# What pedal would you buy even if DIY was an option?



## JamieJ (Sep 26, 2021)

Seeing that the DSM Humboldt may be getting a trace, I started to look at a few demos on YouTube and was pretty amazed. 

For my home scenario that is the perfect pedal to play through headphones at home.

Even if that pedal doesn’t get traced I would 100% buy it with out any doubts.

Do you have a pedals that you would pay full retail for without question?


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## Dan0h (Sep 26, 2021)

I paid up for two pedals recently. 

The first was the Megabyte by Caroline. This is a tasty Pt2399 style delay, which my Magnetron build can pretty much replicate 90%, but I really like Caroline’s story and design and feel great about the purchase. Also, running the magnetron and megabyte together makes some amazing sounds. 

The second was the Supro Tremolo. Several options to replicate but there is just something about that pedal that opens up my guitar. I believe it’s the transformer, but either way another purchase I do not regret.


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## SillyOctpuss (Sep 26, 2021)

My HX Stomp. It basically does everything and it does it really well.  It works great with my amps as a straight up effects pedal in the front or in the loop, I can use it as my entire rig through studio monitors, it sounds great with analogue pedals into it's own effects loops which means I can change the order of analogue pedals, it's a recording interface with my laptop AND I can run it off a battery pack in the living room at night with a set of headphones.  

Easily the best musical gear purchase I've made in at least the last 10 years.


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## Big Monk (Sep 26, 2021)

JamieJ said:


> Seeing that the DSM Humboldt may be getting a trace, I started to look at a few demos on YouTube and was pretty amazed.
> 
> For my home scenario that is the perfect pedal to play through headphones at home.
> 
> ...



Funny, I was just trying to establish a comfort zone for buying a cab/amp sim so I can have a good way to practice with nice headphones and my pedalboard. 

I was reading a ton about the Humboldt last night. I have to agree with you that I’d buy an Iridium or Humboldt. 

I also think I’d buy a Boonar as well, even though the Hydra is an option.


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## Harry Klippton (Sep 26, 2021)

I bought a few pedals last year including a 25th anniversary red llama that I got dead stock on the cheap with all the goodies still in the box and now is worth 3x what I paid, and a Strymon deco that simultaneously does what it advertises it does and is pretty underwhelming. 

I also like buying analogman stuff cuz it always ends up being worth way more than its cost in pretty short order.

I'm currently waiting patiently for a deal on my favorite delay pedal so I can have a second one for science. 

Oh and I'd buy a red panda tensor in a heartbeat if I had a job.

I like building pedals but I like buying em too. Especially if they look cool. Been burned several times buying cool looking pedals that were total ass *cough cough royal jelly*


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## SillyOctpuss (Sep 26, 2021)

Harry Klippton said:


> I bought a few pedals last year including a 25th anniversary red llama that I got dead stock on the cheap with all the goodies still in the box and now is worth 3x what I paid, and a Strymon deco that simultaneously does what it advertises it does and is pretty underwhelming.
> 
> I also like buying analogman stuff cuz it always ends up being worth way more than its cost in pretty short order.
> 
> ...



Have you played the 25th anniversary vs a standard red llama? I only discovered the llama circuit recently and absolutely love it.  I've been trying to decide if the version with a hi cut is worth building or if it won't really give me anything over a standard llama.


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## Harry Klippton (Sep 26, 2021)

SillyOctpuss said:


> Have you played the 25th anniversary vs a standard red llama? I only discovered the llama circuit recently and absolutely love it.  I've been trying to decide if the version with a hi cut is worth building or if it won't really give me anything over a standard llama.


Previously I only had one I built. It was a kit I had bought several years ago and the input cap value was way way off but I kinda liked it. I've been meaning to play around with it in some other builds but never got around to it. For me, the hi cut control is not essential. I say don't overthink it, or build both versions!


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## Big Monk (Sep 26, 2021)

My mind is now engaged in geometric gymnastics trying to visualize how to fit a Boonar/Hydra, Simplifier and Ampeg Scrambler on my cramped pedalboard and not look like crap.


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## SillyOctpuss (Sep 26, 2021)

Big Monk said:


> My mind is now engaged in geometric gymnastics trying to visualize how to fit a Boonar/Hydra, Simplifier and Ampeg Scrambler on my cramped pedalboard and not look like crap.


Get a bigger board


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## SillyOctpuss (Sep 26, 2021)

Harry Klippton said:


> Previously I only had one I built. It was a kit I had bought several years ago and the input cap value was way way off but I kinda liked it. I've been meaning to play around with it in some other builds but never got around to it. For me, the hi cut control is not essential. I say don't overthink it, or build both versions!


Thanks for that.  I was going to build a second but had mostly talked myself out of it as I'm really happy with the one I've already built.  You've just confirmed what I was already thinking.


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## Big Monk (Sep 26, 2021)

SillyOctpuss said:


> Get a bigger board



It’s already huge!


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## SillyOctpuss (Sep 26, 2021)

Big Monk said:


> It’s already huge!
> 
> View attachment 16411



Use two boards.  Go big or go home


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## Bricksnbeatles (Sep 26, 2021)

Honestly most of them besides the mega-hyped boutique stuff, which frankly I probably wouldn’t build either just because none of that stuff ever really appeals to me all that much. I don’t build pedals to do it cheaper than I could buy it for in most cases— I build stuff because it’s fun or because what I want isn’t available elsewhere, either because it’s an obscure circuit from long ago with no modern equivalent, or because it’s something I designed myself or modified to my own specs.

I want to support other pedal makers too, and if it’s an original design I’m not gonna avoid buying their stuff just because I personally can make it cheaper. I’m also a sucker for cool graphics, so if there’s a $100 pedal with much cooler graphics on it than I’d be able to design for myself, there’s not even a second of hesitation to get that one instead of saving a buck by making it myself. The guitar pedal world is a community, and I feel you should give just as much as you take, and if you don’t have the ability to be one of the Chuck Bones or RG Keens of the world, then the best way to give back is by supporting the original makers through the purchase of their goods.

Unless it’s a Fulltone pedal that is, I’m *never* buying from Mike.


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## JamieJ (Sep 26, 2021)

What about moving that row down so the lower border of the pedal is flush with the bottom of the board? That should give you a middle row you can use to mount pedals horizontally.

That should give you space for three more! 😉


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## Paradox916 (Sep 26, 2021)

Call me a one trick pony (and it’s true) but a Two Notes Le Lead.... that’s my current one I’m hyper focused on lately.... until  I see something else shiny.


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## Feral Feline (Sep 26, 2021)

PANDA FUTURE IMPACT

Jumped on it when it was but a gleam in the eye of the designer (who designed both the Akai Deep Impact and Unibass which the Future Impact can do both pedals' sounds and Sssssooohhhh Mmmmmmuuuuuuch more)


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## blackhatboojum (Sep 26, 2021)

The Boss SD-1.  Why build it when they’re so abundant? Plus, they’re cheap ass hell on the used market.


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## Big Monk (Sep 26, 2021)

JamieJ said:


> View attachment 16412
> 
> What about moving that row down so the lower border of the pedal is flush with the bottom of the board? That should give you a middle row you can use to mount pedals horizontally.
> 
> That should give you space for three more! 😉



It would throw off all my top mounted connections. It would technically make more room but with patch cable no longer hanging over the lip of that board, they’d be in the way of the new middle row. 

I think what I need is for it to be wider and with narrow top boards.


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## JamieJ (Sep 26, 2021)

Ah that’s annoying. There must be a way! Get playing some of this:
And then have another go.


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## benny_profane (Sep 26, 2021)

I would focus on streamlining the board and getting rid of redundancies rather than trying to put _everything_ on one board.


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## Harry Klippton (Sep 26, 2021)

It doesn't exist but if ehx made a Horn9 with a Memphis horns setting in their _____9 range of pedals id buy it in a friggin heartbeat. The Mel9 is brilliant and I couldn't live without it


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## Big Monk (Sep 26, 2021)

benny_profane said:


> I would focus on streamlining the board and getting rid of redundancies rather than trying to put _everything_ on one board.



In all fairness, there are no redundancies. They all have a specific purpose.

Plus I’m a hobbyist, so everything on one board is like a big toy!


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## Barry (Sep 26, 2021)

I still can't say no to a DS-1 used, mod it and flip it


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## Big Monk (Sep 26, 2021)

@JamieJ 

What I really need to do is to redo the board with narrower top pieces. Here is a side shot of the top boards:







These boards come in 36” lengths and in a few widths. These are 2 1/4” but the6 have them in 1 1/2” as well. 

I think the 1 1/2” boards would let me make the whole pedalboard narrower and if I then extend the length of it, I can fit more pedals. 

Another improvement, especially considering the noise generated in my Wah from sitting over the power strips, is this:





Basically a little extension I can mount my power strips on to try and segregegate the strips and wall warts from the pedals. I can also put my Humboldt there and my little Marshall MS2 practice amp there as well.


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## bowanderror (Sep 27, 2021)

Harry Klippton said:


> Strymon deco that simultaneously does what it advertises it does and is pretty underwhelming


Damn, that's dead-on my experience as well...

It actually sounds great on a master buss or stereo mix, but is kinda disappointing on guitar. The tape emulation side is nice, but the tape saturation is, well... not very tapey. Especially when hit hard, it sounds more like a diode clipper to me than actual tape. I guess the sound of tape saturation is quite variable, depending on the machine itself, as well as the head & tape type/age, but I would have liked something a bit more unique.


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## Harry Klippton (Sep 27, 2021)

bowanderror said:


> Damn, that's dead-on my experience as well...
> 
> It actually sounds great on a master buss or stereo mix, but is kinda disappointing on guitar. The tape emulation side is nice, but the tape saturation is, well... not very tapey. Especially when hit hard, it sounds more like a diode clipper to me than actual tape. I guess the sound of tape saturation is quite variable, depending on the machine itself, as well as the head & tape type/age, but I would have liked something a bit more unique.


Glad I'm not alone on this. Like with all tape effects, including phaser, flanger etc, I like them applied to a mix rather than as a guitar effect


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