buying pedals vs buying other stuff

waidonchasaisew · #1 10-12-2010, 02:46 AM

how can all you bassists afford pedals as much as seen in the "post your pedalboard" threads? I'll admit, I'm just a teenager (with a part time job), but pedals can get pretty expensive. lets say the average pedal costs $150. i can get 4 pedals, or a completely new bass. do you even buy new or just used? i personally have 4 pedals (3 of which i use). cost me $350 for all 4.

Low Sound Love · #2 10-12-2010, 02:57 AM

many of us hunt for used pedals, but in the end we just spend as much as we want to, and some make more many than others.
I've got no idea of how much I've spent on pedals over the years, but I'm sure I could buy an American Standard Jazz bass if I'd saved it all up. But then I wouldn't have any cool pedals to have fun with ...

DrStein · #3 10-12-2010, 03:07 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opportunity_cost

**TheMutt** · #4 10-12-2010, 03:16 AM

I'll admit that pedals are certainly expensive, heck I own and have owned some pedals in the past that cost upwards of $300-$400 each. However, I didn't start out purchasing expensive pedals. I started out small, only buying one pedal maybe once every year, or whenever I got some extra money for my birthday or Christmas or something (or I'd just ask for the pedal for my birthday/Christmas). I must admit that lately I prefer to purchase used pedals as they are generally cheaper, and unless the person wears boots with metal spikes on them, they aren't in poor condition when they get to you. I have purchased some pedals brand new though, but usually because they are either hard to find, are a new item that is not widely owned by others, or because the warranty policy is non-transferable (important sometimes).

Sure, I could own 10 basses (in all honesty, I only use one bass for all my gigging needs), and a whole slew of amps (ditto for only one amp) for the money I've used to buy/sell/trade for effects, but then I'd miss all these lovely little boxes that make fun sounds.

James Judson · #5 10-12-2010, 03:38 AM

I don't understand the pedal fetish that a lot of TB'ers seem to have here. I've tried a bunch and thought "how cool" until I found I do not sit well in the mix. Give me a decent axe, cable, amp (with lots of watts) and speaker box and I'm good to go. I do use a lot of effects on guitar, keys and I won't sing without some.

sonic assassin · #6 10-12-2010, 03:50 AM

i could see owning 5 basses. thats it. and really, id only ever need 3 amps, assuming one was huge, one was tiny, and one was studio only.

but pedalboards can go on for dayyyyss. with that said, mine isnt so big, but if i was gigging full time in a progressive band, id have a LOT more. right now its dirt, chorus, and a talkbox. id like an LS2 to keep all that in check.

i had a job when i was 14. i had musical equipment to buy, a car and driving school to save for. i worked 25 hours a week from 14-16. saved a lot. and did odd jobs (landscaping, concrete) whenever i needed money. took a year off for college, and have been working full time since then.

buy all your sweet stuff now before you have bills and rent and student loans to pay. i havent bought any new gear in a long time now.

fractiouslowend · #7 10-12-2010, 04:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James Judson

I don't understand the pedal fetish that a lot of TB'ers seem to have here. I've tried a bunch and thought "how cool" until I found I do not sit well in the mix. Give me a decent axe, cable, amp (with lots of watts) and speaker box and I'm good to go. I do use a lot of effects on guitar, keys and I won't sing without some.

if you have to ask, you'll never know

bassman1185 · #8 10-12-2010, 08:00 AM

I have almost $900 worth of pedals/effects on my board, plus another $120-ish worth of cables, a $90 power supply, and a board that cost me around $90 to build. That's on my main band board. My church board is much smaller, but is still in the $300 range.

My effects investment is significantly higher than my bass investment, in large part because once you get past a certain point with basses, the return on your money is pretty minimal. My main gigging basses are a Squier VM 70's Jazz that I have upgraded (Total cost: Roughly $500) and a custom parts six-string fretless that cost about $350 total to build. Both are set up properly and play well. Had I invested the $1500 or so I have in effects into my basses, I would have a couple of pretty nice basses. However, I would still be pretty much limited to one general sound for each one, and the playability wouldn't be that much better. With my effects collection, I have all kinds of different sounds available with the stomp of my foot and the twist of a knob.

T. Alan Smith · #9 10-12-2010, 08:10 AM

Huh, I figured the cost for a typical pedal was well under $100(most folks buying pedals are buying Boss and the like). You should be making damn near that at a gig. So one gig should get you a pedal. I don't see the issue.

Genericbassname · #10 10-12-2010, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonic assassin

i could see owning 5 basses. thats it. and really, id only ever need 3 amps, assuming one was huge, one was tiny, and one was studio only.

but pedalboards can go on for dayyyyss. with that said, mine isnt so big, but if i was gigging full time in a progressive band, id have a LOT more. right now its dirt, chorus, and a talkbox. id like an LS2 to keep all that in check.

i had a job when i was 14. i had musical equipment to buy, a car and driving school to save for. i worked 25 hours a week from 14-16. saved a lot. and did odd jobs (landscaping, concrete) whenever i needed money. took a year off for college, and have been working full time since then.

buy all your sweet stuff now before you have bills and rent and student loans to pay. i havent bought any new gear in a long time now.

This is EXACTLY how I feel about gear. I'd rather have a pedalboard that can seat a family of four than a wall of basses.

jucas · #11 10-12-2010, 08:34 AM

I had the opposite opinion when I was younger. I had a bass I liked, and figured $100-200 for a pedal was cheaper and easier than buying a bass for $700-1000. With a pedal I'd probably get more different sounds, and maybe even play a bit differently. With a bass, my tone'd change a bit, but I'd probably play pretty much the same and still suck.

I guess I'd rather suck with fuzz than without.

cheapbasslovin · #12 10-12-2010, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waidonchasaisew

lets say the average pedal costs $150. i can get 4 pedals, or a completely new bass.

I think you just answered your own question. A new bass is nice, but it will sound remarkably like your old bass give or take some feel or EQ emphasis. If that feel or EQ are what gives you the joy in bass playing then that is where you should spend your money.

Effects give you an entirely different tone/ rhythm/ feel to what you are playing, in a way that a new bass just can't. They cost much less than a good bass. They aren't for everyone, and they don't fit well into every type of music, but they increase your sonic palette much more than a new bass or amp will.

I don't have much amp or bass GAS except to move into a lighter, more powerful amp. My crappy Peavey Patriot gets me 95% of what I get out of a Pedulla or Alembic. The cost doesn't justify the return for me like it does for an effect.

scotch · #13 10-12-2010, 08:45 AM

I definitely find myself questioning my investment at times!

Since I play for a living, I fold my pedal purchases into my business as a write-off. Still, they obviously cost me money - but they do pay for themselves (well, most of them have) and arguably inspire me to find new sounds which is helpful for the creative stuff I'm hired to play on.

scotch · #14 10-12-2010, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James Judson

I don't understand the pedal fetish that a lot of TB'ers seem to have here. I've tried a bunch and thought "how cool" until I found I do not sit well in the mix. Give me a decent axe, cable, amp (with lots of watts) and speaker box and I'm good to go. I do use a lot of effects on guitar, keys and I won't sing without some.

Different strokes for different folks!

Learning to utilize pedals properly is no different than, say, learning to employ slapping properly. There's a time & place and it's not for everybody! And that's ok.

Swimming Bird · #15 10-12-2010, 08:58 AM

It has a little bit to do with income. A person making an average salary with no debt vs. a teenager with a part time job :: a pedal vs. a candy bar. Just sayin'.

Also pedal prices can vary wildly with usable pedals starting around $30. Plus people tend to acquire pedals pretty slowly. So if you get one or two or more pedals a year for ten years, you build quite a board.

WalterBush · #16 10-12-2010, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James Judson

I don't understand the pedal fetish that a lot of TB'ers seem to have here. I've tried a bunch and thought "how cool" until I found I do not sit well in the mix. Give me a decent axe, cable, amp (with lots of watts) and speaker box and I'm good to go. I do use a lot of effects on guitar, keys and I won't sing without some.

If your gigs require wierd bass sounds, you'll likely get pedals. I play keyboard bass in an '80s cover band a lot, but my chops or synth programming skills are lacking sometimes, so I use effects to get close to old synth bass tones. I need 'em, so I get 'em. Guitar players use them all the time, although some, like you, just need the right axe and the right amp. If your gigs needed effects, you'd probably buy effects instead. Also, not sitting in the mix is one reason players keep buying pedals; I have a chorus pedal I love that cuts too much bass, so I can't use it until I mod it or find another pedal that preserves bass, or buy a blend pedal...you get the idea. It can add up quickly.

As to the affordability, hey, you can buy anything if you make it a priority in life. That's why I have several nice basses, some good guitars and amps, a decent studio setup, and a nice mic cabinet, but I still rent my house and drive old cars. Not saying I chose wisely, just saying that it's possible to collect gear, sports cars, R/C helicopters, whatever if that's where your heart is. While some of my friends were saving for their second jet ski, I was eyeballing the Musician's Friend catalog

.

At least I'm getting a return on my investment these days . For years it was just for my own amusement.

waidonchasaisew · #17 10-12-2010, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T. Alan Smith

Huh, I figured the cost for a typical pedal was well under $100(most folks buying pedals are buying Boss and the like). You should be making damn near that at a gig. So one gig should get you a pedal. I don't see the issue.

i don't get paid to gig ^^
my band and I play for charities, church, etc. we never get paid. helps the college resume a little.

but i see where everyone is coming from. only been introduced to pedals a year ago. considering the time and my cash flow, i'd say im doing fine?

savinggrace · #18 10-12-2010, 11:38 PM

Hold on... WAIT. There are OTHER things to buy?!!!

Jawbone · #19 10-12-2010, 11:49 PM

By used it's a great way to start. Like someone else mentoned - it's "opportuity cost". Kegs, drugs, cars, dates or pedals - obviously alot of us gave up on the date part.

bassguitar808 · #20 10-13-2010, 12:21 AM

different pedals for different projects

I'm always looking for deals on pedals,
since they are always cheaper than deals on basses

I'll try out ones I'm interested in
use certain ones for the Doom band, Jazz group, or Retro Rock project
then thin out the herd, sell them to friends, or craigslist pedals I dont love/need

better to have a gear addiction,
you can resell and get usually close to what you invested
you can't resell smoked cigarettes
or empty cans of beer (beyond 5c recycling in some states)