I was rocking out with my new Duplex build for a few hours today and just having a blast, but it's got me thinking.
How much am I, as a builder, influenced by the aesthetics of a pedal I've made myself?
The Duplex is a rare instance where I never heard it before I'd boxed it up - and spent a couple days sanding, etching, painting and clear coating. I really like a lot of ODs/Fuzzes that never make it to a box, even ones I honeymoon over for a while. And here, when my first impression comes with a neato box I'd worked really hard on, I've got maybe my favorite Muff variant ever and an opamp OD that I like as much as my favorite JFET ODs, which is pretty crazy.
No doubt these are a pair of highly-regarded effects, but I can't help but wonder how much I'm susceptible to "pretty box syndrome" even though I know what's what inside these things.
TL;DR: I think maybe I'm not as objective about circuits as I thought I was because - pretty box.
Aesthetic appeal is a bonafide factor in appreciating things. Distinguishing between most overdrive pedals in a mix is almost impossible, but I play with the ones I like the best and the way they look has an impact on the way I feel about them and that has an impact on the way I play - thus, I play better and SOUND better because of the appearance of my overdrives.
Jacob
Aesthetics are an interesting thing with pedals.
Recently I spent hours and hours working with a guy on a pedal design who was nauseously picky about how the pedal looks and not once asked how it actually might sound ::)
I enjoy a nice looking pedal but try not to spend to much time these days on the looks
Quote from: jkokura on April 05, 2014, 06:17:21 PM
Aesthetic appeal is a bonafide factor in appreciating things. Distinguishing between most overdrive pedals in a mix is almost impossible, but I play with the ones I like the best and the way they look has an impact on the way I feel about them and that has an impact on the way I play - thus, I play better and SOUND better because of the appearance of my overdrives.
Jacob
+1
I know I sell the pedals that I do sell based on how they look. The Hashishian is proof of that, I have never had more interest in a pedal... Especially one that doesn't do what the decal might infer. It's weird. I like them to look good, but I've never kept an effect I didn't like because I really liked the box it was in.
If I particularly like how something sounds, I often spend more time on the box.
Quote from: midwayfair on April 05, 2014, 07:01:15 PM
If I particularly like how something sounds, I often spend more time on the box.
That I am guilty of. Some effects just get something slapped on there. Some effects I make sure I get just right.
most definitely
It's the same principle as a newly washed car always seems to drive better than a dirty one...
Quote from: midwayfair on April 05, 2014, 07:01:15 PM
If I particularly like how something sounds, I often spend more time on the box.
Yeah, that's my usual MO. This is the first time I've ever gone full-out on a box for an effect I've never heard and I'm really sure why.
Since the first post I went back and did some more A/Bing with other muffs & overdrives and I think the love of the sound is plenty justified. I'm just going to chalk this one up to builder's intuition.
BTW, Jon, I think you'd dig the G2. It's got more of a vintage fuzz sound than what you get from a Muff, and it's a LOT quieter to boot.
Quote from: gordo on April 05, 2014, 08:30:28 PM
It's the same principle as a newly washed car always seems to drive better than a dirty one...
Now that's a spot-on analogy.
Quote from: jubal81 on April 05, 2014, 08:33:45 PM
Quote from: gordo on April 05, 2014, 08:30:28 PM
It's the same principle as a newly washed car always seems to drive better than a dirty one...
Now that's a spot-on analogy.
+1
I'm not into etching, fancy decals and all that but when i build a pedal on wich i spent 2 gallons of elbow grease to get it where i want, it sure appeals a lot more to me.
But strangely some of my best sounding pedals or those on board are plain black, i don't put much effort in the finish of pedals that i consider as personnal built, simple reason being that they are always coming in and out, passing them to folks who wants to try them and then get one built.... and that's where i will put a bigger effort in finishing the pedal so it looks good as it sounds (to my criteria of course).
This has been my thought....
Design it for the SOUND!
Box it for the SALE!
I have never been one for the esthetics. I have always been more about how it sounds first and foremost however, there is no denying that MOST pedals sell successfully based on their esthetics.
The only thing that can overcome esthetics when it comes to sales is maybe HYPE. Hello...... KLON anyone? ::)
Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on April 05, 2014, 08:47:44 PM
This has been my thought....
Design it for the SOUND!
Box it for the SALE!
+1000
:)
If it doesn't sound good, why put all that effort into the enclosure? For me, building the guts is much more enjoyable than finishing the enclosure. I do appreciate a nice enclosure but if the sound isn't there...well, you know.
Back when I first started building pedals, I used to design the box first and then pray that what I had soldered together actually worked. ;D
These days, I only box up stuff that I really like the sound of, so the looks of the finished product don't really factor in to my liking of the tone.
My priorities are
1. Has to sound good
2. Has to be rugged and reliable
3. Looks.. I guess. I don't really care.
Of course, I've never sold a pedal, they're all for my own personal use. I've been kicking around the idea of selling a pedal or two, so now I find myself thinking more about appearance.
I actually haven't built many pedals. I always breadboard first, and if I don't care for the sound, I don't even bother soldering up a perf of the circuit. I've breadboarded waaay more circuits than I've finished.
Quote from: jubal81 on April 05, 2014, 06:07:27 PM
but I can't help but wonder how much I'm susceptible to "pretty box syndrome" even though I know what's what inside these things.
Oh man, I'm a sucker for the wrapper. If it looks good, I'm far more forgiving of average tones. :-[
I certainly dig good aesthetics on a build. If it's a box I've spent a lot of time making look good, I definitely have a stronger desire for it to sound equally as good.
In the end, if it doesn't work for me (or I can't tweak it to my liking) then it won't get used much, regardless of what it looks like. I kind of look at pedals like cars:
1.) It's totally reasonable to have a pretty car that drives well. All things being equal, this is my preference.
2.) It's also totally reasonable to have a really ugly car that drives well.
3.) It doesn't make much sense to have a pretty car that doesn't run well.
Quote from: Leevibe on April 05, 2014, 06:32:25 PM
Quote from: jkokura on April 05, 2014, 06:17:21 PM
Aesthetic appeal is a bonafide factor in appreciating things. Distinguishing between most overdrive pedals in a mix is almost impossible, but I play with the ones I like the best and the way they look has an impact on the way I feel about them and that has an impact on the way I play - thus, I play better and SOUND better because of the appearance of my overdrives.
Jacob
+1
+2!
Quote from: gordo on April 05, 2014, 08:30:28 PM
It's the same principle as a newly washed car always seems to drive better than a dirty one...
Really? I always found that a serviced car with petrol in the tank and tyre air pressure checked (this makes a huge difference) drives better than one that gets a brief glance once every five years.
The box appearance has never really made an impact on me. My old Doppelganger 1.4 looked like crap, but I loved it to pieces (until I got the 2.1 done.)
The outside, to me, is just as therapeutic as building the inside. Really that's all it is to me, therapeutic. I can focus on white I'm soldering and nothin else for a little while.
Quote from: jimilee on April 06, 2014, 03:43:57 AM
The outside, to me, is just as therapeutic as building the inside. Really that's all it is to me, therapeutic. I can focus on white I'm soldering and nothin else for a little while.
This. I've told my wife on several occasions pedal building has saved me tons of therapy. I might be repressing issues still, but I'm not thinking about them! ::)
Quote from: Clayford on April 06, 2014, 03:54:52 AM
Quote from: jimilee on April 06, 2014, 03:43:57 AM
The outside, to me, is just as therapeutic as building the inside. Really that's all it is to me, therapeutic. I can focus on white I'm soldering and nothin else for a little while.
This. I've told my wife on several occasions pedal building has saved me tons of therapy. I might be repressing issues still, but I'm not thinking about them!;)
Eeeexactly!!!
I'll add that the only complete and total turn-off for me for box art/graphics is when people do NOTHING.
Just a powdercoated/painted box, knobs, LED, and stomp. You know the type, where it's a complete guessing game as to what the knobs do, or what the bloody effect is at all.
I go in and out with this. I get really excited about the outside and pour a lot of energy into it and kind of burn myself out. At that point I'll build just to have the pedal to use. My favorite at the moment is a Klone that is so plain I would never dream of doing a build report, but that thing always seems to be on. So, right now I don't care that much about aesthetics but I know that will change.
Quote from: pickdropper on April 06, 2014, 12:14:59 AM
I certainly dig good aesthetics on a build. If it's a box I've spent a lot of time making look good, I definitely have a stronger desire for it to sound equally as good.
In the end, if it doesn't work for me (or I can't tweak it to my liking) then it won't get used much, regardless of what it looks like. I kind of look at pedals like cars:
1.) It's totally reasonable to have a pretty car that drives well. All things being equal, this is my preference.
2.) It's also totally reasonable to have a really ugly car that drives well.
3.) It doesn't make much sense to have a pretty car that doesn't run well.
Good analogy. Though Lotus ruins it. Then it's possible to have a pretty car that drives incredibly, sounds like an angry sewing machine and breaks just about every time you use it.
I think of it like a woman. Find one that you really get on with and just seems to click with you and the wrapper becomes all the more attractive to you regardless. Find one that's pretty and more often than not the contents are batshit f**king crazy. Before long the gorgeous packaging becomes tainted by the contents...
Ok that doesn't really work either.
One thing I've noticed is that the girls dancing in front of the stage couldn't care less what my pedals look like. They don't even know what a pedal is.
This is a weird topic for me.
On one hand, when I'm buying a commercial product, things have to be completely functional and as long as the basics are there - labels, effect type, probably a painted box, then I'm happy. When I first started this pedal thing I couldn't really understand some of the finishes people were doing with their fancy artworks et al - yet when I build my own, I do more than a the basics - normally I try and design a graphic that relates to the "name" of the circuit as opposed to the effect type. I don't think I go over the top, but it's not a single solid color either.
I suppose I try to keep with the colour associations I have with certain effects - and we can thank Boss for that - because I don't want to be deciphering what does what under stage lighting.
I don't think I think my pedals sound better if they look good, but I don't want my DIY efforts to look like shite either. That's probably a matter of pride more than anything.
Quote from: juansolo on April 06, 2014, 08:18:11 AM
Quote from: pickdropper on April 06, 2014, 12:14:59 AM
I certainly dig good aesthetics on a build. If it's a box I've spent a lot of time making look good, I definitely have a stronger desire for it to sound equally as good.
In the end, if it doesn't work for me (or I can't tweak it to my liking) then it won't get used much, regardless of what it looks like. I kind of look at pedals like cars:
1.) It's totally reasonable to have a pretty car that drives well. All things being equal, this is my preference.
2.) It's also totally reasonable to have a really ugly car that drives well.
3.) It doesn't make much sense to have a pretty car that doesn't run well.
Good analogy. Though Lotus ruins it. Then it's possible to have a pretty car that drives incredibly, sounds like an angry sewing machine and breaks just about every time you use it.
I think of it like a woman. Find one that you really get on with and just seems to click with you and the wrapper becomes all the more attractive to you regardless. Find one that's pretty and more often than not the contents are batshit f**king crazy. Before long the gorgeous packaging becomes tainted by the contents...
Ok that doesn't really work either.
Well, there are always exceptions, no matter how illogical. :-)
I had a friend growing up whose dream car was a Pontiac Fiero, which was a righteous piece of junk of a car. He finally got one and absolutely loved it. It burst into open flames on multiple occasions and he still loved it. I remember him getting stuck somewhere in the middle of winter and working on it when it was so cold that he needed thicker gloves to feel his fingers. Yet, he still loved it.
I would've cubed it, then set it on fire, then cubed it again, then buried it at sea.
On second thought, I probably wouldn't have needed to set it on fire. It probably would've done that itself while being cubed.
If aesthetic weren't important to us we wouldn't be bothering with trivial things like tone, or music for that matter. So graphics are a visual art, tone is aural. They both affect us and when they are combined in the right way they can be more than the sum of their parts. I'm a sucker for good looking gear. And I will say that sometimes even "ugly" is its own cool aesthetic. Like a ratty old tweed deluxe. You just look at it and you know it sounds amazing.
Quote from: Leevibe on April 07, 2014, 06:12:14 AM
If aesthetic weren't important to us we wouldn't be bothering with trivial things like tone, or music for that matter. So graphics are a visual art, tone is aural. They both affect us and when they are combined in the right way they can be more than the sum of their parts. I'm a sucker for good looking gear. And I will say that sometimes even "ugly" is its own cool aesthetic. Like a ratty old tweed deluxe. You just look at it and you know it sounds amazing.
spot on. Hell, the cover art on a bands album even has some influence on our brain when we listen to it. It's all trivial and it all adds up to something.
All this being said, why were care about the insides of a pedal are beyond me ::) :P
Quote from: peAk on April 07, 2014, 12:05:29 PMAll this being said, why were care about the insides of a pedal are beyond me ::) :P
Lol, yeah, that's a mystery to me. Don't get me wrong - there's a lot to be said for neat and tidy looking guts. It shows a certain level of craftsmanship, and that can translate to overall good build quality. If it looks super tidy, chances are that the solder joints are good, and that pedal isn't going to die on you in the middle of a song. There are also some cases where wire dress is important, to prevent hum and interference, like in some high-gain circuits.
However, it amuses me how some folks go to great lengths to make sure every component on the circuit board is
blue - resistors, capacitors, etc. Or when someone comments how they like when all the wires are one color. That kind of stuff leaves me scratching my head, but hey, to each his own! I'm sure it makes the OCD builder feel better knowing that the inside of their pedal is all matchy. 8)
Quote from: Jefe on April 07, 2014, 04:30:12 PM
Quote from: peAk on April 07, 2014, 12:05:29 PMAll this being said, why were care about the insides of a pedal are beyond me ::) :P
Lol, yeah, that's a mystery to me. Don't get me wrong - there's a lot to be said for neat and tidy looking guts. It shows a certain level of craftsmanship, and that can translate to overall good build quality. If it looks super tidy, chances are that the solder joints are good, and that pedal isn't going to die on you in the middle of a song. There are also some cases where wire dress is important, to prevent hum and interference, like in some high-gain circuits.
However, it amuses me how some folks go to great lengths to make sure every component on the circuit board is blue - resistors, capacitors, etc. Or when someone comments how they like when all the wires are one color. That kind of stuff leaves me scratching my head, but hey, to each his own! I'm sure it makes the OCD builder feel better knowing that the inside of their pedal is all matchy. 8)
While I agree, I now find myself obsessed to make things tidy inside. Had I never seen these neat internal builds on this forum, I would have never even thought about making the insides that clean.
The stress of having tidy builds :'(
Of the "few" pedal builds that I have sold around these parts... most of them have been to gigging musicians. I would say 10 in all. And, without a doubt..... 9 out of those 10 didn't give a rat fart about how the pedal looked when I built it for them (outer appearance)
What they cared about was:
#1 - How much it cost!
#2 - Does it work?
#3 - Is it reliable?
So... based on these.... I would have to say that the importance for building for sale (at least, for my limited market and NOT being a booteeker) is the build's SOUND and the build's structural QUALITY.
Wire color, graphics, etc... all really dont matter to the musicians that I have sold to. I can however, realte to the OCD wiring as it relates to the builds reliability. ;D
EDIT: Out of those 9 mentioned above.... I'd say 7 of them were just bare enclosure builds. Told them they would save a couple bucks if they just marked the enclosures themselves which often resulted in a reply of "HELL yeah.... I can do that anyways..."
I am at the point where I have learned how to etch enclosures and now I want to go back and update my boxes that are board bound. Its really just for my bennifit.
Since I play everything on my test rig for a week or so before I design a box, the sound of it influences the artwork. If I like the sound the pedal produces and it gets me pumped up for artwork. This may sound stupid but, the music I listen to when designing can also influence the process. Most of the time I can populate a PCB and test it faster than designing the etch mask for a pedal. Mainly due to undecided choices.
Cody
Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on April 07, 2014, 04:39:46 PM9 out of those 10 didn't give a rat fart about how the pedal looked when I built it for them (outer appearance)
I've had a disturbing number of customers ask me for essentially a plain box with labels because they don't care what it looks like.
I have to really fight my gut reaction to this, which is, "Why on earth would you have me do it, then?" because there are lots of people out there who have better soldering and building skills than me, and the only thing I have going for me is the handpainted.
Sometimes (when I get the sense it's appropriate), I paint something fun on it anyway and they're even happier because of it. (The exception is that someone specifically said that they really, really, really didn't want anything on it, not even labels.)
Which just goes to show that even many of the people who SAY that they're not interested in aesthetics actually care about them. They just don't give it as much consideration or ... they're just saying they don't because they don't want to come across as the kind of person who listens with their eyes.
Basically, you can't take anyone's word for what they say they want or don't want, because human beings are visual animals. Everyone listens with their eyes whether they want to or not. It's subconscious. Psychoacoustics are one hell of a drug.
Quote from: midwayfair on April 07, 2014, 04:53:46 PM
Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on April 07, 2014, 04:39:46 PM9 out of those 10 didn't give a rat fart about how the pedal looked when I built it for them (outer appearance)
Basically, you can't take anyone's word for what they say they want or don't want, because human beings are visual animals. Everyone listens with their eyes whether they want to or not. It's subconscious. Psychoacoustics are one hell of a drug.
I kind of think you might be right
We're definitely visual animals. Despite anything I may have said earlier in the thread about looks, I definitely care about looks, lol. It's just usually directed at other things than what's on the floor in front of me.
I almost always prefer black pickguards, for some reason. And I doubt I would ever have the cajones to play something like a Hello Kitty guitar on stage. Speaking of being on stage, I want to look "cool" up there, meaning 9 times out of 10, I'll be wearing a black t-shirt and jeans.
And all that said, I definitely DO care what my pedals look like to an extent. See the pedal in my avatar? I made that from a junction box cover from a electric motor. These covers are sometimes referred to as a dog house, or a pecker head, for some reason, lol. When I first saw a box of these in a pile of junk at work, my first thought was "wow, that would make a cool looking pedal".. Then I thought about the ergonomics of the sloped front, etc. I guess I like an "industrial" look. I also really dig the "distressed" look, like the stuff Grindy does.
So when I say "looks" don't matter, I'm full of crap! Lol.. In reality, I just don't like to spend a lot of time doing a finish on the outside of my boxes, because I know they're going to get messed up anyways. I mean, it's a foot pedal, it's meant to be stepped on! And sometimes it's gonna get banged around, beer spilt on it, etc.
Much respect for those of you with the patience to do them up all fancy, though.
Quote from: Jefe on April 07, 2014, 05:52:40 PM
We're definitely visual animals. Despite anything I may have said earlier in the thread about looks, I definitely care about looks, lol. It's just usually directed at other things than what's on the floor in front of me.
I almost always prefer black pickguards, for some reason. And I doubt I would ever have the cajones to play something like a Hello Kitty guitar on stage. Speaking of being on stage, I want to look "cool" up there, meaning 9 times out of 10, I'll be wearing a black t-shirt and jeans.
And all that said, I definitely DO care what my pedals look like to an extent. See the pedal in my avatar? I made that from a junction box cover from a electric motor. These covers are sometimes referred to as a dog house, or a pecker head, for some reason, lol. When I first saw a box of these in a pile of junk at work, my first thought was "wow, that would make a cool looking pedal".. Then I thought about the ergonomics of the sloped front, etc. I guess I like an "industrial" look. I also really dig the "distressed" look, like the stuff Grindy does.
So when I say "looks" don't matter, I'm full of crap! Lol.. In reality, I just don't like to spend a lot of time doing a finish on the outside of my boxes, because I know they're going to get messed up anyways. I mean, it's a foot pedal, it's meant to be stepped on! And sometimes it's gonna get banged around, beer spilt on it, etc.
Much respect for those of you with the patience to do them up all fancy, though.
I love that enclosure, Jefe. I bet it sheds beer better than the average box! I think that enclosure would look amazing done up all steampunk. And that would definitely make for inspired playing!!
Quote from: midwayfair on April 07, 2014, 04:53:46 PM
Basically, you can't take anyone's word for what they say they want or don't want, because human beings are visual animals. Everyone listens with their eyes whether they want to or not. It's subconscious. Psychoacoustics are one hell of a drug.
Funny you say this. One of the guys I built for (Just a basic Dist+ with some mods) specifically said they wanted NO markings or ANYTHING on the pedal. Just a completed PCB wired up inside an aluminum enclosure with switches, jacks, toggles, knobs, etc.
I took it upon myself to simply paint the box a semi-matching yellow color merely for protection. ;D
It almost became a DEAL BREAKER! ::) He told me he really didn't care for the paint. His exact words were "I didn't want it painted. I don't care what it looks like! I only care about how it makes me sound!" This was after I told him that I wasn't going to charge him for the paint at all! :o
He ended up taking it home anyways and later told me that it replaced his beloved original Dist+ so it worked out but, a prime example of Function over Fashion! 8)
Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on April 07, 2014, 06:11:34 PM
Quote from: midwayfair on April 07, 2014, 04:53:46 PM
Basically, you can't take anyone's word for what they say they want or don't want, because human beings are visual animals. Everyone listens with their eyes whether they want to or not. It's subconscious. Psychoacoustics are one hell of a drug.
Funny you say this. One of the guys I built for (Just a basic Dist+ with some mods) specifically said they wanted NO markings or ANYTHING on the pedal. Just a completed PCB wired up inside an aluminum enclosure with switches, jacks, toggles, knobs, etc.
I took it upon myself to simply paint the box a semi-matching yellow color merely for protection. ;D
It almost became a DEAL BREAKER! ::) He told me he really didn't care for the paint. His exact words were "I didn't want it painted. I don't care what it looks like! I only care about how it makes me sound!" This was after I told him that I wasn't going to charge him for the paint at all! :o
He ended up taking it home anyways and later told me that it replaced his beloved original Dist+ so it worked out but, a prime example of Function over Fashion! 8)
Except that if he says he doesn't care what it looks like, why would he be upset about it being painted? See? Aesthetics rearing its ugly (beautiful?) head again!
Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on April 07, 2014, 06:11:34 PM
It almost became a DEAL BREAKER! ::) He told me he really didn't care for the paint. His exact words were "I didn't want it painted. I don't care what it looks like! I only care about how it makes me sound!" This was after I told him that I wasn't going to charge him for the paint at all! :o
This is why I said "when I think it's appropriate" ... every once in a while, you just KNOW that the customer actually cares about something. I hate to be cynical, but what it sounds like was actually going on here is that he DID care what it looked like -- he wanted it to look like he didn't care what it looked like. I might even go so far as to say he wanted it to look like something that would make people go, "What's in that?" and he gets to tell them "Oh it's just something this really little known builder made for me. It's like a Distortion+ but its sounds sooooo much better."
You know. The gearhound version of
(http://www.davidwygant.com/blog-images/wp-content/uploads//hipster-with-neckbeard-david-wygant-300x199.jpg)
Quote from: midwayfair on April 07, 2014, 06:25:15 PM
Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on April 07, 2014, 06:11:34 PM
It almost became a DEAL BREAKER! ::) He told me he really didn't care for the paint. His exact words were "I didn't want it painted. I don't care what it looks like! I only care about how it makes me sound!" This was after I told him that I wasn't going to charge him for the paint at all! :o
This is why I said "when I think it's appropriate" ... every once in a while, you just KNOW that the customer actually cares about something. I hate to be cynical, but what it sounds like was actually going on here is that he DID care what it looked like -- he wanted it to look like he didn't care what it looked like. I might even go so far as to say he wanted it to look like something that would make people go, "What's in that?" and he gets to tell them "Oh it's just something this really little known builder made for me. It's like a Distortion+ but its sounds sooooo much better."
You know. The gearhound version of
(http://www.davidwygant.com/blog-images/wp-content/uploads//hipster-with-neckbeard-david-wygant-300x199.jpg)
you making pedals for the Amish?
I have seen this guy play out before and I have seen his "gear." Trust me.... He really DOESN'T care what it looks like.
Regardless.... my point was that most of the musicians I have sold to favored the sound of the pedal far more than what it looked like. I am not saying it is not important to value esthetics. Just offering a personal observation 8)
I have NEVER has a customer say to me "Dont worry about how it sounds... as long as it LOOKS good"
I have had customers tell me SEVERAL times "Don't focus too much on the look... make sure it sounds great!" ;)
I think that with boutique effects it is more common for people to expect good looks AND good sound. It all kind of feeds into the specialized market that commands higher prices than your typical Boss or MXR pedal.
Certainly there are plenty of people that don't care much about looks. No doubt gigging musicians are likely to care far more about reliability and sound (probably in that order) than looks. But gigging musicians aren't the only purchasers of pedals. There are tons of hobbyists and collectors that have plenty of time to dwell on all aspects, including the aesthetics of the box.
I've had a couple of people tell me they didn't care what was on the box, but most of them actually did. The majority of people cared quite a bit about what it looked like. They also care about the aesthetics of their guitars and amps.
Quote from: peAk on April 07, 2014, 06:40:36 PM
you making pedals for the Amish?
Yeah. Truly analog.
Quote from: pickdropper on April 07, 2014, 07:25:53 PM
I think that with boutique effects it is more common for people to expect good looks AND good sound. It all kind of feeds into the specialized market that commands higher prices than your typical Boss or MXR pedal.
+1 ^^^
I think you hit the nail on the head here.... 8)
Quote from: Leevibe on April 07, 2014, 05:56:12 PM
I love that enclosure, Jefe. I bet it sheds beer better than the average box! I think that enclosure would look amazing done up all steampunk. And that would definitely make for inspired playing!!
Lol, thanks Leevibe! I'm not sure if I'd play any more or less inspired if my pedals had a different look. I finished this particular pedal about 5 years ago, so I pretty much stopped caring what it looked like long ago. On the other hand, I still do appreciate the fact that I built it like a tank, it works flawlessly, and it still sounds killer.
Quote from: pickdropper on April 07, 2014, 07:25:53 PM
I think that with boutique effects it is more common for people to expect good looks AND good sound.
Not in my definition of boutique:
- Painted by the makers child if you're lucky, if not dymo'll do.
- Wired up whilst wired on LSD. Or potentially assembled by the same child (I wonder if boutique companies are actually child sweatshops some times).
- Covered in goo. Let's face it, it probably looks better than what's underneath.
- Marketed as sounding like some holy grail, unobtanium amplifier. When it's an overdrive...
- An overdrive with a few components changed...
- Probably a Tube Screamer.
- Priced at about the cost it would take to actually make a clone of the amp it proports to sound like.
I'm really quite a cynical jaded bastard at times...
I don't actually class people turning out decent kit as boutique. They're low volume / custom pedal makers. Boutique is a derisory term as far as I'm concerned.
Quote from: juansolo on April 07, 2014, 07:57:03 PM
[...]
I don't actually class people turning out decent kit as boutique. They're low volume / custom pedal makers. Boutique is a derisory term as far as I'm concerned.
Yes.
Boutique is right up there with Toan in my book.
Musicians and cork sniffers aren't the only ones concerned with the looks. An employee of mine plays worship at his local church. We built up a So-wHatt-O on vero together, and then he spent some time on sanding and coloring a 1590A just right (think Rej's distrested looks). It was "rejected" for stage use.(A Modtone Atomic phase however was approved for another player) We rehoused it into a polished enclosure, and now it's completely approved and "quite an amazing effect". Some of his fellow musicians are interested in a couple. I offered $50.00 ea for bare unpolished because they were his friends, and it's a SHO in a 1590a on vero. I can build them in my sleep. They tried to guilt me into doing it cheaper "for the church".
And be sure to run the Super Hard On into the Big Muff on the worship pedal board, surely get a rise from the congregation.
dave
Quote from: davent on April 07, 2014, 09:22:51 PM
And be sure to run the Super Hard On into the Big Muff on the worship pedal board, surely get a rise from the congregation.
dave
Actually he pairs a Super Hard On with a Swollen Pickle. I still grin every time.
I should say I don't disrespect worship players. They're outstanding musicians in their own right. It's the excessive cork sniffing and the entitlement that they should get a discount because they play for the church that is my issue.
I trust that's in a plain brown wrapper as well.
It's a Dunlop version. And ok.