All things pedal related.

[revvy]

10 Reasons Boutique Pedals Are Overrated

https://www.cheaperpedals.com/blogs/art ... -overrated

Most of my boutique pedals were bought at a fair price, are not especially trendy, and either use a novel design or improve on a classic design. These arguments don't apply.

From the final paragraph:

In closing, my intent is not to disparage all boutique pedals.

Maybe they shouldn't have written the rest of the essay as though it is, then?

Shite article. If you can afford to buy 'handmade in a good place' pedals from smaller companies that sound great, what's the issue? And one of them, Iron Ether FMeron is completely unique and a hand painted work of art.

[The Noodlist]

I think their message is regarding marketing and the definition of boutique. What is boutique? A reason to charge more for less?
Inflated prices and advances in technology and components costing pennies.

But they would say this, they sell cheap pedals.

[justin3am]

It's an article, published by a webstore which sells "cheaper pedals". I think they may have a little bias.
It's fine though, there is enough demand for pedals of all kinds. I love and appreciate hand made pedals by small operations. Sometimes a less expensive, mass-produced pedal has exactly the sound or function I'm looking for.
The price of parts is a tricky subject. For some boutique makers, sourcing parts is like a full time job and the margins are just as thin as for big mfgs. Then there is the economy of scale. It's a mistake to assume that, just because something is expensive, that the builder is making a lot of money off of it.

I don't think you will hear a lot of folks who make pedals in small runs, call their products "boutique"... Just like, I don't think you will hear companies who make pedals on a larger scale refer to their products as "Cheaper Pedals". Sometimes it is enthusiasm, not cynicism that drives people to make a product and sell it for the price they choose.

[justin3am]

Meh, that's probably a lot of unneeded editorial...

[Uncle E]

Inflated prices and advances in technology and components costing pennies.

We could take a look at the OCD. Version 1's were assembled by hand and Version 2's are surface mount. When something is assembled by hand, it's conceivable that some components might be measured for consistency, whereas with surface mount this is definitely not happening. There is some mystique around Version 1 Series 3's signed by Rico, the circuit was different but maybe Rico was also being more careful about the components. I own a Rico OCD and it's a very good pedal, certainly better than the OCD clones by Joyo and Mooer.

But they would say this, they sell cheap pedals.

An easy tell would be how they rate the Joyo Ultimate Drive against the OCD. At least half the components in the Ultimate Drive are different and it has a much darker sound. It's really a completely different pedal.

[The Noodlist]

Hand built items are going to cost more. Quality control is also going to factor. I can understand paying more for quality.
Mythical pedals, the Klon Centaur and those special gooped circuits. A good design is just that and nothing magical.

Klon2.jpg

Marketing machine.

Klon3.jpg

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The BEST Klon Centaur Pedals Clones

I meant, inflated prices are the ones with a few components cost more than a several hundred £ upwards. The component tolerance might be greater in the amp to be used.

Some of the copies could also be given merit as their own thing. And most of the classic pedals arose when the market was smaller and prior to modern manufacturing techniques.

I fell for the green screamer hype. I found it meh.
Each to their own..

[vurt]

is the guy who made the klon still alive?
he should knock out a few new ones, built to original specs, and buy a house.

[Uncle E]

The Klon was originally $225. It was handmade and had that expensive custom housing, so in reality it was underpriced. Bill asked me many questions about manufacturing in China back when he was first releasing the KTR, he was very concerned about quality and I’m guessing that’s why he ultimately didn’t do it. The original manufacturer of the KTR was Rockett and even they weren’t up to his standards. Rockett’s build quality is some of the best around so that really says something.

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Anyone got a stereo chorus they like on synths that can handle hot (line) signals? Looking for something to pair with my Prophet 10. Currently using a DOD Stereo FX65 but even with a reamp box in between synth and pedal, it just doesn’t like all the bass and distorts just being in the chain with some patches.

I hear the Strymon chorus may not be great for synths but that’s one I was looking at, how about the Roland MD200/500 or Source Audio Gemini? Kinda wish OTO had a modulation box. Any modern stereo BBD delays built fire line? The new UA chorus seems like it would do the job but $400 and only getting a CE-1 emulation (don’t think I’d use the flanger or tremolo much) just seems a bit off the mark.

[justin3am]

This is one of my favorite chorus pedals: https://fromelelectronics.com/products/seraph-deluxe
Really it's between that and the small Moog chorus, if we are talking about BBDs.
For DSP based choruses the old Line6 ToneCore Liquid Flange and Space Chorus sound very good on synths and can be found for $70-$80. Also the Eventide ModFactor. This may sound weird, but I'm also a big fan of the old Boss SE-50 for synths. It's old DSP but I use it a lot on poly synths, particularly the chorus and phaser patches.

[Uncle E]

I make a stereo chorus that can handle line level. It’s $39 so maybe get two for stereo? Here it is on a Juno-60:

https://youtu.be/SwoNT9RRoYQ

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Uncle E, I didn't even know you guys were making pedals! Throw in an extra delay line that's 180 degrees out of phase and wired to a second output and I'm in for $99! Gonna have to move that DC adapter though.

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

This is one of my favorite chorus pedals: https://fromelelectronics.com/products/seraph-deluxe
Really it's between that and the small Moog chorus, if we are talking about BBDs.
For DSP based choruses the old Line6 ToneCore Liquid Flange and Space Chorus sound very good on synths and can be found for $70-$80. Also the Eventide ModFactor. This may sound weird, but I'm also a big fan of the old Boss SE-50 for synths. It's old DSP but I use it a lot on poly synths, particularly the chorus and phaser patches.

Was considering the Eventide ModFactor (got a Space right here) but I generally find their choruses a little too good sounding. Want a bit more dirt. The Space Chorus is a great suggestion, checked out the manual and no reference to impedance or levels but worth investigating. The Seraph Deluxe is very tempting. Will check it out more. I also actually heard the Styrmon ODO Chorus today on synths (via YouTube) anyway and I actually thought it was quite good and right in the ballpark of what I'm looking for so that's back in consideration. Goes to show you can't trust other people's ears or opinions.

It's a damn shame no one makes a Juno chorus in a pedal that isn't super hard to come by and potentially inconsistent (there's one company that makes them to order but reviews leave me worried) and/or just awful (the TC/Behr version).

[Uncle E]

Check out the Boss MD-200. I haven't used it yet but the DD-200 is ridiculously good and has quite a bit of dirt, so I'm hopeful about the other pedals from the series. Also, the MD-200 has a fuzz built-in to the Uni-Vibe model.

One of my favorite choruses is the Boss CE-300. Sadly, it's mono in.

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

The MD-200 is on my list to check out. CE-300 you say? Mono in stereo out is ok. If I could find one in good shape at a decent price, that may be just the ticket albeit not a pedal (I do have 2U of free rack space). The Prophet 10 is mono out so mono in would be just fine. My chain would be Chorus -> Timeline -> Space. Thanks for the suggestions!

Note: you think I should try the CE-2w I already own first just to see how it does on line levels?