Pedalboard More Expensive Than Your Amp?

[Green Lantern]

I probably have about $1200 or $1300 in my pedal board. I have a Super Reverb Reissue that I bought for about $1400 new, and an American Vintage Reissue Jazzmaster that I bought for $1350. On top of that, I have more guitars and amps that are pretty pricey, so I can have more money put into my guitar and amp than I do my pedal board. It really depends on the guitar and amp combination I use.

[mike257]

Even thought it's pretty much all eBay/Gumtree second-hand bargains I reckon I'm about £400 into my board, including the flightcase and power supply - and I'm not quite done yet!

My lovely old Carlsbro 50 Top head set me back £215, so the board is way out front - although once I pick up a cab I'm happy with I'm sure things will even themselves out a bit!

I think if you chop and change pedals it's quite easy to end up with a board worth more than your amp as you accumulate bits over time, we all know how addictive pedal shopping can get!

[RockerDuck]

About $700 in my best pedal board;Boss chorus and TR2, Carl Martin Plexitone and TS808, plus tuner. DRRI and TRRI are my current amps equaling about $2000. All my guitars cost over $1000. I put more emphasis on Guitars, then amps, then pedals.

[eddie knuckles]

Guilty as well...

:o(

[twangjeff]

The interesting thing about this thread is that, most people probably have more invested in their guitars and amps then they do in pedals, BUT most folks get a good guitar and a good amp and stick with it. Pedals on the other hand, can change monthly. You look at somebody's pedalboard from a year ago, today, and a year in the future and you will probably see three very different set ups.

So I am going to go out on a limb and say that for most people, their amps and guitars are more expensive than their current pedal board, but over the life of a guitar player's playing career he will more than likely spend WAY more money on pedals than anything else, except for maybe strings.

[Revv23]

I bought a lot of pedal in the past but now i only have 3 on my board. I found its much better to spend money on your guitar and amp and avoid clutter i between.

Sent from my iPhone using TDPRI

[Lance]

I have a four amps and a herd of guitars. My board probably cost less than either of those groups.....

However - that's possibly deceptive.

Since pedals seem to trade in/out far too often, they are MUCH more expensive that their face value. Consider the overdrive or fuzz quest that almost everyone seems to end up in.

Let's use simple numbers with the game and assume the overdrive pedal you buy always cost $100.

Buy @ $100 ($100 out of pocket - duh)
Sell @ $80 (pay $10 shipping - net $70)
Buy @ $100 (there's another $30 out of pocket!)
Sell @ $80 (pay $10 shipping - net $70)
Buy @ $100 (there's another $30 out of pocket!)
etc etc etc....

In two rounds, that $100 pedal is really $160 out of pocket. That $100 example pedal can quickly cost twice as much if not more. Yes, you may get lucky and break even or sell for a profit now and then but that's unusual.

I know I've gone through at least a dozen of overdrives in the last few years.....it adds up!

[Sw0rdfish]

One sec guys just need to turn a few nobs and dial in my new sound. I nabbed this photo from David Byrne. He puts this on display and lets kids mess around and walk over the pedals and interact with the signal.

[11 Gauge]

Originally Posted by Lance

...assume the overdrive pedal you buy always cost $100...

In two rounds, that $100 pedal is really $160 out of pocket. That $100 example pedal can quickly cost twice as much if not more. Yes, you may get lucky and break even or sell for a profit now and then but that's unusual...

That's the thinking I try to get some folks to walk themselves through, just to get a sense of how their purchasing habits can be letting them down.

I know lots of folks who simply won't pay over a certain amount for an OD pedal, and your metaphorical figure may even be on the high side!

Or...they only buy when it's a big time sale, or they find it used. Those are the higher priorities rather than if it might be a better fit.

And you mentioned shipping, but you didn't mention time or other expenses. While it doesn't hurt to try stuff in the store, it will always end up sounding different outside of the store. The mindset is different, so we're listening for different things that are possibly not so relevant.

I'm not saying that someone should restrain themselves completely until they've found "the one," after exhaustive research. And I'm not saying that it's all or nothing, either. Some folks get in their heads that you've got to spend hundreds and hundreds on an OD, or you won't get "the one."

But you are right in so many regards that a $50 pedal can end up costing $70, the $130 "slightly premium one" that someone took a chance on ends up costing $160...rinse, lather, repeat.

I have my own personal variation that I'm fighting to not succumb to again. I just got a gift card from a family member, so I was going to buy a pile of used pedals to modify. The thing is, I have 2 to 7 of the same kinds of pedals with different mods in them (never off the shelf mods - things I come up with as personal experiments). It's fun, I always learn interesting stuff, but there's no real practicality to it. At least it's cheaper than buying a repackaged TS-derivative 2 to 7 times, at significantly higher prices than what a used -9 would cost.

[Big John Studd]

I've a got a Mexi-tele I bought new and Fender HRD 212 I bought used. I can't recall the prices, but let's call it $1000 for the two items. At any given gig I'm also bringing four (or less) effects and a tuner, so let's call that $500 there. I could obviously buy more expensive guitars and so forth for these gigs, but as I'm more often doing bar gigs, this is the value amount of equipment I'm comfortable putting at risk out there...eg. I've had one guy fall into me, knock over my amp, etc., and I'm always just waiting for the next thing to happen.

[11 Gauge]

Originally Posted by Big John Studd

...but as I'm more often doing bar gigs, this is the value amount of equipment I'm comfortable putting at risk out there...always just waiting for the next thing to happen.

I can live with the spills, falling mic stands, stuff getting messed up loading/unloading. That's life. It sucks when it's a new guitar with a trans finish and a quilt top that gets scratched, but are you going to play it or put it behind glass?

But it's the theft part that gets me all fired up. And that's why I really don't want a bunch of top dollar stuff for the "typical situation." I'll get over a stolen Classic 30 or Barber LTD. But double the price/value of either of those two pieces of gear, and I'll probably not be very happy. And I don't really want to have to keep an eye on the rig at all times in between sets, either.

[Telesavalis]

:-))...Not since I bought the Wreck.
Tuner, Timmy, Janglebox, Fatboost> Wreck

[cousinpaul]

My music has become a lot more content-oriented over the years. I've got a nice 5E3 clone with a few upgrades. My pedals are mostly beaters with various mods; kind of a rotating cast of characters I choose from depending on my mood. I'd probably carry more stuff to a session, but tonight it's gonna be a Galaxie Mod BD-2, a homebrew "tweed" modded DS-1 and an old Ibanez AD-9 for a little air.

I definitely fall on the amp side of the coin. Once I've got the right amp, effects are like gravy.

[dog fart]

The pedals are more expensive than some of my guitars and amps. Some guitars and amps cost more than the pedals. My wife doesn't mind and it's STILL cheaper than crack. It all works out in the end.

[B.G.]

Out of the equipment I use most frequently, I've got about $650 in my pedal board, about $750 into my main guitar, but only about $550 into my #2 guitar, and my amp would either be $250 or $300 depending on which one I use.

Pedal-board right now has a Blackstone MOSFET, Zvex Fuzz Factory, Barber Direct Drive, and TC Flashback. Both guitars are assembled partscasters. My amps are a Polytone minibrute II and an Ampeg Reverberocket 2x12 reissue.

[Flaneur]

I have spent as little as £20 (Cube 15) and as much as £250 (SF Bassman Head) for a gigging amp.
My slide guitar cost £200 (Melody Maker 2p/u), my rough venue guitar £90 (Tele Partscaster) my regular Strat was £475.

Pedals? TU2, Biyang OD, RV1. Total cost- less than £200

I like single coil pickups, with a clean boost and a bit of reverb, through a cleanish Fender amp. I wouldn't be comfortable spending boutique money to get there- and I don't need to.

[Snowwizard]

I think that it's probably more true than you'd think that most guys have more in their effects than guitar or amps. But it's all relative. Guys do jazz will put a lot into a high end hallow body and amp but very little on pedals. But a guy who wants to do Coldplay/Death Cab for Cutie kind of stuff could get a MiM Tele and then have to put a Lot more to get the right effects.

[fuzzbox]

My typical haul to a gig is:

A tele and strat $1500
DRRI $1000
Pedal board $1500

Good tone $Priceless

[Jagg76]

Including my pedaltrain, I'm over $1,000.00. I paid $850 for my amp, $550 for my first guitar ('92 Mexican Tele). I did pay more for my current guitar tho ('52 Hot Rod Tele) @ around $1600.00 I think...

-Jagg

[wrathfuldeity]

total of my 4 tube amps = $150 vs total of pedals = 8 or 10x but its changing cause I getting rid of a bunch of pedals.