WHY do the professional effectsdesigners come to this place?

[Paul Marossy]

Stick around Lurco, you'll figure out what we are all talking about.

A lot of people seem to like to bash Z. Vex, try to make clones of his stuff and post schematics against his wishes.

And there is a long list of others, as well, that fit into the same category.

[Ansil]

to get abused.

ROFL!!!!! :lol: There there, some of us still love you...but not in that way. :oops:

Andrew

i second that there TG.. and i wanted to say that Z has let me pick his braina few times.. and i have been grateful for his help.  i do think that he is underRated as a wicked builder designer and just a cool person with an all out whacky sense of humor.

lol and thats not just cause i am trying to get a nano.. lol

[javacody]

Z made my cry. In chat one morning at 4:13 AM, he said I use a Swedish Pump. He thinks he is gods gift to effects but he doesn't even hang out with Prince. I'm going to go buy all of his pedals and hit em with a hammer.   :lol:

[brett]

Swedish Pump

Must be some cultural difference that I don't understand??

zachary vex wrote:
to get abused.


You love it and you know it!

Like most folk, Mr Z probably likes a little pleasure as well as a little pain.  I hope we don't cross the line where we abuse him too much and he goes away.

Lately, I've been selling a few pedals (like just a couple, really).  It's made me understand the pressure that some builders might feel when they visit the forum.  Suddenly I feel like I'm stealing ideas if I use an idea for 2 pedals (one for me and one to sell).  And some of my pedals are fairly close to things like tubescreamers and bluesbreakers.  So when people are derogatory about the clone-makers, I feel a bit ashamed.

On the other hand, I publish and discuss everything I build/modify (e.g. the Miss Piggy), so I'm not keeping any secret intellectual property.  I figure that all I'm doing is providing a pedal-building service to those people who wouldn't know one end of a soldering iron from the other.

Ah....I feel a little better now I've got that off my chest...

[javacody]

Brett, ever seen Austin Powers? Right after they wake him up?

Also, don't be ashamed of selling your pedals. You are offering people a service. You are giving them something that they probably couldn't or wouldn't do for themselves. I doubt you are getting rich off of it.  

[petemoore]

1 You Get A new [to you] Idea
 2 You wonder if you're the first to do so ... [get That ^ Idea]
 3 You post the idea in the form of a unconentional question for a beginnerat Aron's, it gets lost.
 4 You see the same thing [with some mods] with a much better presentation take off under a different post
 5 You figure it was such an obvious thing, it was only a matter of time before someone much more knowing of these things [than yourself at the time] would find, experiment, test, and perfect it [if possible], and that it had no link to the post that originally only posed a question referring to the technique...
 6 in the long run you like the idea that ideas can be passed around, different 'takes' on the theme produce new ideas..etc
    ...after all, didn't we ALL hear one say as we oogled a car as kids "Wow, I wonder how much faster it would go with TWO engines in there"

[Jered]

...to make sure Zach gets his fair share of abuse.....:^)
 Jered

[RDV]

...I just want a lovely administrative assistant with long legs...

to heck with effects

RDV

[Brian Marshall]

I think a lot of the commercial builders love what they do, and to some extent like to help us little guys get started.

there is so much more to running a successful business than just simply making something and selling it.  a guy like z.vex has to deal with distributors, payroll, employees.  if you want to get to the big time, or even sort of big time in any business you have to deal with all of these.  there's already a billion people in china that will solder pedals (and lots of other things too) together for $0.02 per hour.  I think that online forums like this one help to promote a lot of boutique builders business indirectly, just by letting people know.... you have options other than the stuff they sell at guitar center.

I know i have said this before, but z.vex actually helped me get started by pointing me to some good books and such.

then maybe there is the other possibilities... maybe they like they like the ego boost of people idolizing them....  maybe they are just internet addicts, and they cant help it.

[brett]

...I just want a lovely administrative assistant with long legs...

I have some of those at work.   :twisted:  :twisted:  :twisted:  Building effects in my spare time is a way of getting my hormone levels back to near-normal....  So why would you build pedals if you really want women?

[Paul Marossy]

Lovely administrative assistant? I have one of those... my wife!
She reminds me all of the stuff that needs to be done that I don't want to do or forget about. I suppose every business needs something similar...

I guess I have it easy. I just stay up too late fiddling with this or that and I'm not trying to make money with this stuff. I know it would be hard to make $27 an hour and provide health insurance for my whole family building these little boxes that the average musician doesn't want to pay more than $40 for. So I guess I keep my day job. I really do admire people like Z. Vex who can actually do it.

[Roland]

Why? This is the place! Where else can you find a melting pot of knowledgable effects buiders of all calibers just shooting the electronic light fantastic.

All the so called professional designers all started as diy techs, be they formally trained or not and that just adds so much to this forum. Sure some get abused more than others but that seems to be the cost of a strong internet presence mixed in with a little jealousy, and stompbox envy from the abuser.

Another neat thing is the schematics archive. I know I've had the situation quite a few times where I'm presented with an obscure effect that needs repairing and it is handy to know what it was before someone easter egged there way thru it.

Where else can you even as a pro designer ask a question and immediatly have five or so intelligent responses. You can go to other forums but they are so general with very few diy'ers and mostly cater to end users discussing too many subjective topics.

There seems to be a real good balance here of pro, amateur and beginner effects builders/designers here to make it a valuable asset for all.

[puretube]

funny thread...

[amz-fx]

So why would you build pedals if you really want women?

because pedals are lower maintenance...

-Jack

[Doug H]

So why would you build pedals if you really want women?

because pedals are lower maintenance...

-Jack

And when you get tired of hearing it, you just press the switch...

Doug

[gez]

Yeah, but which one creates the most noise?

[RDV]

So why would you build pedals if you really want women?

Both are necessary evils. My lovely administrative assistant has short, fat legs though. The grass is always greener you know. I was refering to the Z.Vex slide show that Ansil has on his posts. On one of them them Z says, "You're really looking at Amada's long legs, aren't you". Yes. I was.

Here's to Women & Effects

RDV

[Paul Marossy]

That's funny!
Less maintenence. And you can switch them off.
Too funny!  :lol:

[Fret Wire]

That's funny!
Less maintenence. And you can switch them off.
Too funny!  :lol:

And opt not to replace their batteries!

They like to be stomped on!

They don't get upset if you spill a little beer on them!

When they get boring, a new chip will make them hot...like new!

You can play with the knobs all day long!

Easier to get rid of......eBay!

[Peter Snowberg]

That's funny!
Less maintenence. And you can switch them off.
Too funny!  :lol:

I prefer both when "switched on". Maybe I'm just odd.

Take care,
-Peter