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Do you avoid buying the usual suspects when you buy pedals?

Why don't you use the "Usual Suspect" Pedals?

  • Almost everything mass produced generally sucks

    Votes: 4 5.3%

  • Boutique Pedals generally sound way better

    Votes: 14 18.7%

  • I have constant GAS and have to find that sound in my head

    Votes: 28 37.3%

  • I want to support smaller businesses and TBers

    Votes: 15 20.0%

  • Boutique pedals generally look damned cool

    Votes: 3 4.0%

  • I wanna be different!

    Votes: 11 14.7%
  • Total voters
    75
  • Poll closed .
Baird6869

Baird6869

Feb 16, 2007
16,717
5,037
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
#1
I have noticed that many of us on TB are using pedals that likely 99% of bassists have never even heard of... IE, 3 Leaf, Fairfield, Fuzzrocious, Darkglass, Team Awesome, Wren and Cuff, etc as examples.

Are you using these and other boutique pedals instead of the usual suspects (Boss, MXR, EHX, TC, Tech 21, Line 6, etc) to be different, because they suck, you have constant GAS for that perfect pedal, boutique pedals look cool, you want to support other TBers/small businesses or because the boutique builders are light years ahead sound wise?

I am in the middle.... I love certain MXR, TC and Tech 21 pedals but also am thankful that TB introduced me to some of the smaller builders. Darkglass comes to mind.

Just curious.
 
#2
I was just looking through pictures of my pedalboards over the years and 5-6 years ago it was all mainstream pedals - Boss, Ibanez, EHX, Line 6. I will admit that part of me likes having pedals that people haven't heard of - adds to the mystique a little bit. But mostly I'm chasing tones I haven't been able to accomplish with the cheaper/mainstream alternatives. Adding to that, I do like supporting the small boutique builders who care about this community and their customer service is generally second to none.

I'd like to think that I still know a great pedal when I see one - I'm still rocking Zoom, Line 6, Tech 21, Korg, ISP, Markbass and MXR on my board. I just fill around it with Fuzzrocious, Darkglass, ss/bs, Iron Ether, Fairfield, Subdecay and WMD.
 
#6
I have mostly pedals from the stock brands, especially a lot of MXR, but also some Boss and EHX, although no EHX left on my boards, I will never let go of the QTron+, which does some certain sounds that I can't get any other envelope filter to do. I am also really GASsing for a POG of some sort, probably just a Micro POG.

But I voted for "Boutique usually sounds better" which was definitely my feeling with fuzz, and now with chorus. I wish we could vote for more than one thing because "I want to support smaller business and TBers" would also apply.
 
#7
johnbegone said:
But mostly I'm chasing tones I haven't been able to accomplish with the cheaper/mainstream alternatives.
Click to expand...

This is it for me and what I voted for. Sure, the vast majority of people listening can't tell the difference between and ODB-3 and a B3K/B7K, but I sure can. And my Pitchfactor does stuff no other pedal can do. Etc.
 
#9
Having said what I said, I still currently have two Digitechs (pedals, plus two more aux switches), a Behringer, an MXR, and a Markbass on my board. (I'm not sure Markbass really belongs in the "mainstream" category though? They're mainstream amps but you don't see a lot of their pedals.)
 
#10
Baird6869 said:
I have noticed that many of us on TB are using pedals that likely 99% of bassists have never even heard of... IE, 3 Leaf, Fairfield, Fuzzrocious, Darkglass, Team Awesome, Wren and Cuff, etc as examples.
Click to expand...

I think 99% of the bassists not knowing these brands is a little high these pedals are bought all over the world and not every bassist is on Talk Bass in fact most of the ones I know don't even know about it. I buy what sounds good and boutique pedals have the sound I'm looking for but I did buy a Zoom MS-60B which I love.
 
#11
i voted for "boutique pedals generally sound better" ... i am currently filling up a PT Pro, and with the arrival of a red panda particle, my board will be complete. i have 3 boss pedals, an mxr and an EHX out of 22. i wouldn't have minded having boss and tech 21's on my board, it would be more affordable, but i just am not satisfied with the stuff mainstream brands have to offer.

plus it is really cool, the only thing is, most of the bass players i meet cannot relate, and have no clue nor interest about pedals.
 
#13
I voted on supporting smaller effects designers. I have a custom-designed bass distortion pedal that was created by a small shop in Boston, and I love it.

That said, my MXR M-80 DI pedal is a workhorse and I'd gladly recommend it to anyone who runs their setup direct at gigs. I have also have a Boss bass chorus pedal and I feel it gets the job done for the limited times I layer on a chorus effect.

I think the two most important considerations for a pedal (or almost any piece of gear) is that it is reliable and can produce the sound you're looking for.
 
#14
My board consists mostly of Boss and MXR pedals. I do have some boutique-ish pedals, but rarely use them; most of them I've bought because they're hard to find in Norway. For example; the Catalinbread SFT. Maybe not boutique for some of you, but I've never seen them in the shops of Oslo.
 
#15
I wanted to vote carrots. :-(
I try to buy used and have had better luck on TB than EBay or Craigslist. I try all kinds of stuff, boutique and mass produced and my collection is about 50/50 right now. Whatever works and is available.
 
#18
I voted that I want to be different. For me, a pedal has to be interesting as well as useful. So I avoid many of the big name brands because they are designed to appeal to a wide audience. This often means that they are not interesting or unique. The only common pedal I have on my board is a Boss BF-2. I love that pedal and have not plans to replace it. Everything else is boutique.
 
#20
I use both mass-market and boutique on both of my pedalboards. Generally, if I need a certain effect to have a very specific sound to it (like certain fuzzes and distortions, my wah), that's easier to find in boutique pedals. If I'm not overly picky with how specifically perfect something sounds, and I just want a competent pedal (like for my compressor, or a digital delay for my covers band), I'll go mass-market because it's almost always cheaper.

Ties go to boutique because I like supporting the little guy.
 

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