Aqua Puss? Only $625! Pffft!

[Hairston]

Um, guys check this out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2579190363&category=41415

Am I missing something here?

This is just an analog delay and not a lost chalice from the Ming Dynasty, right?

-HB!

[BillyJ]

The Aqua-Puss is to delays as a newspaper cartoon is to a Monet painting.

From the eBay item description....


So...the aqua puss sucks?



Come on who really wants a WAY HUGE PUSS anyway?
Wet or not I'll pass.

[Mike Burgundy]

well...it rubs off, which in a weird way is just what a delay should do

[ErikMiller]

Gad I would love to see what's in these Way Huge things....we really need to get our reverse-engineering on here.

[jsleep]

Hey Erik,

IMHO

I doesn't matter what's inside the way huge stuff.  The prices have nothing to do with what's inside the box  (same as Ibanez ts-808).  Without even knowing, I feel confident that the insides are no different than the similar stuff they we already have schematics online.  For example one of them (can't remember which name) is a Anderton tube sound.

Don't think of these as guitar effects, these bidders are not buying guitar effects.  Their brains are somewhere else completely and I won't say where  :wink:   This is similar to the way "audiophiles" spend ridiculous amounts of money on the hyped up stuff that doesn't do anything.

JD

[Doug H]

Guys, you are all trying to apply logic to a collector's market. That's where you are going wrong. You have to understand that people are investing in these items because they believe they grow in value and provide a greater return in the future. The value is driven by a perception of rarity and etc and will be really high on out-of-production pedals like these. This is not the place you go shopping for a pedal to spill beer on at your next bar gig. I would guess a lot of these people never plug them in, other than to verify that they work.

The collector's market really has nothing to do with what we do here. I'm not defending it or knocking it, just saying it exists and that the motivations behind it are not the same as that for DIY electronics.

Doug

[Luke]

I really hope that this isnt a taboo or touchy subject, but what is with these way huge pedals? I mean, justjuding by the sound samples, their descriptions (and even their casings) they seem, well, diy. I am not saying tjhis is a bad thing (at all) its just that there appears to be this great aura around the brand- people RAVE about them as being so cool/great. How did way huge grab the attention of the so many? I mean, I dont know much about the way huge pedals, and honestly, I cant see the big fuss. Could anyone tell me how the whole way huge thing all started (and ended)? I have often wondered about that.
Oh- again, I hope I havent caused offence...
anyway,
take care,
Luke

[afranks]

No offense taken.

There's no magic.  Way Huge was one of the early boutique pedal builders.  They were good pedals, but no better than any of the other builders were making.  Then Jeorge Tripps (the main guy behind Way Huge) quit making pedals and went to work for Line6.  So there is a perception that all of his pedals (no longer made) are incredibly rare and collectible, and that's why the prices are so high.  Once all the boomers start croaking (and they *are* the ones responsible for all these outrageous vintage guitar/amp/effects prices) this crap will shake out, and prices will return to a reasonable level.  It's just gonna take another  twenty years.

BTW, $5 says that the Aqua-Puss is a Boss DM-2 with true bypass, tuned to do the feedback thing.  Save your $$$ and buy a DM-2.  Or build the AD-3208 at JD's site.

All the more reason to roll your own, I say... :-)
-alan

[Doug H]

Once all the boomers start croaking (and they *are* the ones responsible for all these outrageous vintage guitar/amp/effects prices) this crap will shake out, and prices will return to a reasonable level.  It's just gonna take another  twenty years.

That's interesting. I would think the boomers would be more interested in vintage fuzz faces and etc than any booteek stuff produced in the 80's or 90's. I don't know much about way huge but I don't consider them to be "vintage", I guess.

I don't think anything in a collector's market ever "shakes out" to anything rational or logical from a pragmatic point of view. The price is always based on someone's willingness to gamble on future value. Everything from beanie babies to fine art gets collected and valued in this way. This is just more of the same- no more and no less.

The only way I see this kind of market collapse is when Jeorge re-releases his Aqua-Puss with original circuitry, artwork, etc, and sells them for $79.95 at Musician's Friend. Even then, the diehards will have to be convinced that there is no tonal difference between that and the original.

Doug

[Bill_F]

The collector's market really has nothing to do with what we do here. I'm not defending it or knocking it, just saying it exists and that the motivations behind it are not the same as that for DIY electronics.

I think thats a good point. We tend to judge these things in a way very few people would. We look at it and think "I could make that easily and cheaply." Therefore we can't believe somebody would pay that much. We're not impressed with the "Magic" or "mojo" or whatever you want to call it, because we're pretty certain given enough time to tweak we can duplicate that. Were not overawed by the "coolness" factor because we think its much more "cool" playing through something our grimy little hands have made (at least I do).

The collector doesn't think like this at all. To them the money is worth it and they experience joy when they purchase it. They probably look at us and think "I can't believe they go through all the hassle of building those boxes when you can just buy the original off of Ebay!"

It's two completely different worlds and mindsets.

[Kilby]

Well theres a few ways to look at this:

I have always wanted a Rickenbacker 360 12 fireglow, with chequer board binding. However I am a crap guitar player and could not do it justice.

Some day I will have one, but I know that my playing will not do it justice. But when I have the cash available and the right one turns up at the right price I will buy it like a shot.

Will it be a ripoff, for me it won't, I could buy a reasionable Yamaha 12 electric for much less, but it's not what I want.

However consider the following.

1: The musician with a recogniseable 'sound, if an old or expensive piece of kit was nessicary for my continued income.

2: The collector

3: Hobby or semi pro players

4: DIY pedal people.

Type 1: It's a tool of the trade to ensure your income you need to have the correct tool for the job. Would I buy a 300 UKP pedal under those circumstances YES

Type 2: Personally I don't understand this one but lets pretend. I want it I must have it. It's an investment, and I have enough money. YES

Type 3: Does it give me the sound I want, and can I afford it without causing hardship ? Probably NO but it depends on finances, mood and a lot of other things.

Type 4: I know how much the parts cost, I know that most likely it is 90% cloned some other considerably cheaper pedal, app notes, or an vintage item. Will I buy it ? NO unless I am going to copy it and sell the original to types 1 or 2.

I'm in group 4 because I can't afford to buy the origina;s, and I enjoy building things. But give everybody else some respect (especially the pedal builders who produce ORIGINAL designs).

I don't understand type 2 but who am I to criticize anybody with my Ricky fetish.

Rob...

[Rory]

I can understand, somewhat the hype.  I still buy old, silver Big Muffs.  I can, and have built them, but there is just something about the whole package.  Maybe its the ram's head, the black and red silkscreening, the oversized box, I don't know.  I could probably make the artwork myself too, but there is just something about it that I love and will probably continue to buy them until I get sick of them.  Granted, this is not $600 a pop, more like $100, but it sure adds up.  I would assume other people have this infatuation with Way Huge as I have with the Big Muff?

[Luke]

thanks guys,
I can see what you are saying. If you think about it, how much would you pay for Jimi Hendrix' fuzz face? I would pay ALOT- it would be a good investment, and it would be a cool lttle piece of history to own. For me, I think thats about the only reson I would COLLECT a pedal (and pay an exorbinent price for one)
cheers,
Luke

[Hal]

well, now its the boomers, but soon there will be another generation to take their place in the money-wasting category.  The thing is that I'm 16, don't have a job, and therefore don't have cash to blow on that stuff.  Even though I'd like to think that I wouldn't blow it on that anyway....still, I'd be happy to score a vintage amp or effect if I could without breaking my bank...

[Paul Marossy]

Collectors are a quirky bunch.
People will pay several million dollars for a real Dusenberg.
$15,000 for a beat up '57 Fender Strat.
$500 for a crappy sounding original Arbiter Fuzz Face.
$1500 for a 1876 Carson City minted Morgan dollar in very good condition.
$300 for an old Italian made Vox wah that may or may not sound good.
And on and on. One man's junk is another man's treasure. It's all about how bad you want the other man's junk.   :?

[Bluesgeetar]

You guys have no idea what brand of hell the collectors are gonna give us.  I just tried to sin an ebay auction for 4 OC75 and I bid way high to the point of about it being $8 dollars a piece.  Got snipped at the last minute by some jerk named "Collecto03"  checked his history and this jerk buys everything not a musician.  I'm warning all of you take it from a guy who is always shopping and hunting vintage old trannys that went in our famous loved old pedals.  Word is out and collectors are now starting to go after old trannys.  Get them while you can!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hate collectors!  
PS I'll put my $300 dollar echoplex up against that Way Huge any day and destroy it tone wise!  I also have sound on sound!  Beat that Way Huge!

[JRobinson]

Why knock Way Huge? Again, it's the collectors that have the price up so high. Is it the fault of Ibanez that people try to get $1000 for a TS808? Yes, there is a guy presently trying to get a "buy it now" of $1000 on Ebay. Is Dallas Arbiter responsible for vintage Fuzz Faces going for $500?
I wouldn't knock the company, Jeorge is a good guy who went on to bigger and better things for himself.