Why do so many famous players use cheap effects?

[Oracle]

It's funny because eveytime I read about famous guitar players (especially in rock) they all have pedalboards full of Boss, DOD and Line 6 pedals. Are these guys not aware of Fulltone, Lovepedal, T-Rex etc? or do they just like those crappy pedals? Just sayin...

[Medication]

When youre touring and something breaks, you need to be able to get it quickly, hence places like Guitar Center.

Also, would you rather bring your Mutron Biphase on tour or a Line 6 Mod. Modeler?

I'm going to put money on the reliable and consistent Line 6.

[Uma Floresta]

Originally Posted by Oracle

It's funny because eveytime I read about famous guitar players (especially in rock) they all have pedalboards full of Boss, DOD and Line 6 pedals. Are these guys not aware of Fulltone, Lovepedal, T-Rex etc? or do they just like those crappy pedals? Just sayin...

Because more $$ does not always equal better tone.

[bandofthieves™]

Originally Posted by Oracle

It's funny because eveytime I read about famous guitar players (especially in rock) they all have pedalboards full of Boss, DOD and Line 6 pedals. Are these guys not aware of Fulltone, Lovepedal, T-Rex etc? or do they just like those crappy pedals? Just sayin...

WE pretty much laugh all the way to the bank.

[dosmun]

Because those pedals get the job done.

[Oracle]

But those pedals can also suck tone, be unreliable and sound crappy too..

[utterhack]

Boss unreliable?

As far as the dreaded tone-suck, the larger the venue the less that's an issue.

[Dickie Fredericks]

Originally Posted by Uma Floresta

Because more $$ does not always equal better tone.

Im not sure how you meant it but its correct.

Just cuz the pedals cost more dont mean they sound any better...

[Mr. Kite]

cornish aint cheap. trower uses fulltone. c'mon, those guys are probably just as big of gear junkies as the rest of us. its a condition.

[jazzguitarplay]

Originally Posted by Paul Corusoe

cornish aint cheap. trower uses fulltone. c'mon, those guys are probably just as big of gear junkies as the rest of us. its a condition.

the pedal doesent make the player, plus alot of those guys can afford to travel with a Guitar Tech

[exodus]

Multiple reasons-- and remember this is just my opinion:

1. In a huge venue/arena with high volume and sound reflection/reverberation, the tone difference between a klon and Boss SD-1 becomes minimal.

2. Folk on this board (in general... and me included) obsess on tone whereas touring bands obsess on the song. (again, just my opinion).

3. Songwriting to the touring pro is more important than adding effects. Its the song itself that gets stuck in people's head that sells albums and puts food on the table. I think they spend more time thinking of a riff than wondering what the difference is between the COT50 blue and red.

4. Mass produced can be replaced within the hour.

5. We (on this board) are chasing the last 3% of tone from a pedal. Go to the amp section of this site and I swear those guys are chasing the last 0.5% of tone. We pay exponentially more money to get a decreasing rate of return on tone.

6. ok- here is my last reason: because you'll pretty much sound the same anyway. When I listen to guys on this board that do a LOT of demo clips, like fatback, carl or deviltone--what has struck me the most, more than their great playing and cool clips, is that they pretty much sound the same no matter what OD/fuzz/boost/dist they are playing. I'm not knocking them. It's just that they have proved to me that you will sound like you... and a crappy effect will not make you sound "worse," just different.

[Wooley]

Because, for the most part, in a live setting playing for your average concert going, the difference between a Klon and a Bad Monkey just ain't that much.

[Yngtchie]

I'm sure they realize that you don't need loads of expensive booteek gear to sound good. I'm sure that most gear snobs today wouldn't be satisfied if they played through Hendrix's Woodstock rig, but should it really matter?

[Wooley]

Originally Posted by exodus

Multiple reasons-- and remember this is just my opinion:

1. In a huge venue/arena with high volume and sound reflection/reverberation, the tone difference between a klon and Boss SD-1 becomes minimal.

2. Folk on this board (in general... and me included) obsess on tone whereas touring bands obsess on the song. (again, just my opinion).

3. Songwriting to the touring pro is more important than adding effects. Its the song itself that gets stuck in people's head that sells albums and puts food on the table. I think they spend more time thinking of a riff than wondering what the difference is between the COT50 blue and red.

4. Mass produced can be replaced within the hour.

5. We (on this board) are chasing the last 3% of tone from a pedal. Go to the amp section of this site and I swear those guys are chasing the last 0.5% of tone. We pay exponentially more money to get a decreasing rate of return on tone.

6. ok- here is my last reason: because you'll pretty much sound the same anyway. When I listen to guys on this board that do a LOT of demo clips, like fatback, carl or deviltone--what has struck me the most, more than their great playing and cool clips, is that they pretty much sound the same no matter what OD/fuzz/boost/dist they are playing. I'm not knocking them. It's just that they have proved to me that you will sound like you... and a crappy effect will not make you sound "worse," just different.

Well, that pretty much covers it.
I can't imagine that there's much to argue with there, I think every word of this is true.

[markom89]

hm... I've seen ALOT of pros using "boutique" gear, especially as of late. John Mayer, David Gilmour, The Edge, Brad Whitford (posterboy of boutique pedals, IMO, lol), John Frusciante, The dude from Maroon 5, etc, etc... There's ALOT more pros using boutique stuff than you think...