What happened to these pedals? Check out my 1 month follow up ruclips.net/video/Fa9g7kTBW6E/видео.html NEW LINKS TO GET THEM! Under different names... Distortion amzn.to/3u4bnKw Overdrive amzn.to/2NtrFvI Comp amzn.to/2OzEuoH Looper amzn.to/3qvWizd Delay amzn.to/2LWbw1o Booster amzn.to/3djHiRf
They're both overdrives, so they each have some clean signal blended in. The nobels does this special thing though. Hard to totally nail down in words 😕
Tbh a lot of times stuff like this sounds ok depending on what you play the video on, but irl plugged into an amp it can sound like a cold ham sandwich
i’ve been a musician for 30 years but i’ve never had a pedal because i’ve always been chronically broke, these might be the door to a whole new world of sound for me. i’m SO glad i happened to see this, i had just been watching fran blanche videos. definitely gonna try a couple of these.
Definitely who this is marketed for imho. If I understand correctly, most of the actual boards are identical to a lot of other major pedal brands, even made in the same factories, just distributed by Amazon instead. If your 14 and your allowance doesn’t allow you to spend 200$ on a peddle you don’t even fully understand, this is the way to introduce yourself to some new tones on the relatively cheap, without even needing a ride to the store. My current board in total costs probably 600-700$ (I mean my Walrus compressor was 200$, alone) which I definitely didn’t dream of spending when I was just starting out.
@thedog556 I think you misunderstood. I’m not saying these are worth 200$ or that all of them together are even worth 200$. I’m saying that if you’re a beginner with a very tight budget you can buy these as opposed to alternative pedals which can in some cases can cost as much as 200$. As to how the cost of parts effects things, fucked if I know, you might end up paying more for labor, name brand recognition, or distribution costs at that point. Are there pedals that costs thousands of dollars? Yes! Do they cost that much to make? Hell no!
@@TheAlpaguar get an HX Stomp. It’s perfect. I’m essentially using that as my “amp” or any random effect I may need, and then using external delay/reverb/overdrive
$25-$50 a pop? These aren’t terrible at all. If you’re a younger musician in your first band, these will absolutely get you started. Solid value for the price point. A lot better than the Boss ME-50 and MT-2 I started with.
Great review with a realistic analysis. The market is changing in drastic ways for almost every business and the guitar world is no different. A beginner guitarist used to buy a crappy almost unplayable guitar for $300 , some mediocre pedals for $65 each , a horrible amp for $400. Now a days - you can get a decent Harley Benton guitar for $250 , an entire rack of pedals for $120, and a Spark amp for $250. The sound palette available for $620 exceeds what used to be available for a working band in the 80`s. Sure a pro guitarist like yourself can justify spending 2 grand on a PRS guitar cause you need the best and you need something that will take a lot of use without constant adjustments. But there are many aspiring guitarists who are unable to take the plunge but still want to get in the game. The market has never been better for "budget conscious" players and that`s a good thing. It leaves money on the table for lessons and lessons early on can open up the world of music a lot quicker. Just saying ...
@@SteveSterlacci I started a bit earlier - I began playing at 16. But other than my first acoustic, I had to buy all my own gear. Not being a pro, I keep an eye towards something good but affordable. That said, back when I was actively playing in a band I did spring for a PRS, before the SE line even existed.
Maybe. Really though it's a different set of things making pedals cheap from making cheap guitars playable. Manufacturing can pretty much make nigh on every guitar playable compared with the past. Most older guitarists will tell a tale of a les paul copy or something that had a high action and was unplayable. I'm always amazed at how playable cheap guitars are these days even if the sound is lacking a bit. These pedals make little sense to me though since you can do what pedals do cheaper using software. As the guy is reading from the instructions it's clear the manufacturer doesn't think they'll survive gigging which is really the only thing that matters for a set of pedalboard and pedals (the audience likely won't notice or care what they sound like) and the tradition in the past was bomb proof pedals that you could jump on for years. In fact, in the 80s a lot of my pedals were dusty remnants from the 70s, still working if sounding a little dated compared with the Boss pedals. If they are making pedals cheap as chips that break that 'bomb proof' premise imo they are of little or no use - because the only thing I need as a bedroom guitar player is an audio interface. If anyone wants to make the entry level cheap, well, you can give it away because it's software. Although I note a lot of the software is expensive. It's only really at the point someone wants to play live, in a band, gig etc that the 80s idea of plugging in a guitar to an amp + pedals still makes some sense. That's mostly because gigging musicians (with a few exceptions) want stuff that's built like a tank and is as uncomplicated as they can on stage. IMO these cheap pedals fail both - they're more expensive than software but not up to the task of being robust, last forever hardware that you can throw in the back of a van and tour.
I'm a brand new beginner, who barely knows a few chords, and I bought all these just to sort of play with them, and learn about sounds. But I have to say, it's MUCH more enjoyable doing my lessons, with a cool tone. 100% worth it, even though my feeble skills are very far from needing pedals.
@Pxyfi Going pretty well, but I wish my finger callous thing would go faster. They don't hurt anymore, but they aren't all nice and padded yet either. I looked at Squier a lot myself. I ended up going cheaper than even those, because I wasn't sure if I would stick with it. I'm taking lessons from Guitar Tricks and it's going pretty fast. I didn't expect to be able to make any positive noises yet, but I was wrong. =)
In the long run I think quality affordable pedals will be good for the boutique brands because it will force them to innovate. We don’t need another $200 tweak of a Tubescreamer/Rat/Klon/Ross Compressor/Big Muff. Let the $25 brands be the clones.
@@SteveSterlacci I mean... if I can get a Big Muff sounding pedal for 25 bucks... bring it on. But yeah, I agree that this low budget market is probably gonna push big brands to either make something better for the same price or make new shit for their main line of products.
I would have killed for something this inexpensive when I was just getting started. Pretty remarkable time to be a guitarist. It's also good to get your feet wet with something like this and begin to learn what you like and don't like about it so when you set out to buy your next pedal, you'll have a much better understanding of the effect without having to invest a ton of dough up front.
@@SteveSterlacci Every generation has their own unique obstacles, but for the young guitarists out there, entry level pedal prices are pretty sweet these days! Now I've got to run and go chase some kids off my lawn!
@@jaribu2758 yeah like besides the frets cutting up my hand when i was first using my squier (the one you get in the classic beginner guitar/tiny amp/gigbag combo for like 150) i honestly have no complaints with it besides the g string not staying in tune so well sometimes, but it sounds great! Also the frets cutting up my hand taught me how to fret with MUCH better left hand posture out of necessity lmao
I'd have to open one up and see if it's pots, jacks and switches are surface mounded to the board or if it's using wires. If it's the latter, then for the cost of a couple of parts, I'd be looking to just upgrade them. It wouldn't be hard for a kid to do either. That's normally the bits that would fail in my experience.
@@airgliderz They literally have moving parts... the knobs and switch... not to mention the jacks which can come loose or break if you're careless with plugging in and pulling out. And if the knobs come loose and start twisting and it's using wires, those could pull out as well. And you could knock something loose when you stomp... There are definitely things that can go wrong.
@@airgliderz It's de facto got moving parts - ones that you stomp on with your foot. The main premise for 'stomp boxes' (clue in the name there) is bomb proof construction that can live on a stage and stand up to night after night of abuse from a guitarist hitting it with their foot. TBH, as I said in another post, if you want cheap guitar effects in your bedroom you don't need hardware at all these days, so if they don't stand up to the abuses of gigging they seem next to useless to me - and in the video he's basically reading from the manual that the manufacturer doesn't warranty them for use as a stomp box only for "private use". It's another example of Amazon switching to cheap tat. These are rebranded. They do the same with mechanical keyboards - sell cheap ones with crappy clone switches that last about 3 months of playing games, for about 30-50% of the cost of a mechanical keyboard that'll last in the millions of keystrokes and mugs buy them (mostly because youtube channels that use them for about half an hour make videos saying how good they are) and when they stop working Amazon say "You're outside the return period"
I have a habit of amping the speed of a video, to get past the ''personality'' to get the desired CONTENT, but this is so informative, and fun, too...your no nonsense approach, the active, in play effect demo off/on , showing the contrasts is the ultimate way of showing what youre talking about.. thank you!
@@SteveSterlacci I'm watching this for the delay pedal. Been playing like 18 years and still rocking with an orange Boss DS-1 and Peavey TransTube EFX amp with foot switch.
I've had my eye on the distortion and overdrive pedals and have heard mixed reviews but nothing as seemingly thorough as your video, at a fraction of the price from name brand pedals, it might be a great beginner pedal
Honestly, affordability is the way. With guitar sims out that currently (at least in my opinion) emulate and occasionally outdo amps like Bias FX 2 and on the higher end Neutral DSP physical gear needs to become cheaper to stay competitive, and that can happen with advances in tech.
This isn't even guitar-related but you are the kind of person I strive to be. It's a feeling that is a bit hard to verbalize but I really hope one day I can have the same vibe you have
Apparently, if you hold down that soft click button on the delay, it will go into tap tempo mode. Hold down again to get out. Thanks for demoing all those pedals. The Drive pedal seemed to have not too much effect/volume, but on full Tone dialed in, it got more aggressive? I liked the sound of the Boost. :-)
As a beginner who’s not very wealthy this was very useful information for me. 25$ for any of these is a lot more digestible than the $100 minimum for a pedal you pay at guitar center.
I am not into guitars and was interested in how these pedals may be for synths. I must admit though, I really enjoyed your presentation. You are very down to earth and you played well, to my ears. Thanks for sharing.
These are rather decent for the price. But if I'm shopping in the 25-50$ range, I'd rather go for Behringer and Tone City. The are less generic sounding and many more options to choose from.
Isn't "generic" kinda the point? They do the same job as more expensive pedals. A guitarist could fill out a whole pedal board for the cost of one or two "name brand" pedals, and achieve the same thing. And if you don't want to sound generic, then form your own sound with your fingers. The pedals aren't ever going to make someone into the next Hendrix, no matter what their price tag might be.
@@vhfgamer by "generic" I mean that these are very standard versions/circuits. Behringer pedals are in the same price range but a lot of their pedals have much more personality and character. For example, the UV300 SF300, UC300, RV600, OD100, TO800, etc all sound much better than these Amazon branded ones.
Thanks for encouraging people to support small pedal makers. I make overdrive pedals and it’s so difficult to convince anyone that quality is a thing and makes a difference.
I know a local guy who can clone pretty much any pedal. They cost about the same and his build quality is outstanding. He made me an awesome MXR Dyna-Comp clone for my bass that I call 'The Fart-Hammer'.
You know what, all the classic albums we still listen to today from 45 years ago or so were not created with $500 boutique pedals nor where they using patch cords that are like $150 for a 6 foot cord these days, and yet they still sound fantastic today. Think about that for a second. I can fortunately afford the boutique pedals etc but I would never pay the money for one. I'm 60, been playing guitar since I'm 12, played the bars from the late 70's well into the early 90's, and now keep playing my guitars for pure enjoyment. I advise young aspiring players to not buy into the hype in boutique pedals and focus on developing your own sound and explore your original creativity. This was a well done video.
They seem to get along well with others. As an instructor I might be inclined to recommend these to students on a budget if the local used section was low on inventory.
I love my local guitar shop, small, family owned and superb customer service. And the 40 plus years of gear knowledge from the owner really help out when you need to replace that scratchy wah pedal pot or wire in some p90s when you’ve never done it before. Shop locally owned!
Pretty guitar. I have a local store that has the BEST customer service and I will use them for gear, even if it’s a little more. I’ve even gotten a few freebies from them because with their good service I am a loyal customer. But thanks for the review.
Apparently, these are the same as some others that are branded with different names, which is common for the Asian factories. I've used some cheap "no=-name" pedals, and some that are also some pedals from more well known knock off brands (like Mooer). You tend to get what you pay for. The Mooer stuff is higher quality but generally cost 3-4 times as much (still inexpensive). Overall, the US or UK or EU made pedals are certainly better quality still, and you will be supporting small business people (I love that you promoted that Steve), but they also cost quite a bit more. So, people make choices - its nice that we have choices to make.
No matter the brand, most cheap pedals or possibly some mid-rangers are probably built in the same factory. Shenzhen is the electronics capital of the world!
I've got a mixture of expensive and budget pedals on my board, I honestly couldn't say I've ever noticed any difference. If anything I like the sound from the budget pedals more because I know they were so cheap. OK, mine are protested in a pedal board so I don't have to keep plugging them in/out all the time, but so far as build quality goes, I'm very happy, and some of them are 5 or 6 years old. The budget pedals are generally smaller too, which means you can have a more compact arrangement in front of you. Thumbs up on budget all the way for me.
@@SteveSterlacci I had the Nux version, that’s why I know. I just checked the Amazon page and it says noting about the tap tempo feature, so I checked the manual and there they info about it. I’m using tc nova repeater now. Thanks for a great channel man. Cheers from Stockholm Sweden.
That's a characteristic of "overdrive" by definition. Blends the clean sound with the distorted. Thats what makes it transparent and have more clarity.
All the mods done on my guitar are combo of small business and builders. I'd rather throw good money at people who care about their craft than save a few bucks at GC type businesses. Besides, GC techs know jack shit about Rickenbacker guitars anyway.
At this point I believe it's more important to make sure beginners have an idea of how these pedals function... I remember thinking a dist pedal should take a clean (I mean pristine) amp and take it all the way to high gain crunch. There are some out there that do this but I'm honestly embarrassed to admit how recently it has been that I learned about pushing an already driven amp and gain stacking etc. Knowing how to use the pedals and what their limits and strong points are helps to avoid the frustration of just shrugging it off as 'this pedal is trash' I mean... I remember a time when you couldn't give away a ds1 but now everyone is saying they are pretty decent. Ngl I still have a bias and that is what I'd try to save other players from. I spent $ I didn't have as a teenager for that orange box and thought it was going to completely change everything... Not just my sound but everything damnit... And from lack of knowledge I hated it. Gave it to my cousin when he hit his nirvana stage. Probably still floating around.
Just found Steve and joined up. I don't use pedals. I have none at all. Much less digital QC etc. I'm here to learn and this is great for me. What they do and where they go in the chain. Thank you.
I'm a bit new to guitars and stuff been thinking about playing, never realized how much of a difference there is between a regular-sounding amp and a distortion pedal.
Most of the basic overdrive, boost etc. pedals are pretty much endless clones of 70s and 80s designed pedals, with boutiques being there to add in different flavors. It makes absolutely sense that these pedals sound decent. It's usually the support and the quality of the switches and housing that you are giving up.
My gut feeling is the audience won't know the difference. I own a lot of pedals but when I play live I usually just use my Boss pedals. I do own some expensive pedals and yes they might be 10 to 20% better than the boss pedals, but like this video you get the idea.
I really like that you recommended small guitar stores first I have seen about 7 go down in the last 3 years and now there is none left within 80 miles of me
Depending on the sort of player you are, that pedal series could get you through quite a bit of material. That distortion medal working WITH the compression could probably make up for the lack of drive with it alone. If you were a standard country player, that stuff would easily get you through a gig and the pedals didn't sound noisy at all.
BASS player here, some companies had their names on them, available on Chinese web-sites, about what you pay on Amazon. At least you got the guts to show us what they sound like. Last week a friend found a Danelectro black coffee ( distortion ) in the garbage, what a sound !!!!! Even gets a radio channel LOL!!
Thx for the review! Just saw another video where the guy took the green TS drive pedal apart, it's actually a NUX branded circuit board. So these all may be repainted NUX pedals.
I have come to view pedals differently over time. I can’t afford the boutique ones, I usually stick mostly to boss pedals. But, this is the view I’ve come to regarding gear. All gear serves our creativity. If a $5 pedal bought from a friend gets the sound that inspires you, great. If you require a $5000 klon, great. But, we tend to get hung up on the value or the names on our gear. The guitar and the amp are paintbrushes, the pedals the paint. Find your voice, use gear, don’t let it use you. Also, experiment with the gear you do have. Don’t be afraid to try stuff.
Thank you. I'm an old time bass player, now amatuer guitar player getting back into playing 30 year later.... this was very helpful for me to "keep up with kids these days" :) geez, I feel old just on my comment.. buying pedals online... LOL!
I’ve ripped those cheap pedals for a few years now and basically feel no difference other than the quality of the pedal the only cheap pedal i’m not satisfied with is the wah pedal
@@SteveSterlacci especially when you think of a beginner looking to learn effects and how to utilise them before spending a shit ton of money on more expensive, professional pedals.
What happened to these pedals? Check out my 1 month follow up
ruclips.net/video/Fa9g7kTBW6E/видео.html
NEW LINKS TO GET THEM! Under different names...
Distortion amzn.to/3u4bnKw
Overdrive amzn.to/2NtrFvI
Comp amzn.to/2OzEuoH
Looper amzn.to/3qvWizd
Delay amzn.to/2LWbw1o
Booster amzn.to/3djHiRf
is the amazonbasics drive similar to your nobels od?
They're both overdrives, so they each have some clean signal blended in. The nobels does this special thing though. Hard to totally nail down in words 😕
A gateway drug; they serve a purpose. Thank you for doing this.
Thanks for checking it out! Definitely a gateway!
@Scott Nelson even further. Koko is rebranded Nu X
Me: Hey that sounds pretty decent
Steve: absolute trash
Me:ABSOLUTE trash smh smh
I'll be honest i wanted to hate them so bad during filming and totally acted like it. Hearing it back in post i actually really liked them lol
@@SteveSterlacci
If it sounds good, it is good. A wise man, who builds expensive pedals, once said that.
I get a kick out of this comment every time lol thank you again
@@SteveSterlacci Thanks for being honest, Some people would've been a snoband been like "UgH of course its ass blah blah"
Tbh a lot of times stuff like this sounds ok depending on what you play the video on, but irl plugged into an amp it can sound like a cold ham sandwich
That's value for your money right there, although I agree about supporting smaller builders rather than faceless corporations.
When possible at least!
Those faceless companies will cure cancer someday.
@@Brizizaz fair point.
Especially the PCB from boutique companies. They're no different and are 10x the price
@@Brizizaz faceless company monopoly bs is the reason the cures haven't been released and we still pay thousands for chemical torture.
i’ve been a musician for 30 years but i’ve never had a pedal because i’ve always been chronically broke, these might be the door to a whole new world of sound for me. i’m SO glad i happened to see this, i had just been watching fran blanche videos. definitely gonna try a couple of these.
Awesome !! They're nice toys to get some more sounds for sure. And you don't have to feel bad if they break down
@@MartinThmpsn oh sweet, thanks for the tip!
Same here except I just started out, and im relatively young. This will help me out big time, with experimenting with different sounds.
T.c smorgasbord series is quality built great sounding pedals....not too expensive
@@f1rebreather123 nice! good luck with your soundscaping, man.
Don't you hate it when you accidentally get a guitar pedal instead of a bag of chips
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 definitely !!!
lmfao
Would u return da Guitar efx, 4 da bag o chipz or just eat da pedal?
I mean... Isn't a pedal a box of chips though?
Ha haah... "FOr how much again?!" 🤣
Help support local business is the best intro I've heard in a while
Thanks!
Isn't that one of the original ideas behind Amazon you could get access to books from small bookshops all over the country. Thus helping out the small
@@johnchambers930 No, the idea was to make money, you just find a way to make money and use the narrative
Honestly, I would recommend these to beginner guitarist in youth group bands who want to start learning about pedals and want to save money
Absolutely! They actually do sound pretty good after some time with them
Not wrong!
Definitely who this is marketed for imho. If I understand correctly, most of the actual boards are identical to a lot of other major pedal brands, even made in the same factories, just distributed by Amazon instead. If your 14 and your allowance doesn’t allow you to spend 200$ on a peddle you don’t even fully understand, this is the way to introduce yourself to some new tones on the relatively cheap, without even needing a ride to the store.
My current board in total costs probably 600-700$ (I mean my Walrus compressor was 200$, alone) which I definitely didn’t dream of spending when I was just starting out.
@thedog556 I think you misunderstood. I’m not saying these are worth 200$ or that all of them together are even worth 200$. I’m saying that if you’re a beginner with a very tight budget you can buy these as opposed to alternative pedals which can in some cases can cost as much as 200$.
As to how the cost of parts effects things, fucked if I know, you might end up paying more for labor, name brand recognition, or distribution costs at that point. Are there pedals that costs thousands of dollars? Yes! Do they cost that much to make? Hell no!
@@TheAlpaguar get an HX Stomp. It’s perfect. I’m essentially using that as my “amp” or any random effect I may need, and then using external delay/reverb/overdrive
As a novice, I like that you called out what to listen for/pay attention to. Thanks
Much appreciated! Thanks for the comment. Hope to have earned your sub
$25-$50 a pop? These aren’t terrible at all. If you’re a younger musician in your first band, these will absolutely get you started. Solid value for the price point. A lot better than the Boss ME-50 and MT-2 I started with.
For sure can get the job done! I started on an me 50 too! LOL
Great review with a realistic analysis. The market is changing in drastic ways for almost every business and the guitar world is no different. A beginner guitarist used to buy a crappy almost unplayable guitar for $300 , some mediocre pedals for $65 each , a horrible amp for $400. Now a days - you can get a decent Harley Benton guitar for $250 , an entire rack of pedals for $120, and a Spark amp for $250. The sound palette available for $620 exceeds what used to be available for a working band in the 80`s. Sure a pro guitarist like yourself can justify spending 2 grand on a PRS guitar cause you need the best and you need something that will take a lot of use without constant adjustments. But there are many aspiring guitarists who are unable to take the plunge but still want to get in the game. The market has never been better for "budget conscious" players and that`s a good thing. It leaves money on the table for lessons and lessons early on can open up the world of music a lot quicker. Just saying ...
Totally agree with you! I'd love to be a 12 year old starting to play today. I didn't start til age 20 so ive always been on the budget! 😅🤣
Exactly. Technology and CNC has been a godsend for guitarists.
@@oldmansbasement for sure!!
@@SteveSterlacci I started a bit earlier - I began playing at 16. But other than my first acoustic, I had to buy all my own gear. Not being a pro, I keep an eye towards something good but affordable. That said, back when I was actively playing in a band I did spring for a PRS, before the SE line even existed.
Maybe. Really though it's a different set of things making pedals cheap from making cheap guitars playable. Manufacturing can pretty much make nigh on every guitar playable compared with the past. Most older guitarists will tell a tale of a les paul copy or something that had a high action and was unplayable. I'm always amazed at how playable cheap guitars are these days even if the sound is lacking a bit. These pedals make little sense to me though since you can do what pedals do cheaper using software. As the guy is reading from the instructions it's clear the manufacturer doesn't think they'll survive gigging which is really the only thing that matters for a set of pedalboard and pedals (the audience likely won't notice or care what they sound like) and the tradition in the past was bomb proof pedals that you could jump on for years. In fact, in the 80s a lot of my pedals were dusty remnants from the 70s, still working if sounding a little dated compared with the Boss pedals. If they are making pedals cheap as chips that break that 'bomb proof' premise imo they are of little or no use - because the only thing I need as a bedroom guitar player is an audio interface. If anyone wants to make the entry level cheap, well, you can give it away because it's software. Although I note a lot of the software is expensive. It's only really at the point someone wants to play live, in a band, gig etc that the 80s idea of plugging in a guitar to an amp + pedals still makes some sense. That's mostly because gigging musicians (with a few exceptions) want stuff that's built like a tank and is as uncomplicated as they can on stage. IMO these cheap pedals fail both - they're more expensive than software but not up to the task of being robust, last forever hardware that you can throw in the back of a van and tour.
I'm a brand new beginner, who barely knows a few chords, and I bought all these just to sort of play with them, and learn about sounds. But I have to say, it's MUCH more enjoyable doing my lessons, with a cool tone. 100% worth it, even though my feeble skills are very far from needing pedals.
Glad you're enjoying them!
@Pxyfi Going pretty well, but I wish my finger callous thing would go faster. They don't hurt anymore, but they aren't all nice and padded yet either. I looked at Squier a lot myself. I ended up going cheaper than even those, because I wasn't sure if I would stick with it. I'm taking lessons from Guitar Tricks and it's going pretty fast. I didn't expect to be able to make any positive noises yet, but I was wrong. =)
@Pxyfi those are great guitars!
@Pxyfi great guitars. What body did you end up getting?
That's exactly the thing, right? Being able to sound cool even while doing mundane stuff makes doing the mundane stuff *way* more fun!
I love the call for supporting small business! Good words!
Thanks michael!
Savage!
@thedog556 I don’t get it
“But your gear’s expensive” if it doesn’t sound good on an expensive rig it’s probably not gonna sound great on your $50 bedroom amp
Thank you! My point exactly
That $25 pedal probably has an actual manufacturing cost of roughly 10 bucks. Pretty impressive that someone can make a pedal that good for so cheap.
for sure
Slave labor helps
They’ve always been that cheap, you were just getting duped by guitar center
It's called starvation wages.
All the usual pedals are overpriced by about 100% - 200%.
In the long run I think quality affordable pedals will be good for the boutique brands because it will force them to innovate. We don’t need another $200 tweak of a Tubescreamer/Rat/Klon/Ross Compressor/Big Muff. Let the $25 brands be the clones.
I've never thought of this take. But you are so right
Or, maybe, it should make you aware that you've been had paying insane prices for 'boutique' stuff.
I like this school of thought
@@SteveSterlacci I mean... if I can get a Big Muff sounding pedal for 25 bucks... bring it on.
But yeah, I agree that this low budget market is probably gonna push big brands to either make something better for the same price or make new shit for their main line of products.
@@Zer0Spinn agreed! I am officially on the cheap pedal train lol i am stocking up for demos
The wonders of the youtube algorithm. I don't play guitar, I hate amazon, and watched the whole video.
🤣🤣🤣 well, i greatly appreciate you either way! Even if you're not a sub, still appreciate it and thank you!
isnt it funny how that'll happen; youtube, expanding horizons one random video at a time, lol
Time for you to start playing guitar then
I would have killed for something this inexpensive when I was just getting started. Pretty remarkable time to be a guitarist. It's also good to get your feet wet with something like this and begin to learn what you like and don't like about it so when you set out to buy your next pedal, you'll have a much better understanding of the effect without having to invest a ton of dough up front.
Totally agree! The new generations are definitely spoiled 😅
@@SteveSterlacci Every generation has their own unique obstacles, but for the young guitarists out there, entry level pedal prices are pretty sweet these days! Now I've got to run and go chase some kids off my lawn!
Especially the play-ability of cheap guitars and basses today. I remember cheap instruments being really awful compared to today.
Absolutely!
@@jaribu2758 yeah like besides the frets cutting up my hand when i was first using my squier (the one you get in the classic beginner guitar/tiny amp/gigbag combo for like 150) i honestly have no complaints with it besides the g string not staying in tune so well sometimes, but it sounds great!
Also the frets cutting up my hand taught me how to fret with MUCH better left hand posture out of necessity lmao
I'm quite impressed!
I'd worry about durability, you really don't want a pedal failing mid concert, but tone wise they sound pretty well to me
Totally agree! Id be curious to try long term
It's electronic no moving parts, low power, will be reliable at worst.
I'd have to open one up and see if it's pots, jacks and switches are surface mounded to the board or if it's using wires. If it's the latter, then for the cost of a couple of parts, I'd be looking to just upgrade them. It wouldn't be hard for a kid to do either. That's normally the bits that would fail in my experience.
@@airgliderz They literally have moving parts... the knobs and switch... not to mention the jacks which can come loose or break if you're careless with plugging in and pulling out. And if the knobs come loose and start twisting and it's using wires, those could pull out as well. And you could knock something loose when you stomp... There are definitely things that can go wrong.
@@airgliderz It's de facto got moving parts - ones that you stomp on with your foot. The main premise for 'stomp boxes' (clue in the name there) is bomb proof construction that can live on a stage and stand up to night after night of abuse from a guitarist hitting it with their foot. TBH, as I said in another post, if you want cheap guitar effects in your bedroom you don't need hardware at all these days, so if they don't stand up to the abuses of gigging they seem next to useless to me - and in the video he's basically reading from the manual that the manufacturer doesn't warranty them for use as a stomp box only for "private use". It's another example of Amazon switching to cheap tat. These are rebranded. They do the same with mechanical keyboards - sell cheap ones with crappy clone switches that last about 3 months of playing games, for about 30-50% of the cost of a mechanical keyboard that'll last in the millions of keystrokes and mugs buy them (mostly because youtube channels that use them for about half an hour make videos saying how good they are) and when they stop working Amazon say "You're outside the return period"
I have a habit of amping the speed of a video, to get past the ''personality'' to get the desired CONTENT, but this is so informative, and fun, too...your no nonsense approach, the active, in play effect demo off/on , showing the contrasts is the ultimate way of showing what youre talking about.. thank you!
Wow that actually means a lot to me! Thank you so much and I appreciate the view and comment 🤘🤘🤘
That is really not bad sounding when you "try them all". Pretty decent tones. Thanks for putting it out. May check out the delay.
That ones next up for an individual demo. Its a nice little digital delay! Even has tap tempo
What I love most about this video was the call for direct support to mom and Pop music shops, bravo. More people need to be doing this, thank you.
Thank you for the appreciation! Means a lot
Right O, Jeff and Amazon will not change your strings and adjust your action. Buy local when you can or there will be no local.
Right, Fuck GC and MF-GC owns them as well.
And if you don't have the ability to get to a place (time, distance, mobility, etc) Reverb or your local place will likely still mail to you.
Actually kinda digging the Drive and Distortion pedals. The Delay sounds pretty damn good too.
Not bad right?! The delay may be sneaking in as a favorite
Modulation effects seem to be the easiest to not screw up
@@SteveSterlacci I'm watching this for the delay pedal. Been playing like 18 years and still rocking with an orange Boss DS-1 and Peavey TransTube EFX amp with foot switch.
I've had my eye on the distortion and overdrive pedals and have heard mixed reviews but nothing as seemingly thorough as your video, at a fraction of the price from name brand pedals, it might be a great beginner pedal
That 15min mark had a “cliffs of Dover” tone. These are a must for any beginner that’s not sure what direction they wanna go. Good video👍🏻
Thanks Jay! I agree they are solid options
Thank you for actually reviewing the items and not just showing off your shredding skills for 20 minutes. That happens a lot in gear "reviews".
Thanks Mark! Means a lot. Funny enough, I got complaints of "too many G chords" while trying to assess the tone of the pedal
Your comment on supporting locals was enough for me to subscribe. I firmly believe in helping the little man especially during these times
Thanks chris! Means a lot 🤘🤘🤘
Honestly, affordability is the way. With guitar sims out that currently (at least in my opinion) emulate and occasionally outdo amps like Bias FX 2 and on the higher end Neutral DSP physical gear needs to become cheaper to stay competitive, and that can happen with advances in tech.
You're totally right. I use a lot of modelers including the quad cortex. They do it all and in most ways better than the analog versions
"if you're a professional guitar player using a $20 pedal you have other problems" yeah bro, being a professional musician
Professional doesn't mean the most expensive products, It means being able to comand the guitar when needed.
@@michaelmojica9057 professional means making money lol
I like that you just get into it with these pedals instead of rambling some stupid stuff like so many RUclipsrs do. I appreciate you man
Thanks! I like getting right to it without the whole shbiel beforehand. Hope to have earned your sub 🤘
This isn't even guitar-related but you are the kind of person I strive to be. It's a feeling that is a bit hard to verbalize but I really hope one day I can have the same vibe you have
Actually?!
Apparently, if you hold down that soft click button on the delay, it will go into tap tempo mode. Hold down again to get out. Thanks for demoing all those pedals. The Drive pedal seemed to have not too much effect/volume, but on full Tone dialed in, it got more aggressive? I liked the sound of the Boost. :-)
Thanks Larry! There is a part 2 to this where I show that. I did not know it at the time of this vid
As a beginner who’s not very wealthy this was very useful information for me. 25$ for any of these is a lot more digestible than the $100 minimum for a pedal you pay at guitar center.
Let's hit em all = instant hair metal
RAWK
I am not into guitars and was interested in how these pedals may be for synths. I must admit though, I really enjoyed your presentation. You are very down to earth and you played well, to my ears. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Andrew! Means a lot. I'd be curious to hear them on synth as well
These are rather decent for the price. But if I'm shopping in the 25-50$ range, I'd rather go for Behringer and Tone City. The are less generic sounding and many more options to choose from.
Good options!
Isn't "generic" kinda the point? They do the same job as more expensive pedals. A guitarist could fill out a whole pedal board for the cost of one or two "name brand" pedals, and achieve the same thing.
And if you don't want to sound generic, then form your own sound with your fingers. The pedals aren't ever going to make someone into the next Hendrix, no matter what their price tag might be.
@@vhfgamer by "generic" I mean that these are very standard versions/circuits. Behringer pedals are in the same price range but a lot of their pedals have much more personality and character. For example, the UV300 SF300, UC300, RV600, OD100, TO800, etc all sound much better than these Amazon branded ones.
Thanks for encouraging people to support small pedal makers. I make overdrive pedals and it’s so difficult to convince anyone that quality is a thing and makes a difference.
I know a local guy who can clone pretty much any pedal. They cost about the same and his build quality is outstanding. He made me an awesome MXR Dyna-Comp clone for my bass that I call 'The Fart-Hammer'.
That's a good friend to make!
What’s his contact information?
wow nice
Who is this guy !?!
How you gonna mention something like this but not send any business his way??? Hook us up man pleeease!
just wanted to say - well done for that preamble about supporting local commerce. that's appreciated.
Never knew the winter solider could shred!
Thanks Tae 🤣🤣🤣🤣 hope to have earned your sub!
6:39 this section sounded gorgeous
Thanks! Much appreciated
Thanks for showcasing these brother, I see em all the time on the Amazon and part of me always considers buying one.
They're not bad for the price!
You know what, all the classic albums we still listen to today from 45 years ago or so were not created with $500 boutique pedals nor where they using patch cords that are like $150 for a 6 foot cord these days, and yet they still sound fantastic today. Think about that for a second. I can fortunately afford the boutique pedals etc but I would never pay the money for one. I'm 60, been playing guitar since I'm 12, played the bars from the late 70's well into the early 90's, and now keep playing my guitars for pure enjoyment. I advise young aspiring players to not buy into the hype in boutique pedals and focus on developing your own sound and explore your original creativity. This was a well done video.
Definitely usable. At very least, they serve adequately enough to practice with, or for a guitarist on a very limited budget.
100% agree. I just did a single video using the boost and its actually really good
That was cool - thanks for doing that - I didn’t even know Amazon was making pedals now. Probably good for beginners
Thanks for checking it out! They're pretty solid overall. After a few weeks with them They're holding up
Amazon makes FA ! They just sell stuff from suppliers/ manufacturers.
They seem to get along well with others. As an instructor I might be inclined to recommend these to students on a budget if the local used section was low on inventory.
Dude, this is my first time stumbling upon your channel and you earned my sub the first 45 seconds.
Thank you bro! Means a lot
I love my local guitar shop, small, family owned and superb customer service. And the 40 plus years of gear knowledge from the owner really help out when you need to replace that scratchy wah pedal pot or wire in some p90s when you’ve never done it before. Shop locally owned!
Glad you have that close by!
Love that you encouraged purchasing local. I work at a music shop in my town, much appreciated!!
Awesome! Keep up the good work there
14:16 sounded like squidward walking away lol
Pretty guitar. I have a local store that has the BEST customer service and I will use them for gear, even if it’s a little more. I’ve even gotten a few freebies from them because with their good service I am a loyal customer. But thanks for the review.
Thats awesome! They deserve your business way more. Much respect
They are all NUX rebrands and NUX makes some decent stuff...
Definitely! Their site is very appealing
@@SteveSterlacci
If you open the housing you will find the NUX on the circuit board
@@TheElrondo I saw! Interesting stuff
Here in our country ite trend Kokko its Nux same housing that pedals
Try Kokko compressor,boost, overdrive its just dsame
Yup, my first pedal was a nux ch-3, quite a decent chorus for about 30 bucks haha
That distortion was actually pretty awesome.
Glad you like it Andrew! Hope to have earned your sub
Apparently, these are the same as some others that are branded with different names, which is common for the Asian factories. I've used some cheap "no=-name" pedals, and some that are also some pedals from more well known knock off brands (like Mooer). You tend to get what you pay for. The Mooer stuff is higher quality but generally cost 3-4 times as much (still inexpensive). Overall, the US or UK or EU made pedals are certainly better quality still, and you will be supporting small business people (I love that you promoted that Steve), but they also cost quite a bit more. So, people make choices - its nice that we have choices to make.
Agreed! If you have the means to support, then do so! If this is what fits your needs, go with these
@@SteveSterlacci if we all do that then maybe amazon will dip a toe into custom guitars 😂
No matter the brand, most cheap pedals or possibly some mid-rangers are probably built in the same factory. Shenzhen is the electronics capital of the world!
For sure!
I've got a mixture of expensive and budget pedals on my board, I honestly couldn't say I've ever noticed any difference. If anything I like the sound from the budget pedals more because I know they were so cheap. OK, mine are protested in a pedal board so I don't have to keep plugging them in/out all the time, but so far as build quality goes, I'm very happy, and some of them are 5 or 6 years old. The budget pedals are generally smaller too, which means you can have a more compact arrangement in front of you. Thumbs up on budget all the way for me.
Aint nothing wrong with that!
I’m definitely going to try these nice video
Thanks for watching! Hope to have earned your sub
The Delay pedal actually has tap tempo, that’s why it has a soft click... pretty Good for such a cheap pedal
I learned that right after making the video 😅😅😅 i guess i should do that individual video for it! Thanks for the heads up 🤘
@@SteveSterlacci I had the Nux version, that’s why I know. I just checked the Amazon page and it says noting about the tap tempo feature, so I checked the manual and there they info about it. I’m using tc nova repeater now. Thanks for a great channel man. Cheers from Stockholm Sweden.
@@Laxcom thanks for watching! Yeah a buddy on FB mentioned that about the tap tempo. Isn't mentioned anywhere!
The Drive pedal definitely does that weird Tube Screamer thing where you hear the distorted tone and the clean tone at the same time.
That's a characteristic of "overdrive" by definition. Blends the clean sound with the distorted. Thats what makes it transparent and have more clarity.
Got the overdrive, love it. Very similar to my boss od-2, my favorite pedal.
That's awesome! Maybe it's a clone of it
@@SteveSterlacci it's very, very close. The reality is ALL pedals are about $3 worth of electronics.
Appreciate you looking out for us consumers and doing your part to help tame mankind. The best to you!
Thank you for the support!
6:27 so Boost pedal is basically it’s the Push-up bra of guitar sounds. Steve your gesture made me think of this analogy 😂.
Nice review.
Well put ! Lol never thought of that before but may steal it
@@SteveSterlacci Sure, Be my guest 🙂.
Take care and stay safe.
Nice honest review here. I think you gave these good consideration. Thanks for the video!
Thanks Kiefer! I appreciate the comment and hope to have earned your sub
@@SteveSterlacci You've got it, sir!
you started off by saying you should support small businesses, and ya instantly got a like
Thanks! Hope to have earned a sub by the end 🤘. I appreciate you watching and writing
@@SteveSterlacci yup, got one of those too! 👍
@@nolanwazni3758 means a lot! Welcome aboard. My next vid is on the cheapest all tube amp that's out there. Hope you dig it!
All the mods done on my guitar are combo of small business and builders. I'd rather throw good money at people who care about their craft than save a few bucks at GC type businesses. Besides, GC techs know jack shit about Rickenbacker guitars anyway.
Great reviews, I'm on a budget and didn't even know these existed. Thanks.
Thanks for watching ! Hope to have earned your sub
At this point I believe it's more important to make sure beginners have an idea of how these pedals function... I remember thinking a dist pedal should take a clean (I mean pristine) amp and take it all the way to high gain crunch. There are some out there that do this but I'm honestly embarrassed to admit how recently it has been that I learned about pushing an already driven amp and gain stacking etc. Knowing how to use the pedals and what their limits and strong points are helps to avoid the frustration of just shrugging it off as 'this pedal is trash' I mean... I remember a time when you couldn't give away a ds1 but now everyone is saying they are pretty decent. Ngl I still have a bias and that is what I'd try to save other players from. I spent $ I didn't have as a teenager for that orange box and thought it was going to completely change everything... Not just my sound but everything damnit... And from lack of knowledge I hated it. Gave it to my cousin when he hit his nirvana stage. Probably still floating around.
Not bad for a begginer your demo changed my mind now lol
They're really pretty good!!! Lol
Nice one bro
Thanks 🔥
Thanks for sharing Steve. I have been looking at a cheap overdrive option and although it's not great, it might work for what I need.
Nice video, but please record another when the Amazon Basics Flanger and Wah pedals are released.
Will do!
Wow pleasantly surprised at the sound coming out of these!!!
Not bad for the price!
That drive sounds amazing
It surprised me!
Just found Steve and joined up. I don't use pedals. I have none at all. Much less digital QC etc. I'm here to learn and this is great for me. What they do and where they go in the chain. Thank you.
The distortion and the delay pedal were actually pretty good
I agree. Surprisingly. The boost and delay are my top 2 i think
Never saw these so thank you for showing us. I like your country guitar playing a lot too haha.
Hey thanks man! Means a lot. Thank you for commenting and watching
That’s a pretty cool sound right at the end.. can’t knock it!
Thanks!
I've got that compressor and their tuner on my second pedalboard. They're not bad!
Glad you dig'em!
I'm a bit new to guitars and stuff been thinking about playing, never realized how much of a difference there is between a regular-sounding amp and a distortion pedal.
Oh yeah! Totally alters the sound
Most of the basic overdrive, boost etc. pedals are pretty much endless clones of 70s and 80s designed pedals, with boutiques being there to add in different flavors.
It makes absolutely sense that these pedals sound decent. It's usually the support and the quality of the switches and housing that you are giving up.
Very true!
My gut feeling is the audience won't know the difference. I own a lot of pedals but when I play live I usually just use my Boss pedals. I do own some expensive pedals and yes they might be 10 to 20% better than the boss pedals, but like this video you get the idea.
I agree. No one in a million shows would argue it live with a band
I really like that you recommended small guitar stores first I have seen about 7 go down in the last 3 years and now there is none left within 80 miles of me
Seems to be more and more common nowadays
dude me not knowing anything about petals THEY SOUND GOOD ASAB
Thanks! I actually liked them much better listening back. Definitely was biased towards hating them during the demo 🤣😅
I really like that you want people to support their local economies.
Thanks so much! 🙌
Depending on the sort of player you are, that pedal series could get you through quite a bit of material. That distortion medal working WITH the compression could probably make up for the lack of drive with it alone. If you were a standard country player, that stuff would easily get you through a gig and the pedals didn't sound noisy at all.
Definitely can get any job done!
BASS player here, some companies had their names on them, available on Chinese web-sites, about what you pay on Amazon. At least you got the guts to show us what they sound like.
Last week a friend found a Danelectro black coffee ( distortion ) in the garbage, what a sound !!!!! Even gets a radio channel LOL!!
Thats hysterical LOL no radio channels in these...
When t dont play, radio Canada for my onerr distortion, danelectro gets an english station, hillarious ;)
I believe they're actually made by NUX. I could be wrong but I saw a video of a guy taking one apart and the circuit board had NUX print on it.
The casings are even identical
They ARE indeed made by NUX.
Yup
They sound good in general. Great value for money.
For the analog pedals most of manufacturers use the same circuit.
absolutely
Thx for the review! Just saw another video where the guy took the green TS drive pedal apart, it's actually a NUX branded circuit board. So these all may be repainted NUX pedals.
Definitely are. Same colors too!
I have come to view pedals differently over time. I can’t afford the boutique ones, I usually stick mostly to boss pedals. But, this is the view I’ve come to regarding gear. All gear serves our creativity. If a $5 pedal bought from a friend gets the sound that inspires you, great. If you require a $5000 klon, great. But, we tend to get hung up on the value or the names on our gear. The guitar and the amp are paintbrushes, the pedals the paint. Find your voice, use gear, don’t let it use you. Also, experiment with the gear you do have. Don’t be afraid to try stuff.
the only "local" pedal company up here in finland is dark glass and i aint paying 200€ for pedals
Nothing wrong with paying what you want for what you want! As long as you are inspired to play 🤘
Thank you. I'm an old time bass player, now amatuer guitar player getting back into playing 30 year later.... this was very helpful for me to "keep up with kids these days" :) geez, I feel old just on my comment.. buying pedals online... LOL!
HA! Careful, its a slippery slope
Wow that distortion actually doesn’t sound bad! It’s definitely got a cheap shrillness to it but you could certainly do worse.
For the $25, its not useless
*cough* Boss Metalzone *cough cough*
Dont have one on the princeton
@@Calebm90 yeaaaaa but this ones cheaper so you’d have more money to spend on more useless shit you’ll replace in half a year lol
Andertons should have hosted you for this. Great video, got a kick out of the fact there’s Amazon brand pedals XD
Ha! That would've been cool to do! They're awesome guys. Funny they sell everything 🤣
I’ve ripped those cheap pedals for a few years now and basically feel no difference other than the quality of the pedal the only cheap pedal i’m not satisfied with is the wah pedal
they can definitely work!
Thanks, good info to have.
Thanks for checking it out!
As I am getting back into music after 10 years of being away, these didn’t sound bad at all. Lol
Thanks Shelby! in post I really liked them
Same here I think I'll get one I'm sure the neighbors will be happy
@@jlutie2943 crank it up!
I heard about these and appreciate the video!
Thanks Jack! I appreciate you watching and commenting
I agree with you in supporting the small brick and mortar stores
Mom and pops
Good man!
To be honest, for what they are, they are pretty decent. I'm honestly surprised!
I agree. Even caught myself being overly critical during filming... listening back, i was like woah... way better than i expected
@@SteveSterlacci especially when you think of a beginner looking to learn effects and how to utilise them before spending a shit ton of money on more expensive, professional pedals.
@@mickjackson5680 absolutely! Great gateway to a more addicting habit 🤣😅
Iirc, they are rebranded JOYO (micro?) pedals.
It's good that you school us on the pedals ,but more dimestration and less talking. Thanks.
Cant change it now 🤷♂️ and this is my most successful video 😅
i now know i need a boost, drive, and a distortion pedal
I just did individual videos for the boost and distortion! Check them out if you need further convincing 😉
Really interesting video
Thanks!