You can't get ripped off on guitar pedals

[@BillonBass]

50 years as a session and touring bassist, most recently with the Motown group The Miracles, and never once did I ever use a pedal. Now I enjoy playing around with them for fun and use them in certain live situations to create a synth bass sound, but definitely not needed nor even wanted in most cases.

[@lunamatic9775]

It’s always helpful to keep things in perspective, luxury is a good way to describe this stuff. You could by nothing but Boss and call it a day. Plenty of pros do.

[@patrickr6505]

I have a few Chase Bliss pedals and Mercury X.. Also most of my pedals are boutique,Im lucky enough to buy them brand new..I don't feel Im ripped off because they give me so much pleasure and I feel the pedals I get are great value for money because they have a lot of features ..

[@dohenyaudio]

Great video. Thanks for covering this topic.

[@michaeldmytriw1047]

I strongly suggest buying used pedals too if the prices are daunting. I almost never buy any of it new.

[@40WattPodcast]

That's the point though, isn't it? Buy the pedals you want at the price points you're comfortable with. Just because some pedals are more expensive and don't make sense for an individual buyer, doesn't mean the company is ripping you off. Just means it wasn't right for you (the figurative, bigger picture "you"..not you specifically :D )

[@dw7704]

Around here used pedal prices are going up a lot Fortunately I have all of the pedals I want right now, and am satisfied with what I have. Doesn’t mean I won’t buy anymore, but I can be patient and look for deals.

[@StillLivinginthewoods]

Unless there is some sort of deception going on, you didn't get ripped off. A lot of people make poor purchases, because they didn't do their research, or they have FOMO, and then they claim they got ripped off when it doesn't turn out like they hoped.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

I like the hat...I was born and raised in Saginaw.

[@iamstan_rimp]

I never buy new. I always buy used but we have to understand there isn’t any new circuit under the sun lol! We also must understand that someone’s price is their price. We don’t “have” to buy it. Buy what you can afford. I do think John was trying to convey that you could buy something cheaper and still get the same results. John sounds great no matter what he uses.

[@StevenHess]

A reminder.There are many, many iconic rock and blues guitar passages and solos that are a guitar and an amp. No pedals at all. Pedals are nice. But they're not essential. And lastly they are worth what you're willing to pay for them. No one is ripping you off if you and the seller reach an agreed price. Lastly Josh Scott's video is a must watch. The margins JHS makes on their various product lines are slim. JHS pays their employees a living wage. Josh is not getting rich. People meed to become aware of actual economics. Not the slanted and biased versions that are current and collectivist skewed.

[@kwyatt261]

It's less to do with guitar pedals and more to do with the widening wages versus cost of living gap, and the fact the middle class is disappearing and the world is a ghetto, like War said.

[@Swine-O-Sonic]

Pedal prices are now disgraceful... I'm old enough to know. There's pedals costing more than my weeks wages.. it wasn't like this.. like gig tickets... The money is being sucked out somewhere.. tell me where it goes then??

[@Swine-O-Sonic]

It's never been cheaper to produce electronic goods...so why now has it hit the roof?

[@sub-jec-tiv]

It’s never been cheaper to use Chinese labor where they don’t pay the workers properly and force them into working long hours until they get sick. Look it up. Prices of everything have gone up and up due to everything being run by corporations which require constant $ growth to appease shareholders (prices, including prices of the components used to make pedals or anything else). What has not gone up: wages, and therefore the money normal folks have, to work with, to build their own small businesses or do anything else. Where is all your money going? Look up some numbers on how much richer the top few percent have got, since 1980. There’s your answer. Corporate executives are bleeding you dry. Tickets are expensive for gigs, because of two things: 1) Ticketmaster/Livenation is a monopoly, and there is no other corporate competition to keep prices low. This has happened because there are no antitrust regulations (regulations to stop monopolies) in the U.S. since the 80s. AND. 2) Due to tech companies like Spotify and Apple Music stealing all the stream revenue from every musician in the world, musicians have no choice to make a living except touring. And who controls touring? Ticketmaster/Livenation.

[@40WattPodcast]

There are plenty of companies making pedals and amps at rock bottom prices - all come from overseas factories with questionable employee conditions but are highly affordable if that’s what you want. Ultimately in order to do business in the US using American manufacturing and building to standard so many guitarists expect is going to carry a premium. If you don’t want to pay that premium, that’s okay and there’s nothing wrong with it - Amazon has a ton of sub $50 pedals that are available right now. There’s products for every price point.

[@stevevender1154]

Watch Josh Scott’s video that was linked in the description. He explains where all the money goes. His profit margin is 5% after all expenses. He’s not getting rich off these by any means but the company makes good products in the US.

[@herroglop7411]

Customers have a responsability in their own mental health and managment of feeling OK not having that exciting expensive pedal. On the other hand companies and "influencers" are constantly hyping the demand, telling how great this or that pedal, guitar or amp is. so the customers have this hobby and one way or another end up in front of the screen or listening to podcasts and what they recive is constant teasing about certain products, always how great they are cos RARELY an influencer talks the customer out of buying something, it is against their economical profit. The message is always BUY BUY BUY and focus on expensive products. There is a new pedal from EHX based on the popular Bluesbraker circuit ( on the cheap end of the pedal market), check out how many demos and comparisons and mentions in the media there is about it.

[@40WattPodcast]

For what it’s worth, that’s because EHX as a company doesn’t invest in getting the product out to demo artists. That’s a decision they made as a company. I have demoed plenty of affordable pedals (most with no pay attached). There’s a two way street in the demo and review market. Additionally, most demo/review folks just won’t review or demo things they end up not liking or that don’t excite them as a player. The final piece though - demo/review channels, gear and guitar podcasts and channels, etc. are in this because they’re excited about gear and that’s what they want to talk about. It’s not in their job description to coach people into financial decisions, it’s their priority to explain or demo the piece of gear so people can decide if it fits the role they’re looking for. I Bottom line, it’s more nuanced than your description implies. I say this as someone who isn’t that far on the inside, who doesn’t regularly get sent free gear or paid for demos.

[@herroglop7411]

@@40WattPodcast I am tired of guitar content being just an ad and the strategy of "building" a brand so that they can charge higher prices, the Apple way.

[@40WattPodcast]

@ this is a very fair assessment. I walk a fine line between being excited about gear and being overwhelmed and tired of it. It can be too much

[@bankjibbernow]

On point

[@Thebadguitaristcast]

I think the only real way to get ripped off on a guitar pedal purchase is if the manufacturer intentionally falsely advertises what the pedal does and is misleading about the sounds it can produce or defrauds investors. I've never seen any instance of this happening though outside of some isolated incidents (Devi Ever and her well-intended Console project that ended up tanking her whole operation during R&D, utilizing pre-order payments to fund the project). People complaining about the prices of pedals need to understand the full scope of cost that goes into day to day operations not just the cost to build one pedal. Sure there are some companies that will charge what seems to be above average pricing for similar pedals but I've always seen the pedal industry as extremely competitive concerning pricing. I'd argue that a lot high quality, studio grade effects are more accessible and cost friendly today than I've seen in my entire life.

[@FuzzImp]

I just rip, on guitar pedals 🎉

[@joej6041]

I know Behringer's not over charging. I guess thats why I have 3 of those.

[@sub-jec-tiv]

Behinger also doesn’t pay their workers properly and overworks them until they get sick.

[@sub-jec-tiv]

So there is that.

[@PedalPlayhouse]

The over reaction to these instances like JHS situation I never understand because you can get the same circuits anywhere and it’s been how long they were available to buy and people didn’t… so now they get upset when they can’t?

[@HerbieBancock]

You could get ripped off by buying anything Chase Bliss makes hoping it'll produce a useful sound but people only buy that crap to take pictures of so they can post on Reddit.

[@40WattPodcast]

Except that I know several very successful, award winning musicians and bands that make incredible music with those tools. Sooooo.....if you say bruh

[@sub-jec-tiv]

My comments were deleted, and they weren’t even spicy 😂 so, nice video but no sub. 🤘

[@40WattPodcast]

I don’t know what to tell you, I haven’t deleted any comments. I usually don’t unless they’re extremely mean spirited