Ever wonder WHY some pedals get discontinued?

[OriginalCrash]

It seems like there are quite a lot of pedals out there with a huge following that are no longer produced (or are no longer produced in their original form). Why is that, I wonder? I mean, I get that companies often want to provide the "best" product for the money... So I can understand swapping out parts over time for cheaper ones, within what they (but often not we) feel to be tolerable or acceptable changes to sound. But what about some of the smaller, boutique companies? It just seems like if there are a lot of people asking about 'em, looking for used pedals, etc., it'd be a good idea to bring 'em back. I don't know; I'm sure there's more to the story that justifies it... I was just wondering...

Brian

P.S. Some examples:

Digitech Bass Whammy
Yamaha Magicstomp
DOD 250 (example of one that changed over time)
Mojo Hand Cream Pie

And I'm sure there are plenty others; those just popped in my head...

[slyjoe]

Generally, a company stops offering a product for one reason - not enough sales of that product.

Remember, tastes change over time. Were the products you listed popular in their day? I would guess not. At least not popular enough for the companies to continue them.

[OriginalCrash]

Good point. And I guess that while something may seem incredibly popular here on Talkbass doesn't necessarily mean it's enough demand to make it worth the cost of producing on a larger scale (though that was my point for smaller, boutique companies that don't necessarily aim for huge sales anyway)...

Brian

[Ric5]

Poor sales will kill a product.

[Malpractice]

i think boss just likes to mess with me..........the ps3 is so cool i think they made it just so it could drive me nuts hunting one down....

its a conspiracy.

oh and poor sales.

[CliftonBonney]

I suspect the boutique builders could also get burned out after building the same pedal over and over. They need to either spice it up by building something new, or simply stop altogehter and do something different.

[Jared Lash]

I could be wrong, but I believe the Cream Pie disappeared due to the rarity of one of the components.

But in general, of course it's lack of sales that does them in. The Deep Impact is another example where demand (and thus prices) have skyrocketed and thus people wonder why it was ever discontinued.

I think the better question is, why didn't those pedals sell well enough when first out?

For something like the Bass Whammy it was probably a combination of fewer bass players using effects when it came out (not to mention something as extreme as the Whammy) and people not really seeing it's potential. And of course the resurgence in demand for that one is really due to Justin Chancellor's use above all else.

[GilGB]

Akai Deep Impact

[SERPENT865]

NO

[Flintlock]

Most became popular after they were famous, normally after someone makes them popular (Deep Impact, Bass Whammy). Plus of course, murphies law.

[(b)Assman]

because they only see their real popularity once you can no longer have them. Especially in the occult ala talkbass. Or maybe an artist needs to use them well for people to be interested in them?

[gibsualdo]

Originally Posted by TheBigO

I could be wrong, but I believe the Cream Pie disappeared due to the rarity of one of the components.

This is exactly what I was told when I emailed a UK dealer to ask about a possible restock.

[fightthepower]

Originally Posted by gibsualdo

This is exactly what I was told when I emailed a UK dealer to ask about a possible restock.

unobtanium?

[gibsualdo]

Originally Posted by fightthepower

unobtanium?

No can has brand new Cream Pie

[JTE]

Poor sales is the bottom line. Do they sell enough of them (not whether E-bay, used ones, or dealers are moving them- the only thing the manufacturer sees is if they're selling enough of them to be making the profit they need to stay viable. Is Behringer ripping them off so fast that they can't recover their R&D costs, advertising costs, and production costs? It ain't about just how much it cost to buy the parts and to assemble the product- they gotta cover all the upfront cost too.

And frankly, I'net groups that rave about products are such a small percentage of the market. Heck, this FX forum is a rather small % of the whole TB population. So if something is hip here, that doesn't even remotely mean that there's enough sales to warrant a company keeping something going.

jte

[OhThePeacock]

I'd say poor sales and rare components. In the case of the Deep Impact and Bass Whammy, the reason they are so popular today is because someone in a big band found a great new use for it sparking a demand for it. Back in the day, Deep Impact were being blown out for $100 cause no one wanted them.

[tomhanzo]

Some times when you make a pedal, it breaks the mold.

With out a mold, you cant make another of that pedal

[RobertPaulson]

Originally Posted by GilGB

Akai Deep Impact

yeah, they need to reissue these or something, I'm too damned poor to buy one.

[baba]

Originally Posted by OhThePeacock

Back in the day, Deep Impact were being blown out for $100 cause no one wanted them.

I remember this and bought one from Musicians Friend for $129. Sold it a couple years later for $450.