Doubling, Tripling Up On Your Favorite Pedals

[gitlvr]

Not me.
I buy what works for me, and don't have the cash to buy multiples.
Besides, since most pedals out there are some derivative or "take" on pedals that are older than dirt, I'm pretty sure if something goes I'll be abe to find something equivalent when it does.
I have made music with so many different and varied guitars, amps, effects, etc for a very long time, and always managed to find "my" sound that I don't really give it a thought.
When the time comes I'll make what i have or what I can find work, just like always.

 

[2HBStrat]

I have three OCD's, all different versions, and they all sound different.

 

[Bill]

I’ve done that on a few. Spent nearly 30 years looking for the perfect overdrive for me. Found it. Then bought a second. Almost bought two more but they were too pricey even used.

 

[4pickupguy]

I’m told I am supposed to go to Korea again this year. If so, I hope to score another Moollon Fuzz 14 MkII. They stopped production of them this year. Already prices have doubled over here.

 

[Maguchi]

Yeah, I've had similar experiences with pedals being discontinued and used ones becoming too expensive. The Klon for example, but I don't want to open that can of worms. Anyway, I've gotten doubles of a few of my favorite pedals that I use a lot just in case. Boss Slow Gear SG-1, Boss Chorus CE-2, Keeley Compressor (2 knob), Boss Blues Driver BD-2 and Ibañez AD-9 Analog Delay.

 

[Fred-paris]

Tripling is the way to go

 

[coolrene]

I’ve got doubles of a few. Wish I could find another CMat Butah

Excellent pedal. Appears from time to time on Reverb

 

[coolrene]

I played litterally hundreds of OD's and kept some stellar ones. My all time fave is the CmatMods Super Signa OD & Boost and I have 2 of them, just in case...
It has two circuits (one OD and a volume driven Boost) that work independently, 3 band EQ, gain, output level, plus a switch for 3 voices that sits on top so you don't need to fumble around with internal dip switches. This is my desert Island, always on pedal, a vast array of sounds that make your favourite amp just blow the roof, get creamy tones without changing the voice of your guitar. Additionally, by tweaking the level of the boost combined with the OD, one can vary the output of the pickups, getting tones very similar to single coils with a humbucker thus giving clarity and sparkle to a dark pickup (very handy for those who play guitars with humbuckers that are not fitted with split switches). In fact, I like it so much, I have two, so I have a backup just in case anything happens... and it did. Chad Matthews built them by hand, had a top service and customer relation. Very unfortunately, he lost his business in the Nashville flood and you cannot order from him anymore. I really miss Chad's pedal building ability. Besides the Super Signas, I have the Butah, his take on the BluesBreaker, the Scenic drive, a kind of TS-type OD with a 3 band EQ, the Brownie, as it says a brown sound type distortion. All top-notch quality pedals, with a sound of their own. Check-out the Reberb/Ebay sites, you might be lucky...

 

[jvin248]

.

Everyone needs a half dozen KLONs, just in case!


The only multiples I have are from guitar trades where the pedals were throw-ins on the deal.

I have found I stack two DS-1s like many stack a DS-1 and Tube Screamer, one has low gain and the other less than fifty percent gain. I have but don't stack (other than with a DS-1) three MT-2 Metal Zones, but one of the three is modded with the Waza circuit changes and it sounds a lot better than a stock MT-2. The second duplicate Metal Zone will get a mod at some point, several recipes out there to try.

As far as the KLON, I only have a $25 Golden Horse KLON clone I stack with a RAT. It does the stuff.

.

 

[warchol]

Yep, the brown Danelectro rotary speaker pedal is my white whale....

 

[Shaolin Wolf]

Robert Quine is one of my favorite musicians. Apparently, he bought multiples of gear that he thought would eventually go out of production. I found this list of his gear on the web - it's incomplete as it only lists guitar, basses, and amps, but you get the picture.

 

[gminnj]

I’ve got 3 early MXR Distorion+ right now, and 2 script Phase 90s. If I see any of the early MXR pedals for less than $125, I grab them.

 

[fenderchamp]

I've been around long enough to know that when something special comes along don't expect it will be in production forever. I've owned pedals that I just knew were magnificent yet, when they finally gave up the ghost, found they were no longer in production. To add insult to injury I found that used versions of many of my favorites were price from 50% to as much as 400% or 500% more than what I paid for them brand new. Depending on how many were actually made of a specific model or version X when the masses finally realized how good they were, (during or after production), pedals like the Tim, Klon, etc. can gain so much in value that a player wanting to replace one they bought new can't afford to. Some of these pedals become investments rather than guitar tonal effects. Example .... my Korg SDD-3000 Pedal, (Delay), was originally purchased brand new for just under $300.00. I knew after the first month of owner ship that I had scored big time, but ... I had no idea at the time that they would only be in production for a year or two. Mine is still in perfect shape but I wanted to buy a second one for one of my other pedal boards a few years back and found them out of production with used models selling for $450.00 t0 $550.00 in fair to good condition and models in "like new" condition ranging between $800.00 and $1200.00. I was floored. What the ****! I took this badly because when I find something that's me I want it to be around for my use as long as I'm alive. I'm not interested in the latest and greatest or something similar in clone form. I take these effects seriously.

Since that time I've, when funds are available, purchased seconds or even thirds of effect pedals I want to have at my disposal until I'm in my grave. To some this will sound extreme but, I work hard on mastering these very special pedals and never want to have to replace them with something that takes me back to square one or doesn't truly deliver the tone of the original. SO far I've doubled or tripled up on ........

A/DA Flanger. The finest, in my opinion, Flanger ever made.
JAM Pedals Wahcko Wah. The finist, in my opinion, Wah Wah ever made.
Mr. Black Eterna Gold Modified. The best dedicated shimmer effect I've ever found. The voice of an angelic choir. Rather than just part of a reverb pedal a truly dedicated shimmer effect pedal.
Mad Professor Hand Wired Tiny Orange Phaser. I've loved phasers since they first became available and the Hand Wired Tiny Orange Phaser from Mad Professor is, in my opinion, the finest ever made.

I still have a few I need to double up on but it's not always easy. For example .... to get an identical brand new version of my original Tiny Orange Phaser it took 2 1/2 years of looking all across the internet before I found a mom and pop store in Pensylvania that had an NOS model in stock.

Does anyone here understand were I'm coming from?
I know what I love. I don't want to go through anymore learning curves. Maybe there are new pedals that equal or beat what I'm looking for, (although I doubt it). I don't care. I want what I love on my pedal board forever.

you're 67, how many more pedals do you think you are going to outlive.

 

[viking]

LOL

 

[RetiredUnit1]

Can't imagine I would ever have two of the exact same pedal.

I do buy my favorite picks in packs of 12 but that's about as far as I go with spares.

You can get them buy the gross, *very* cheap! I think I'm using my 10th gross of picks.....

 

[RetiredUnit1]

AND AND and and and and..... the gig where my MXR Carbon copy took a [email protected] I just reached into the Alice pack and grabbed the spare....

Opened it up when I got home, they're all SMD and some corrosive fluid, most likely cat pee, had made its way onto the board. Tossed it, bought another spare.

 

[loopfinding]

i build them, so i don't.

but the circuits are generally so close to each other that you can just pick up a clone. you should be well versed enough in your craft (playing guitar) to work any type (TS, fuzz face, etc) of circuit, just like a chef isn't going to cook poorly just because the kitchen doesn't have their favorite brand of knives or cookware.

if you really like some analog pedal that has really specific features and it goes out of production, any tech worth their salt can fix it, look up the schematic or reverse engineer it and clone it for you, or mod some similar circuit if you are willing to pay for it. if it's something digital, the failure point is often not anything on the digital end, and most likely it can be fixed.

having a backup for live failure is not a bad idea though, can't do anything about the unit crapping the bed in the heat of the moment.

 

[dspellman1]

I've purchased pedals, used them for a while, retired them, forgot I had them and bought a new one. In a couple of cases, i went through this cycle twice, so I have three of the same pedal (I don't sell -- mostly just accumulate). As a result, I have three of the flap-top bins packed with pedals not currently being used. Every now and then I need a specific sound, so I'll go digging (or just turn the thing over and repack it later). Mostly, enough time has passed that the duplicates don't actually sound exactly alike, and that's a bit of a revelation.

What's really interesting is that some of the first bin have become "vintage" and worth silly money. Who knew?

 

[timobkg]

I am thinking of buying another Bad Monkey, before they become too expensive

Oh, wow, I had no idea these had become so popular or expensive. I still have the mint condition one I got years ago for $20, still in mint condition with the box and everything.

 

[jumpbluesdude]

I had Gold Horse Klon #709 I bought second hand in 1996. Wish I would’ve tripled up.