-WELL MADE OR THROWN TOGETHER_
-CHEAP CLONES OR CLEVER ORIGINAL DESIGNS ???
The Chinese pedal makers are good businessmen. They use common sense business practices in order to grow.
BADLY MADE?
Companies like Mooer not only make and sell their own products but sell the identical products that are re-branded.
In short they make exactly the same product and ONLY change the paint job and the graphics to identify it as a different brand. A common practice done in home entertainment products. A television that sells as an RCA sells under dozens of different names.
Mooer do product runs of 2000 pedals. First it is not cost effective to dumb down the parts.
It is cheaper to buy 2000 of the same reliable part. Why reliable? If it isn't they can get stuck with hundreds of pedals that are unsalable to the merchants. If the merchants find that customer returns them then those merchants will not make reorders.
All manufacturers design and make a product to a price point. In short a pedal sold for $35.00 USD can not be a product that has to be sold for $40.00 USD even though $5.00 USD would make it twice as good. Unfortunate but too true !!!
Lately some things are starting to change. Joyo's and Mooer's newest pedals are designed around a $50.00 USD price point so they have the room to use German, American and Japanese parts in the key areas that actually create the sound quality. So your $50.00 USD gets you a $225.00 USD sounding pedal.
CHINESE PEDALS ARE CHEAP CLONES STOLEN FROM OTHER MAKERS WORK!!!
A few were 10 years ago but now they are NOT! The reason this myth is so prevalent is because the Chinese know you are more likely to buy their pedals if you think you are getting a copy. We are our own worst enemy! Odd as it seems the manufacturers now boast that they are selling copies. They aren't! As consumers we are more likely to buy a clone so they tell us we are getting one.
It is much better to make a pedal totally original but is in the ballpark because the originals are more than often designed by very creative but relative amateurs with a limited knowledge of electronics. The Chinese with literally thousands of honour students graduating from Universities every year can employ electronic engineers to design their pedals. Durable pedals that sound similar but are designed to operate well yet be easier to build. Think of the original pedal made in the west being built like a car with an old ladder style car frame but the Chinese builders use modern unibody construction. A great majority of even famous makers in the West started as amateurs making pedals for themselves, then for their friends and eventually others until they became so big they went pro. Mostly through trial and error then perhaps reading a few books on a 'need to know' basis to trouble shoot painting themselves in the corner on first one design then another. If a pedal were a bridge it is like finding the bridge when its done is leaning sideways so they prop that side up with a rusted out car that was abandoned at the side of the road.
Rock has always worked from the premise that if it sounds good it is good. Leo Fender's Telecaster was made by the bridge method ...but it sounds so good no one will let Fender remove the rusty car. Not even me!!! LOL It's not broke it still is standing so don't fix it!!!
IT'S IN THE NUMBERS
Finally ...the most important reason the products need to be at minimum very good even if not killer is that most of the pedals are sold in China. Think about it! With a population in the billions and even a small city with millon's of residents you end up with one hell of a lot of players.
The percentage of players that can afford good stuff by western standards may be small BUT if only 1% of the players can afford good stuff there are millions of customers not thousands.
I have dealt with Chinese players. They go on line just like you and know what's cool and what is crap. The government does not block Western sites dealing with players and equipment. They are too busy weeding out real Western political sh@t and like non musicians everywhere they take one look at what we players are all about and simply think W.T.F. and move on. LOL
THIS YOU NEED TO KNOW
There are gourmet guitar brands run by skilled luthiers selling Fender Custom Shop quality guitars for under $2000.00 USD.They are doing very well and know you will not believe they can make this stuff. I have been dealing personally with them. They are great guys, all play at least as good as a good cover band. But they do not need the business but resent being written off when they make totally killer stuff with a totally anal attitude about quality. Rob Chapman played one of their guitars and admits he in the past would never even contemplate buying Chinese but was totally blown away!!! My point is with billions of people there are always are going to be a lot of clever innovative people. So some of the very best of the best are by statistics alone going to be Chinese. Check out Darrell Brauns guitar. Impressive. This guitar is prototype for his own line of guitars. This guitar is probably around $2000.00 USD but you could have it for half that if you just wanted a killer player without all the extras that are merely cosmetic. Like AAA wood that looks cool in your hands but on stage a plain white guitar looks as stunning and sounds as good. I have been working with the company myself with this very goal. I want a Fender USA quality of wood and parts. The idea is for less than $1000.00 USD. Eventually getting getting enough sales it could go as low as $850.00 USD.A handmade guitar for $850.00 USD.? How cool is that!
KILLER PEDALS THAT ARE STILL CHEAP
You recall I said a pedal is made to a price point. They are. BUT! There are vintage Fuzz pedals that sell for thousands that have as few as 7 parts on their circuit board. Seriously! The fact is that is all it takes. More parts or even better parts would not make it better. A modern Fuzz usually uses more but not for the sound. Fuzz pedals need shielding against pedals placed in front of them. They also need modern protection circuits against power surges because most players do not use batteries anymore. They need ...in fact demand just the guitar signal to work their best. Even so since these parts are not part of the sound nor do they interfere with the sound. Modern pedals in general use many extra parts in their design.
My point is that relative to other pedals a fuzz is cheaper to build. So a Chinese designer can for example make a just passable Phaser cheap but the same money can make a killer Fuzz.
The perfect example is the CUVAVE FUZZ. Cuvave are an independent company.They use the best of basic designs from the past as it's skeleton as does ever maker no matter where or what the price. But like the best you still need additional innovation to make it a great Fuzz with a killer sound.
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| $25.00 USD |
AMMOON ECHO
Joyo make this analog delay for both Donner and Ammoon.
Yes they are exactly the same!
It uses a Japanese Panasonic delay chip just like MXR, Boss and for that matter everyone! You have heard some of your favourite players using an identical sound and I mean identical sound like on old Vai recordings on classic Boss pedals. No bull it is the same chip!! A give away is you dime the repeats it will go into self oscillation. So next time you play a solo think about how much better it will sound for just twenty f-ing bucks!!! It is a nano pedal too so it can squeeze onto any pedal board. No bull guys! It is that good!
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| $20.00 USD |
TOM'SLINE PURE ECHO DIGITAL DELAY
Made for them by Mooer. Zero cheap parts! Put it beside a Strymon and just LISTEN!
Be prepared to think W.T.F. I did!
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| $35.00 USD |
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