New Maesto Pedals

[øøøøøøø]

I agree. Faithfully reissue the old fuzz, ring Modulator, and Brassmaster. Then I’d be excited.

PS-1A.

The second-best phaser ever made (next to the Mutron Biphase, of course)

From a business standpoint, reviving the Maestro name and selling pedals is an easy win. The fact that this wasn't done a decade ago is a testament to how... unconventional the prior leadership was in their thinking.

But like others, I think a few of the greatest hits, with the original styling, would be a bigger win

FZ-1A
PS-1A
Ring Modulator
Bass Brassmaster

(those latter two might not have quite enough demand, but maybe)

FZ-1A reissues from the 90s are kissing $400 now. Originals are consistently over a grand.

Priced at around $249, I wager they'd probably sell quite a few of a nice, well-done premium reissue that looks the part.

Of course the EP-3 Echoplex would be massive, but that's a lot more complex to tool up for than the low-hanging fruit they seem to be wanting to grab.

[shoule79]

I was hoping to see the phaser and sample hold, pretty boring line TBH. Oh well.

[jorri]

The graphics are so cool for an 'its a shame they are identikit starter-box, possibly another tubescreamer yawn' response.
Which is a shame, but i think a response on TGP from a developer mentioned this is only the first lot...later are more like phasers and a custom shop range for those reissues that involve ridiculously rare transistors and things.
Why play it so 'safe' to exhaustion first, though, if the intention is the cool pedals later?

[mackerelmint]

The graphics are so cool for an 'its a shame they are identikit starter-box, possibly another tubescreamer yawn' response.
Which is a shame, but i think a response on TGP from a developer mentioned this is only the first lot...later are more like phasers and a custom shop range for those reissues that involve ridiculously rare transistors and things.
Why play it so 'safe' to exhaustion first, though, if the intention is the cool pedals later?

Yeah, it really seems like a decision made by some MBA looking at data points rather than by someone who can really gauge what's in people's guts about what they'd be willing to buy.

They're perfectly cromulent, bread and butter effects. Nothing bad about them, nothing too exciting going on either. Though I do think the fuzz stands head and shoulders over the rest.

The market for the cool pedals is what it is, and if they need hard to source parts to reissue them, then they're gonna cost a bunch no matter what. It almost seems to make more sense to do it the other way: Reissue the crazy cool pedals and then throw out some less exciting ones to flesh the line out. But these were clearly made to a price point, if the uniformity from pedal to pedal is anything to go by. It really seems likely that these are just more new enclosures for the same handful of circuits that are widely produced in Chinese factories. Which is a business model that's definitely proved itself over the last decade.

Someone's gonna crack these things open, and if they're what I think they are, the fun might be in modding them to do whatever kind of weird stuff you can figure out.

[hulakatt]

The market for the cool pedals is what it is, and if they need hard to source parts to reissue them, then they're gonna cost a bunch no matter what. It almost seems to make more sense to do it the other way: Reissue the crazy cool pedals and then throw out some less exciting ones to flesh the line out.

I like the way DoD did their recent lines under Tom Cram. They started by reissuing the classics, stuff everybody knew, and they made it both true to the original and enough of something new that it stood out. Then they started rolling out new designs but still using the heritage case design style. Those 2010's DoD pedals are some seriously solid pedals.

[hexes]

look great. sound plain. I will buy the chorus just to swap in my own effect into a pretty box.

[algeriet]

The Comet Chorus looked and sounded very appealing, and I had already decided to snag one at first chance I'd get whenever one became available secondhand (don't want to give Gibson any more money), but all that interest died when I realized they were MIC.

Soz, but at that price, for a company who's heritage and USP is being made in USA (Gibson), suddenly bringing a dead brand back and offering a weird selection of pedals (as mentioned earlier here and elsewhere), then not making them in the US is utter meh.

Missed opportunity big time, baby. Ought to have made ´em a little pricier and made the Maestro line into some sort of boutique 199∼ USD brand starting off with modern recreations of the original famous models and then expanded the lineup with time. But what do I know, I'm just a dude on the internet. 🥸

[algeriet]

look great. sound plain. I will buy the chorus just to swap in my own effect into a pretty box.

LOL!

[46346]

as someone who really appreciated and even needed these classic brands back when they were available second-hand in the early 90's,
when there wasn't much new quality product to be had...

i tend to wince and shrug when they re-appear, as i invested a lot of time and enthusiasm and patience, and yes, *some* money to hunt down the originals. but few revivals have proven worthwhile.

it's usually the less 'corporate' enterprises that ring true: Electro Harmonix, Magnatone, MXR/Dunlop, Supro, A/DA, even the Mu-Tron III+ was a strong effort.

Boss and Ibanez are among the only huge enterprises to make good. Yamaha also seems pretty conscious with their acquisitions of Ampeh and Line 6.

but to expect such effort from Gibson? i mean, check out who owns Gibson...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlberg_Kravis_Roberts

"KKR & Co. Inc., also known as Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., is an American global investment company that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and, through its strategic partners, hedge funds. The firm had completed more than 280 private equity investments in portfolio companies with approximately $545 billion of total enterprise value as of June 30, 2017.[5] As of September 30, 2017, assets under management ("AUM") and fee paying assets under management ("FPAUM") were $153 billion and $114 billion, respectively.[6]"

[hulakatt]

"KKR & Co. Inc., also known as Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., is an American global investment company that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and, through its strategic partners, hedge funds. The firm had completed more than 280 private equity investments in portfolio companies with approximately $545 billion of total enterprise value as of June 30, 2017.[5] As of September 30, 2017, assets under management ("AUM") and fee paying assets under management ("FPAUM") were $153 billion and $114 billion, respectively.[6]"

I don't want to own a guitar sold by people who think this is how people talk. I'd rather support artists than hedge fund managers.

[Veitchy]

"KKR & Co. Inc., also known as Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., is an American global investment company that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and, through its strategic partners, hedge funds. The firm had completed more than 280 private equity investments in portfolio companies with approximately $545 billion of total enterprise value as of June 30, 2017.[5] As of September 30, 2017, assets under management ("AUM") and fee paying assets under management ("FPAUM") were $153 billion and $114 billion, respectively.[6]"

I don't want to own a guitar sold by people who think this is how people talk. I'd rather support artists than hedge fund managers.

Gross, right?

Although Fender Musical Instrument Corporation can't be much better...

[jthomas]

The Mojo Hand Mister O phaser is the best Maestro phaser "reissue" that I have found, though I haven't tried the Heptode phaser. Gibson sent them a cease and desist order, it is so good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5F9Wxbjv78

(The cease and desist really was for the graphics on the box... but it does sound really good.)

[Shadoweclipse13]

The Mojo Hand Mister O phaser is the best Maestro phaser "reissue" that I have found, though I haven't tried the Heptode phaser. Gibson sent them a cease and desist order, it is so good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5F9Wxbjv78

(The cease and desist really was for the graphics on the box... but it does sound really good.)

That thing sounds SO good. I oscillate between tremolo and phaser being my favorite effect. I love a lot of different versions, but the funky 70s sound is something I do really love. I'm actually thinking about buying a Spaceman Explorer...

[hulakatt]

Although Fender Musical Instrument Corporation can't be much better...

I have several "Fender" guitars but nothing actually built by Fender. Come to think of it, the only actual Fender product I own that was built by Fender is my Bassman, built by CBS in '66. I've had serious issues with a lot of the FMIC guitars I've owned, including a really bad luck run around 2007. I bought a Highway One strat, ended up with some issues, so I returned it for a Muddy Waters tele. Which ended up with a non adjustable truss rod so I returned it for an Electromatic Gretsch whose pickups promptly died, one after the other. So I returned it and ended up with a Blues Jr, which was just a steaming turd of an amp. After the third warranty repair to it in under a year, I just sold it.

For everything people make fun of Gibson for, Fender is worse. Fender's selling the "lifestyle" just as much as (and a bit more successfully than) Gibson, Fender QC isn't very consistent and Fender's prices just keep going up and up, not to mention all of the ridiculous, super high end "halo" gear they pump out for collectors.