Mini Pedals: What... Is The Deal?

[LLL]

I don't get the fascination with these mini-pedals, unless it's purely because they're cheap.

Super tiny knobs that need elven hands to turn... and a magnifying glass to see the settings.

What... is the deal? (Seinfeld voice)

[ErikH]

I own one mini pedal, the Xotic EP Booster. One knob bu there are dip switches inside to change the boost and treble. I tried the SL Drive but it’s not for me. I have to say, they are built like tanks and for what the EP Booster does, I’m fine with the small footprint. Many of the minis out there I won’t consider.

[dave74]

I agree with LLL on this one.

It's not hard to see why some love them when you look at their cramped boards, but a standard MXR size is plenty small for my taste.

[beaubrummels]

I use a Nano board because I can sling my guitar on my back, and carry my pedalboard with one hand and still open doors and get from point A-B no sweat at any gig. Everything has a purpose. Mini-pedals are great for gigs, transport, small stages, and situations where you don't have to have studio-quality fidelity in the effects.

[Dudeman7]

I'm not really a fan of them either. I built a couple Fuzz Face clones for friends and even with the low component count, they were a nightmare.

The only one I have any more is an MXR Phase 95. That's a simple enough pedal that I don't mind the small controls. If they made it in the standard Phase 90 enclosure, I would have bought that one instead of the mini.

[some_dude]

They keep making the pedals smaller, but my foot is still the same size.

I won’t buy any of the mini pedals… normal MXR is as small as I’ll go, and even those need to be spaced out far enough to fit a Doc Marten.

[Mincer]

For some people, especially those that fly to gigs, space is important. Outside of initially setting up the pedal, you never need to touch the knobs. A ful pedalboard in the space of 3 normal size pedals can be an attractive option.

[Dave Locher]

I'm with you, LLL. Don't like them. But I totally get why some do, and if I was gigging a lot and using more than a couple pedals I would be very happy to use them. Different tools for different needs.

[JamesPaul]

I use a Nano board because I can sling my guitar on my back, and carry my pedalboard with one hand and still open doors and get from point A-B no sweat at any gig. Everything has a purpose. Mini-pedals are great for gigs, transport, small stages, and situations where you don't have to have studio-quality fidelity in the effects.

Agreed and there is always a right tool for the job.

[Jack_TriPpEr]

What... is the deal? (Seinfeld voice)

Sorry, couldn't resist pointing out the tie-in to the Pink Floyd song "Wot's... uh the deal".

The vintage photos of the band members fearured in this video is one of the best compilations I've come across.

Now that it's out of my system, carry on.

https://youtu.be/aGPjfj69cXE

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[Mincer]

Plus, if a company can offer 2 different form factors of the same pedal...why wouldn't they? You have your choice. I don't doubt that it was a marketing decision more than it was a real need to save space (though that does exist).

[JamesPaul]

Then you have people agonizing over which one sounds better, for which I have in insatiable appetite. (Just kidding. I dont care. Buy both. Flip a coin.)

I am not into pedals enough to own any minis. Are the minis based on monolithic chips as opposed to mostly discrete components? Serious question, does this make them sound different?

[PFDarkside]

I am not into pedals enough to own any minis. Are the minis based on monolithic chips as opposed to mostly discrete components? Serious question, does this make them sound different?

Everything except the smallest boutiques are SMT now. No one has money to make an Overdrive on a chip. That’s what enabled the minis, look at the inside of a Boss pedal now.



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[Bogner]

Not a fan of mini pedals myself. They seem gimmicky to me.

[Drak]

I like them for the fact that if you don't like them, they're easy to throw away.
They're so small...you just throw them in the trash like an old sandwich and just move on like it never happened.
I like that.