Expression Pedal Shells

[smallbearelec]

http://www.smallbearelec.com/Updates.htm

[Gripp]

Looking great Steve!

Many a DIYer's dream.

I haven't ordered from you yet but I've been watching your stocklist for a long time now, making a list on the "impossible to get" things that you offer. This definitively is an item to add to that list.
I'm living in Sweden so Banzai is really fast/cheap for me, but they certainly don't have the range you have, and you are in many cases cheaper on the more esoteric stuff.

Best!
Pelle G

[Doug_H]

Fantastic, Steve! You are going to make many people very happy!

Nice work!

Doug

[Coriolis]

Very interesting! And at a reasonable price too (though shipping to Europe will notch it up)...
Actually, I don't think I can even get a secondhand wah in Denmark (where I live) for anywhere close to that price...
The price is put even more in perspective when a fulltone pot costs 25$! For a pot!  And it's not like Steve charges more than everyone else for those things (in Denmark, replacement Dunlop wah-pots cost an amount equal to 80$  ).
IOW, that is a GREAT price on those wah-shells!

C

[smallbearelec]

Decent wah pots should be more like $20 tops, and the Blacktops will be once I make the investment in a bulk purchase later in the year.

Shipping:

I can do surface parcel post to Latin America, Europe, or Japan (4-6 weeks) for $12 if you don't insist on insurance.

SD

[Nick Ellingworth]

This is great news,

I for one will be a customer in a few weeks/months depending on which projects get priority, $52 (just over £30) including shipping to Europe is a great price for a nice metal wah shell and certainly a lot better than buying a dodgy wah with a plastic shell and putting my own circuit in it.

Now the only problem is deciding which wah to build 

Thanks for this.

[Paul Marossy]

Cool! It's about time someone pulled that off. Right on! 

[Noplasticrobots]

Forget wahs! Hello Uglyface!

[nelson]

Am I the only one who thinks they are expensive?

If they included the wah pot I would be more inclined to buy one, as it stands I can probably get a crybaby shell for that with all innards on ebay. Not in new condition ofcourse, but still. Also there are crybaby copies for sale for about the same price new.

Sorry to complain, it is cool you are the only supplier selling them and are connected enough to realise there is a demand. Hopefully if demand is big enough you can decrease your import costs per unit and pass it onto us consumers.

Would there be a bulk discount?

Good luck

[Paul Marossy]

Am I the only one who thinks they are expensive?

Actually, I think they are a little expensive, too.  I have bought wahs off of ebay for as little as $20 for cannibalization. But, at least someone out there is offering wah shells now. Before there was no other choice but to buy one from ebay and gut it. 

[delbowski]

steve,

for what it's worth i think that you're doing an awesome job with getting new things in and updating the stock list as much as you do.  i really appreciate the work you put into getting us the parts we need so that we can drive ourselves silly with all the projects we want to do.  i'm sure this will be a great addition to your stock!

thanks for all you do,
del

[smallbearelec]

I figured that some people would find the price a little high. Bear a few things in mind, pls (some of which I mentioned in the Updates):

First, I actually don't make a lot of money on the 100 pieces I have because of the high minimums for freight and handling costs. IF I get commercial demand, yes, I will be able to bring in several hundred and lower the price for DIY. I expect to be able to offer lots of 10 at $37 each tops, F.O.B. Brooklyn.

Also, remember that your time is worth something. I'm well aware that you can find a dead wah on E-Bay. But you spend some time getting it, money for shipping, stripping it down, etc. So I have taken a small gamble that enough people (both here and abroad) will want one of these and will pay something for getting them off the shelf. I've already sold one to a local music shop, because the tech occasionally gets a request and doesn't like to have to rummage for them.

Absolutely, I will eventually be able to offer a partial kit at a favorable price that includes a Wah pot and other items, and maybe that's what will really make this fly. But the investment for bulk wah pots from China is several thousand dollars, and they are made to order. So it will take awhile. But I'm happy to have gotten started, and I hope that the easy availabilty sparks some new designs and projects.

Regards
SD

[rockgardenlove]

SWEET!

[TryingToDo613]

Steve you shouldn't hesitate to ask people to buy a certain number of something on this board. If it fails it fails. There are always going to be complainers no matter what you sell. But many of us here do this for a hobby, not to sell stuff, and we make decent living elsewhere. You might think of emailing your customers instead of just posting here. I go months sometimes where I don't check this board but I'd still buy something cool if I got an email from you. I personally hate this shell and bought one anyway. What we really need is a shell with an on and off button not on the tip of your foot, on the side, like that devil ibanez wah watchemacallit. -ph

[mrsage]

Steve you shouldn't hesitate to ask people to buy a certain number of something on this board. If it fails it fails. There are always going to be complainers no matter what you sell. But many of us here do this for a hobby, not to sell stuff, and we make decent living elsewhere. You might think of emailing your customers instead of just posting here. I go months sometimes where I don't check this board but I'd still buy something cool if I got an email from you. I personally hate this shell and bought one anyway. What we really need is a shell with an on and off button not on the tip of your foot, on the side, like that devil ibanez wah watchemacallit. -ph

You can always drill a hole in the side and throw a switch in there...




 

[galad]

while we're on the subject of making expression pedals...

i was with my friends the other day in the pottery place at my school and i noticed how much the pedal for spinning around the clay looked like an expression pedal. (i mean, it basically IS an expression pedal for the speed of the turning)
i asked if they break much, and they said sometimes,.. but only cause they have so much clay all over it and water gets all over them too

next time im there im gonna ask if they have any that are broken that i can have