DemonFX Pedals - Any good?

[Jim C]

I just ordered the mini chorus, Call 76, and Harmonic Booster through Ali Express.
They quoted me 20 days for delivery.
Have you guys had similar shipping times?

 

[TheArchitect]

I found a "renewed" Laney Digbeth on Amazon for a very good price. Will see how long it takes to get here. I heard stories after ordering about big delays when buying "renewed" items from Amazon. I will find out soon enough I guess. Assuming it goes well, I liked the samples I heard online. Distinctive tone with a lot of flexibility. I expect I will still get the Origin Effects unit at some point but its a different sounding unit so minimal overlap

 

[InkCow]

I just ordered the mini chorus, Call 76, and Harmonic Booster through Ali Express.
They quoted me 20 days for delivery.
Have you guys had similar shipping times?

Mine took 3-4 weeks, yeah. I wasn’t in a rush, but it explains the eBay/Reverb/Amazon listings that tout no international wait times.

 

[InkCow]

Gut shot of the Demon FX Harmonic Booster.

 

[Colum]

Gut shot of the Demon FX Harmonic Booster.

This one doesn’t look too dissimilar TBF.
Does the Character add harmonic content or just change the eq curve?
Someone on here said that the original is just an eq pedal with parametric mid control.

 

[InkCow]

Does the Character add harmonic content or just change the eq curve?

I sort of feel the character knob is basically a blend. So the former.

Someone on here said that the original is just an eq pedal with parametric mid control.

You could probably say that about any clean preamp. It's not transparent, though. It also offers quite a bit of boost (+20db).

I quite like what it does. For my fretted bass, my tone is this behind an American Sound.

 

[PVt40man]

All this does is reinforce my belief that effect snobbery is a real thing and that companies like Darkglass/Spaceman etc make most of their money off of it.

 

[Colum]

All this does is reinforce my belief that effect snobbery is a real thing and that companies like Darkglass/Spaceman etc make most of their money off of it.

It has more to do with labour laws.
If your phone was handmade in Helsinki how much do you think it would/should cost?

 

[InkCow]

All this does is reinforce my belief that effect snobbery is a real thing and that companies like Darkglass/Spaceman etc make most of their money off of it.

Darkglass has to pay for the R&D of the pedals that Demon FX cribs from.

This is like saying that the kid who copies the test answers from the one who studied proves that you don't have to study to pass.

 

[PVt40man]

Darkglass has to pay for the R&D of the pedals that Demon FX cribs from.

This is like saying that the kid who copies the test answers from the one who studied proves that you don't have to study to pass.

R&D is probably paid for in the first week of release of most of these pedals. The rest is gravy. And while I get your analogy of the kid copying test answers ultimately it's all about "show me the money." If I can get the same sound and pay hundreds less, then all that makes me do is think people who pay more are suckers. Sorry, that's just how the real world works.

I owe nothing to Darkglass or any of these effect builders, boutique or not, mom and pop or not. If someone can make essentially the same product for a lot less, what am I really paying for if I pay more?

 

[TheArchitect]

R&D is probably paid for in the first week of release of most of these pedals. The rest is gravy. And while I get your analogy of the kid copying test answers ultimately it's all about "show me the money." If I can get the same sound and pay hundreds less, then all that makes me do is think people who pay more are suckers. Sorry, that's just how the real world works.

I owe nothing to Darkglass or any of these effect builders, boutique or not, mom and pop or not. If someone can make essentially the same product for a lot less, what am I really paying for if I pay more?

Asked and answered. The answer being an inconvenient truth doesn't make it invalid.

 

[Jim C]

R&D is probably paid for in the first week of release of most of these pedals. The rest is gravy.

Absolutely not true.

 

[InkCow]

R&D is probably paid for in the first week of release of most of these pedals. The rest is gravy. And while I get your analogy of the kid copying test answers ultimately it's all about "show me the money." If I can get the same sound and pay hundreds less, then all that makes me do is think people who pay more are suckers. Sorry, that's just how the real world works.

I owe nothing to Darkglass or any of these effect builders, boutique or not, mom and pop or not. If someone can make essentially the same product for a lot less, what am I really paying for if I pay more?

You are way overestimating the margins of manufacturing relatively low volume components.

You are entitled to your outlook on this, of course. I would argue that there are benefits to the $130+ premium on the Darkglass like a warranty. Or a return policy. There is also a level of confidence that the company wants to retain your business and leverage your satisfaction in their product to gain more customers. As such, they'll invest time and money in insuring that your investment won't break in 3 months of regular usage. There is some truth in the adage "you get what you pay for" and the lowest bidder doesn't necessarily correlate to the highest satisfaction.

I don't have that confidence (or indeed any confidence) in my Demon FX pedal. On the other hand, I'm not a professional: I gig, but irregularly. If my Harmonic Booster was to crap out... meh. I can work around it and I don't have much invested in it. It would be inconvenient, but not like if my car or my computer died. Hell, I had no idea what it even sounded like when I ordered it, but it was cheap enough that I thought it would be worth it regardless of what I got out of it. Either a working pedal or life lesson and a funny story.

Just like a carpenter isn't a sucker for buying a pro-grade name brand drill vs. a lookalike from Harbor Freight, I wouldn't call a working musician a sucker for buying pro-grade gear.

There can be a darker side to these knock offs, as well: take the example of Ly-rock somehow getting a hold of DSM & Humboldt's gerber files for their Simplifier series pedals. You can make the argument that tracing a PCB at least requires reverse engineering work. Ly-Rock is simply IP theft.

 

[PVt40man]

You are way overestimating the margins of manufacturing relatively low volume components.

You are entitled to your outlook on this, of course. I would argue that there are benefits to the $130+ premium on the Darkglass like a warranty. Or a return policy. There is also a level of confidence that the company wants to retain your business and leverage your satisfaction in their product to gain more customers. As such, they'll invest time and money in insuring that your investment won't break in 3 months of regular usage. There is some truth in the adage "you get what you pay for" and the lowest bidder doesn't necessarily correlate to the highest satisfaction.

I don't have that confidence (or indeed any confidence) in my Demon FX pedal. On the other hand, I'm not a professional: I gig, but irregularly. If my Harmonic Booster was to crap out... meh. I can work around it and I don't have much invested in it. It would be inconvenient, but not like if my car or my computer died. Hell, I had no idea what it even sounded like when I ordered it, but it was cheap enough that I thought it would be worth it regardless of what I got out of it. Either a working pedal or life lesson and a funny story.

Just like a carpenter isn't a sucker for buying a pro-grade name brand drill vs. a lookalike from Harbor Freight, I wouldn't call a working musician a sucker for buying pro-grade gear.

There can be a darker side to these knock offs, as well: take the example of Ly-rock somehow getting a hold of DSM & Humboldt's gerber files for their Simplifier series pedals. You can make the argument that tracing a PCB at least requires reverse engineering work. Ly-Rock is simply IP theft.

Thanks. Now you just made me aware of Ly-Rock.....

All kidding aside, it's ultimately up to each person how they decide to feel about these issues. Personally, I have no loyalty to any company and I don't quite understand how people are so passionate about "brands." But that's just me. Thanks for being cool.

 

[InkCow]

Thanks. Now you just made me aware of Ly-Rock.....

All kidding aside, it's ultimately up to each person how they decide to feel about these issues. Personally, I have no loyalty to any company and I don't quite understand how people are so passionate about "brands." But that's just me. Thanks for being cool.

I mean, I bought one. I'm clearly not moralistic about it. If my playing were to produce enough income to afford Alpha Omicron or a Cali 76, I'd probably spring for the real deal* because my continued income would depend on the pedals on my board. But I play for beer and food and gas money and the cost of my kit reflects that. The bar owner gets what they pay for, too

* Not those, actually - I don't like DG distortion all that much and I think I'd get an Empress, but you get the idea.

 

[Jim C]

Are the above mentioned original pedals protected by patents?
I assume so and did buy pedals that I would never have bought the original of simply as a way to get the basic idea. I could see buying the real thing after a demo with a budget copy.

 

[InkCow]

Are the above mentioned original pedals protected by patents?
I assume so and did buy pedals that I would never have bought the original of simply as a way to get the basic idea. I could see buying the real thing after a demo with a budget copy.

You can’t patent a circuit, so your pedal would have to be something novel, describable, and defensible to patent it. For example, BBE’s Sonic Maximizer might be patentable, an EQ with overdrive and DI not so much.

 

[chris1327]

this seems like a complicated issue...

in the plus column: you get a cheap counterfeit pedal.

in the minus column: you potentially subside endeavors linked to exploitative labor practices, human trafficking, indentured servitude, child labor, and organized crime, all while diminishing reputable brands. Similar to buying a fake handbag or other luxury item.

Well maybe it’s not that complicated.. I guess it just depends on each of our subjective values.

 

[76jazzbass]

this seems like a complicated issue...

in the plus column: you get a cheap counterfeit pedal.

in the minus column: you potentially subside endeavors linked to exploitative labor practices, human trafficking, indentured servitude, child labor, and organized crime, all while diminishing reputable brands. Similar to buying a fake handbag or other luxury item.

Well maybe it’s not that complicated.. I guess it just depends on each of our subjective values.

Fair point but most of those points also apply to iPhones, Nikes, etc.

 

[InkCow]

Eh… let’s slow our roll a little here. Pretty much all manufacturing has some components sourced from China, regardless of where it’s designed or assembled. It’s a bit of a leap to assume that the cloners are somehow exceptional if you’re painting with such broad brushstrokes.