Pedals that exceeded your expectations

Everyone needs a stompbox.
Post Reply
User avatar
øøøøøøø
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 5984
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2008 8:26 pm
Location: Los Angeles
Contact:

Re: Pedals that exceeded your expectations

Post by øøøøøøø » Sun Apr 10, 2022 9:59 am

Ibanez AD-Mini

I bought it because I needed an adequate delay in a tiny package for cheap.

It's an exceptional-sounding delay, to me.

User avatar
i love sharin foo
Mods
Mods
Posts: 5649
Joined: Tue Sep 12, 2006 8:26 am
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Contact:

Re: Pedals that exceeded your expectations

Post by i love sharin foo » Sun Apr 10, 2022 10:06 am

Moogerfooger MF-104Z

I’ve owned it since new and had to sell every other delay pedal that I owned to be able to afford it. I had high hopes and expectations. Yet it STILL exceeded them. There’s really no other analog delay pedal that does what it does. Sounds like it does. Over 15 years later it is still my #1.



Diamond Tremolo

I knew it would sound good but it turned out to be even better. There’s just something about it that I can’t quite pin down. More than just volume. It’s almost like there is a subtle pitch or phasing shift going on. It’s so fat and chewy. It feels a lot like the bias tremolo on my old Princeton. I find it hard to turn it off once it’s on. Every waveform is great. The volume control has a ton of range. Speed changes are fast and simple.
The whispers cut like hard rain, Like sugar in a hurricane

Sauerkraut
Expat
Expat
Posts: 2827
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2006 6:23 am

Re: Pedals that exceeded your expectations

Post by Sauerkraut » Mon Apr 11, 2022 3:09 am

Nice idea for a thread. I'm gonna have to try some of these.

I'm still very happy with my Digitech Polara reverb pedal. It has just the right amount of different modes and all of them sound good to excellent. Yes, the artwork is quite corny and hard to read, but sonically it easily beats the TC Electronic Hall of Fame.

Also, the DOD Rubberneck. It sounds great and has just the right amount of fun, quirky features without being overly complicated. I bought it new for €160, which seems ridiculously chaep considering how good it is. On the other hand, I've never played any version of the EHX Memory Man, and I do suspect I might like the new nano version of that even more than the Rubberneck. That has no tap tempo though, and I love tap tempo. The other day I decided that if I'm happy with a pedal, I should stop looking for similar ones that I might be even happier with. So far, so good.

The Fairfield Randy's Revenge didn't quite exceed my expectations, it met them, but they were very high: I wanted a smaller replacement for my MF-102. I find it sounds every bit as good as the Moogerfooger, but it's a lot more practical. Cheaper than a Moogerfooger too, though still not cheap of course.

I also agree that a good Rat is incredibly useful. It's super versatile, seems to work great with any kind of pickup, performs miracles when you need to be heard in a band mix, and can makes even the shittiest amp sound decent.

User avatar
s_mcsleazy
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 18424
Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2011 7:30 am
Location: glasgow

Re: Pedals that exceeded your expectations

Post by s_mcsleazy » Mon Apr 11, 2022 3:43 am

Image
this fucker. dean markley tube overlord. paid £30 for it just thinking "oh it's a cheap novelty. a high gain tube overdrive. i'll use it once and kick it down the line" NO. this think is PERFECT for that 90's dc post-hardcore or that 90's skate-punk guitar tone.
offset guitars resident bass player.
'Are you trying to seduce me Mrs Robinson? Or do you just want me to solder a couple of resistors into your Muff?'

User avatar
panoramic
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 16926
Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:09 pm
Location: baltimore, md.

Re: Pedals that exceeded your expectations

Post by panoramic » Mon Apr 11, 2022 6:20 am

eqd plumes - so many cool sounds in this little box! I love the first setting with the drive up as my main OD as of late.

hotone tape eko - very affordable and very cool warbly little delay pedal. I 've been using it for years and just recently started looking at better units because I want to have more options but as a bang for the buck standalone delay it can't be beat. also takes up 0 real estate on a board.
I used to be cool, now I just complain about prices.

User avatar
floater
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 158
Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2008 12:29 pm
Location: Texas

Re: Pedals that exceeded your expectations

Post by floater » Mon Apr 11, 2022 7:02 am

Boss DM-3 and Rat. No surprises here. Both sound great and are readily available at low cost.

User avatar
del
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1585
Joined: Sat Aug 04, 2007 4:57 am
Location: rusted jack-knife

Re: Pedals that exceeded your expectations

Post by del » Mon Apr 11, 2022 8:06 am

A classic that has exceeded my expectations is the silicon Fuzz Face. I have a plain JHF1 - the big hammered blue silicon version that is still in production by Dunlop - and it continues to knock my scuzz-rock-socks off whether it's dialed in mild or massive.

A modern pedal would be the Lovepedal/Hermida EPH-3. I have a bunch of delays that are all great-as-expected, but this little number has a stunning mix of controllable delay times (the short times are just as smooth as long ones) and modulation ("flutter") along with a slight tone shift that does sound very much like a tape delay. It's a treat (and a bargain).
The Kinks - The Fall – The Bad Seeds - Spacemen 3 - The Gories - Royal Trux
"The idea is to put a pick in one hand and a guitar in the other and with a tiny movement rule the world." - David Fair

User avatar
stevejamsecono
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 4552
Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2006 10:55 am
Location: Brooklyn, NYC
Contact:

Re: Pedals that exceeded your expectations

Post by stevejamsecono » Mon Apr 11, 2022 8:38 am

Sauerkraut wrote:
Mon Apr 11, 2022 3:09 am

Also, the DOD Rubberneck. It sounds great and has just the right amount of fun, quirky features without being overly complicated. I bought it new for €160, which seems ridiculously chaep considering how good it is. On the other hand, I've never played any version of the EHX Memory Man, and I do suspect I might like the new nano version of that even more than the Rubberneck. That has no tap tempo though, and I love tap tempo. The other day I decided that if I'm happy with a pedal, I should stop looking for similar ones that I might be even happier with. So far, so good.
Although I don't have it on my board now I still have a lot of love for my Rubberneck too. I've found the layout of features incredibly easy to deal with in a live setting and it always sounds great.

Also in re to being happy -- A new game I'm playing is any time I think to replace something I have with someone else, I just youtube demos of the pedal I already have and watch people get cool sounds out of them. That immediately sets me back on exploring what I have rather than getting 'grass is greener' about it.
And you find out life isn't like that
It's so hard to understand
Why the world is your oyster but your future's a clam

Resident Yamaha Fanboy

COYS

User avatar
jorri
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 3036
Joined: Thu May 07, 2009 1:53 am
Location: bath, UK
Contact:

Re: Pedals that exceeded your expectations

Post by jorri » Tue Apr 12, 2022 4:01 am

I love the Rubberneck but i find it a bit clumsy. A reduced version would be great imo. The bypass switch and feedback i use, so often there is accidental pitch change and tempo change. Or kick the gain knob and everything oscillating. Or the tap division resets because of imperceptable knob movement (should retain division with knob imho)
Like 3-knob delays i change the three knobs (and tap division switch/feedback fsw) and everything else is fine tuned to forget.
Problem is i like the sound and it seems unique. I means its very different to a DMM, its got a certain 'round and tapey" quality and lovely long repeats (fast slap or delay-off chorus not so good).

User avatar
soggy mittens
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 2086
Joined: Fri May 02, 2014 2:08 am
Location: middle of somewhere

Re: Pedals that exceeded your expectations

Post by soggy mittens » Tue Apr 12, 2022 5:13 am

For me the Rubberneck was a pedal I didn't appreciate enough when I had it, I thought there would be something better out there and there might very well be but the few pedals I tried after that were a let down and I started to miss the Rubberneck very quick after selling. I knew it at the time that it has the best modulation on any delay pedal I've ever had but I was slightly frustrated at the bypass and tap tempo switches. They were a bit finicky, I'd sometimes press them but they wouldn't work (possibly due to their secondary function and my slow foot pressing them for too long) they let me down while playing live and that was when I started doubting it. But despite that minor gripe I think it is the best analog delay I've ever heard. The tilt EQ is not the best implementation of a analog delay EQ but again minor gripe. I miss that damn delay, it even looks cool af, loved the knobs. :/
If OSG has tort me anything...

Sauerkraut
Expat
Expat
Posts: 2827
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2006 6:23 am

Re: Pedals that exceeded your expectations

Post by Sauerkraut » Tue Apr 12, 2022 6:29 am

soggy mittens wrote:
Tue Apr 12, 2022 5:13 am
I was slightly frustrated at the bypass and tap tempo switches. They were a bit finicky, I'd sometimes press them but they wouldn't work (possibly due to their secondary function and my slow foot pressing them for too long)
They are finicky, and because of your suspected reason. The solution is to get a Digitech fs3x footswitch.

One of my favourite things about the Rubberneck is the fx loop. You can run the repeats through anything you like. I use a Dwarfcraft Wizard of Pitch with it. It's super fun.

User avatar
hulakatt
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1050
Joined: Sat May 08, 2010 7:58 pm
Location: Pittsburgh

Re: Pedals that exceeded your expectations

Post by hulakatt » Thu Apr 14, 2022 1:16 pm

del wrote:
Mon Apr 11, 2022 8:06 am
A classic that has exceeded my expectations is the silicon Fuzz Face. I have a plain JHF1 - the big hammered blue silicon version that is still in production by Dunlop - and it continues to knock my scuzz-rock-socks off whether it's dialed in mild or massive.
Yeah, all of the current Dunlop fuzzes are actually really, really good. They're a huge step up from where they were for a long time.

The pedal I've bought in the past few years that exceeded my expectations the most has to be the Boss DM2w, hands down. I thought the whole Waza thing was marketing BS even though I was glad they were finally reissuing some older and harder to find Boss gear. I picked one up cheap and was pretty surprised it sounded and felt as good as it did. So much so that I bought a 2nd one when I had the chance! It was such a positive thing that I also took a chance on the Boss FZ1w with a preorder. I guess the Boss fuzz also exceeded my expectations but not as much as the DM2w, that one kinda shocked me.
Last edited by hulakatt on Thu Apr 14, 2022 3:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
She/Her

User avatar
Gavanti
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1712
Joined: Fri Jun 08, 2012 6:31 pm
Location: Des Noise, Idohiowa
Contact:

Re: Pedals that exceeded your expectations

Post by Gavanti » Thu Apr 14, 2022 2:38 pm

Halberd v2: really did not expect this to dethrone a Benson as my always on, but it cuts through so well, and the 3 voices are perfect for different situations.

RE-20: picked up in a trade because I thought I could sell it quickly. Ended up rearranging my board around it. I’m curious about the 202, but I love the cylon eye.

BA Throbby: this pedal would be perfect with an expression jack and a blinking rate indicator

User avatar
sessylU
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 534
Joined: Sat Oct 03, 2015 9:33 am

Re: Pedals that exceeded your expectations

Post by sessylU » Fri Apr 15, 2022 7:39 am

Not really a well known or available pedal, but for me the McPherson Red Boost Mkii.

I got it as a present thinking it was just another treble booster type thing. It's that, sort of, but it's a lot more. Not quite an overdrive, not quite a clean boost, but sounds great and is somehow a lot more versatile than it should be for such a simple pedal.
a total idiot jackass

User avatar
JONFROMJERSEY
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 159
Joined: Sat Feb 10, 2018 10:19 am

Re: Pedals that exceeded your expectations

Post by JONFROMJERSEY » Fri Apr 15, 2022 9:53 am

Strymon Deco
Diamond Memory Lane Jr
Mooer Radar

Post Reply