Why the hate on EHX?

[76jazzbass]

There are definitely some stinkers but also some classics. Nothing comes close to the Green Russian especially when you consider the price, new or used. I personally hate the smooth knobs though and think in addition to some cheesy artwork they ruin the perception. If the Green Russian had cooler knobs and a wooden box they easily could've charged twice as much but probably would have sold way less.

 

[sunbeast]

I know Juan from pedals and effects doesn't like modern ehx, he doesn't ever seem to say why though.
My only gripe with them is that dumb dual purpose switch they have been using, awesome sounding effects but I can't tell you how many times I've sent the canyon into tremolo-ville by accidently tapping the switch more than once causing it to change the delay time to split second repeat.

I think EHX has snubbed sending them pedals to do demo videos, so he just openly talks about how he won’t demo any of their newer stuff on the channel (at least that’s the impression I’ve got based on some comments he’s made in videos).

 

[sunbeast]

A lot of the older EHX pedals were a bit clunky, with unnecessarily huge metal casings and sometimes with tendencies to stop working (usually a result of solder joints broken off from loose jacks, etc as a result of those big boxes which also tended to not hold locknuts tight very well over use).

Most of the modern XO and nano-sized versions of the pedals don’t suffer from those same issues, but many of the designs do have inherent quirks that may or may not turn people off depending on needs (many of the analog delays and chorus pedals have relatively little filtering of clock noise, so give a nice bright tone that also accentuates said clock noise).

Many of their digital pedals don’t daisy-chain well with other pedals and have their own noise and operation issues when daisy-chained (they are one of the few companies that still include stand-alone wall wart power supplies with most pedals, yet don’t tend to put any warnings against daisy-chaining in the manuals so some people think there is something wrong with the pedal).

I currently own a Pitchfork and an XO Bass Micro Synth and have owned and loved several others over the years. I appreciate the company for being one of the few mass-produced/readily-available brands that regularly pushes the envelope with interesting designs that function like nothing else on the market. My biggest critique is that I do wish they were more receptive to user-feedback and would do revisions/improvements of designs with clear usability issues, but they tend to be a company that just sticks with a new design once released (flaws and all).

 

[_One//Man//Mutiny_]

I think EHX has snubbed sending them pedals to do demo videos, so he just openly talks about how he won’t demo any of their newer stuff on the channel (at least that’s the impression I’ve got based on some comments he’s made in videos).

It would be interesting to hear what happened, after all he swears by his old microsynths. If they did snub him that's a little lame on their part, with the amount of pull him and Nick have not only through their channel but the people they associate with.

 

[sunbeast]

It would be interesting to hear what happened, after all he swears by his old microsynths. If they did snub him that's a little lame on their part, with the amount of pull him and Nick have not only through their channel but the people they associate with.

As I recall he did seem to take it kinda personally, whatever it was

 

[JimmyM]

I think EHX has snubbed sending them pedals to do demo videos, so he just openly talks about how he won’t demo any of their newer stuff on the channel (at least that’s the impression I’ve got based on some comments he’s made in videos).

That may also be the case, but this post on his site explains Juan's more recent thoughts about them, and apparently it's linked to poor construction:

[This invalid link has been removed]

Now which came first, the chicken or the egg? Don't know.

 

[sunbeast]

That may also be the case, but this post on his site explains Juan's more recent thoughts about them, and apparently it's linked to poor construction:

[This invalid link has been removed]

Now which came first, the chicken or the egg? Don't know.

I find that article really funny because he states at the beginning that no two vintage MicroSynths sounds alike, yet he compares his to a single sample of a modern one and uses that to draw the conclusion that modern ones are terrible (the tightness of modern Chinese component tolerances could make two modern ones sound quite different too!). I’ve tried both and frankly the reliability and smaller package of the modern one are well worth most of the trade-offs in tone (many of the original ones are likely to need upgraded capacities -at the least- by this era). One thing that can be said of the old pedals is that they are user serviceable, while the SMD components of the newer ones are not for most users (but you can always pick up a replacement in a jiffy)

 

[sunbeast]

I also want to be careful not to make assumptions about what happened (if anything) between Juan and EHX. I remember some comments from him on a few videos that I could be misconstruing or reading too much into about why he doesn’t ever review their newer pedals in videos

 

[Fat Freddy]

Now which came first, the chicken or the egg? Don't know.

At the risk of starting a serious discussion........

It HAD to be the egg....Think pre chicken.....

 

[JimmyM]

I find that article really funny because he states at the beginning that no two vintage MicroSynths sounds alike, yet he compares his to a single sample of a modern one and uses that to draw the conclusion that modern ones are terrible (the tightness of modern Chinese component tolerances could make two modern ones sound quite different too!). I’ve tried both and frankly the reliability and smaller package of the modern one are well worth most of the trade-offs in tone (many of the original ones are likely to need upgraded capacities -at the least- by this era). One thing that can be said of the old pedals is that they are user serviceable, while the SMD components of the newer ones are not (but you can always pick up a replacement in a jiffy)

At the risk of being really pedantic with this tangent, surface mounted components can be replaced by those who have the tools and skills to do so.

 

[sunbeast]

At the risk of being really pedantic with this tangent, surface mounted components can be replaced by those who have the tools and skills to do so.

Well I edited it for ya, but yeah if you’ve ever perused the inside of a modern SMD EHX pedal vs a vintage EHX circuit board you’d see that a vintage board isn’t significantly harder than soldering a bass (I modded an old Small Clone to hell and back years ago with nothing but a crap Radio Shack iron and a pile of components) while a modern one is more akin to soldering a laptop computer. So more than a bit of difference, and certainly beyond the repair work most musicians could DIY or have the equipment to (you could work on your own Prius too, but not even most car mechanics will do that )

 

[JimmyM]

Well if you’ve ever perused the inside of a modern SMD EHX pedal vs a vintage EHX circuit board you’d see that a vintage board isn’t significantly harder than soldering a bass while a modern one is more akin to soldering a laptop computer. So more than a bit of difference, and certainly beyond the repair work most musicians could DIY or have the equipment to (I could work on your Prius too, but not even most car mechanics will do that )

Well just like in the car field (muscle car types up to guys who can work on a Prius), I know really good amp techs who can only repair tube amps, and I know other techs who keep up with current technologies. Me, I can't work on anything, although I did replace the window electronics panel in my van by watching a Youtube vid. Thank God for molex plugs

 

[Xjenrbcjsmsbfjw]

Don't think I've ever come across this. If there is an EHX version of a sound I want, that's the pedal I plug in and try first. It's not always the one I go with, but hmm interesting.

 

[ad9000]

I currently own maybe half a dozen various EHX pedals, which I like a lot and use frequently. However, I understand why EHX may have a bad reputation in terms of reliability. I think it may be an issue with some models more than others, but I definitely have experienced a higher than average failure rate with their stuff.

Last year I bought a Mel9 - it was defective right off the bat, so I sent it back to the retailer for a replacement. The second one was funky as well, so it went back also. I probably should have thrown in the towel there and obtained a refund, but since I really liked the pedal I opted for a third replacement (!) It worked well for a while but eventually went bad also, fortunately when it was still under warranty. I sent it to New Sensor (the EHX parent company) for repair and it's been ok since, at least as of the last time I plugged it in.

Prior to that, I had an Enigma pedal that also failed while under warranty and was sent to New Sensor for repair. On the upside, I will say that the repair turnaround with New Sensor was fast and they covered shipping. In addition to those, I had Bassballs and Holy Grail pedals that died while out of warranty. I opted not to get those repaired since it wasn't cost effective relative to their value at that point.

 

[MonetBass]

well for example Ive had a pedal or two that there was a slight 'pop' when engaging, or a subtle hiss, but nothing so bothersome that I couldnt use it. For recording it would be a problem, but not live.

Recently I bought a EHX Tone Tattoo (guitar) pedal, and the Neo Clone section pops loudly the first time I engage it, but after that it's fine. EHX support responded within an hour when I asked about it, and this is what they said:
"All true-bypass pedals are susceptible in varying degrees to footswitch pop when first turned on. Stray charge can build up on switch terminals when not in use or upon initial powerup. Switching back and forth dissipates this charge. When I’m playing with true bypass pedals, I’ll usually switch them on and off a couple times before turning on my amp."

The pedal itself it solidly built and sounds fantastic, particularly the Memory Toy section. The Metal Muff is extremely versatile as well. No complaints here.

 

[cosmicevan]

People love the metal zone. I have even heard it’s the perfect $22 Mantic vitriol.













Lol

Soy bois gonna soy

 

[Jorgebassguy]

I have a bass big muff and it is my absolute favorite ( it takes the abuse too) and every other Ehx I’ve played through sounded perfect.

 

[Zbysek]

I am not anti-EHX....but my experience with their pedals is not good. I own three. None of them work flawlessly, one of them doesn't work at all...

 

[crguti]

I hate the metal enclosure and the knobs. Apart from that they are ok.

 

[Bo0tsy]

I have EHX pedals from the 90's (original Q-Tron, Mini-Q-Tron, Sovtek Big Muffs, Small Stone & Bassballs), other EHX pedals that must be pushing 10+ years old (Micro-Q-Tron, Enigma Q-Balls and Stereo Talking Machine) and a newer Bass Soul Food. Apart from a single glitchy footswitch on the Enigma, (fixed easily with a bit of contact spray - likely bit of dust in the switch), I've never had a problem with EHX.

Some of their pedals are also really innovative. My thoughts are if it sounds good, then use it.