Best Boosts

[SweetDan]

I've been doing some research lately as I am interested in a clean boost BUT a simple LOUDER pedal seems a) rarish and b) expensive. All the classics & their clones, (Centaur etc), have drive knobs and I certainly don't need that. At present my Boss SDI with drive OFF and even my Behringer Blues Driver with Drive OFF seem to work fairly well and I'd need to get something REALLY on point to bother adding a new one.

The rare and expensive components needn't always be so. That's all just marketing hype. (There may be something to the need, once in a while, for an out-of-production component, then the rarity factor kicks in...but there are usually decent substitutes.) In USD, and at hobbyist pedal builder prices (i.e., I searched around on the 'net for convenience of comprehensive components selection at pretty cheap prices*), the cost of materials is:

- Circuit components and board: $3.00
- Jacks/switches/pots: $7.00
- Enclosure: $5.00

Throw in another 4-5$ for shipping, and being a hobby, my time is "free", so the total cost (for me) is ~$20 USD per pedal. Manufacturers would get a better deal on components (maybe 1/10th of cheap hobbyist cost, maybe less?), but don't get free labor, plus they have marketing/administrative costs. They wouldn't be doing it if it weren't profitable, though.

(*BTW, the place I found meeting that criteria is: https://www.taydaelectronics.com/, and they run a coupon deal here: https://www.facebook.com/TaydaElectronics/ every month or so.)

Modern how? Are you talking about the boutique surge?

Yeah. I think it's ridiculous. And I really dislike how most of the "boutique" pedals are more about the cool names and packaging than anything else.

Here, I'm gonna design a modern stompbox from scratch:

Oversized enclosure, four knobs labeled pop, dream, spaghetti, and lungs, three mini-toggles with no labels, it's painted purple with screenprints of dancing aliens on it, and it's called the Peanut Butter Recliner.

Boom, I'm done. No idea what it does because it doesn't matter. It just looks modern cool...

The "PBR" - here, have a hipster boo-teek pedal with your hipster beer.

[Greg_L]

The "PBR" - here, have a hipster boo-teek pedal with your hipster beer.

Lol. It's funny how PBR has become a cool beer. It's cheap garbage. I drank it as a punk rock youth because it was cheap and easy. Now people drink it as a statement. Crazy.

[WhiskeyJack]

The "PBR" - here, have a hipster boo-teek pedal with your hipster beer.

Lol. It's funny how PBR has become a cool beer. It's cheap garbage. I drank it as a punk rock youth because it was cheap and easy. Now people drink it as a statement. Crazy.

The Gentrified Beer.

[WhiskeyJack]

^^ clickable ^^

[liv_rong]

Yeah. I think it's ridiculous. And I really dislike how most of the "boutique" pedals are more about the cool names and packaging than anything else.

Here, I'm gonna design a modern stompbox from scratch:

Oversized enclosure, four knobs labeled pop, dream, spaghetti, and lungs, three mini-toggles with no labels, it's painted purple with screenprints of dancing aliens on it, and it's called the Peanut Butter Recliner.

Boom, I'm done. No idea what it does because it doesn't matter. It just looks modern cool.


I like the way Boss does their pedal designs. They say what the fucking thing is right on top. Flanger. Tremolo. Super Overdrive. And they're buffered. None of that "true bypass" wankery.

I dont know many pedals like that at all actually, but I think most of what I see is readily available at the big online retailers. And, as you've said before, its just copies with tweaks, so having a knob labeled isnt the end of the world if you know what pedal is being copied, though obviously having it labeled would make a hell of a lot more sense lol.

As far as true bypass vs buffered, I dont care either way but I know I want a buffer in there somewhere. And I probably wouldnt want a bunch of buffers either the same as I wouldnt want all true bypass, but it doesnt really matter.

I will say I'm happy about the gear surge nowadays, if that's what inspires people to play real music than I'm all for it. I dont care if its overpriced copies of things or cheap chinese copies of mid priced classic designs, people can play what they want, it doesnt bother me. People have been using pedals and effects for decades.

BTW, Im not debating you haha, I'm just speaking my opinion I guess. I rely a lot on effects so I guess I felt like I needed to reply

[Greg_L]

I dont know many pedals like that at all actually, but I think most of what I see is readily available at the big online retailers. And, as you've said before, its just copies with tweaks, so having a knob labeled isnt the end of the world if you know what pedal is being copied, though obviously having it labeled would make a hell of a lot more sense lol.

As far as true bypass vs buffered, I dont care either way but I know I want a buffer in there somewhere. And I probably wouldnt want a bunch of buffers either the same as I wouldnt want all true bypass, but it doesnt really matter.

I will say I'm happy about the gear surge nowadays, if that's what inspires people to play real music than I'm all for it. I dont care if its overpriced copies of things or cheap chinese copies of mid priced classic designs, people can play what they want, it doesnt bother me. People have been using pedals and effects for decades.

BTW, Im not debating you haha, I'm just speaking my opinion I guess. I rely a lot on effects so I guess I felt like I needed to reply

Ha no it's cool man. I actually like many effects pedals. I have quite a few. Delays and flangers and phasers and shit....all cool. My disgust towards the "boutique" pedal boom is mostly focused on OD/Distortion pedals.

[Lt. Bob]

I love pedals!