Proof that the boo-teek pedal industry has jumped the shark

[Biz Prof]

Considering that this pedal is named after Wilford Brimley, I can only assume that it produces a cantankerous, bitter, angry sound, has an integrated glucose monitor, and is powered by an oatmeal battery.

 "Eat your oatmeal, dammit!"

[tbonesullivan]

I don't think anything in the pedal world will surprise me anymore. I used to like looking at pedals and seeing what they offered, but it's just gotten insane with the names and varieties. It's getting near craft beer territory.

Of course, nothing grates on my sensibilities more than pedals that don't that just have a cool design/logo on the front. If I have a pedal, I want to look at it and instantly know what the hell it does. If it's a bass compressor, it should say so.

 

[crunchee]

I wonder if 'ol Wilford gets a royalty from the makers for using his likeness?  It IS his likeness, isn't it?

I dunno...if I want two lit LEDs looking back at me from a pedal, I think I'd prefer this one:

 

[mrjamiam]

I think the industry still has some room to run if they haven't started upcharging for relicing brand-new pedals yet.

[Biz Prof]

 

 

[Stike]

9 hours ago, tbonesullivan said:

I don't think anything in the pedal world will surprise me anymore. I used to like looking at pedals and seeing what they offered, but it's just gotten insane with the names and varieties. It's getting near craft beer territory.

Of course, nothing grates on my sensibilities more than pedals that don't that just have a cool design/logo on the front. If I have a pedal, I want to look at it and instantly know what the hell it does. If it's a bass compressor, it should say so.

 

That might explain my total disinterest in boutique pedals. 

[Willie G. Moseley]

'Course, Brimley uttered one of my all-time favorite movie lines (and it went over a lotta folks' heads) in Cocoon: "Blue steel. A cat couldn't scratch it."

My parents, the Missus and I went to see the film together in '85. In the theater, my father's reaction to Brimley's remark was a loud guffaw. My mother didn't get it.

I am now five years older than my father was in '85.

[Steve Haynie]

Wilford Brimley can sing!  Cantankerously, of course. 

 

 

[HAMERMAN]

If you want to feel old my daughter mentioned reading that in the new Mission Impossible movie Tom Cruise is older that Wilford Brimley was when he starred in Cacoon!

[MCChris]

On 7/25/2018 at 10:55 PM, tbonesullivan said:

It's getting near craft beer territory.

Ha, perfect analogy. Who's buying all this stuff? Bedroom rock stars mostly, I'm sure, but are there really that many of them to support all these manufacturers?

[Steve Haynie]

10 minutes ago, MCChris said:

Ha, perfect analogy. Who's buying all this stuff? Bedroom rock stars mostly, I'm sure, but are there really that many of them to support all these manufacturers?

We do not know the numbers of pedals sold by some of the boutique guys.  If they work out of their house the numbers might be low, as in the few that made it into demo videos and the three people selling theirs used on eBay and Reverb.  A one man operation might make himself out to be bigger than he is.  Everything can be part of an exclusive limited run. 

When someone builds up a pedal business to a point that they have to hire employees and rent a building they must not be a boutique builder anymore.  They must have made some good pedals, too. 

[Biz Prof]

On 7/25/2018 at 11:55 PM, tbonesullivan said:

It's getting near craft beer territory.

Whilst polishing off a bottle of bourbon last Christmas, my step dad and I were reflecting upon the craft beer segment and its penchant for the abstract and weird in terms of branding. In our minds, we fashioned branding Pete's homebrew as a craft beer called "Hog Dick". As in, "When you want a hand crafted, full-bodied lager with mild earthy notes, hints of bacon, and a crisp finish, wrap your lips around a Hog Dick."

I can just see a gaggle of skinny jeaned hipsters in Asheville or Chapel Hill standing in a bar, each holding a cold Hog Dick and extolling its virtues.

[scottcald]

There of course needs to be pedal called Acoustic Voice which will only amplify the acoustic voice of your electric guitar and remove the barrier that all pickups create holding back your True Tone.   There would also be a small screen on the face giving you the weight of the guitar you're playing as well as the thickness of the neck at the point your hand is currently at.  😀

[Steve Haynie]

How about a play on the name of Zvex' Woolly Mammoth pedal?  Someone can come up with a "White Elephant."  It would be a pedal you cannot sell or giveaway, and you really cannot use it for anything. 

[tbonesullivan]

I don't really know much about the economy of the pedal business, but considering how tons of "kits" are available on the market, it's not hard to source materials to build pedals with. All you need is some soldering skill, schematics, and knowledge. Then you can start building your own pedals. It's also not nearly as major of an undertaking as building custom amps, guitars, etc.

Of course, lets not forget that amp companies like Friedman and Mesa Boogie have also thrown their hats into the pedal world, as well as pickup makers like Seymour Duncan, and it's really a smart business move. Right now, there is a demand for pedals for those who don't want to be laughed at because of their Boss, MXR, etc "Mass Market" pedals. GOTTA HAVE STRYMON BABY.

But, like with craft beer, you end up with a ton of pedals that honestly have very subtle differences. I guess it's time to set up "Pedal Advocate" and "RatePedals" to help pedal neophytes avoid brain implosion.

[RobB]

2 hours ago, tbonesullivan said:

Right now, there is a demand for pedals for those who don't want to be laughed at because of their Boss, MXR, etc "Mass Market" pedals. GOTTA HAVE STRYMON BABY.

Interesting. Do you think that is a big factor in the “spendy pedal” market? In my view, I could give two shits about being laughed at. My shit’s tight and sounds killer. 

And Strymon’s products are over-complicated/priced. 

[Steve Haynie]

Nashville Pussy gets a perfect guitar tone with MXR Distortion+ pedals and Marshall heads.  They just know how to coax the tone out of a minimal set up. 

[Cary]

As long as we're on the subject, just who is the target demographic for Friedman "Brown Eye" and "Pink Taco" amps?  Giggling 14 year-old boys whose dads are Wall Street tycoons?

[Steve Haynie]

Maybe the target audience is people in their 40's who want to be rude and crude in their man caves. 

[Biz Prof]

32 minutes ago, RobB said:

Interesting. Do you think that is a big factor in the “spendy pedal” market?

From my recent experiences, it is somewhat of a factor. It's not like I am the second coming of (insert guitar god name here) at all. but I get compliments on my tone at every gig. And if they acknowledge that they play guitar, they nearly always express surprise at my board full of Boss pedals.

I guess if I felt compelled to spend hours of my free time and princely sums of money trying out the various boutique effects, I would have a different looking rig. As it stands, the more pedestrian pedals like Boss are widely available, affordable, and rather clearly labeled, and don't require a degree in EE to use. YMMV 

[Disturber]

So funny. Never cared about boutique pedals.

[crunchee]

7 hours ago, Cary said:

As long as we're on the subject, just who is the target demographic for Friedman "Brown Eye" and "Pink Taco" amps?  Giggling 14 year-old boys whose dads are Wall Street tycoons?

 

7 hours ago, Steve Haynie said:

Maybe the target audience is people in their 40's who want to be rude and crude in their man caves. 

If that's the case, I'm surprised that no one's put out a 'Cheborneck' pedal yet:

 

[LucSulla]

9 hours ago, Disturber said:

So funny. Never cared about boutique pedals.

I have some boutique pedals, but they are boutique in the same way that Yeungling and Sam Adams are craft beer I think. 

[tomteriffic]

I've been in the camp of mostly meat and potatoes pedals, although by hanging on to some of them long enough because they did the job and sounded good, the pedals became "vintage".  I did go after a couple or three that were semi-exotic when they came out but they eventually became more commonplace.  Which means you see them discounted these days and I probably paid full boat. 🙄

Lately, though, and probably starting with the Klon, I see a raft of new, expensive pedals and look into them only to find that it's just another damn OD/distortion/fuzz.

[JohnnyB]

On 7/27/2018 at 8:11 AM, Ed Rechts said:

It must be kinda fun to come up with these silly names, whether it be guitar effects or craft beers, as I always imagined it would be for owning racehorses and labeling them something provocative and edgy for clever marketing purposes.

Just gotta say, I think any product named Douchebaggery, Numbnutsery, Asshattery, or Dickmovery could be "disruptors" in ANY of these markets

I'm not saying they're the originals, but the first pedals like this that I noticed were from Way Huge--Swollen Pickle, Big Muff Pi--, and now there's Camel Toe, Aqua Puss, Pork  Pickle, Supa Puss, Fat Sandwich, etc.