Would you spend $549 on an OD pedal?

[bwanasonic]

Was just perusing the website of a pedalmaker that is known for their "recreations" of one of my favorite german made OD pedals. They seem to do a fantastic, well built recreation of said pedal from what I have seen / heard of demo clips. They also feature a whizbang gadget of an OD that features the usual 2-3 knobs, as well as 4 switches on the face. It's a swell looking thing, and I'm sure it's wonderful, but it's FRICKIN' $549 !!! Now I don't question that they have carefully determined the price point that makes a modest profit for them. I''m just curious how many people on THIS PLANET are in their target demographic? And believe me, at this point, as much as my heart is in the DIY camp, I certainly understand paying someone a fair sum to make nice pedals for me. I just cannot see selling an OD at that price without a personal consultation on the users entire signal chain. And can't help thinking there are other points in said signal chain you might address with that $549 before shelling it out for an OD pedal. Now here's the funny part: I wouldn't balk at all if you told me you told me you spent $137.25 @ for 4 OD pedals!

[Scruffie]

Now I don't question that they have carefully determined the price point that makes a modest profit for them.

There Price Point? That's the kinda price point of "If we charge more, people will pay it cause it looks like it's worth it"

No OD is worth that, $250 max, Some people I can see charge more for a small business run handmade with lots of extra work, but just a clone? I'd expect a reallyyy complex BBD based circuit for that much, unless it's some magic pedal that plays for you and comes with $300 in cash.

Unless there's something I don't know about this circuit that does something other ODs don't or is a design that warrants that cost.

They'll sell though, i've heard of this place called 'HCFX' i've never been there but I hear this sorta thing goes down.

[bwanasonic]

No OD is worth that, $250 max,

OK, so if someone took two of those $250 pedals and stuck them in one enclosure, would you pay $500 for it? 

[Scruffie]

No OD is worth that, $250 max,

OK, so if someone took two of those $250 pedals and stuck them in one enclosure, would you pay $500 for it? 

No cause alot of work is the PCB and the enclosure, i'd pay $350 maybe... well I wouldn't but if they charged that i'd atleast not complain.

[Hides-His-Eyes]

They'll sell though, i've heard of this place called 'HCFX' i've never been there but I hear this sorta thing goes down.

HCFX isn't that bad; they tend to like their delays more than anything. The main OD that gets praised on HCFX is PaulC's Timmy, which is very reasonably priced.

TGP, on the other hand, is where the lawyers who spend $10k on an amp and then play the same chords to mustang sally over it hang out.

[twabelljr]

Would you spend $549 on an OD pedal?

NO.

[ampman50]

I don't believe that I have $549 in my whole setup, that's 10 diy pedals, a tuner and the diy pedal board.

[Perrow]

For $549 you'll get three or four vintage pedals from eBay. Not clones, vintage pedals, the real deal.

Must be some clone they've got there.

[deadastronaut]

definately not........

id buy another amp with drive for that...

[jacobyjd]

I'd rather buy one of these (http://thetonegod.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=7&zenid=90913d1d626ddda6322a1125a3caffb2) + a good quality, reasonably priced overdrive with the $150 I had left over

[alparent]

I'm just curious how many people on THIS PLANET are in their target demographic?

I was in a fly fishing shop in Boston once, looking for fly tying supplies. They didn't have much, and what they add was way over priced!. Then I started to talk with the owner (a very nice man).And He gave me a lesson in marketing.

He told me there are two kind of people working in this building, lawyers and bankers. They don't care about the price and most of them don't even care about the product! All they care about is bragging rights. Most of them only go out fishing with guides on private streams.  All they care about is having something to brag about when they are having a drink at the country club.

I did purchase some stuff from him (old dusty fly tying supplies he basically gave me). He said these guys don't tie flies! They all got the high end vices and books (purchase mostly by there wives). But have no idea what a wipe knot is!


So I guess  what I saying is that their target demographic might be people like that (and mostly there kind but un-informed wives)

[Joe Hart]

No, I would not. What pedal is it anyway?

That being said, I do have a RPA from BSM (German), and it's amazing! By far my favorite distortion pedal. I pretty much just have it on all the time. It's so good. And they run $300.00+! I didn't buy it, it was given to me. But if it was stolen, I would seriously consider buying another. It's that good.
-Joe Hart

[ayayay!]

I did purchase some stuff from him (old dusty fly tying supplies he basically gave me). He said these guys don't tie flies! They all got the high end vices and books (purchase mostly by there wives). But have no idea what a wipe knot is!

I know what a wipe knot is!!!  Isn't that something you end up having to do after bad Mexican?

Hmm, this reminds me of that toast on Ebay that Justin Timberbrook or Lance Lass or somesuch took a bite out of.  If you associate a perceived value with it, it just might sell. 

[paulyy]

For a clone? No. If it was a one off custom made pedal for you, then maybe but still to high for an OD.

[R.G.]

"No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public." - H.L. Mencken

"Never give a sucker an even break." - W.C. Fields

"There's a sucker born every minute." attributed to P.T. Barnum

"Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder." - George Washington,

[DougH]

There will always be a luxury market for stuff like ermine-lined toilet seats. Whether this is intended to be part of that, who knows. I am amused at all the fuss and bowtweakery about overdrives though. All this sound and fury just to emulate the sound of turning your amp up a little...

[Mark Hammer]

If it came with catering, a limo, wife-approved hookers, and was claimable as an educational tax deduction, maybe.

There are some consumer items that depend upon the consumer losing or abandoning all sense of perspective and thinking in a silo.  I've heard so damn many ODs in my lifetime, I honestly can't tell the difference between a $14.99 FAB pedal and a $10,000 amp.

[amptramp]

I had a colleague at work once who started his own business making sailboat autopilots.  He used power window motors and a flux gate as the magnetic compass sensor.  He later changed to using a marine compass with a pair of hall-effect devices beside it as his sensor.  He started selling one or two a month at $350.  But he overheard a number of sailors saying, don't buy a Brand X radio, they are just $500, buy Brand Y, they are $1000.  So he raised his price from $350 to $800 and he was moving ten of them a month.  He rented a sailboat for several summers and wrote it off as a business expense.  He had great fun cruising around Georgian Bay (part of Lake huron) and visiting abandoned mining camps that only had land access via overgrown railroad spurs.  He even claims he found an engine to a Model A Ford lying on the ground but had no way to get it back on the boat!

So this $549 OD pedal is in the same category.  If I were to buy a pedal like that, it would have stompswitches for "Heal the Sick" and "Raise the Dead" and I would demand to see exactly that happen before I bought it.  Come to think of it, that would be a good name for a pedal or amp - Raise the Dead!

[nick d]

                  I recently built a pedal , lets call it " Harmonic Hijacker " , from a schemo I saw somewhere . Sounds just like the YouTube demos .
                  Cost about £12 to make , the same pedal sells for $220 plus p&p , and is out-of stock , 6-week waiting list .
                    Then again , I didn't use NOS PT2399 or MOJO 386 !

                   BTW , there is a Motorhead tune " Wake the Dead " - the iron is warming up !!!!!!!

[bwanasonic]

For the record, the pedal is the Masterbuilt Rockett Boost by Rockett Pedals. I didn't mean to imply they are fleecing the rubes or gouging. I was just curious who was in the market for a $549 stompbox. I'm a huge fan of the Nobels ODR pedals, and they apparently make a really nice "recreation".

http://www.rockettpedals.com/Rockett_Pedals/Master_Built_Series.html

I suppose this could be a valuable piece of kit for a studio player, but I have no idea what those guys using these days. They could all be using laptops.

K