Buying without trying?

[MikeFM]

Just curious how many of you have ever bought a pedal without ever actually trying it first? And if you have, what was the deciding factor? Call it a bit of market research.

 

[Crimson Queen]

I have never done it, but I may do it for the Dover Drive.

 

[Slevin]

About 90% of the time honestly. My entire pedalboard I didn't try before i bought it, but that's what's good about buying used. It's not much of an investment or any at all if you don't like it

 

[SurfGreenTele]

Probably 99% of the time for me haha. Pedals aren't really much of a risk, very easy to sell and ship. Guitars are almost always a must try. Amps I usually have to try, especially if it's a pricier one.

 

[ummohyeah]

I think you need to add "Alcohol" or "Sleep Deprivation" as one of the reasons there.

 

[ChampReverb]

Just curious how many of you have ever bought a pedal without ever actually trying it first? And if you have, what was the deciding factor? Call it a bit of market research.

I have owned about 80 pedals.

Most of those pedals were just not available to try before purchase anywhere near me so I made informed guesses.

Some pedals worked, others didn't.
Not a big deal.

(Let go of Mama's hand and walk into the light).

-bEn r.

 

[Holzar1988]

Yeah, I'm not sure I've ever tried a single pedal of the 75 or so I've owned since joining The Gear Page. The stuff I'm interested in simply isn't available to try locally. And even then, short of hauling my whole rig down to Guitar Center, playing through a different rig is only marginally helpful when it comes to pedals.

As for sources of info, it's a combination here (obviously), guitar magazines (which, although often mocked, are usually pretty helpful) and YouTube videos.

 

[tobereleased]

I've bought based on YouTube demos (strymon flint and joyo American sound), but in those cases there were also plenty of positive reviews to back up the videos.

I've also bought based on "too cheap to pass up" (random Australian brand chorus and some cheap dano pedals) and not having any real expectations is part of the fun with those.

I do not regret any of the purchases I've made without trying them first.

 

[Rhythm Rocker]

You left out...heard it at a gig. That's what made me buy a Bogner Burnley. Hearing that glorious 3-D organic goodness coming from the stage.

 

[WillLane]

YT demos are king. Or queen. Whatever I am not sexist.

 

[Krausewitz]

About 90% of the time honestly. My entire pedalboard I didn't try before i bought it, but that's what's good about buying used. It's not much of an investment or any at all if you don't like it

Same here. Living in the UK 'trying before you buy' is pretty much impossible outside of Boss and other mass manufactured pedals. Everything is a leap of faith.

 

[bertramladner]

I buy almost all my pedals on advice from the gear page. They don’t sell most of the pedals I’m interested in except on line or CL.

 

[GetAddicted]

I have in total 11 pedals and the 10 are on my board.I bought them all without trying them first because here it has not a big variety of pedal manufacturers so i could't try them first before i buy.In some of them i based on several videos with mainly positive comments while in some others i based on the What My Wallet Affords To Buy!

Anyway it's easy to sell them if you don't like it so no disaster here!

 

[Imperial_Tone]

About 30% of my board I got from word of mouth or first hand experience with friends and other players boards. The rest definitely came from youtube videos and "research" on TGP. I have no hesitation buying products online based on videos and quality photographs (guitars, amps, pedals). Most major online retailers have a great return policies (I have yet to use them); but if I have to do it, I will.

 

[bobbyatomic]

You hear about a new pedal, it interests you, you watch a couple of youtube vids, you buy the pedal, you A/B the pedal with the pedal you've already got, you decide the pedal you've already got is better, you put new pedal in box under bad, 6 months later you pull out pedal from under bed, you A/B it with pedal you've already got, this time you decide new pedal is best pedal ever, pedal you've already got goes under bed, you hear about a new pedal......

 

[T Dizz]

I don't remember ever trying a pedal..ever

 

[Ivo]

Barring 2 guitars I was lucky enough to try as a teen, just about every single piece of gear I've ever owned has been purchased online/through the phone. Some people don't have the luxury of trying before buying. I don't mind so much with electric guitars and pedals. However, amplifiers and acoustics are something I do wish I could demo beforehand.

 

[Squatch57]

Out of my 80 pedals I've only tried one first. The H&K Rotosphere I bought used from a shop in '98 (also the pedal I've had the longest)

Even with amps, I haven't tested one first since I bought a new Sunn Beta lead back in the late 70's
I've bought vintage Fenders (Princeton Reverb & Super Reverb), Rivera stereo rack head and two Ceriatones since then without trying them

 

[c7sus]

New pedals get tried out when they show up on my doorstep.

 

[chankgeez]

Yep, I buy without trying. It comes naturally to me.