Yeah, can't imagine what it would be like now. Back in '96 - '98 I build overdrive pedals for Fat Sound in NC (yes, they have had a tainted history since, but this was way before then), I think Fulltone was pretty much the only major "boutique" pedal maker at the time and even his stuff was prototype-y, that was when he was still using the plain aluminum boxes with labels. Hindsight, I should have really pushed hard back then to create a brand, but life stuff was getting in the way, like moving across country, trying to figure out a new job, wife in school, buying a house, a few things in the air. Had I known what the market would become, and how successful the original players would be, would have been worth it, but, you know what they say about hindsight.
Looking at the market just a few years later, and even more so now, it is so saturated it's crazy. I think there is about one pedal maker for every 10 guitarists (yes, a sarcastic exaggeration, I think...). Trying to start something new and compete now days would be quite the daunting task (I started to say insane, but there still may be some small cracks to get in).
