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Are some "boutique" pedals really worth it.

#22
Some boutique pedals are ABSOLUTELY worth it and, of course, some aren't. But I think it's easy to see which ones fall into each category. I've got 3 boutique pedals on my board (Chunk Systems Brown Dog and Agent 00Funk Mk. II and a Strymon Timeline) and none of them could be easily replaced.
 
#25
FaithNoMan said:
Absolutely. I tried a lot of pedals before I got to my favorite ones. One of them is a big company(Tech21 Oxford), the other and probably my favorite of all time, is a boutique - the Darkglass B3K.

People say "they cost more"...and that's definitely a valid concern. Here's the thing - I knew the B3k's description and the process in which Douglas Castro went through to get there sounded exactly like my tone quest, so I said "I'll save it until the last pedal I buy, since it's expensive."

When I look at this list of pedals and preamps I've bought and sold, the cost of that pedal doesn't really seem too expensive anymore:

Boss Bass Overdrive
Tech 21 BDDI
Tech 21 Bass Driver(original)
Peavey TG Raxx
Tech 21 Comptortion
Tech 21 Double Drive
Dod 250
Tech 21 Tri AC
Tech 21 PSA-1
Tech 21 Leeds
Proco RatII
Catalinbread WIIO
Ibanez TS9B
Reverend Drivetrain II
Aguilar Tone Hammer
Aguilar Agro

Tech21 Oxford(I still have this - it wound up working great with the B3k)

Tronographic Rusty Box(came the closest besides the B3k)
Click to expand...

You should have tried the BDDI with Bad Monkey in front of it before you sold it! ;)
I love the Oxford, but I seem to dial a tone I like even better by combining the Sansamp BDDI with the Bad Monkey. Btw, I've no amp.
 
#26
JimmyM said:
If a pedal costs less than $700, it's crap.

I have a simple formula to figure out if something's worth it:

WORTH = (price / disposable income) x angry comments from wife

If WORTH > 3, I don't buy it.
Click to expand...

Usually I'll agree with this statement, specially regarding the build quality. But the Digitech Bad Monkey is under 700$ but still solid build and good tone. But then, I've might not totally understood your algorithm...... Only one cup of coffee so far, I must go and get an other one!
 
#29
I was told by a friend of mine that builds pedals and pedalboards that boss effects (and others like them) can be useful as buffers in your signal chain.

as a side note there's a bunch of vintage ad discontinued boss effects that are pretty sweet like the hyper fuzz.
 
#30
I can't add a whole lot more then has been said, but I think it depends on what it is you're trying to accomplish. Boutique builders can build to a specific need (See braver as Topo Morto mentioned) which enables you to get a sound that anyone that walks into GC can't copy (That's not a slam on GC or the products they sell. I have, and will buy form there). Sometimes the difference is massive, and other times it just slight, but still different.

I have a combination of both on my board. There are some things that I would love to have but can't justify the price for my needs. I would figure out what you need, and why, and then research some pedals. You may find that once specific area of your sound will be dedicated to boutique while others my just be a GC away.
 
#31
Did you try out the two choruses? Which did you like? If the Boss sounded just as good to you, there's no reason not to get it. I have some boutique fx (Iron Ether, Darkglass B3K), and some cheaper stuff. I just got a old Moog MuRF (pricey), and a Behringer BSY600 synth pedal ($20 including shipping, and the worst reputation in the business :) ). They both sound great.
 
#33
You'd also be looking at how the pedal holds itself up in a multi-pedal chain. What I do expect from an expensive pedal is that it passes on a signal sturdy and 'clean' enough for the next pedal. It also should be dead silent.

Put another way, i have a few old cheap DODs; I l love the sound, by themselves, they got their own thing going and you can get them for a pittance on ebay (if you dont mind swap out a foot switch here and there). But they do not chain up very well (or you must like that muddyness...).
 
#34
Remember Eddie Van Halen used what was available and got it to sound good. I am a pedal freak but I still feel that the real source of tone is your playing.

That being said Mike Fuller and those like him have open up possibilties for sounds that never were option 30 years ago.

And the people at Pigtronix I eeve really listened to player and I bet were players them selves. Great build quality, great tone, and they look like they'll last for a life time.

And as someone else mentioned buying one is a chance to support some solder jockey working in his basement trying to offer what just might be art on some level.

My Fulltone Bass Driver has sounds that I don't see in other pedals. I think Mike made something that wasn't there before. And he allowed me to buy one and use it.

Just as not every Ibanez pedal is great not every Boutique pedal is great. But you have the option to find that out for your self.
 
#35
Of course they are worth it, if you are into that kind of thing ; )

I personally way prefer to see cool artwork (which big names rarely have) and to see circuit designs that are really out there and innovative.

I think small builders have the ability to try crazy stuff out. If it doesn't work (i.e. no one buys it), then we can just stop making it : ) For a bigger company, to get something ready and in stores is a much bigger risk.

I also really like the idea of supporting small companies over large ones, but that isn't always possible. For example, I don't have the money to buy a $400 overdrive, no matter how much mojo they pack into it. Aen and I have our fair share of Line 6 and such - because sometimes they make great pedals that fit our needs.

You will get some great customer service from most small builders, which is worth a lot to me. Boss probably isn't going to fix your pedal two years after you bought it from some dude on teh internetz. But lots of boutique companies offer a lifetime warranty on their work and parts, no questions asked.
 
#38
Sorry to hijack an old thread, but the whole "boutique vs brand name" thing has been on my brain lately. I think (as others have mentioned) it ultimately comes down to this: what ever pedal helps you achieve the sound in your head is THE RIGHT PEDAl! It's as simple as that.

A while back when I was on a chorus hunt, I tried everything from hip boutique pedals to vintage shmintage cool. A used 80$ Boss Chorus Ensemble
Is what stayed on my board, and you couldn't take it off with a chainsaw. It just has the sound I LIKE.

While I love and supporting smaller companies (the Pickle Pie B is my main fuzz), it really comes down to personal taste and what you're willing to or able to spend
 
#40
As others said- it might be worth it if it is the sound you want and you can't recreate it in another way.

On the other hand, many boutique builders aren't really "designers" as such- the Analogman Chorus is just a tweaked clone of the Electro-Harmonix Small Clone chorus, which is one of the cheaper available choruses. I like the original, but there are many benefits to the Analogman one (smaller size, some better components, some tone tweaks and available extra options)- whether those tweaks are worth the extra $200+ is really up to you! There are multitudes of "boutique" pedals like the Analogman that are either just direct or slightly tweaked clones of other peoples designs...

The other end of that spectrum is that there are some boutique pedal makers out there that actually make their own designs from scratch- Iron Ether has a whole array of bass-happy pedals that required all sorts of research and development to make, Darkglass as well on the bass dirt front, Strymon and many others on the guitar side of the effects spectrum. I definitely don't mind paying a little more to support these folks and their creative endeavors if they make something that I like!

Edit- Whoah old thread!
 
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