Have we been duped?

[popsongsmith]

There have been a few threads on this lately, but I just broke out the old stock SD-1, and man does that thing sound good. I've been through a bunch of high-end and "boutique" dirt pedals lately, but when I put the SD-1 back on the board, it just felt, well, right.

Is this the "old, worn-out sweater" phenomenon? I've been using these things for so long, maybe I'm just accustomed to the tone. Or maybe, just maybe, this $30 pedal is every bit as good as pedals costing 5x the price.

No offense to the builders here, but I feel somewhat violated at the moment...

[Bill Brasky]

Yes.

[rollyfoster]

john frusciante uses the SD-2 and it sounds fantastic. i've liked the stock ts-9 than most 808 clones i've heard, too.

i think a lot of the boutique pedals are fantastic, but a lot of them aren't *that* much different (at least to my ears) than the stuff they're trying to emulate.

[whoismarykelly]

News Flash. All the $300 pedals you have been playing are 5 parts or so away from an SD1.

[Tone_Terrific]

It's all a matter of matching your gear to your needs and ears.

If the sd-1 works for you, fine. I think they are thin, buzzy and harsh sounding, especially if I compare the results to what a Bad Monkey (more$ than the sd-1??) can do....with my gear, and ears.

So there is room for all, BUT, the bottom line is that with a bit of signal clipping and some eq change you can have a whole new box to sell.

[sixstringmonk]

Originally Posted by Bill Brasky

Yes.

Indeed.

[Brad J]

SD-1? Pfft, I don't need no stinking tone control, I'll take my OD-1 over it anyday

Seriously, My OD-1 as a lead boost is better than my Eternity or Rangemaster clones, and way better than a TS.

[DanJep]

Boutique pedals are like organic food... A new way to package the same old thing and sell it for more money.

[dividedsky]

Originally Posted by DanJep

Boutique pedals are like organic food... A new way to package the same old thing and sell it for more money.

[Dandy13]

Your ears will always be the best judge. Don't give in to peer pressure

[macmax77]

i don't know but i keep thinking my old board sounded damn good when i had a mix of .50 cents pedals and other pedals.
I mean, it wasn't boutique but sounded like the best.
I remember the pedals:
Teese wah and Budda Wah
germ-Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive-Tc electronic Chorus flange-EHX Russian Phaser-DD3 and a Guyatone MD3.
The rig sounded big and everyone loved it.

I also have this friend who buys really the guyatone, boss, ....., etc and he sounds great.

[theanalogdream]

I couldn't bond with it...It was harsh and buzzy sounding. Not terrible though, just DEF not my favourite

[soulsonic]

The cheap Maestro Overdrive is a part-for-part copy of the SD-1.

$40, w/cable and power supply.

[jstone]

Originally Posted by whoismarykelly

News Flash. All the $300 pedals you have been playing are 5 parts or so away from an SD1.

The SD-1 is good. Why change it if you like it the way it is.
Mine are quite more than 5 parts away....but they are not really SD-1's either
I still run my unmodded DS-1 when needed. And it sound in my ears very well indeed.

[Mullet Kingdom]

Originally Posted by Bill Brasky

Yes.

Pretty much.

My upper limit for a dirt pedal is $200 -- and there's plenty of great sounding stuff out there in the $150 range too.

When you consider that you can buy a great amp for the cost of a few boutique pedals ($1k+)....there's definitely something wrong with this picture.