WHY do the professional effectsdesigners come to this place?

[MarkB]

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!

don't forget that you can plug them as much as you like... and even lend them to your friends to plug them... heck, you can even plug em in public places without them minding (though some women actually dig that, too.. but I digress)

*ducks*
"-)

[casey]

i am surprised that no one has said anything about how most of
z. vex's effects are nothing like what you find on the forum....
or any other effects site......

here's some examples:

the nano head, fuzz, wah, and tremelo probe, lofi loop junky,
seek wah, ooh wah

i would venture to guess that the "boutique" builders are around
because they like the hobby.

[AL]

MarkB you live in a much better place than I.  I've gotta move to Florida.

AL

[Fret Wire]

....And you can plug them anywhere in the chain, and the most they ask for is a buffer.

They don't mind if I stay out with my buddies Fender and Marshall!

Hell, they like to come along!

I can put bigger knobs on them for less than 5 bucks!!!!

[Mark Hammer]

It's ironic that there is always one or two threads a year here and on Ampage from people who are pondering branching out from making pedals for themselves into a "business".  Some take the leap and succeed, some leap and fall, some stand perpetually at the precipice teetering, and some walk up to the edge, look down and back away.  All just "regular folks" with an itch they would love to be able to scratch for a living (or maybe so that their "living" doesn't have to take too much time away from scratching).  I doubt whether a single one ever approached consideration of a pedal business the way people end up running a convenience store, or selling cars, or a lot of other different fields where what you sell is not really guided by any sort of dream.

The irony is that once someone crosses over the boundary of thinking about it to doing, all of a sudden they cease to be a "regular guy" and become thought of as a "designer" or "manufacturer".  Yeah, right, and a fuzz box with 500 units sold per year will plunk you immediately and directly in the seat of a Mazerati parked in front of one of those houses you see on Miami Vice or a porn flick or music video.  Money for nuthin and chicks for free.

People DO this for a living largely because they have a hard time *stopping* thinking about stompboxes, so why shouldn't it surprise anyone that they come to a place where they can continue talking about them?  I'll bet Ton's bench and workspace doesn't look a helluva lot different than mine or Mike Irwin's or Joe Gagan's (well, theirs may be a bit neater; I was recently the winner of a "Messiest Office" award at a work-related gathering :oops: ).  "Designers" flip through current issues of magazines, see a pedal and think "nice set of features on that one" (and probably look at the filament in those Tube Store ads too!! :lol: ).

They come here because there is no one to talk to when you're toiling away in your basement or the spare bedroom of your 2-bedroom apartment..

[Fret Wire]

Mark, it's like that in any hobby that you try to persue as a living. There's a high failure rate, just because of the emotional attachment to the work. People forget that there has to be a business side also. Take restrurants, they have one of the highest failure rates. "I can, and love to cook, so I'll start one". I grew up in that business, successful too, but many weren't. I'm an accomplished Ametuer Gunsmith (self-taught since early teens). I did a successful trial run awhile back to see if it was worth persuing upon my retirement (at age 46 ). The work itself wasn't the challenge, the detachment from the love of the work was.

What's that field have to do with pedals? They are usually started by someone'e extreme passion for the hobby. Luckily, in that field, there are tons of books devoted to getting started in the business. Every good book will start out with a shop layout, equipment, hours, and the business end in general.
More importantly, any good book will always devote a chapter to recognizing the hobby/business separation problem that plagues the field. It's one of the few small business fields that recognizes, and addresses this problem. I could take one of these chapters, omit the firearm references, substitute pedals, and it would really hit home.  Of course, firearms are controversial to some, but that's not the point of this reply. It's that you may enter this field for the love of the work, but you'll fail if you don't treat it like a business.

[B Tremblay]

...I'll bet Ton's bench and workspace doesn't look a helluva lot different than mine or Mike Irwin's or Joe Gagan's...

[puretube]

no comment....

[Doug H]

What's that field have to do with pedals? They are usually started by someone'e extreme passion for the hobby. Luckily, in that field, there are tons of books devoted to getting started in the business. Every good book will start out with a shop layout, equipment, hours, and the business end in general.
More importantly, any good book will always devote a chapter to recognizing the hobby/business separation problem that plagues the field. It's one of the few small business fields that recognizes, and addresses this problem. I could take one of these chapters, omit the firearm references, substitute pedals, and it would really hit home.  Of course, firearms are controversial to some, but that's not the point of this reply. It's that you may enter this field for the love of the work, but you'll fail if you don't treat it like a business.

Those are excellent points.

I think something that is related to this is that when you are doing this as a hobby you are afforded several luxuries that someone in business doesn't have. Beyond the obvious things, like being able to put it down whenever you want and etc, I think a big luxury we enjoy is that of being in a permanent state of design/prototyping. Shoot, I have so many ideas and different things I want to try, I could keep myself busy 12 hrs a day for a very long time, just doing the design/prototyping activity alone.

But beyond the time spent on the business aspects, you also have to share your enthusiasm for design with more than a passing interest in manufacturing if you're going to do this for a living. Working the problems associated with producing X number of widgets per month to meet your quota is a completely different set of thought processes than what is involved in dreaming up your next cool design. The emphasis then shifts to efficiency, consistency, and repeatability, as well as reliability and road-worthiness. Those can be fun and interesting challenges in their own way as well, but are a far cry from the kind of concerns we have producing one-offs as a hobby.

I think my dream job would be to be part of a design team for this kind of gear. But when you are starting your own business, you get to do it all for a while anyway. Until you can afford to hire others, that is. This is not meant to be a discouragement either. I think passion counts for a lot, and can go a long way in carrying you through the mundane, as well as bad times. But it is important to be aware of the realities of what you have to pay attention to if you want to be successful.

Doug

[Paul Marossy]

Nice parts bins, puretube.  

My bench looks messy like that when I am in the middle of a project sometimes. But, I always clean it up when I am done. Got to keep stuff out of the hands of my two year old...

BT - Say, is that Joe Gagan soldering away?

Here's what mine looks like when I am not working there:
I have some parts bins along the wall now, not shown in this picture. I know, I am extraordinarily neat. Always have been a neat and tidy kind of guy...

[B Tremblay]

BT - Say, is that Joe Gagan soldering away?

It sure is.  I visited the Nine Volt Nirvana research lab a while back.

[RDV]

OT - Why did Joe G. stop coming here?

Regards

RDV

[Doug H]

OT - Why did Joe G. stop coming here?

Regards

RDV

I think he's just -real- busy right now.

(He's got a lot of b*lls, soldering with that nice homemade guitar in his lap, BTW...)

Doug

[Mark Hammer]

Those pictures are frighteningly familiar.  Well, except for the last one which is frighteningly UNfamiliar!  :oops:  :lol:

[B Tremblay]

(He's got a lot of b*lls, soldering with that nice homemade guitar in his lap, BTW...)

Well, to be honest, the photo was posed and the iron wasn't even turned on.  But Joe said that is how he usually worked.

It was really great to meet Joe and hang out for a bit.  No jamming, since he only has lefty guitars, but he did give me some Ge trannies and some silver mica caps.

Here's the rest of the photos from that day: http://home-wrecker.com/nvn.html

[Paul Marossy]

Well, that was also when I first created my work bench, which was created a few months ago. It's still kept neat and tidy when I'm not working there. I guess it's one of the things I actually have control over, so I like to keep it how I want it. The rest of the house, well, there's toys strewn all over the place and baby stuff, and it's kind of messy a lot of the time.

[RDV]

I actually cleaned my bench(desk) last night!
That don't happen too very often!

Regards

RDV

[Doug H]

Well, to be honest, the photo was posed and the iron wasn't even turned on.  But Joe said that is how he usually worked.

I've soldered a few times with my guitar strapped on (I stand at my bench- don't have a chair). So that pic of Joe made me feel better. (I try to keep myself from doing that kind of stuff most of the time- it's a constant struggle to try not to be in a hurry.)

Joe is a great guy and does beautiful work. I like the pic of the breadboard on the back of the amp. Something feels real familiar about that...

It's nice to see benches of the pros and hobbyists alike, and realize most of them are just as messy as mine. I feel a *lot* better now...

Doug

[casey]

HEY PURETUBE,

is that a sovtek mig 50 on your bench ?  i love that amp.  i've had one
for a few years and it's built like a tank (except for the plastic switches,
in which by the way have stood up to road abuse).  that amp is the
best buy for 250 bucks.....all russian tube loveliness......

:wink:

[WGTP]

Most off us are not into manufacturing and retail sales, just making cool devices.  The necessary evil of making money.......