the way guitarists chooses a pedal

[gibsonislove]

Dear All ! my friend and I is looking into starting a pedal business, want to have some opinions from all you good people !

when you buy a pedal, what is your prefernce 1-10 please put it in your order from most important to least . thanks!

-appearence
-sound
-size
-ease of use
-varieties ( types of dist/OD/delay/phases/trem/flange to choose from in one pedal)
-design
-able to tweak your own tone
- features (having boost/extra dc out/ extra output/ )
- break through ( newly designed things, unseen in the market )
-PRICE

THANKS!!

[kboman]

1. The basic sound of the unit
2. tweakability
3. features (like tap tempo on a delay pedal)
4. design/appearance
5. size
6. ease of use
7. varieties
8. "break through"

[Shagnwagon]

Originally Posted by kboman

1. The basic sound of the unit
2. tweakability
3. features (like tap tempo on a delay pedal)
4. design/appearance
5. size
6. ease of use
7. varieties
8. "break through"

Kboman nailed it for me!

[gibsonislove]

just added " PRICE " to the list.. i forgot about that!

thanks for the reply tho !

[snaredrum]

slightly different to kboman's, and always subject to change

1. The basic sound of the unit
2. features (like tap tempo on a delay pedal)
3. tweakability
4. size
5. ease of use
6. design/appearance
7. varieties
8. "break through"

[Rich]

With detail...

1. sound
Ultimately, it's all about how it sounds. Good/bad is subjective to a degree but I buy pedals specifically for the way they sound.

2. able to tweak your own tone
Not quite sure what this means. The vast majority of the time, I want a pedal that sounds like something rather than being "transparent."

3. ease of use
I can figure out anything but I don't like a pedal that is a pain in the ass to tweak on-the-fly.

4. design
Again, not sure what this means either. But, as long as the controls are laid out smartly in a way that is intuitive and easy to use, that's what I like.

5. size
Pedal board space is a consideration, but not a huge one. However, pedals that are built into enclosures that are larger than they need to accommodate the circuit are a waste of space.

6. features (having boost/extra dc out/ extra output/ )
I have a few pedals that have more features than *I* need, one of which I ordered that way but found I wasn't using them. If your pedals work and are tweakable enough without extra stuff, keep that stuff off of them and charge extra for those who want them rather than selling higher priced pedals with stuff most folks don't care about.

7. break through ( newly designed things, unseen in the market )
Usually I'm looking for something specific that already exists in some form but I'm always intrigued by some sort of new effect as long as it's not so crazy that I have no use for it.

8. varieties ( types of dist/OD/delay/phases/trem/flange to choose from in one pedal)
Not interested in multieffects. A lot of players like them and I can definitely see why they do, but I like to pick and choose specific effects/pedals that suit my tastes and I don't want to have to fuss with switches and knobs in between songs to go from chorus to flanger or whatever.

9. price
I don't like to overspend, but I'm willing to pay more for quality.

10. appearance
It's nice if a pedal looks cool, but it has to sound cool. After enough stomping on dirty stages and sloshed beers, none of them look so great after a while.

[kboman]

Price:
for me, price takes second place after the basic sound of the unit. If I can't afford it, it doesn't really matter what wonderful things it can do.

Sound and affordability are entirely subjective and variable of course, depending on what I need and my financial situation.

[Kalz]

1) Sound
2) Price
3) Design/Build Quality

thats about it

[gibsonislove]

thank you all guys! this is so helpful !

[Eric Smith]

Let's not forget that it has to be well built, preferably like a tank.

[snaredrum]

regarding price, it should be sensible for what it is - an overdrive that costs $100 more than the current boutique competition will not arrive on my board unless it's incredible, for example - but otherwise, the current trend for Strymon pedals i have suggests i'll spend almost anything to buy something cool

[Liam]

Sound.

That's it for me I think. I'll find the money for quite expensive pedals eventually (although the Lovetone collection is struggling a bit due to financial constraints), or I'll make a decent clone myself.

I could break it down a bit within sound. Needs to have a satisfactory true bypass or half decent buffered bypass. Good interesting sound, but I like anything from good OD or delay to the most "out there" fuzz, envelope filters, modulators. But above all, it needs to sound good. I like them quite mad too.

For everything else on your list, if it's a great sounding pedal I'll either live with inadequacies or rehouse it in another enclosure with decent connectors, switches or whatever. Have you got any sound clips?

Liam

[2009LPGT]

Sound, sound and more sound!

If it makes the grade sound wise, everything else is workable. If it is expensive, I'll save $$. It it is large, I will rearrange to accommodate. I don't give a rat's ass about graphics or color. Even quality is something that can be worked around for sound sake. For instance, the Danelectro Chicken Salad is a really nice sounding pedal but pretty fragile but put it out of the way in a true bypass loop and your golden!

If the sound is not there, you have nothing. Old phase 90s are not true bypass, sometimes bleed effect even when bypassed and has almost no features but resides on 75% of the boards out there. Why? SOUND!!

So to summarize:

1: Sound
2: Everything else!

[2009LPGT]

Originally Posted by Liam

Sound.

That's it for me I think. I'll find the money for quite expensive pedals eventually (although the Lovetone collection is struggling a bit due to financial constraints), or I'll make a decent clone myself.

I could break it down a bit within sound. Needs to have a satisfactory true bypass or half decent buffered bypass. Good interesting sound, but I like anything from good OD or delay to the most "out there" fuzz, envelope filters, modulators. But above all, it needs to sound good. I like them quite mad too.

For everything else on your list, if it's a great sounding pedal I'll either live with inadequacies or rehouse it in another enclosure with decent connectors, switches or whatever. Have you got any sound clips?

Liam

LOL! I like the way you think!

[alligatorbling]

sound.....

one would think im partial to appearance since i do custom paint jobs on my pedals....

while i do love a cool looking pedal, the builds i do for myself are usually in plane jane boxes, i often times buy blemished boxes for pedals im building for my own use.

[2009LPGT]

Originally Posted by alligatorbling

sound.....

one would think im partial to appearance since i do custom paint jobs on my pedals....

while i do love a cool looking pedal, the builds i do for myself are usually in plane jane boxes, i often times buy blemished boxes for pedals im building for my own use.

You have some really fun graphics and from what I understand, your pedals sound great! Graphics are icing on the cake as long as the sound is there. It is fun to look down and see some "bling" but I can't enjoy the view it if my ears are not happy!!

[Rich]

Originally Posted by 2009LPGT

You have some really fun graphics and from what I understand, your pedals sound great! Graphics are icing on the cake as long as the sound is there. It is fun to look down and see some "bling" but I can't enjoy the view it if my ears are not happy!!

Bling's pedals have both great sound AND appearance.

Buy the Bling Fuzz. Love the Bling Fuzz. BE the Bling Fuzz.

[Benguitar]

The way I've been looking at buying pedals recently is how LITTLE I need to tweak them to get the sound I want.

Stuff like Malekko really appeals to me because it is simple and it simply sounds good.

Then I look at the price..

[Liam]

Originally Posted by 2009LPGT

For instance, the Danelectro Chicken Salad is a really nice sounding pedal but pretty fragile but put it out of the way in a true bypass loop and your golden!

OK, never spotted that one before. It's on the list....

[gibsonguitar1988]

1. Sound
2. Design
3. Appearance
4. Ease of use
5. Features
6. Break through
7. Size
8. Price
9. Varieties
10. Able to tweak your own tone

For me the sound has to be great, but also I'm more picky on appearance than most players are. I actually care what those things I stomp on looks like. I could not have a plain jane box. That's kept me from buying a couple pedals before. I like swirly finishes but they don't all have to be. I like cool graphics, bright vivid colors, and flashiness in my rig.

Also I prefer pedals that are analog, that are focused on capturing vintage tone and old school tone, and ones that get tones from records that I can use to reproduce those tones live. I love amp in a box pedals and I love regular dirts too. I also like pedals that are made to sound like a specific player or band or piece of gear. I am a classic rock covers/tribute guy and that's the tone I'm after. I'm not into modern tones or new things. I want pedals that capture tones from the 70s/80s and the classic rock era and get tones from those players.

But that's just what I look for. Great classic rock tones I can get through my clean tube amps (set clean). I'm mainly a dirtbox guy but I do enjoy slapback delay and mild-moderate modulation. Not a real big wah guy or flanger guy though. Also not into ring mods or synth. Also not into very many fuzz boxes. But I love overdrives and distortions.

[Nigel T.]

Sound: The only thing that matters. This defines whether I buy it or not.

For the rest Tweakablity and Features.

For most people price will be an issue as well, but I couldn't care less. If I feel it is worth it I will gladly lay down the money, though obviously I would love it cheaper.

[Konrad Chen]

1. Sound (To me it includes tweakability.)
2. Size
3. Price
4. Power required

[StandingWave]

Color. All of my pedals are red, blue, yellow, purple, black, silver, gold, or orange. I would consider white or green, too.

[st.bede]

Every issue is wieghed against all the other factors, therefore; it is difficult to come up with blanket statements.

[axslinger]

Originally Posted by kboman

1. The basic sound of the unit
2. tweakability
3. features (like tap tempo on a delay pedal)
4. design/appearance
5. size
6. ease of use
7. varieties
8. "break through"

This pretty much nails it for me, but I'll elaborate on the "design" portion.

Non-standard power-supplies piss me off when they aren't necessary. Some Digitech's are like this. My new Fryette SAS is like this as well, but I'm assuming that because it's driving an actual tube, they needed a larger supply.

The location of the jacks. I know most companies put them in the same place but some also choose to deviate, like HBE. The power on my Uno MOS is on the side instead of the front, like most others. Sounds like a minor issue but when you're designing a pedal board, you end up with this one pedal that goes against the grain.

I'd like to see more pedals with switches that don't sound like you just pulled the power on and entire city. The tactile feedback is nice but they don't need to be so loud you can hear them over a dimed-out Peavey Mace. TC Electronic got this one right.

Keep the knobs away from the switch. Some are designed with them too close together, causing obvious issues.

Bright on/off LED. My Digitech Harmony Man has this dinky, little orange LED and it's hard to tell if it's on. There are a bunch of LED's on that pedal and there is nothing to make that one stand out.

Don't put the little rubber feet on it; put them in the box and let the owner decide if he wan'ts little rubber feet. I usually peel them them off because the bottom is going to get covered with Velcro.

I love the way Hardwire includes the "Sound Block" things to keep the knobs from moving once set. A way to lock the knobs would be a nice bit of "feature candy".

Stay away from non-standard shapes/sizes. Case in point; Danelectro. For those who just have a bunch of pedals on the floor with a rat's nest of cable, it won't matter but for the those of us who are anal about a neat, tidy pedal board, those pedals are a pain in the ass. My Fish & Chips was a huge offender...try putting two R/A plugs and a R/A power connector into the front of that thing. I'm glad it finally died.

These are all little things but they add up to a thoughtful design that can make a difference. I've spent the last 6 months designing my pedal board and these are just some of the issues I'v run into.

[kboman]

Originally Posted by axslinger

I'd like to see more pedals with switches that don't sound like you just pulled the power on and entire city. The tactile feedback is nice but they don't need to be so loud you can hear them over a dimed-out Peavey Mace. TC Electronic got this one right.

Way Huge pedals have the best switches I have ever used. A soft but firm "thwock" that will not overpower your amp!

Keep the knobs away from the switch. Some are designed with them too close together, causing obvious issues.

Oh yes. This is pretty much the only issue I have with my Liquid Sunshine overdrive.

Don't put the little rubber feet on it; put them in the box and let the owner decide if he wan'ts little rubber feet. I usually peel them them off because the bottom is going to get covered with Velcro.

Please, this! Rubber feet are fine if you don't use a pedal board, but once you do they are a pain...

[Bruiser74]

1.) Sound
2.) Quality (build quality and long term reliability)
3.) Will it fit on my board?

[thexmadxtopxhatter]

1.) ears.

[alligatorbling]

Originally Posted by axslinger

<snip>

Bright on/off LED. My Digitech Harmony Man has this dinky, little orange LED and it's hard to tell if it's on. There are a bunch of LED's on that pedal and there is nothing to make that one stand out.

<snip>

im fond of bright LEDs =)

[Shagnwagon]

You arent kidding bling. I had the lights off in my room last night and ended up running into my pedal board and cutting on your pedal. Lit up my entire room, so then for giggles I compared my other pedals lights to it. I think I have a picture of it somewhere, I will have to upload it.