OT- Whats the worst effect you ever bought? Play with?

[DougH]

Wow, the Morley Wah seems to be the most mentioned pedal in this thread. It just keeps coming up over and over again.

Mine would be an old zoom bass multi-effect pedal I got back in the late 90s. I asked my parents for a boss bass overdrive pedal for Christmas and they instead got me that zoom POS. They said that the guy at the guitar store told them not to buy a boss overdrive because it only did one effect, and instead buy the zoom becasue it only cost a little bit more and had tons of different effects. (facepalm) They were so proud of their gift, I didn't have the heart to tell them that the guy at the guitar store was a @#$%ing moron.

It made my bass guitar sound like sh*t by just plugging into it. All of the overdrive and distortions sounded like a bit-crushed fart. The compressor didn't even work. The chorus effect was the only thing even moderately usable. The only part of it I ever got any use out of was its 9v power supply, and I can't even use that with many other pedals because it actually puts out 14volts!

This story made me sad

I hate my local guitar shop workers so much. I'm proud to buy everything online until they stop treating clueless customers like utter garbage.

Reminds me of how, at the tender age of 18 when I was young & stupid, I was talked out of the Dimarzios I really wanted for some cheezy off-brand pickups that sounded like ass- by a local mom & pop music store guy. I don't have much sympathy for brick & mortar mom & pop places that go out of business due to online stores. They are lying in the bed they made a long time ago...

[newfish]

Reminds me of how, at the tender age of 18 when I was young & stupid, I was talked out of the Dimarzios I really wanted for some cheezy off-brand pickups that sounded like ass- by a local mom & pop music store guy. I don't have much sympathy for brick & mortar mom & pop places that go out of business due to online stores. They are lying in the bed they made a long time ago...

Yep.  Been there too.  Was given the choice between an all-valve / tube 100w Marshall head, and a 100w MOSFET Head (also Marshall).
...for exactly the same price!

I opted for the MOSFET, since it had reverb, and a push/pull arrangement on the gain channel for 'instant thrash-tone'.

To be fair, I didn't know enough about caring for valve / tube amps back then, so I don't feel *too* foolish.  Much..

[.Mike]

Akai Shred-o-matic D1. I have no idea why I bought this thing, although I suspect it is because I sometimes cannot exercise self-control when it comes to huge discounts.

Granted, I don't "shred," but I still can't seem to find any usable settings on this thing. Wait-- actually, it is very good at holding down paper on a breezy day.

As of right now, it is my rainy day pedal. Since I am well on my way to being completely debt-free, I budget a strict amount of money each year for this hobby. If I exhaust my budget (as I have already done for this year) and see something I would really like to buy, this thing is going up on Ebay for a quick fifty bucks.

Unless someone wants to buy it right now for $75. It's a really great pedal... really great... totally worth the price. 

Mike

[flintstoned]

Add another vote for the zoom 505. I get disgusted when I think about how many hours I played it, but it did have a headphone jack and kept me from getting kicked out of my apartment at the time. The worst build I had was the Jen hi frequency modulator. Built it on perf as a noob and spent so many hours trying to get it "right". I eventually caved in and bought a PCB for it only to realize that my perf version was actually error free. Then i spent hours searching this forum for some sort of mods and all I found was other complaints about how worthless it is. What a waste.

[gmoon]

In defense of the Zoom 505, it works OK as a noise gate, digital reverb and fair-to-middling as a tuner. The EQ is OK too, if you have the patience to flip through 50 (non-intuitive) settings.

But the distortion is generally poor, and all the stock patches are...eh.

I still use it sometimes. It helps that I bought it (new) for $29. So I got what I paid for...

And what flintstoned said--it works as a headphone amp, too.

[Projectile]

This story made me sad

I hate my local guitar shop workers so much. I'm proud to buy everything online until they stop treating clueless customers like utter garbage.

Reminds me of how, at the tender age of 18 when I was young & stupid, I was talked out of the Dimarzios I really wanted for some cheezy off-brand pickups that sounded like ass- by a local mom & pop music store guy. I don't have much sympathy for brick & mortar mom & pop places that go out of business due to online stores. They are lying in the bed they made a long time ago...

I tried to support my local mom and pop store for many years (the same shop that convinced my parents to buy the zoom), They were great guys and I almost considered them family, but they were just as clueless as your average guitar center employee (if not more-so), except they didn't have any corporate overlords to tell them they were doing it wrong. I felt horrible the day I finally went to another town to buy a new bass at a big SamAsh supercenter, but they just had the most shit inventory at the mom and pop place. Yet, they had a million opinions on why the crap they sold was so good. I think they were just really gullible and bought into whatever their distributor's sales reps were telling them.

I even remember getting a big lecture from the store owner when I was 13 about how to "make it" in he music biz. Apparently he believed there was only one way to ever get signed to a record label, and that was to play cover songs at bars for years until you get good enough to be the "house band" and then you can start slipping original tunes into your setlist until you find a "hit". He honestly believed that was "the only way" any band ever made it in the music industry. Even though I was only 13, I knew that none of the bands I listened to had ever been a house cover band at a bar and he was full of shit.

Oh well, I'm pretty sure their little shop is still in business after all these years, so they must be doing something right.

[Paul Marossy]

I tried to support my local mom and pop store for many years (the same shop that convinced my parents to buy the zoom), They were great guys and I almost considered them family, but they were just as clueless as your average guitar center employee (if not more-so), except they didn't have any corporate overlords to tell them they were doing it wrong. I felt horrible the day I finally went to another town to buy a new bass at a big SamAsh supercenter, but they just had the most sh*t inventory at the mom and pop place. Yet, they had a million opinions on why the crap they sold was so good. I think they were just really gullible and bought into whatever their distributor's sales reps were telling them.

I actually used to get some pretty good deals at one of those mom & pop stores and they had used instruments. In the city where I live, forgot about pawn shops - they are horrible. I've seen them trying to sell beat up guitars for as much (or more!) than what they cost new!  

Anyway, at one time this shop had a pretty decent product line and then they kept changing to cheaper and cheaper products. They started out with Fenders & other brands and ended being pretty much only a Samick dealer. I was told that Samick builds Ibanez's guitars and stuff like that. I don't know if it was true or not. When Musicians Friend (later to become Guitar Center) came to town, it killed 90% of the mom & pop stores in town. I hate going to Guitar Center, I avoid it at all costs. And when I do go there to get something I need, they usually don't have it anyway. Now it's like in that movie where Sandra Bullock says "all restaruants are Taco Bell now."

[Govmnt_Lacky]

Anyway, at one time this shop had a pretty decent product line and then they kept changing to cheaper and cheaper products. They started out with Fenders & other brands and ended being pretty much only a Samick dealer.

+1

I have seen a lot of this happening with some of my local musical stores. They used to carry Gibson, Fender, etc. and now they carry Samick and other "hand-made" brands. When I asked one local dealer why they do not carry some of the other brands I was told:
"Gibson and Fender DEMAND a certain amount of floor space for their product and we just cannot commit to that amount of space."

We used to have 5 music stores within 30 miles that carried these "name brand" products. Now, we have only 3 still in business and only 1 of those still carries Gibson, Fender, etc. products.

[ayayay!]

To be fair, it's ridiculous what some companies put on music stores.  Gibson requires a $100K buy-in, and you HAVE to carry a certain amount of all their products.  So you have to order so many Gibson straps, Gibson picks, Gibson strings, Gibson deodorant...  Even if it's the crap that doesn't sell.  I know it literally put 2 businesses out of business here in Kansas City because they couldn't keep up with Gibsons model. 

[bluesman1218]

I have seen a lot of this happening with some of my local musical stores. They used to carry Gibson, Fender, etc. and now they carry Samick and other "hand-made" brands. When I asked one local dealer why they do not carry some of the other brands I was told:
"Gibson and Fender DEMAND a certain amount of floor space for their product and we just cannot commit to that amount of space."

We used to have 5 music stores within 30 miles that carried these "name brand" products. Now, we have only 3 still in business and only 1 of those still carries Gibson, Fender, etc. products.

It's true, they have to commit to carry a certain percentage of the product line AND a certain level of inventory to be Fender & Gibson dealers. I don't blame the small stores for that, but they are certainly accountable for product knowledge and how it is shared. Sadly, unless you need it TODAY, there is little incentive to deal locally, what with price matching, free shipping, no sales tax and 30-45 day return policies. As always, it boils down to supply and demand.

Jono and I replied at the same time.

[Paul Marossy]

To be fair, it's ridiculous what some companies put on music stores.  Gibson requires a $100K buy-in, and you HAVE to carry a certain amount of all their products.  So you have to order so many Gibson straps, Gibson picks, Gibson strings, Gibson deodorant...  Even if it's the crap that doesn't sell.  I know it literally put 2 businesses out of business here in Kansas City because they couldn't keep up with Gibsons model.  

Yeah, I was told by that mom & pop music store I used to frequent that Fender for example had a requirement that you had to buy X amount of dollars of their products every month. I don't think they care if you're selling it or not, they just want a guaranteed income.

And then you have brands like Parker where you can't even find one in a music store anywhere. I would like to have Parker Fly deodorant, that would be cool! Oh but wait, you can't go to your local music store and get any. So I'd have to order it online. But wait.. what if I don't like it? Do I have to pay the return shipping?

I don't like some of the changes of the last 10-15 years. But I've gotten used to it. 

[Rob Strand]

I have seen a lot of this happening with some of my local musical stores. They used to carry Gibson, Fender, etc. and now they carry Samick and other "hand-made" brands.

In some ways that forces people to try other brands that might not otherwise be sold those stores - maybe not a bad thing.   Not sure how much of the market Fender and Gibson are losing.

[Paul Marossy]

I have seen a lot of this happening with some of my local musical stores. They used to carry Gibson, Fender, etc. and now they carry Samick and other "hand-made" brands.

In some ways that forces people to try other brands that might not otherwise be sold those stores - maybe not a bad thing.   Not sure how much of the market Fender and Gibson are losing.

The problem though is that the caliber of your clientele keeps going down down down and then your only customers bawk at the price of a $49 guitar made in China. Then your business is doomed because there is no diversity in the type of customers that walk into your store, you can't make a profit and you go broke not too long after that. I've seen it happen first hand.

On the other side of the coin, I have seen another independently owned music store go out of business because they were overpriced and apparently thought they were the best thing since sliced bread. But they are gone now, too. I think they were probably victims of the local depression here in Las Vegas.

[digi2t]

I know it doesn't qualify as an effect, but since there was some Gibson bashing going on, I thought I'd chime in...

1971 Gibson SG Custom. Bought it in 1987, during a fit of Angus Young fever. I don't know if it was a "Friday afternoon" model, but it was the worst piece of lumber that was ever strung! It seemed to be fine at the store when I bought it (obviously, my fever hadn't broken yet), but it quickly degenerated into WTF territory after that. I hated it. Sold it for a loss (happily), and found an 82 Ibanez Destroyer in a pawn shop in Seattle 4 months later. Loved and cherished that guitar for years, until financial difficulty forced us to part ways.

With that said, the SG has permanently scarred me of all things "Gibson" , while the Ibanez is top of my list of fine guitars. Today, I would rather buy and/or build a Gibson copy. Case in point, my 2002 Dillion Explorer copy. Excellent instrument, one of my workhorses.

And as Forest would say, "That's all I have to say about that..."

Cheers,
Dino   

[Paul Marossy]

With that said, the SG has permanently scarred me of all things "Gibson" , while the Ibanez is top of my list of fine guitars. Today, I would rather buy and/or build a Gibson copy. Case in point, my 2002 Dillion Explorer copy. Excellent instrument, one of my workhorses.

I have never liked any Gibson models that I have tried. I don't like the scale length, and I hate the whole neck/bridge design on all their guitars. Plus I require a vibrato bridge, no fixed bridges for me.

My first guitar in 1987 was a MIJ Fender Strat and then my next three guitars were Ibanez, last one was an S470FM which is a great guitar and was my main guitar from 1998 to 2005. I also bought a MIJ hot-rodded re-issue Strat around 1994 but it just didn't excite me, although it looked pretty. Then I got a Parker Nitefly Mojo in 2005 and that ended my quest for the perfect electric guitar. I just got a 1995 Fly Deluxe a few weeks ago, too. Parkers to me are the ultimate guitar because of the neck and composite fretboard with glued on stainless steel frets - VERY PRECISE ACTION. It TOTALLY blows away any of the other *nice* "shredder type guitars I have ever owned. One thing that has always frustrated me about the Strat design is that I just can't get the action to my liking because of the way they are designed (neck/fretboard profile and bridge once again).

Anyway, yeah, my MIJ Strat was very high quality. Probably better than an American made Strat from the same time period.

[ryanuk]

I have 3 dire effects that Ive experienced.

1. Marshall Guv'nor - I have one of the older black/red stripe models. I have NEVER got a decent tone from that. I've built LOADS of pedals and I tried to give the Guv'nor a make-over. Still sounded like a wasp stuck in a jar. Ive owned the pedal for 15 years and ever once in a while I'll dig it out and see how it sounds. Its never impressed me yet.

2. Mesa Boogie V-Twin. These seem to be a love/hate thing. I hated mine from day 1. An impulse buy that I regretted until I ebay'd it for a good profit. Everyone raves about these things but I found the sound masked everything I love about how my guitars sound.

3. Every multi fx box I've ever owned!

This subject is really subjective though. I used to own a Boss ME-80 (?). I thought it was the mutts nuts. I reluctantly traded it in for an amp. Years later I bought another ME-80. I thought I could recapture my "vintage" tones. Ive never been more disappointed.

Lastly, Im actually a morley fan. Though mine is a power wah model which actually has an inductor. Its a dunlop circuit with optics for the pot. Sounds decent unlike the inductor-less morley wahs.

[WhenBoredomPeaks]

One day, Europa will have to give a Marshall plan to the states.

In our current state we could give you guys an MG at best.


on topic: 2N3904 unmodded si fuzzfaces, or generally the fuzzface, i had to build and breadboard several of them to get 1-2 semi right.

Oh and some Artec drives and a wah.

[Barcode80]

I think the worst effect I have ever bought was a morley wah, but it really wasn't all that bad, it's just the worst i've ever had.  Took a while to get used to the switching, and until I went in and modified the LDR setup i didn't get a good sweep (my first mod ever!)

Can you enlighten please? I use a bad horsie, and though I love the switching and such, the sweep is very all or nothing. Any way to make it more gradual?

[diemilchmann]

DOD Grunge. Utter crap.

[ayayay!]

Lots of Zoom bashing.  And rightfully so, but hear me out:  Zoom did this REALLY STUPID thing on those 90's series 50x pedals, which was to put a built-in volume drop into the pedal.  I think it was the whole "knobs are now obsolete and we know you all all love MIDI racks and tweaking more than playing" time in our lives.

Now, I can't speak for the II series as I haven't tried them or read their manuals, but the first 50x series had their volume set at 40 of an available 50.  Who knows why... 

I have a 508 Delay that will never *never* leave my pedalboard, as I still love its functions better than a DL4 or DD-20!  Say what you will, people love it when they hear it.  It's ridiculously simple to tap and scroll through.  My bass player uses the 506 in the studio and I showed him the master volume trick and it's now his primary pedal.  He doesn't even use his Bass Pod anymore. 

http://s3.amazonaws.com/samsontech/related_docs/506.pdf

http://s3.amazonaws.com/samsontech/related_docs/508.pdf