hours of research, and watching youtube reviews.. then go to the local shops and impulse buy something completely different.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
How do you buy pedals?
- Thread starter JazzyJacuzzi
- Start date
Buy used, online. Talkbass and Reverb seem like the best options. If you buy used and you’re patient enough to find decent deals, then you can basically buy one decent pedal and then flip that for whatever else you want to try down the road. Do it right and you’re never out more than the cost of shipping, which is worth it to play with something interesting for a bit and then try whatever you want at that price point down the road.
By far most of the pedals I buy I order from new online, after some intense and thorough research, watching all the related YouTube demos I can possibly find and reading reviews from various online sources.
And by far the majority of those online ordered pedals I order through Thomann (the biggest music gear shop in Europe), who have a 30 days full return and money back policy (they pay the shipping cost to return the gear as well) and further more gives a free of charge 3 years warranty on everything you buy from them.
That stems from living in a small town with no music gear shops, with the closest one being a rather small one, as the only music gear shop in the nearest slightly larger city, about half an hour's drive away (that is if I had owned a car, with public transport it would take me about an hour), which got an exceptionally lacking, very basic, inventory of equipment to chose from, and as far as effect pedals goes basically mostly only the most popular ones from Boss.
Heck they don't even sell single strings, only whole sets, cause according to them everyone changes a whole set a time, and it's insinuated that customizing your string gauges is pure madness and sci-fi to them.
And a drummer friend of mine confirms it is the same with drums, they won't sell you for example a single hi-hat, a crash or a tom, only full sets, I can only imagine for similar reasons, at least they stared at him like as if he had just been beamed down to their shop from the moon when he asked and told him that they didn't in a way that insinuated that something like that might very well in fact be the case.
And by far the majority of those online ordered pedals I order through Thomann (the biggest music gear shop in Europe), who have a 30 days full return and money back policy (they pay the shipping cost to return the gear as well) and further more gives a free of charge 3 years warranty on everything you buy from them.
That stems from living in a small town with no music gear shops, with the closest one being a rather small one, as the only music gear shop in the nearest slightly larger city, about half an hour's drive away (that is if I had owned a car, with public transport it would take me about an hour), which got an exceptionally lacking, very basic, inventory of equipment to chose from, and as far as effect pedals goes basically mostly only the most popular ones from Boss.
Heck they don't even sell single strings, only whole sets, cause according to them everyone changes a whole set a time, and it's insinuated that customizing your string gauges is pure madness and sci-fi to them.
And a drummer friend of mine confirms it is the same with drums, they won't sell you for example a single hi-hat, a crash or a tom, only full sets, I can only imagine for similar reasons, at least they stared at him like as if he had just been beamed down to their shop from the moon when he asked and told him that they didn't in a way that insinuated that something like that might very well in fact be the case.
Last edited:
size by population: 10. San Jose 9. Dallas 8. San Diego 7. San Antonio 6. Phoenix 5. Philadelphia 4. Houston...My city, Boston, is 24th! but perhaps it's more up to date service-civilization due to the schools, prox to NYC and history in Rawck music. (Boston is 8th by GDP but it includes Newton and Cambridge) Atlanta is 10th, Dallas and Houston are 6 and 7.
What I meant was, what’s the deal with not being allowed to use American guitars to test pedals?
You are taking a chance every time you get one.
I do make sure I never flip the essentials. I do have few pedals which I used with my analog synths and guitar. The only 1 I have for bass are chorus, envelope filter. I borrow the one overdrive and muff that I also use for guitar. My only GAS is an Infiniti Looper but it's already a year since I wanted to check them out.
I counted 11 pedals total, 1 rack multi effects from TC
I do make sure I never flip the essentials. I do have few pedals which I used with my analog synths and guitar. The only 1 I have for bass are chorus, envelope filter. I borrow the one overdrive and muff that I also use for guitar. My only GAS is an Infiniti Looper but it's already a year since I wanted to check them out.
I counted 11 pedals total, 1 rack multi effects from TC
The American-made guitars are in a different area of the store, separate from the cheaper instruments, which is where the pedals are. There’s an employee that’s posted at the entrance of the area. From my interactions with them, they seem like the type of person that follow rules to a T. It’s as if they think they’ve been posted there to “guard” the more expensive instruments and strongly discourage people from trying them unless they are most likely to purchase one. I’ve once managed to convince them to let me try pedals with a bass of the same model I have, but it wasn’t worth the hassle. They have another store in a different city. I’ve never had any issues there.
The store without the showroom was by far the best music store I’ve visited pre-COVID. The showroom was isolated. The pedal person was real knowledgeable. We stayed late one evening trying pedals after the store was closed. I wouldn’t have minded buying from the store still based entirely on this person’s recommendations, but they were laid off due to COVID.
Last edited:
I wouldn't buy from a store that wouldn't let me try them unless they had a liberal return policy, at least 30 days. GC here is limited on the amount of pedals, especially bass specific, that they carry.
I normally buy new offline(SW, MF) because most of those places etc do have a good return policy, you just have to pay retun shipping, which for me it would cost that much or more in gas to drive to the nearest store twice that carries pedals.
I don't like doing returns so I spend days on end researching, reading reviews and listening to demos online.
I seldom have to send anything back.
Buying used is an option that I've done a few times, you can usually sell them close to what you paid.
You want to try pedals with your rig anyway, on a gig if possible, because it's going to become part of your setup... It may sound fine at the store, but require some more tweaking to make it work with what you have.
I normally buy new offline(SW, MF) because most of those places etc do have a good return policy, you just have to pay retun shipping, which for me it would cost that much or more in gas to drive to the nearest store twice that carries pedals.
I don't like doing returns so I spend days on end researching, reading reviews and listening to demos online.
I seldom have to send anything back.
Buying used is an option that I've done a few times, you can usually sell them close to what you paid.
You want to try pedals with your rig anyway, on a gig if possible, because it's going to become part of your setup... It may sound fine at the store, but require some more tweaking to make it work with what you have.
For a lot of purchases, I approach with a collector’s mindset. I only sell pedals once I come to the conclusion that I will never use it. Turns out that’s only a few pedals. I have sold them here, and at GC.
One thing I do if I am going to test drive a pedal in-store is bring my own bass with me. I have in the past also brought a rig with me, but usually I’ll find a rig in the store I can dial in ok, a Hartke or Markbass rig, or some old used Eden or SWR rig. Might luck out and find a Bergantino rig, like at Sam Ash in Richmond.
But I can’t really tell until I use it with a band at rehearsal or at a gig anyway, so for the most part a pedal either works, after some weeks or months of tweaking, or it goes on the collector shelf for esoteric projects, recording, stacking and ambient exploring. Then if I find I really don’t like it, after a year or more, I sell it. Sometimes at a loss, but they’re not that expensive in the grand scheme of things.
One thing I do if I am going to test drive a pedal in-store is bring my own bass with me. I have in the past also brought a rig with me, but usually I’ll find a rig in the store I can dial in ok, a Hartke or Markbass rig, or some old used Eden or SWR rig. Might luck out and find a Bergantino rig, like at Sam Ash in Richmond.
But I can’t really tell until I use it with a band at rehearsal or at a gig anyway, so for the most part a pedal either works, after some weeks or months of tweaking, or it goes on the collector shelf for esoteric projects, recording, stacking and ambient exploring. Then if I find I really don’t like it, after a year or more, I sell it. Sometimes at a loss, but they’re not that expensive in the grand scheme of things.
I exchange money for pedals.
It seems to work everywhere.
It seems to work everywhere.
My rule is if I can go 3 weeks without buying a pedal I reward myself with a pedal. If I fail, win-win, I just don’t have to wait that long.
There are several great stores here for pedals. Austin Vintage has a huge variety and they’re cool about letting you demo.
I don’t worry about returns. You can sell current pedals on Reverb for above list price. Last great overdrive pedal I bought I sold on Reverb for $100 over list and ordered another from stock and got it in 2 days.
There are several great stores here for pedals. Austin Vintage has a huge variety and they’re cool about letting you demo.
I don’t worry about returns. You can sell current pedals on Reverb for above list price. Last great overdrive pedal I bought I sold on Reverb for $100 over list and ordered another from stock and got it in 2 days.
Identify a need for a pedal, read here for options, watch yt videos, try locally if possible, then buy. Buy from here or elsewhere online if not avail locally. Then get bored or disenchanted with the pedal, sell it, then repeat. Sometimes even with the same pedal.
How do you buy pedals?
With Paypal, from here or the usual online sources, after recommendations here, players I know, or online reviews. Since I hate to sell (in fact, don't), I'm pretty thorough in checking videos, also. Of the pedals I own, I consider about 1% to be dogs.
With Paypal, from here or the usual online sources, after recommendations here, players I know, or online reviews. Since I hate to sell (in fact, don't), I'm pretty thorough in checking videos, also. Of the pedals I own, I consider about 1% to be dogs.
I vulture the classifieds here. If a pedal pops up and I have no idea what it is I'll start watching Youtube videos and gauge its usefulness to me. If I want it, I pop back over to the classifieds and buy it.
There have been a few pedals that I wanted bad enough to buy elsewhere online, but not many.
There have been a few pedals that I wanted bad enough to buy elsewhere online, but not many.
Same. Never had a problem with this “return” policy and I’ve gotten to “try out” dozens and dozens of pedals with my own gear at home, rehearsals, and gig for “free” using this method.
In the UK the major retail groups seem to stock "most" of the main pedal brands and a lot of the boutique pedals.
The dedicated bass retailers stock the rest.
Never had a problem purchasing pedals ( my board ranges from Darkglass & Nemphasis to EBS and TC Electronic).
The dedicated bass retailers stock the rest.
Never had a problem purchasing pedals ( my board ranges from Darkglass & Nemphasis to EBS and TC Electronic).
