Masta' C
Well-known member
Over the past 3-4 years, I've bought and sold around 60 pedals. Admittedly, I wasn't really a huge pedal guy before that, but we all know how deep the pedal rabbit hole goes once you're in it! From cheap to boutique, I've tried enough pedals at this point to have a pretty good feel of what's on offer in the market today.
Some things I've discovered through this effort are:
1) There are WAY too many pedal options available, which can be both a good thing and a bad thing ("GAS" or "FOMO" anyone?)
2) Expensive and/or "new" does not necessarily mean "better". There's a reason many players end up coming back around to the classics.
3) A saturated pedal market along with increased production costs has made it very difficult for newer builders to gain traction.
4) I personally remain most excited about releases from only a handful of builders...
There will always be the big players pumping out mass-produced pedals with great marketing on what seems like a weekly basis, but I still enjoy supporting smaller outfits, often one-man operations, that take their craft seriously and are very dedicated to not just doing something different, but doing it better.
With that in mind, I'd like to give a shout-out to some of my favorite small builders at the moment:
I'd also like to give an honorable mention to Magic Pedals, who continues to keep many of the pedal designs from the now-defunct Dunwich Amplification alive and dooming. Killer stuff if you can get your hands on any of it!
Who are some of your favorite small builders at the moment?
Some things I've discovered through this effort are:
1) There are WAY too many pedal options available, which can be both a good thing and a bad thing ("GAS" or "FOMO" anyone?)
2) Expensive and/or "new" does not necessarily mean "better". There's a reason many players end up coming back around to the classics.
3) A saturated pedal market along with increased production costs has made it very difficult for newer builders to gain traction.
4) I personally remain most excited about releases from only a handful of builders...
There will always be the big players pumping out mass-produced pedals with great marketing on what seems like a weekly basis, but I still enjoy supporting smaller outfits, often one-man operations, that take their craft seriously and are very dedicated to not just doing something different, but doing it better.
With that in mind, I'd like to give a shout-out to some of my favorite small builders at the moment:
- Moth Electric - Brennan, a fellow PNW resident in Oregon, has created some of my absolute favorite Muff, Rat, and OD pedals to date. I absolutely love his contemporary, utilitarian aesthetic, which is every bit as classy as it is functional. His pedals somehow manage to stand out by blending in and the sounds they offer are as good as it gets! Brennan is easily my favorite "new" builder on this list, though he's pretty much an industry vet in terms of experience.
- 903 Effects - Seth, a small builder from the big state of Texas, whips out some truly fun takes on both classic and rare circuits with some cool originals thrown in. He doesn't really stick to a single visual style or naming convention with his pedals, but many of his small-batch designs are true sleepers. I have 2 variations of his D.A.M. Meathead clones, a boost, and a gated fuzz of his and I only want more. All of Seth's pedals are disturbingly good, especially for the price.
- Axiom Effects - Casey, who hails from Canada's east side, attacks pedal designs with an engineer's mind. Some of his creations, like the fully analog Power Amp Emulator (aka: PAE) pedal are completely unique tools on the market. Similarly, his fully analog Speaker Cabinet Emulator (SCE) offers adjustability and features beyond what most other emulators have attempted in the past. His aesthetic may be old-school minimalist, but Casey's circuits are cutting edge and complex in a way that few other small builders can match.
- Utility Belt FX - Ross in California has really been making a name for himself recently with his Blink 182-inspired pedals, including a brand new Tom Delonge signature delay/compressor that he just released in collaboration with "To The Stars". That said, the Utility Belt FX "Mutt" pedal, which launched him into micro-builder stardom, is one of the coolest and most versatile drive/amp-in-a-box pedals I've ever owned. It single-handedly replaced several other pedals on my board. Ross is definitely a builder to keep an eye on!
- Vaderin - This dude fuzzes! Based outside of Philly, Chris concocts some of the coolest variants of popular fuzz circuits you can buy. His graphics are fun and his prices are pretty decent for the level of quality you get in his builds, especially if you catch a sale. He's definitely a builder that flies under the radar a bit, but Chris makes some really good stuff!
I'd also like to give an honorable mention to Magic Pedals, who continues to keep many of the pedal designs from the now-defunct Dunwich Amplification alive and dooming. Killer stuff if you can get your hands on any of it!
Who are some of your favorite small builders at the moment?
