Underrated pedal brands

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  • alalalkasaralalalkasar Frets: 362
    KevS said:
    80s era pedals I heard that sounded good were Pearl
    Definitely, I got a load of them in a bulk deal a long time ago. The delay, phaser, chorus and octave were great. I've always wanted to get some of their double pedals mostly because they look so cool.
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  • I think Fulltone pedals are quite underrated these days.

    Bye!

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  • pintspillerpintspiller Frets: 994
    I've had a few Pearls. Really sturdy. But as they fetch really good money on used market have been what I've usually sold on during clear-cuts or if I need money.

    The Octave has been the one I missed the most.
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  • cathodynecathodyne Frets: 23
    edited May 2021
    Roger Mayer.

    I find it really strange when youTubers, (even U.K. based That Pedal Show, etc.) explain the history of boutique pedals, or of a type of pedal, and don’t even mention him let alone demo anything.  

    He was one of the original pedal builders – let alone original boutique builder – and responsible for iconic sounds. He built effects used by Page, and Hendrix.  (I thought it was wild that I could walk into Chandlers in Kew and pick up an octavia just dropped off by the same chap who’d built the first ones for Jimi). 

    In the U.K. he was one of the few options if you wanted a good univibe, fuzz, or octavia back in the 90s, and is still going, but I rarely hear about his pedals online.

    Which baffles me…
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  • GrangousierGrangousier Frets: 2621
    I don't know whether they're underrated exactly - they're too obscure - but I'm very curious about Next pedals from back the 80s. I have the Chorus, which needs repairing (the mains adaptor got tugged out and stopped working, and it eats batteries), but I remember it having a very unusual sound, quite different from any other choruses I've encountered since. A friend of mine has the Distortion X - there's a knob that goes between different flavours (50s is very low gain, up to NEXT, which I think is mad). I'm curious about the other pedals, but not quite enough to pay the Reverb premium for the ones available (besides, they all seem to be in Rotterdam, for some reason). 

    http://brochures.yokochou.com/effector/next/198x/en_02.html
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71963
    edited May 2021
    cathodyne said:
    Roger Mayer.

    I find it really strange when youTubers, (even U.K. based That Pedal Show, etc.) explain the history of boutique pedals, or of a type of pedal, and don’t even mention him let alone demo anything.  

    He was one of the original pedal builders – let alone original boutique builder – and responsible for iconic sounds. He built effects used by Page, and Hendrix.  (I thought it was wild that I could walk into Chandlers in Kew and pick up an octavia just dropped off by the same chap who’d built the first ones for Jimi). 

    In the U.K. he was one of the few options if you wanted a good univibe, fuzz, or octavia back in the 90s, and is still going, but I rarely hear about his pedals online.

    Which baffles me…
    It might partly be because he committed the unforgivable sin of favouring buffers instead of true bypass, I think.

    He is of course right.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • KevSKevS Frets: 468
    I don't know whether they're underrated exactly - they're too obscure - but I'm very curious about Next pedals from back the 80s. I have the Chorus, which needs repairing (the mains adaptor got tugged out and stopped working, and it eats batteries), but I remember it having a very unusual sound, quite different from any other choruses I've encountered since. A friend of mine has the Distortion X - there's a knob that goes between different flavours (50s is very low gain, up to NEXT, which I think is mad). I'm curious about the other pedals, but not quite enough to pay the Reverb premium for the ones available (besides, they all seem to be in Rotterdam, for some reason). 

    http://brochures.yokochou.com/effector/next/198x/en_02.html
    I have the Next Analog Delay,although it recently stopped working..
    I need to have a look at it..Anything to do with soldering on the circuitboard I can't do..
    It sounds great..Stacked Matsushita BBD chip..
    Nice components on the board..Really nicely done and high quality..
    The components look like the same stuff used by Technics on their Direct Drive Turntables of the same Era..
    Technics and Panasonic being Matsushita Brands..
    Back in the 70s it said Technics by Panasonic on a lot of Technics Hifi from that Era.
    I wonder were Panasonic making Effects Pedals here,I think the Matsushita Chip is common on BBD pedals though..
    It sounds great too...

    I've never been inside a Pearl,,I wonder if they fetch money just because they sound good and are sturdy,,or is it 
    they were made by some respected maker and re branded..?? 
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  • TeetonetalTeetonetal Frets: 7801
    cathodyne said:
    Roger Mayer.

    I find it really strange when youTubers, (even U.K. based That Pedal Show, etc.) explain the history of boutique pedals, or of a type of pedal, and don’t even mention him let alone demo anything.  

    He was one of the original pedal builders – let alone original boutique builder – and responsible for iconic sounds. He built effects used by Page, and Hendrix.  (I thought it was wild that I could walk into Chandlers in Kew and pick up an octavia just dropped off by the same chap who’d built the first ones for Jimi). 

    In the U.K. he was one of the few options if you wanted a good univibe, fuzz, or octavia back in the 90s, and is still going, but I rarely hear about his pedals online.

    Which baffles me…
    He is in the overrated category for me. Had a couple of pedals including the vibe and meh would be a good description.
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  • GrangousierGrangousier Frets: 2621
    I just remembered - another batch of pedals that fascinated me when I was a kid were 1980s TC Electronic pedals, partly because they cost what would be Chase Bliss money today - the equivalent of £450 for a phaser, it had better be a bloody good phaser. 
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  • JayGeeJayGee Frets: 1254
    Rothwell.

    OK they stick to your basic drive/distortion/boost/compressor range but every single one of their pedals I’ve heard has been top-class, they’re nicely put together, easy to use, and reasonably priced into the bargain.
    Don't ask me, I just play the damned thing...
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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26754
    JayGee said:
    Rothwell.

    OK they stick to your basic drive/distortion/boost/compressor range but every single one of their pedals I’ve heard has been top-class, they’re nicely put together, easy to use, and reasonably priced into the bargain.
    Yeah, they used to be much-beloved but rarely get mentioned these days. I suspect having a web presence that looks like it hasn't been updated since 2008 doesn't help. I also wish they used nicer knobs
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • mgawmgaw Frets: 5239
    Rodenberg   
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  • SeziertischSeziertisch Frets: 1276
    edited May 2021
    cathodyne said:
    Roger Mayer.

    I find it really strange when youTubers, (even U.K. based That Pedal Show, etc.) explain the history of boutique pedals, or of a type of pedal, and don’t even mention him let alone demo anything.  

    He was one of the original pedal builders – let alone original boutique builder – and responsible for iconic sounds. He built effects used by Page, and Hendrix.  (I thought it was wild that I could walk into Chandlers in Kew and pick up an octavia just dropped off by the same chap who’d built the first ones for Jimi). 

    In the U.K. he was one of the few options if you wanted a good univibe, fuzz, or octavia back in the 90s, and is still going, but I rarely hear about his pedals online.

    Which baffles me…
    He is in the overrated category for me. Had a couple of pedals including the vibe and meh would be a good description.
    The Voodoo Vibe is a very good utility pedal, covers a lot of ground, but is sort of a Jack of many trades but master of none.

    As a vibe it has great headroom, clarity and a really solid throb which cuts through distortion/fuzz though if someone was looking for an authentic “vintage” vibe sound there are probably better units on the market. Also, the buffer circuit in it has a brightness/hardness to it which a lot of people wouldn’t necessarily be looking for.

    Customer service wise, when Roger was answering customer queries he was fairly prickly to deal with at times, so I don’t think he endeared himself to the community in the way that someone like Analog Mike did and does, so that might go some way to explaining the lack of love for the brand.
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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26754
    I got a Voodoo Blues OD in a competition a few years ago. It sounded really really good, but it was fecking huge so I sold it. I'd definitely have another if they did it in a smaller box.


    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • AntonHunterAntonHunter Frets: 916
    JayGee said:
    Rothwell.

    OK they stick to your basic drive/distortion/boost/compressor range but every single one of their pedals I’ve heard has been top-class, they’re nicely put together, easy to use, and reasonably priced into the bargain.
    Great shout. One of the early UK "boutique" builders too.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71963
    Seziertisch said:

    As a vibe it has great headroom, clarity and a really solid throb which cuts through distortion/fuzz though if someone was looking for an authentic “vintage” vibe sound there are probably better units on the market. Also, the buffer circuit in it has a brightness/hardness to it which a lot of people wouldn’t necessarily be looking for.
    Personally I thought it sounded much better than the 'vintage' style vibes - but I accept it's different, so if you specifically want the vintage sound I can see it might not be as desirable.

    Seziertisch said:

    Customer service wise, when Roger was answering customer queries he was fairly prickly to deal with at times, so I don’t think he endeared himself to the community in the way that someone like Analog Mike did and does, so that might go some way to explaining the lack of love for the brand.
    Really? He wasn't like that with me at all - even though I was amazed that someone who had built pedals for Jimi and ran a company would be interested in spending his time on a random customer.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • 1Strat2many1Strat2many Frets: 48
    Another plus for Rodenberg. Uli’s a great bloke with some great products and some high profile users who have stuck with him for a fair while. Nobels have quietly impressed me too over the last few decades. Ive had one of their boosters for ages and I always enjoy using it. 
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  • hollywoodroxhollywoodrox Frets: 4085
    Fuengi said:
    TC Electronic make some great sounding pedals. 
    I love the 3rd dimension 
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  • SeziertischSeziertisch Frets: 1276


    Seziertisch said:

    Customer service wise, when Roger was answering customer queries he was fairly prickly to deal with at times, so I don’t think he endeared himself to the community in the way that someone like Analog Mike did and does, so that might go some way to explaining the lack of love for the brand.
    Really? He wasn't like that with me at all - even though I was amazed that someone who had built pedals for Jimi and ran a company would be interested in spending his time on a random customer.
    I have an older Voodoo Vibe which I wanted to change to true bypass and wrote to RM asking for advice about how to go about doing this and got zero help and a slightly shirty reply. I located a schematic/labelled gut shot from some place online and figured it from there myself. By comparison, I wrote to Analog Mike about fixing an old Maestro phaser and got a friendly, helpful reply back, and this from a guy who hadn’t even sold me it.

    And regarding RM, another friend of mine who runs a studio has sent stuff in to them a number of times for repair over the years and found them to have a slightly preachy, passive/aggressive, judgy thing going on -like “what stupid thing have you done now to break our product?”

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  • MattBansheeMattBanshee Frets: 1498
    Tech 21. Everyone knows them for their Sansamps and preamp pedals, but they made some great non-preamp pedals too, like the Comptortion and XXL.
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