How Much Time do you...

Mudfuzz · #1 07-16-2010, 05:59 PM

Actually spend with a pedal before going online to review it or ask for help.

One thing it looks like to me is a lot rushing on both... Maybe I'm wrong...

The constant flipping always makes me wonder about this too...

Thoughts?

Mark Olson · #2 07-16-2010, 06:23 PM

I don't really review anything, but I do a lot of soundclips, and I don't necessarily spend a lot of time with a pedal before I do clips (though it takes me very little time to find the settings that I like). I will however add more clips as I go with something, especially if I find a cool new sound.

Also I haven't been buying and flipping as much lately. Part of it is that I'm sick of eBay, but also I've just gotten sick of doing that, and my amp and guitar haven't been changing lately. A lot of the buying and flipping happens as I change guitars or amps, if I change either of those my tonal goals all change and I need a whole new set of pedals that interact with my new gear the way I want.

Swimming Bird · #3 07-16-2010, 11:40 PM

I try to give it a week before I write a review or post soundclips. Let's say 5-7 hours of play, with and without other pedals.

TheWoodShed · #4 07-16-2010, 11:54 PM

I run with a pedal for however long it takes me to determine if I am getting the tone out of it that I hear in my head. If I can't I ask for help.

For simple pedals like a three knob fuzz or a clean boost that is a short time, Others, such as the Prometheus, I am still mulling through. Not only is it a more complicated pedal by I am testing it with combos of fuzzes and the like.

Sometimes it is good though to do a review when you first get a pedal. The review can always be amended, but initial reaction is a good thing to me because some times the important initial thought is lost in all the twiddling of knobbies.

kevteop · #5 07-17-2010, 03:44 AM

I agree with Mark Olson - recording clips is good because it lets people make up their own minds. I don't "review" anything, I think the only pedals I've actively recommended to anybody are the OC-2 and the BMS and I've been using those for years.

We do get a lot of honeymoon threads in here don't we? Just arrived today and it's a keeper, it does what my other pedal did but sooooo! much better, then next week it's for sale.

Swift713 · #6 07-17-2010, 05:29 AM

I don't really write "reviews" but I certainly have been guilty of some hasty decisions. The first time I had a BMS I decided against it immediately. The second time it took about 3 weeks. On the other hand, sometimes you just know. I A/Bed a couple comps, made my decision in about one hour and have stuck to it for three years so far.

**Bryan R. Tyler** · #7 07-17-2010, 07:45 AM

Usually I wait at least a day or two before putting up a demo. It doesn't take long to figure out if it sounds good- how much time do you need to spend with a cheeseburger before you know it's tasty?

It depends on the complexity of the pedal- I never put up my planned review of the Octavius Squeezer when I got it because it took me weeks with it to really get into it, and at that point I knew it wasn't for me.

Flipping is a whole different thing. For almost everyone, it's a case of either needing the money, or no matter how awesome what you have is, the grass can always look greener on the other side.

solutionbassist · #8 07-17-2010, 08:37 AM

I am not usually one to do a review or a soundclip right after i get something. Im really likely to be playing a gig with a pedal in the first 48 hours of owning it though.

Robertron · #9 07-17-2010, 08:53 AM

I waited a week before I wrote my Musket V2 review so I could hear how it sounded in a mix with my band.

Well it felt like a week to me. It may have been longer.