Fake Dark Glass Pedals

[Seth DuSith]

You're onto something with the resale. I am currently selling off a lot of gear, and the things that went first were the name-brand items. The off-brand things I might as well put into the trash. And since I don't like to fill landfills, I just fill my shelves with unwanted crap. So while I have the (thing), I enjoy better performance, and when I am done with the (thing), I can sell it quickly and for more money. And keeps the lights on in the companies that developed the (thing). And keeps electronics out of landfills. Seems like a win win win win to me.

How do I afford it? By selling off the (thing) to fund the next (thing).

Yea sometimes I consider selling soem of my gear to afford new gear. But I went and modified it, ruining the resale value haha. I sabatoge myself that way

 

[Seth DuSith]

Dreams can come true! Well I had to buy second hand magazines at the thrift store but they have french girls

And the pages are stiffer, so you don't lose your spot so easily!

 

[Derek Williams]

Yep. There's a difference between making an affordable dive watch and a knock-off "RQLEX Submariner".
The Cali76 clone is literally called the "Call76" so that at first glance you think it says "Cali76", though. I think they are reallllly close to that line.

I get your point, except the brand name is Origin Effects vs DemonFX, not Call76 vs Cali76.

 

[andruca]

I've had success with a GUMA-Drive. Apparently a clone of the v1 B3K, in kit form. Got my brother (way more competent at soldering) to build most of it (I only primed and painted the box). Love how it sounds (here with additional EQ and compression)...



Now, not to pop anyone's bubble, but just 2 weeks after using that I put it side by side with one of my cheap Zooms (previous generation to the ones that come with DG emulation -pretty anemic, I also own one of those-) and pretty closely cloned the tone in about half an hour. The GUMA-Dive hasn't left my studio since then (same thing happened with my SansAmp RBI). The key was a blendable RAT emulation Zooms carry, that sounds surprisingly CMOS. The main (slight) difference I appreciate is the treble is more detailed/glassy from the GUMA-Drive.



So, the point I'm trying to make is you can really use many devices as a DG'ish sucedane (applies for any other distortion/OD). You just need to understand what it does. Not just the kind of sawtooth or square or whatever wave (timbre) it creates to distort your signal (CMOS distortion is just one more flavor of that), but also what frequencies it boosts/cuts, how it compresses your bass, etc., and then try to reproduce that, layer by layer, tweaking your available equipment to death.

 

[Nunovsky]

This discussion emerges every now and then. First it was Behringer, then Joyo, then Mooer, now Demon Fx.
And the brands they copy are still striving.

I have 2 Demon FX pedals that I bought and use regularly. I have the mini Chorus and the Alpha Omicron. I bought the AO because I tried other Darkglass pedals and I didn't like. So I didn't want to spend around 200 euros to buy a pedal that I could not like. So I got this to try out and I really like it, so I probably will get an original but I'm thinking about getting the bigger box Alpha/Omega to have more control over the eq.
Sometimes getting the clone makes you buy the original. Other times it just doesn't justify to spend more money...
It's funny that I don't see that much reaction around the massive amount of tube screamer clones, or Muff clones, or CE-2 clones. Universal Audio released a Space Echo clone one year after Boss released the updated version and where was the rioting mob with the pitchs and forks?
To summon things, it's my money and I decide what to do with it.

 

[Koshchei]

Where do we draw the line? Are Jazz bass copies okay? I’ve got an LA-2A clone with teletronix artwork on it. You end up on pretty shakey ground if you are okay with that kind of thing but think DemonFX has gone so far that you start questioning the character of anyone that would buy one.

To someone that is familiar with these cloned pedals the DemonFX look like obvious fakes, just like a Fender fan can recognize a real one (I can’t tell them apart from the fakes without looking close).

It's a function of self respect. If a person is so lacking in confidence about their own contributions to society that they don't worry if somebody would steal them and slap their own logo over top, then I guess they can have at it. But they can't have it both ways.

 

[MtManiac]

I guess our society is past the idea of doing without, or buying used. Whatever, rock on. Just remember Diamond Effects went out of business for lack of sales.

That’s one point of view.

Another is their cost of production, labour shortages, and supply chain mishaps during COVID.

A lot of that would have been exacerbated by higher sales.

What were their sales, incidentally? Do you know?

 

[-Asdfgh-]

This way, Darkglass can still produce innovative and high quality products for DemonFX to steal.

If they are unique circuits, is it stealing?

 

[SDC1-ClickClack]

Personally, I just don't like the idea of supporting rip-off "artists." You can dismiss that as "virtue signaling" or some other derogatory term, but I prefer to support original creators. (And then there is always the risk that lower-priced copies will prove to have lower-quality components, construction, soldering, etc., and poorer sound and reliability.)

I tend to avoid anything that seems like it is annoyingly overpriced, but for genuinely desirable items, I would rather opt to either wait until I have sufficient funds or else purchase a pre-owned item to save money. I have done both in multiple instances.

 

[Winton]

I bought the CALL76 and Alpha Omicron clone. The CALL76 sounded pretty good but the OUT knob made white noise when you turn it up a little bit, and got louder as you turn it up. So I fought it and got my money back AND sold it online. Win.

The Alpha Omicron clone which is called……Alpha Omicron, sounds pretty darn good. I haven’t tried the original but compared to videos I’ve seen, this clone doesn’t get as brash so it’s relatively warm imo. But that’s what I like. I dig the sounds I get from it.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

In terms of new versus used, good used pedals can be very expensive, especially if Josh Scott has been in the same room as it.

 

[Seth DuSith]

Personally, I just don't like the idea of supporting rip-off "artists." You can dismiss that as "virtue signaling" or some other derogatory term, but I prefer to support original creators. (And then there is always the risk that lower-priced copies will prove to have lower-quality components, construction, soldering, etc., and poorer sound and reliability.)

I tend to avoid anything that seems like it is annoyingly overpriced, but for genuinely desirable items, I would rather opt to either wait until I have sufficient funds or else purchase a pre-owned item to save money. I have done both in multiple instances.

Canada's second hand market is abysmal, at best. Everyone in this entire country holds on to everything till they die, unlike the USA's trading culture, where you guys are constantly selling and buying things. It's like this in other hobbies too, like knives. I rarely see anything good in Canada, for much lower than list price. And it's even harder to sell anything second hand in this country. I can knock 50% off and I'll still have tire kickers trynna get me to lower the price, while selling their own things for full price

And I ain't buying (used) overseas either. It's like, 50$ minimum for shipping (while vendors can sometiems do free world wide shipping somehow). It's brutal. Might as well buy it new if I'm gonna do that. While Americans have same day shipping for 25 cents or whatever it is you guys pay

 

[Boneless]

I see the winking emoji...

I do, however, think counterfeit products like these are a problem, and I'm not sure how anyone can be in support of this type of business model.

It's not being "snobby" to purchase real products developed by an innovative company over "products" that are outright copies right down to the artwork.

Once upon a time, there was no such thing as "intellectual property". poopie got still done. The hard sciences (mathematics, physics, etc.) are essentially "open source" and yet they still get things done. The value of a product is not in the idea, but in the execution and support. Darkglass invented nothing, Cali76 didn't either (in fact, their compressor is a take on the 1176, right down to the name). Darkglass and Cali76 might make better gear (better components, more careful design of the PCB, less noise, less unwanted distortion, etc.). If so, then they have nothing to fear. If not, maybe they're overcharging.

 

[MtManiac]

Once upon a time, there was no such thing as "intellectual property". poopie got still done. The hard sciences (mathematics, physics, etc.) are essentially "open source" and yet they still get things done. The value of a product is not in the idea, but in the execution and support. Darkglass invented nothing, Cali76 didn't either (in fact, their compressor is a take on the 1176, right down to the name). Darkglass and Cali76 might make better gear (better components, more careful design of the PCB, less noise, less unwanted distortion, etc.). If so, then they have nothing to fear. If not, maybe they're overcharging.

I love this take. 100%.

 

[40Hz]

I see the winking emoji...

I do, however, think counterfeit products like these are a problem, and I'm not sure how anyone can be in support of this type of business model.

It's not being "snobby" to purchase real products developed by an innovative company over "products" that are outright copies right down to the artwork.

I have to question the amount of innovation since most circuits you find in guitar are effects are just reworks and tweaks of long established technology. You can find many of them in circuit encyclopedias dating back as early as the 1930s. They can also be found in freely available tech notes and sample circuits provided by electronic component manufacturers.

The absence of genuine innovation is further evidenced by absence of patents on virtually all effects pedals.

And look how many pedals (including those from the big manufacturers) outright admit to being based on a Rat, Klon, Rangemaster, Arbiter, etc. Old wine in new bottles for the most part.

I don’t support companies just copying some other company’s look or layout. Or simply duplicating their circuit boards. But beyond that it’s hard to claim somebody is copying “your” effect when it wasn’t really “yours” to begin with.

But maybe that’s just me.

 

[ComicBass]

Yep.

Looked at the previous thread, had no idea about these pedals...

All I can say is fans of this "brand" should be happy there are "suckers" like me who still want and value the genuine article. This way, Darkglass can still produce innovative and high quality products for DemonFX to steal.

I agree 100%. This doesn't seem ethical. They won't get any of my money.

 

[SDC1-ClickClack]

I have to question the amount of innovation since most circuits you find in guitar are effects are just reworks and tweaks of long established technology. You can find many of them in circuit encyclopedias dating back as early as the 1930s. They can also be found in freely available tech notes and sample circuits provided by electronic component manufacturers.

The absence of genuine innovation is further evidenced by absence of patents on virtually all effects pedals.

And look how many pedals (including those from the big manufacturers) outright admit to being based on a Rat, Klon, Rangemaster, Arbiter, etc. Old wine in new bottles for the most part.

I don’t support companies just copying some other company’s look or layout. Or simply duplicating their circuit boards. But beyond that it’s hard to claim somebody is copying “your” effect when it wasn’t really “yours” to begin with.

But maybe that’s just me.

Food for thought there.

 

[Parzival]

I don’t see it as a big thing because most don’t really if they are honest with themselves. I believe there is a certain snobbery that comes with a price point.
I think doing the same copycat stuff is accepted by a lot of folks because of its price point. For example, I’ve seen builders build copies and maybe adjust one little thing, but the pedal is not only marketed as a copy, but the pedal is made to look like the original. But, it costs a lot so I won’t get mad.
But let someone do it cheap like Demonfx in question and folks start getting high and mighty about it and talking about ethics and such.

If there is criticism to be levied at Demonfx, it should be in the area of quality of product.

Demonfx doesn’t even claim to sound the same in their marketing, only look the same.

 

[FRoss6788]

Personally, I just don't like the idea of supporting rip-off "artists." You can dismiss that as "virtue signaling" or some other derogatory term, but I prefer to support original creators. (And then there is always the risk that lower-priced copies will prove to have lower-quality components, construction, soldering, etc., and poorer sound and reliability.)

I tend to avoid anything that seems like it is annoyingly overpriced, but for genuinely desirable items, I would rather opt to either wait until I have sufficient funds or else purchase a pre-owned item to save money. I have done both in multiple instances.

Very well said.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[MtManiac]

Bottom line, if someone only has $70 to spend on a pedal, Darkglass isn’t out a dime.