Pedal buying. Is it all luck?

Din Of Win · #1 06-26-2009, 10:59 AM

Hey TB,

Now that i am, for now, set with actual Basses and Amps/Cabs, my pedal buying is back in force again. However, unless they are EHX, Boss, Digitech or well... that's pretty much it for around here. How do you all go about geting your pedals? Will you all buy them after simply listening to reviews and watching/hearing demos? I kind of like the "hands on" approach. That's what made me decide on the Boss OC-3 over the OC-2, which is held in much higher regard around here.

I would love to get some more bass-specific pedals that seem to be more on the botique end but absoloutly no where(that i know of) has any of them in my area... which i think is strange with 3 major cities within an hour drive and almost 6 in a 4 hour drive...

Just curious. And if anyone knows of any good pedal places in the MD/DC/VA/PA area PLEEEEEASE let me know. I have had a few lucky deals at the used place, but even then "fancy" is MXR, EBS and Seymore Duncan...

Swimming Bird · #2 06-26-2009, 11:18 AM

Hmm, if you're talking about major cities in or around Maryland, I'd expect that you'd be able to make it to Chuck Levin's, Atomic Music or even the Rockville GC. You can find loads of stuff at any of them: Fulltone, MXR/Dunlop/Way Huge, old DOD, etc. I've even tried some Death By Audio at Atomic and Redwitch at Chuck's.

There's plenty out there, just keep looking.

Jazz Ad · #3 06-26-2009, 11:22 AM

I pretty much always buy online.
This may sound silly but with a bit of practice, you know what to expect from a pedal before actually trying it.
It rarely fails for me, only sometimes very good or bad surprises.

**Bryan R. Tyler** · #4 06-26-2009, 11:24 AM

I try them by buying them usually. If it's new, I go through a place I can easily return it to. If it's used, I'll buy it and then sell it if I don't like it at or near the cost I paid for it- I consider it like a a rental fee. Trying one out in a store will rarely give you the same sound you'll hear when you play it through your own equipment (and lugging your stuff to the store isn't always fun).

RickenBoogie · #5 06-26-2009, 11:27 AM

There've only been a couple of times I bought a pedal online that disappointed me. 99% of the time, if I do my research, and ask about the pedal right here, I get what I expect. Sometimes, better than I expected,(Valve Drive).

Din Of Win · #6 06-26-2009, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swimming Bird

Hmm, if you're talking about major cities in or around Maryland, I'd expect that you'd be able to make it to Chuck Levin's, Atomic Music or even the Rockville GC. You can find loads of stuff at any of them: Fulltone, MXR/Dunlop/Way Huge, old DOD, etc. I've even tried some Death By Audio at Atomic and Redwitch at Chuck's.

There's plenty out there, just keep looking.

-Haha i actually thought Chuck Levin's didn't exist anymore.
-I can literally see the rockville guitar center from my office window, but IIRC last time i was there (a few months ago) even they only REALLY had EHX and Boss in the shop. I've never really been a fan of that one to be honest though. I've had better luck in Towson.
-Atomic is my main GOTO place. I absoloutly love it and have known a few of the employees forEVER. I have the best luck with them and even they have Moog pedals at the moment. The only bummer with them is, being almost all used you get what they got... Still i love that place. Only place i've found Guyatone in the area as well.

Quote:

There've only been a couple of times I bought a pedal online that disappointed me. 99% of the time, if I do my research, and ask about the pedal right here, I get what I expect. Sometimes, better than I expected,(Valve Drive).

Usually this works, but like i said; if i had held true to that i would have wound up with an OC-2 instead of an OC-3, which after being able to test sounds(for my purposes) much better. I still like being able to try em out. Nothing beets a lazy weekend afternoon with nothing to do to go to the music shop and just try out rad stuff.

tplyons · #7 06-26-2009, 12:07 PM

Back when I was buying and selling pedals like crazy, I would do as Bryan did:

1) Either buy in store so I could try them out and get a good idea of what I'm getting into.
2) Buy from a place with a good return policy.
3) Buy used, in which you can sell for almost what you paid for or more.

It's an expensive hobby, that's why I had to get away from it.

KPAX · #8 06-26-2009, 12:16 PM

Luck and sheer brute force.
If I buy something on a whim and it works out - Luck.
Other times I have to plow through everything to find something I like.
In terms of peoples opinions, I never know if I agree. Having heard something on an album or live and liking the sound is a good one for me (like Geddy using the SansAmp RBI and RPM). Other times a piece of gear simply looks good to me on first sight or spec-reading, like the Peavey VB2 amp. When I saw this big el34-based tube bass amp I thought whoa, this has potential.
Musicians Friend has a good no-hassle return policy so if there's something you think you might like it might be worth risking the return shipping cost to buy it for (if nothing else) an extended tryout.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Din Of Win

Hey TB,

Now that i am, for now, set with actual Basses and Amps/Cabs, my pedal buying is back in force again. However, unless they are EHX, Boss, Digitech or well... that's pretty much it for around here. How do you all go about geting your pedals? Will you all buy them after simply listening to reviews and watching/hearing demos? I kind of like the "hands on" approach. That's what made me decide on the Boss OC-3 over the OC-2, which is held in much higher regard around here.

I would love to get some more bass-specific pedals that seem to be more on the botique end but absoloutly no where(that i know of) has any of them in my area... which i think is strange with 3 major cities within an hour drive and almost 6 in a 4 hour drive...

Just curious. And if anyone knows of any good pedal places in the MD/DC/VA/PA area PLEEEEEASE let me know. I have had a few lucky deals at the used place, but even then "fancy" is MXR, EBS and Seymore Duncan...

cybersnyder · #9 06-26-2009, 01:01 PM

There's also JiveSound.com in Virginia. I keep meaning to go there, but still haven't made the trek.

**TheMutt** · #10 06-26-2009, 01:08 PM

I'm definitely a researcher before I go out and buy anything. I'll listen to other people's experiences with the pedals, maybe some sound clips to get an idea of what it might sound like through my rig. If I can try before I buy, I absolutely will. If not, I return it before the return period expires (done this many times). If I have to get it online and/or used, I'll generally sell it for what I got it for or a little less.

RCCollins · #11 06-26-2009, 02:43 PM

buy used in the TB forums and resell what you don't dig!

stflbn · #12 06-26-2009, 02:52 PM

Personally, when it comes to pedals and basses in general I tend to feel that seeing more around means that there's more people who are unhappy with them then there are people who are happy with them. If they were happy they wouldn't be selling them.

The Lurker · #13 06-26-2009, 03:02 PM

I don't think it's so much luck as it is taste and availability.

fightthepower · #14 06-26-2009, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCCollins

buy used in the TB forums and resell what you don't dig!

Yep. I hate going into the music stores and getting hounded by clueless salesmen (who don't have what I want anyway..) while trying to demo gear over shredders, so I do my research: Listen to soundclips, other peoples experiences, interaction with other pedals and powersupplies, etc; then I watch the classifieds here and a few other places, and I always make sure to buy at or below market value, so if I don't like the pedal I can sell it back at or near cost.

TrevorOfDoom · #15 06-26-2009, 03:04 PM

as everyone said, try before you buy, or buy from a place with a good return policy.

that said, i recently threw down cash for a ModTone Deep Dive Octave that should be here friday. i asked about it here, looked for reviews, what-not, and got nothing.
we'll see how we did soon enough.

**grygrx** · #16 06-26-2009, 03:08 PM

it's all luck

StyleOverShow · #17 06-26-2009, 03:11 PM

Some pedals work better in sequence, like a compressor and Octaver. I started buying pedals just a few months ago and now can't imagine not playing with them.
This is a useful thread (IMO) and its how I got started.

Your favorite effects to combine

-richard

bkbirge · #18 06-26-2009, 03:18 PM

I managed to play for 20+ years without more than one or 2 pedals that I hardly every used. Then I found Talkbass and my bank account suddenly disappeared.

nad · #19 06-26-2009, 03:22 PM

Clips clips clips buy buy buy play play play sell sell sell.

SteveMcB · #20 06-26-2009, 03:55 PM

My socks and shoes always match - is it luck?

But seriously, I think you make your own luck with research online, but sometimes you happen across a fantastic deal and just have to try something out unplanned.

Steve