Expensive pedals that have been worth it

monquixote · March 2021

Everything made by ThorpyFX.

It's expensive sure, but they always sound great and the build quality and customer service are superb.

Wazmeister · March 2021

dcg · March 2021

All these represented some kind of aspirational higher end pedal nirvana to me - and some even worked out well...

the positives
Origin Effects Cali 76 Stacked: indispensable
Ceriatone Centura: equally indispensable
Origin Effects RevivalDrive Custom: wrung tones out of my old silverface Princeton Reverb I wouldn't have thought possible
Dawner Prince Boonar: after many many delay pedals (and having convinced myself I'd never buy anything like this again), the Boonar is doing some real good to my signal chain in lieu of amp or pedal reverb

definite flops
RYRA 808: OK, so I probably just don't get on with TS-type pedals
Gurus Echosex: well, the name and the looks were definitely up there, but it never did the Binson thing as well as the Boonar - plus I found it very hard to control
Blackstone Appliances MOSFET: again, gorgeous to look at and super clever operation, but too angry and spiky for me

the hopeful young pretender
Ethos TWE-1: I've only just ordered this, but after a zillion drive pedals, I believe this might be the one for chewy overdrive

MrTee · March 2021

These are the only pedals I've paid over £200 for. Worth every penny

Strymon Iridium
Ceriatone Horsebreaker
Effectrode tube vibe

NeilYoungFan · March 2021

Every single Pete Cornish pedal I've bought.

Teetonetal · March 2021

Moogerfooger, meris, chase bliss origin and gurus for me.

26.2 · March 2021

dcg said:

All these represented some kind of aspirational higher end pedal nirvana to me - and some even worked out well...

the positives
Origin Effects Cali 76 Stacked: indispensable
Ceriatone Centura: equally indispensable
Origin Effects RevivalDrive Custom: wrung tones out of my old silverface Princeton Reverb I wouldn't have thought possible
Dawner Prince Boonar: after many many delay pedals (and having convinced myself I'd never buy anything like this again), the Boonar is doing some real good to my signal chain in lieu of amp or pedal reverb

definite flops
RYRA 808: OK, so I probably just don't get on with TS-type pedals
Gurus Echosex: well, the name and the looks were definitely up there, but it never did the Binson thing as well as the Boonar - plus I found it very hard to control
Blackstone Appliances MOSFET: again, gorgeous to look at and super clever operation, but too angry and spiky for me

the hopeful young pretender
Ethos TWE-1: I've only just ordered this, but after a zillion drive pedals, I believe this might be the one for chewy overdrive

For the Revival Drive - is it hours of tweaking or do great sounds come tumbling out of it? How are the Voxy type sounds? I’ll

I’m interested in the Compact but it’ll have to be very special to justify the spend.

BDJohnston · March 2021

Not that expensive, but the Hagerman Tube Overdrive.

Grangousier · March 2021

Strymon Volante
Fairfield Accountant
Thorpy Peacekeeper
Effectrode Blackbird

Got them all on here, but still more than I would have spent on pedals in the past. I tend to use overdrives to make the clean signal a bit... something more, and the Peacekeeper is wonderful for that. I wish I knew what was going on there. The Blackbird was a revelation - currently (like right now as I'm sitting here typing with my guitar on) running straight into the power amp section of a Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister 18, replacing the front part. Think I'll change them around again, soon - I like to have a shake-up every so often, and I have a notion to run the Blackbird into the front of my JC40, then run the Volante in the effects send in parallel. I have to put the Volante back in its box every so often, or else everything gets drenched in dub all the time.

menamestom · March 2021

Lewy said:

Origin Revival Trem. Most expensive pedal I've ever bought and I umm-ed and ah-ed for a long time, but it's a little box of happiness for me.

Got to admit Origin effects are something I’d spend mire than usual for. Was looking at the Magma57 the other day. The Trem looks cool too but probably a bit if overlap with the Flint I have.

Lewy · March 2021

menamestom said:

Lewy said:

Origin Revival Trem. Most expensive pedal I've ever bought and I umm-ed and ah-ed for a long time, but it's a little box of happiness for me.

Got to admit Origin effects are something I’d spend mire than usual for. Was looking at the Magma57 the other day. The Trem looks cool too but probably a bit if overlap with the Flint I have.

I already had a Flint on my board too - I just use it for Harmonic trem now. The Origin is a very different beast - it’s all about the amp sounds and the trem interacting, and the dynamic "ducking" nature of Bias Tremolo. They've really nailed it. Obviously you have to like the sound of brownface Fenders otherwise it's not going to work for you.

octatonic · March 2021

I very much enjoyed buying a Centaur in 2007 and selling it in 2017.

skay · March 2021

Wow, over 50 replies, and not a single mention of the KOT.

This is my most expensive pedal to date, but set with all controls at 2 o’clock it just ‘works’ with every guitar into every amp in every situation, and being predominantly a Tele player, I appreciate the ‘no nonsense’ approach to a set-and-forget pedal.

prowla · March 2021

My first impressions of my EBS Microbass 3 are pretty good.

I have fed back some ideas for the Microbass 4, though...

ICBM · March 2021

I think my Mesa V-Twins were some of the most expensive too - I've had several, I think I've paid between £150 and £250 for them at various times. Very much worth it - I've never found anything else that sounds as good, even though they do have some very annoying flaws as well... which is why I sold the previous ones.

menamestom · March 2021

skay said:

Wow, over 50 replies, and not a single mention of the KOT.

This is my most expensive pedal to date, but set with all controls at 2 o’clock it just ‘works’ with every guitar into every amp in every situation, and being predominantly a Tele player, I appreciate the ‘no nonsense’ approach to a set-and-forget pedal.

I’ve just ordered one actually. Have been at the top of the list for ages. I’m skeptical but you can’t really lose out so I thought I’d give one a go to see what all the fuss is about.

skay · March 2021

@menamestom it’s a‘one and done’ pedal for me, as it doesn’t takeaway or add anything you don’t need, as you just step on it and concentrate on playing the guitar/riff/song/ without having to think about it, as it sounds like it sounds and you can just get on with things.

It seems a weird and boring accolade to rave about, and is possibly why some feel underwhelmed when they don’t write better riffs or their band doesn’t ‘get on’ any better because they’re using a KOT, but I know I can turn up with a guitar/amp/KOT and get a great sound in any situation and not wish I’d brought something else.

ArchtopDave · March 2021

Klone - bought new from Charlie Chandler himself : cost £200.
Several Effectrode pedals : all good.
Thorpy The Dane : one of the first signed series.
Source Audio EQ2

mudslide73 · March 2021

ICBM said:

I think my Mesa V-Twins were some of the most expensive too - I've had several, I think I've paid between £150 and £250 for them at various times. Very much worth it - I've never found anything else that sounds as good, even though they do have some very annoying flaws as well... which is why I sold the previous ones.

I bought one new in the 90s and I think they were around £300. I don't use it as a daily but it's my backup amp for gigs. It's killer straight into the PA or DI for recording.

menamestom · March 2021

ICBM said:

I think my Mesa V-Twins were some of the most expensive too - I've had several, I think I've paid between £150 and £250 for them at various times. Very much worth it - I've never found anything else that sounds as good, even though they do have some very annoying flaws as well... which is why I sold the previous ones.

A lot of pedal for the money 2nd hand no doubt. Used one for rehearsal years ago, into a Twin Reverb, when I didn’t take my Laney VC30. Never could get it sounding good in that setup, although could easily have been user error.

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Expensive pedals that have been worth it

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