ZVEX Double Rock: SMD construction and $370?! what gives?

[vanguard]

this seems like it could be one of the classic OD's, but it gets little mention because of the initial price most likely. . .

The pedal is entirely surface mount construction. If it were hand soldered, thru-hole, etc. I could perhaps see $300+; but for wave soldered, computer-style manufacture?

what gives???

 

[sanhozay]

pics?

 

[in_sherman]

you mad

 

[Charlie_Pace]

Hand painting is where the cost may be lying. I have one, and don't really care how it's wired. It's sick!

 

[aaronblues]

i own a Box of Rock, and have owned a Super Duper. Do the math, this pedal has both of those two $200 pedals in one, is handpainted, and has a lifetime warranty. It's really high, but certainly not unreasonable.

cheers

 

[jackrockerman]

Hype...

 

[CodeMonk]

Like it or not, SMD is the "wave of the future" for pedals.
Guitar pedals aren't a large enough market to keep the manufacturers making through-hole components.
And SMD is cheaper per part. Some parts are anyway.

And just because its SMD, doesn't mean it was machine soldered.
Its very likely to be machine soldered, but doesn't have to be.

 

[sanhozay]

i thought the usa zvex bor was through hole, not smd. did something change?

 

[jgyn]

Hand painted? Lifetime guarantee. whomever's the owner...

 

[jason41224]

what gives? people are willing to pay those prices for pretty much ALL of ZVEX's pedals (not just the double rock). either way, it's still a bargain if you think about it: it'd be 600 to get two distortrons and two SHOs, plus it's conveniently in one box together with the bonus of handpainting.

why people care all that much about handwiring is much more confusing to me.

 

[popinvasion]

Its a zvex, comes with the territory. Glad I am not into the zvex stuff at all.

 

[jason41224]

i'm into zvex, i'm just not into handpainted, handwired, hand marked-up priced goods. i'm just fine with my mass produced Distortron, thank you very much.

 

[tochiro]

Pedal prices are ridiculous! A pedal should never cost more than $150 because what you pay is a huge profit margin. No surprise that you see more and more Chinese pedal manufacturers on the market...

 

[supermassive]

Pedal prices are ridiculous! A pedal should never cost more than $150 because what you pay is a huge profit margin. No surprise that you see more and more Chinese pedal manufacturers on the market...

yeah! because screw labour, design and development costs! just get it from somewhere that'll do it at a third of the cost because they steal all their ideas and pay their sweatshop workers ****-all!

...wait.

 

[CodeMonk]

Pedal prices are ridiculous! A pedal should never cost more than $150 because what you pay is a huge profit margin. No surprise that you see more and more Chinese pedal manufacturers on the market...

Oh boy. here we go again.

There are no huge profit margins. Not for most builders.
The cost of building a pedal is much more than just the cost of the parts needed to build one. Unless they are built using a bunch of NOS parts.
Like the cost of running a business that every other business has to deal with.
Business license
Insurance
Rent (unless you build at home, then you have to worry about paying rnt or mortgage there).
Tools
Supplies like solder, cleaning.
Training of new employees.

The list goes on and on.



"A pedal should never cost more than $150".
Seriously?

Now lets go tell Ford or Dodge that no vehicle should cost more than $1000 because that's what all the parts cost.
I don't care if all those people that work on the things YOU want to buy like to eat and have a place to live.

 

[lux_interior]

When a flagship piece of gear is released that combines the features of cheaper models, the rule of adding their prices to determine its real cost NEVER applies. So... no, it's not a bargain at all. It's just Zvex's "ouch!!" pricing policy (for example, take a look at the price of a handpainted SHO, or even a Vexter). As for using SMT, I don't know if it is true or not, but it doesn't play a role in my decision on how it sounds. On its pricing, I guess it's just a "take it or leave it" decision.

 

[wundergussy]

Zvex has decided he is the top shelf of boutique. People pay his prices. He also has a line of less-expensive stuff (a genius move as they are mass produced overseas yet still cost as much as, say, an earthquaker pedal) that people snap up because it looks like a deal. Part of the equation is an expensive first run to get people thinking about it, saying "if only it were cheaper" and then the vexter comes out. Now, this wouldn't work without the demand. Remember the BoR was a vexter first and customers asked for a hand-painted one.

He is a shrewd buisness man.

 

[Hector Arcadius]

Strange that you guys are debating for the prices of a pedal company that has a freaking moto:

''Crazy pedals for rich people''


Guys, they say what they do on the mission statement!

 

[Evansexcellent]

Zvex builds great stuff. I have no problem spending $300-400 on any of his hand painted pedals. They look awesome. The warranty means you never have to worry about it. From my experience they sound better then the vexter series stuff. I've have many of his pedals and still rock my BOR... Longest I've kept a od/dist pedal.

 

[vanguard]

it seems some are missing my point. this pedal is machine-manufactured with surface-mount components. not dissing this manufacturing method, but it does, without a doubt, lower the build cost substantially.

a BOR is all thru-hole components/more labor intensive and costs less. i know it does "less," but that's not really my point.

my point is, due to manufacture, the double rock is very cheap to make - yet it is one of vex's most expensive pedals.