Since you build them, do you still buy stompboxes?

[amonte]

I was surfing around the 'Net and came to the Barber Electronics site.  He has a compressor pedal on there that sounded great.  So I thought a minute about buying one in the future - and then thought I'd try to build one myself.

So do you guys still buy them?  Or do you do a build first?

[Doug_H]

;lkj

[Jason Stout]

ditto.

[David]

Uhh, that would be negatory, good buddy!

[petemoore]

I bought a DS=1 for 10 the other month...
 So far just put a split OA socket [for standard OA shapes]...
 I think it Needs some work on that fairly nasty high end..
 Got a BOSS Super Chorus for my birthday a few years ago...nice medium depth warm analog chorus actually...it is kinda nice..opening a box, plugging in and dialing to see what it 'actually does...
 7 years or so ago I bought a BOSS RV3...I'm still using that one...
 Got an ART Proverb for 10 also about a year ago....I like buying these very complicated designs already done for cheep ... yes.... ... never felt a need to DIY one..

[sir_modulus]

not like Dr.Q's or easy effects. I get hard ones, or actual pedals (like Wah/volume) to mod.

[cd]

Hell yes!  I figure it costs me $50-75 to build a pedal, counting parts, my time, finishing, etc. etc.  If I can find a commercial pedal in that price range, I'm buying it instead of building.  Then there are the really rare/cool/unique pedals I'd rather own instead of building.

[bobbletrox]

Everytime I see a pedal that I'd like to buy I think: "I could just make it myself" - but then I think "Why spend all that time building it when I could buy it and have it now?"

It's a DIY paradox  :cry:

Although I definitely would like to buy a Zvex pedal if I had the cash, and also a Dist+ and a BM to mod.  A compressor and a chorus wouldn't go astray either.  One day...oh yes.

[JT]

I just boughyt a fulltone TTE . Why ? No way in hell i am gonna build one of those especially with a warrany

[jimbob]

I get really lucky finding deals at times--esp in the past-- so for the hell of iti ill buy commercial ones. I like to compare my commercial ones to the ones that i build. Buying them is sorta a hobby too. Now, if i really had the cash id buy some Zvex, Analogman, ect.. ones like that and old ones.

As for building-- i cant stop--its not a choice-- i found thats what i do to relax and even tried boxing everything up to make more and better use of my times and my wife insisted i go back to building--as i was a real pain in the ass when i wasnt ..

[Gilles C]

Yes.

I like to cook... but I still go to restaurants.

Same for effects.  :lol:

[Peter Snowberg]

Yes.

The last effect I bought was an RNC1773 which is not within the reach of DIY.

[Paul Marossy]

Depends on what it is. I'm not interested in the amount of time and effort it would take to build something like a Boss Metal Zone or an Arion SAD-1, they are complex for DIY. But, something like a Fuzz Face or a Tube Screamer, sure. In my experience, more often than not, you will spend at least the same amount of or more money than if you just bought the pedal. Of course, there are some things that people will pay hundreds of dollars for (vintage fuzz face) when you could build it for $50.

Which brings me to another point. A good portion of the DIY effects I have built that were designed by DIYers actually sound better to me than similar commercial offerings. That's one of the main reasons I build my own...

[RDV]

I've got lots of storebought pedals, but my whole frontline is DIY right now & I don't see that changing. I bought an old Shi-Ei Fuzz-wah off eBay last year cause I had one as a kid and wanted one again, but I can't think of a commercial fuzztortion I want right now. It's easy to sound like everybody else, but it's impossible for everybody else to sound like me.

RDV

[puretube]

Y

(the last one was an E-H PULSAR, for my collection & comparison   )

[RDV]

Y

(the last one was an E-H PULSAR, for my collection & comparison   )

Ton? You had to BUY a pedal that you designed?

:?:

RDV

[bwanasonic]

I just boughyt a fulltone TTE . Why ? No way in hell i am gonna build one of those especially with a warrany

I hate you!  :evil:  :twisted:  :jealous:  :lol:

As for buying pedals... I just started building pedals a little over a year ago, and in that time have built seven, modded a few commercial pedals, and bought a PDS 8000, EMMA DisCumBobulator, Fulltone Supa-Trem and an Alesis Quadraverb GT. I have definitely considered the Barber pedals myself as they appear to be some of the best values on the market. Have also considered the Demeter Compulator.  

So I concur with Gilles:

I like to cook... but I still go to restaurants.

I even appreciate more the wonder of something like a BOSS BD-2 for $40, and I also don't flatter myself thinking I could build anything as well executed as any of the "Name" boutique builders.


Kerry M

[puretube]

RDV: I didn`t have to buy one, I wanted to have one!

joking aside:
of course I got something from "them" for designing it;
- quite normal "they" get something from me for making one -
(of course at a nice rate for a musicfair demo-copy).

[MartyMart]

Yes I still do,
                 I've been "modding" and teaching myself the principles of electronics for the last year or so and i have a lot of pedals from the 80's plus some new ones to try out/mod and learn from.

So far I've found that the ones that i've built ( and work! ) sound better than anything from Boss/Ibanez, but I have not got into any delay/modulation FX yet !.
Recently bought the T-rex Dr Swamp and Toadworks Mr Ed, both very well put together and great quality effects.
I have a stupid amount of pedals in the collection, time to thin it down a little i think !!.
Hooked on building now though !

Marty.

[amonte]

great responses on this!  so I guess it depends on time, how difficult the build will be, and how much the store bought pedal is.  For what I'm thinking of building (compressor) vs. buying (Barber TonePress) it could go either way - the TonePress sounds great and looks great and isn't that bad as far as pedals go in terms of cost - but I've already got extra enclosures, switches, LEDs, pots, etc. - so a lot of the stuff I'll need is already in house.  I guess I might take a stab at an Orange Squeezer first...