Where's all the old pedals?

[Coma]

What happens to pedals when they're old, they don't just fade away?

Nobutsrsly, I spend a lot of time on sites for used gear and one thing that struck me was how few pedals older than say 10 years float around. Sure, there's the odd vintage EHX box and the occasional 80's MXR, but that's about it. Do stompboxes generally have an expiry date or are people just more prone to hold on to them or what?

 

[jeremy]

Re: Where's all the old pedals?

i have a bunch of pedals over 10 years old. i really dont worry about the age of a pedal as long as it works and does what i want it to.

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: Where's all the old pedals?

Well, I see a ton of old pedals up for sale. Some command high prices, some are hoarded/collected, some are used currently and others are being remade.

Only expiration date is when one stops working and can't be repaired

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Where's all the old pedals?

Pedals have exploded in the past 10 years. Previously you had Boss, MXR, Dunlop, DOD, Electro Harmonix, Ibanez/Maxon and a few others. Even look at Pro boards from the early 00's, all of those mainstream brands. But it also seems like previously you'd have an Overdrive a Delay and maybe a modulation pedal. Now guitarist are buying dozens. Also, a lot of guitarists were using Boss, Dogitech and Zoom multi effects....

Pedals have a shelf life in the sense that switches break, pots wear, jacks become faulty, really old caps deteriorate, housing break, etc. Pedals were pretty cheap so I bet many just went by the wayside. My vintage pedals are a pain in the butt. The switches need to be replaced, the pots need to be cleaned, the jacks need to be adjusted, but they sound great. Not to mention odd power requirements... The new pedals are so much easier!

 

[Coma]

Re: Where's all the old pedals?

Well, I see a ton of old pedals up for sale. Some command high prices, some are hoarded/collected, some are used currently and others are being remade.

Only expiration date is when one stops working and can't be repaired

That's sort of my point, though. Weak points for pedals would be jacks mounted directly to PCBs. And, in the case of VERY cheap ones, plastic encasings. But other than that, I have a hard time seeing a pedal that hasn't had the dreaded stage-beer-accident just wearing out. Yet, I rarely see anything from the 90's or even 00's on used pages. And i doubt most of those would be considered collectibles today.



MultiFX I can see why they didn't survive, though.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Where's all the old pedals?

I generally think people tend to horde them. They come out with so many pedals...someone is buying them all.

 

[LLL]

Re: Where's all the old pedals?

They make great paperweights.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Where's all the old pedals?

I have a drawer full of pedals I don't use, but jeez...I was visiting a studio last year and the guy had a whole ROOM full of pedals! And a lot of vintage, even obscure stuff I hadn't seen for 40 years...and weird stuff I'd never seen. And then a lot of new boutique-y stuff to go along with the mainstream Boss, E-H, and MXR brands. I was IMPRESSED.

But I think a lot just breaks or wears out and gets tossed in the garbage.

Bill

 

[James Rock]

Re: Where's all the old pedals?

About 7 or 8 years ago there used to be so many used 80s boss pedals on ebay and you are right there is less now, I think a lot of people collect things like silver screw ds1s and ce-2 and such. I think with Si many good new cheapish pedals a lot if that stuff has lost demand and value so less people are keen to sell especially if they bought it when the used market was at its peak. Still you can find a fair bit of 80s stuff around

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[Aceman]

Re: Where's all the old pedals?

Well, mine collect so much dust I can't even tell what they are, so I don't play them....

And of course, after about 20 years everything becomes "vintage" and must have. So Blues Lawyers snatch them up.

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Where's all the old pedals?

All the old pedals are in the back row of the bottom shelf at the Music-Go-Round in Burnsville, Minnesota.

 

[LesStrat]

Re: Where's all the old pedals?

All of my pedals are a decade old or more.

I saw an online "game" the other day that proposed choosing only TWO of your pedals that you purchased in the last 4 years as your only effects. I was ineligible for that game.

I have a GREAT Phase 90 that is kaput. I forgot and left a battery in it for an extended period of non-use. Corrosion ruined it.:17:

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Where's all the old pedals?

Sometimes you have to replace worn out foot switches or dried out caps, etc., but old pedals don't die if you take care of them.

Here's some of mine. I've have more.


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[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Where's all the old pedals?

That might be a fun project, to figure out the age of all your pedals, how many are out of production, how many are rare or relatively valuable on the used market.

I don't buy pedals just because they're old, but there are some that draw interest because of memories from when I started playing in the early 90's.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Where's all the old pedals?

Sometimes you have to replace worn out foot switches or dried out caps, etc., but old pedals don't die if you take care of them.

Here's some of mine. I've have more.


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I used to have an old Ground Control...I used it for years. Also, I had the very rare rack-mounted EH Guitar Synth (which very few were made).

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: Where's all the old pedals?

Here's an older one!

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?321488-1981-MXR-Micro-Amp&p=4112562#post4112562

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Where's all the old pedals?

Selling not-quite-vintage versions of really-vintage versions of the same pedal is not economical - you'd be lucky to get what you paid for it initially. Then you have the hassle of selling online.
I'm sure more get sold to local shops than on Reverb or Ebay or the various guitar forums.

As well, some people probably just throw them away when they break from the reportedly cheaper components.
Then you have the "everyone makes a pedal these days", and they need donors and cadavers.

 

[kyleivanblake]

Re: Where's all the old pedals?

Some old pedals I got out last night and am looking to setup on this Pedaltrain. That Thrashmaster and Crybaby were my first purchases back around 1990.

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[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Where's all the old pedals?

I have a GREAT Phase 90 that is kaput. I forgot and left a battery in it for an extended period of non-use. Corrosion ruined it.:17:

Seeing this reminded me to take the batteries out of all my pedals. Including checking the ones that didn't power up, it was a lot of screwdrivering.

 

[Paully]

Re: Where's all the old pedals?

I've got an old discontinued Line 6 Constrictor Compressor. Love it. Check out the reviews and if you're in the market it comes highly recommended. Here's a great resource for Compressors.
http://www.ovnilab.com