The Fork in the Road … Which Path to Take?

Lots of customers contact us asking if we carry certain effects pedal lines. Usually they read a gear review about a certain pedal, and want to snag one. 1st Gear Music like to offer a healthy variety of pedals, including the latest models out from brands we carry. We like to go deep with brands that impress us, Electro-Harmonix and T-REX for example, stocking as many different effects a possible. But we know that there will always be requests for pedals from manufacturer’s that we don’t deal with.

It is not that we don’t like some of the pedals that Guitar Player Magazine loves. We simply cannot carry all the brands that are reviewed, especially when it seems that new a new line surfaces almost daily.

We have found that when Guitar Player bestows an Editor’s Pick award on a pedal, demand for that effect spikes. But after a month (when the next issue hits the stands), demand often falls off a cliff. What to do?

As the economy limps along, we have focused more on mid-priced pedals that receive good magazine and player feedback. That means a lot of boutique names get excluded.

But that doesn’t stop the incoming flow of quality pedals. We just took on the Way Huge line and will soon bring in Carl Martin. We have also started selling modded Boss pedals created by Mike Baker of Baker Modifications.

Here’s a question for you players: What are some good, practical pedals that do the trick but do not cost an arm and a leg? Also, what impresses you most about them? Hopefully, some pattern or trend will develop as we sort through recommendations. And you may someday soon see the effects that you personally recommended among our pedal offering.