Stevis Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I am looking to add a fuzz pedal to my home studio set up. I was on eBay and came across a 70s model EHX Little Big Muff in good condition. The person was asking around $190.00. As you know, the paradox of buying a vintage pedal is there are few, if any, around to try out. I am looking for opinions on the above pedal and/or whether vintage pedals are actually worth anything close to this type of price? I can see how certain guitars and amps appreciate in value. I wasn't sure if the same thing held true with pedals. Thanks, Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon S. Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 The old Little Big Muffs are hard to beat IMO, but I think you could find one cheaper. I've had several vintage EHX pedals(still use my old Big Muff quite a bit). The problem I've ran into with a few of them were noise issues. I've had 2 70's Memory Man's and both were too noisy to use live, and my Big Muff(it's a 79 or 80 I believe) randomly acts up too. For the price that a lot of old pedals go for, you could get the same results from one of the "boutique" builders and not worry about the extra noise. I've heard good things about this builder, http://www.stompunderfoot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevis Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Thanks for the insights, Jon. I actually have been looking at some of the boutique pedals (e.g., Malekko Heavy Industries). I noticed that they tout using circuitry that was employed in vintage pedals. So, is it fair to characterize the demand (and pricing) for vintage pedals being based on the same logic as seeking the tone of vintage pickups that resulted from "old school" manufacturing practices (e.g., how they were wound, wax potted, etc.)? Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 There seems to be quite a market for "vintage" (meaning OLD) pedals. A couple of years ago I sold off all my pedals, mostly 70's stuff, and the prices I got even surprised me. The two that sold for the most were: First issue (ram's head) Big Muff - $250 MXR Analog Delay (green box, a/c powered) - $225 As for the old EHX pedals, I will say my favorite phase shifter ever was an EHX Small Stone (I have no idea what happened to mine, it was the 70's you know). I also had a Memory Man at one time, it quit working and was unrepairable at the time. I'll also go along with Jon S. in stating that as neat as some of the old pedals sounded, they were NOISY. I even think the original Boss pedals were noisy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevis Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Thanks for your input, L5Larry. Wow, your pedals did garner some amazing prices. So, if the older technology was so noisy, why would someone pay that kind of money for it today? I was under the impression many of these vintage pedals had superior tonal qualities? Are people looking at them today as collectables (and/or do they use other pedals, like a noise gate, in their chain to try and offset the noise while gaining superior tone through vintage effects)? Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyg Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 I've got a few old pedals which I bought new in the 70's and 80's. I hadn't used them for years, but recently I needed to use an MXR micro amp to boost a piezo equipped guitar. When I plugged it in it didn't work so I took it apart. The PCB was wrapped in a kind of foam which had all but disintegrated and when I got it off the board I found that several of the wires connected to the board had broken away or were in the process of breaking away. As there was no way the board could have ever moved I can only put that down to age and decay. I fixed it but I checked my other MXR pedals and they were all in the same state of decay. Also, and I don't know if this is true, I read on a board a while back that the material that some of the early three legged transistors were made of can start to break down after 25 years or more. I checked all my pedals and they all seemed noisier with no signal than I remembered, but that could be because I'm so used to using digital stuff and plugins. Good luck with your search for your fuzz pedal anyhow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevis Posted July 11, 2012 Author Share Posted July 11, 2012 You raise some important points. You were actually able to "look under the hood". When ordering a vintage pedal from eBay, you don't even get a chance to take it for a "test drive". I think I will go with new (boutique) unless there is something vintage here in town that I can play and examine prior to purchase. Thanks, Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon S. Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Thanks for your input, L5Larry. Wow, your pedals did garner some amazing prices. So, if the older technology was so noisy, why would someone pay that kind of money for it today? I was under the impression many of these vintage pedals had superior tonal qualities? Are people looking at them today as collectables (and/or do they use other pedals, like a noise gate, in their chain to try and offset the noise while gaining superior tone through vintage effects)? Steve I think the prices are more based on collectability and bragging rights. There are some old pedals that sound incredible, I own a few =) , but I think that there are pedals out now that will deliver the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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