” Tube
Screamer clone, and dirt pedals in general.
The following are typical examples of this
vein of criticism:
“I think that in the last 2 or 3 years there has
been an explosion of companies offering a
lot of the same product.”
“It would be nice if there was a little more
diversity in the offerings. Seems like almost
every site I go to has the same basic kit (
hi-gain/low-gain fuzz, OD, line buffer, distortion). Of course, that is what sells, so that is a
fair situation. I am just saying it would be nice
to see more freaky stuff.”
“In the ‘60s, great players made wonderful
music with just a few available effects. Now,
hobbyists and part-timers spend thousands
on a multitude of too-similar-to-compare pedals, often trying to sound like those players
back then with their few primitive effects.”
“These days it does feel less like the
cream rising to the top and a bit more
like panning for gold.”
There were many other interesting observations as well, interspersed within these main
themes. Here are some random examples
that stood out, which help illustrate the sort
of highly engaging conversations taking place
in the forums:
“Customers have set a new bar for what
somebody will pay for a brand new pedal
with the last few D*A*M eBay auctions top-
ping out at over $1400 and the going rate
of Cornish pedals. People will drop serious
cash for fuzz.”
“I think the ‘builder’ has taken a much too
prominent place in the market (compared to)
the actual products. Sometimes it seems like
people are more loyal to the builders than
the products they put out.”
“I think the two sides are merging:
mass producers are starting to add more
boutique features (Danelectro, etc), and
people are using more and more pedals on
their boards nowadays (because now you
can actually buy a board instead of having
to make one).
“Since 2000 there has been an exponential
rise in manufacturers and diversity of designs.
While many builders are focusing on clones
of vintage pedals exclusively, there are many
more that are pushing the boundaries of
effects design. There still remains the issue
of the boutique vs. generic consumer. Forum
readers always believe that they are the cen-
ter of the effects world and everyone knows
about their discussions. However, boards
belonging to professional musicians over-
whelmingly show that the readily available and
mass produced effects are still the primary
focus of major working musicians. As in years
past, this continues to shed light on the rela-
tively small scope of Internet discussion boards
in the grand scheme of guitar playing.”
“You can get the most pimp, top of the
line, status symbol pedal for 300-500
bucks. 300-500 bucks will get you nothing
good as far as guitars and amps go. This
is the economy at work. People gotta be
spending their money on something, so
now pedals are extremely hot.”
“Beggars are choosers. You show someone
an $80 Boss pedal and ‘Whoa this is crap. I’m
too good for this.’ But you show the same
person a $250 pedal and they’re like ‘Whoa,
this is too expensive.’ People wanna have
their cake, eat it, AND get a refund.”
Okay, I have to admit, that last comment was
one of my favorites. But there were many
such observations and dialogs. And though
only a small sampling, the commentary above
represents the typical exchange of ideas
among the gear heads on the frontline of
today’s thriving, ever-evolving stomp scene.
There’s never any shortage of great gear conversation, that’s for sure.
Well, here we are, just about out of time and
space and I feel like I’ve barely scratched
the surface. This is only a snapshot through
the Hubble scope of the continually expanding, seemingly limitless universe of the
stompbox. I’m continually amazed at how
passionate some of us can be about all of
this. We gear geeks are certainly a special
breed. I hope you’ve enjoyed this little pedal
excursion as much as I have. Here’s to good
tone; to each his own. Until we meet again,
do keep on stompin’!
