• 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.

Your thoughts on effects packaging

Which kind of packaging do you prefer

  • Minimalist, eco-friendly packaging

    Votes: 119 46.1%

  • Deluxe, fancy packaging with multiple boxes and stickers

    Votes: 40 15.5%

  • I honestly do not care

    Votes: 74 28.7%

  • Carrot-shaped packaging.

    Votes: 25 9.7%
  • Total voters
    258
  • Poll closed .
Taylor Livingston

Taylor Livingston

Commercial User
Dec 25, 2002
3,210
2,310
Oregon, US
Disclosures
Owner, Iron Ether Electronics
#1
Right now we're about to do redo our packaging and I wanted to get a sense for what people like as far as the packaging of their effects.

When you receive a new pedal, do you expect it to be in a deluxe pedal-specific box, with graphics/stickers, inside the shipping box, or would you prefer an eco-friendlier solution of a plain box with just the pedal in it?

My personal preference would be to keep things minimalist and eco-friendly by not double-boxing everything and keeping packing materials to a minimum. If you receive a package like this, does it change your perception of your purchase in any way?
 
#2
I don't mind a generic box but I usually like some simple branding to get me excited about the new pruchase. That unboxing moment is fun when you're anticapating something new. I know that's silly but even a simple ink stamp on the box is nice. I also kinda like stuff inside like a bag or sticker, but they are absolutely not necessary. Just a nice-to-have feature, not a must. Just my .02, I'm sure A LOT of guys here will say just throw it in a corrugate box and get it out the door. In all honesty, that would not put me off from the brand. In fact, I don't think I have the original box for any of my IE pedals (got 'em on TB) and I LOVE them! Sooooo, yea... no frills is fine for a really good product.
 
#5
There's definitely an attachment of value to nice looking packaging even when it serves little real purpose for most people after its shipped. For example, I find both my Darkglass pedals and my Rusty Box to hold some semi-conscious stamp of "quality" that most of my other pedals don't that I honestly think is related to the imagined legitimacy attached to the graphic design of the (and the) packaging. Consciously, I much prefer simple and eco-friendly, but there is definitely a contradictory human love of bling underneath as well that doesn't really respond to logic. Its a tough choice, but if I were a pedal designer I'd probably make myself err on the side of bare-bones as you have!
 
#6
To be honest I think mxr have got it pretty much perfect. Small box big enough for the pedal and comes with good quality instructions and all the necessary promotional material. The box is thin but is quite strong. Check it out! It's also quite minimalistic which adds to the excitement as said above. Just the mxr stamp and a sticker on the side the same colour as the pedal with its name and some reference numbers
 
#7
I dont really mind the eco friendly packaging. But my vote is for the deluxe pkg. Its not like I NEED it, but I like stickers. A lot. So if they could at least provide me with that, I suppose I'd be fine with eco friendly pkg but with a sticker :) a manual is nice too but honestly, I have a smart phone that I can download the PDF onto my phone through Google with and have it at all times with me. Again, I like stickers.
 
#9
I would put packaging in the "fun" category not the "necessary" category. The truth is, by the time the pedal arrives, I've already been sold. Whether or not I keep the pedal is based on how it plays with my other gear or fits into the unreachable tone that exists only in my mind. There is a small part of me that judges the book by its cover, but if the pedal housing is pleasing, none of the box aesthetics matter.
 
#10
Mattbass97 said:
To be honest I think mxr have got it pretty much perfect. Small box big enough for the pedal and comes with good quality instructions and all the necessary promotional material. The box is thin but is quite strong. Check it out! It's also quite minimalistic which adds to the excitement as said above. Just the mxr stamp and a sticker on the side the same colour as the pedal with its name and some reference numbers
Click to expand...

I voted 'don't care', but MXR packaging immediately came to mind when I read the OP's question.

Bottom line though: I've received new pedals in all three kinds of packaging (Fancy, plain box w/sticker or stamp, plain white box/no marks), and none of the packaging had any discernible effect on my tone...
 
#13
I quite like Way Huge's packaging - even if it is technically Dunlop/MXR -. The Way Huge boxes have comic strips printed on them (which I find quite funny) and come with some brand pins. Also, big fan of MXR packaging; but my Phase 90 came without a manual. I guess that is expected, after all it just has a rate knob.
 
#18
You can do an awful lot on very minimalist packaging, and I personally nearly always prefer it, even as far as aesthetics are concerned. Just a simple brown cardboard box with a nice stamped or embossed logo is a thing of beauty, as well as being cheap and simple to make. Plus, that kind of over designed flashy packaging is just starting to look tacky these days.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back