Pedal Collecting... What is the trendy attitude at HCFX?

[aussy]

I guess I collect. I consciously accumulate gear. I like all of it, but I'll only use some pieces once a month. I keep it because I can afford to do so.

[Fender&EHX4ever]

I keep it because I can afford to do so.

[Crxsh]

Collecting for collecting's sake seems stupid to me. I guess it's fine for studio guys who record or people who need lots of different things to have around from time to time. In that way, I guess it's not that much different than collecting cars or motorcycles or something really... but, by nature of how they're used, pedals seem like a stupid thing to collect. I keep what I use and play. In fact, I recently made it a point to buy a few pedals I knew I wouldn't use all the time, but ones I thought I'd like to have around.

 

...just can't do it. They're all for sale.

 

And to make matters worse, I can't even seem to hang onto stuff that I really really like. My Ernie for instance -- the best sounding muff I've ever heard and was my favorite fuzz for more than 2 years... but I got to the point where I just wasn't using it. For months. And it wasn't even the pedal's fault. It still sounded stunning and was one-of-a-kind and all that, but it just didn't fit with me anymore. Shipping it out tomorrow. I can't collect.

[ChuckNorris1982]

I usually have 3 or 4 pedals knocking about that I'm not using for much, but I'm definitely not a collector. I've owned around 150 pedals over the years, and if I had the spare cash to, I'd still own most of them. But for me, getting GAS usually means selling some stuff I'm not using much, so it's are I buy a new pedal without first selling another.

[Edkoppel]

I definitely collect pedals.

I like it.
more than I like pleasing everyone else.

[Phil O'Keefe]

I acquire them to USE them... "collect" has a "hoarding and storing" connotation to it that I am not really down with. YMMV.

 

Oh, and This:

 

"I am so legit that i play air guitar in an existential vacuum."

 

 

 

They are not mutually exclusive.

 

 

'

[*PiP*]

Collecting pedals just to look at them or feel better having it in your possession I think is pretty stupid in my opinion..

But I don't see the problem of owning a large variety of pedals and effects for different applications, especially if they are fuzz pedals

[onyxrhino]

 

I suppose there is a place for that as well, though. If it weren't for those collectors, there wouldn't be any NOS, or preserved copies to be used for replicas, historical purposes, etc. I wish there had been more of these types of collectors with a lot of old silent films that have since been lost to celluloid deterioration.

 

 

 

yeah, I never thought about it like that. You raise a good point. I guess that sort of hardcore collector could serve an important function for society, even though, usually, they're just silly materialists.

[Hiwatt Bob]

My grandpa collected rare coins. He's dead now. He should've just put them in slot machines--which is what they were made for.

[seifukusha]

 

I collect what I use and sell what I don't. To me, its stupid to keep something your not using when you could sell it to buy something more important. Then again guitar is a hobby for me.

 

 

me too

[stymye]

I tried to build my board with the minimum pedals that can cover the broadest range of effects.

stick with good quality, quiet and good at what they do. not too complicated to use on stage.

I upgraded my delay and added a vibe but other than that ,It has stayed the same over the last few years.

 

guess I'm not really a collector,, If I could afford to, I would enjoy collecting pedals.

[Fender&EHX4ever]

"collect" has a "hoarding and storing" connotation to it that I am not really down with.

except refinished Fenders :poke:


I love the poll results. All over the place. Option 8 votes are quite illuminating.

[BIGD]

I don't collect pedals per se, in that I never buy anything that I don't intend to use to improve my live rig or in the studio. However the fact that I have 6 dirt boxes which I can't possibly use all the time, 1 of which has never been used either live or in studio, means it was a pointless purchase.

[erksin]

I have a {censored}load of pedals for work purposes. Also people have been nice enough to give some to me. If left to my own devices (pun intended) I'd not have so many.

[toescantalk]

I'm kind of a pedal hoarder. Mainly because I find it easier buying them than flipping the ones I don't use as much.

[Fender&EHX4ever]

So far, looking at the votes for options 5, 7, and 8 (assuming some folks chose 8 instead of 7), i would surmise that roughly a quarter of the forum feels negatively about people who collect pedals.

 

That is less than i would've guessed judging by all the HCFX posts about gigging boards vs. BOTB show boards, or gigging musicians vs. bedroom players, or downsizing vs. having pedal options to choose from.

 

I havent voted yet, but i would probably vote option 1, which means i have a passion for pedals and ultimately dont care what others think of my obsession. But now when someone insults a pedal collection as bedroom wanking, there is some data to support a response of stfu

 

(all in jest, all in jest)

[JRBain]

I can't imagine ever really being a 'collector'. I wouldn't buy pedals that I wouldn't actually use, having them in good cosmetic condition is of secondary importance to me, and I wouldn't pay unreasonable sums for them either. That's not to say that I couldn't envisage given the disposable income having 6 of the same pedal or something - If I had multiple boards and racks and all that stuff, and allowed myself the luxury of multiple delay settings, it would be cool to have a handful of big chip Boss delays, for example. It would also be cool to have multiples of the same pedal for different mods, as well. But I wouldn't go buying them just for the sake of it.

[dcooper830]

I have a TON of pedals. It makes me happy!

[strtdv]

I'm not a collector. Collecting something is when you get lots of something just for the sake of having it.

 

You wouldn't say an electrician "collects" screwdrivers, they have them because they're tools for a purpose, same with pedals.

 

Of course, I have no problem with screwdriver collectors or pedal collectors. It's nice to see people enthuse about something they're interested in.

[Fender&EHX4ever]

yeah, I never thought about it like that. You raise a good point. I guess that sort of hardcore collector could serve an important function for society, even though, usually, they're just silly materialists.

 

 

For example, a friend of mine is one of the biggest collectors of EHX pedals in the world, many of which havent come out of their box in years. Mike Matthews on more than one occasion has asked him to borrow pedals because no one at EHX had any originals available to remember how the hell they deigned the thing, or painted it in the past. Like my friend, I also love to buy vintage pedals that need fixing or refurb, so in that sense i feel im a bit of a preservationist also.

 

Are we being materialistic hoarders? Probably. But that behavior could likely benefit others in the long run.

[dkerwood]

I just like to have enough gear to cover a lot of situations. Right now I could easily run two boards, and each would make me happy. I have it set up so I can swap my M9 between my big gig board and my smaller "church" board, but I honestly could leave the M9 and home and still be covered for most everything (absolutely everything if I picked up a reverb pedal).

 

I also like having enough gear that if I want to jam with a friend, but said friend didn't bring gear, they can still play.

 

Again, though, I just like being covered for every contingency. When I drum, I bring along two sets of cymbals- quiet and loud- unless I know the room and the gig pretty well. When I do live sound, I bring along every mic I own even though I very rarely use them all... but sometimes I do, and I'd hate to be caught flat-footed in that instance.

 

Heck, my band did a state fair gig in September (actually four gigs over two days), and I brought along a complete backup rig- distortion, delay, EQ, phaser, and a Tech 21 Blonde with DI box... just in case.

 

That said, while I won't buy doubles of anything (too much variety out there), I also won't buy anything that doesn't have a definite and specific use for me. If I acquire a pedal that doesn't do it for me, I sell or trade it for something that does.

[goodhonk]

i don't like your attitude.

[less_cunning]

dkerwood was definitely in the Boy Scouts.

[kpd78]

I haven't voted in your poll (yet) as I'm torn between the first three options...

 

I refer to my pedals as my 'pedal collection', so I guess that makes me a collector.

 

Over 90% of my pedals are in boxes - but they're ready and waiting to be used... and all but a handful (i.e. the ones I've bought in the last few months) have been used for recording purposes - by myself and others.

 

 

There are certain brands that I like and will often buy a pedal just to try out...

As an example, I currently have over 20 Guyatone pedals from their 70s and early 80s ranges - all of which are keepers and some of them are among my favourite ever pedals... but I wouldn't necessarily say I 'collect' Guyatone pedals, as I've probably had another 20 or so over the years which I sold because I either didn't like/love them enough, or they were too similar to something else I already have. I didn't need to sell them from a financial point of view and I could have kept them all.

Plus, even if I see one that I've never tried on ebay or wherever, I won't pay over the odds just to have it - even if I could afford to.

[less_cunning]

i personally advocate "practical" collecting. esp. if a certain pedal is yr breadnadbutter & there are multiple or custom versions of it e.g. J Mascis Big Muff collection.