Stomp Boxes: Electronic Guitar Effects

I play the guitar and I have an electric guitar at home. I used to be a "heavy metal head" and that meant that I needed to buy a lot of guitar equipment. I used to buy all kinds of electronic gadgets for my guitar called "effects pedals" or "stomp boxes." These things are distortion type devices that color the sound of a guitar. Jimi Hendrix was one of the pioneers of using these things (he used the Univibe rotary speaker simulation pedal, Wah-wah, and Fuzz Face distortion units and Eric Clapton was big on the Wah-wah too).

In the old days, they used to be manufactured in the good 'ol USA and also Japan. Supposedly the American stuff was the best. Sometimes, they made really good prototypes and sold inferior and stripped down devices "sweetened for the market." This means that stuff sold to John Q Public was easier on the pocket book and easier to sell. See any microeconomics textbook about price elasticity. Eventually, the devices started to be manufactured in Taiwan.

I had an MXR Flanger (AC powered) that I bought off a guy I knew from Chabad Lubavitch years ago and I could never tell the difference in quality between it and the Boss unit, which was much smaller and battery operated. MXR was an American company manufactured in CA and Boss was manufactured in Japan back then. The Japanese always beat us in technological improvements.

MXR used to silk screen their effects lettering and hang the effects out on a clothesline to dry. Sometimes, the paint used to attract bugs, which stuck to the effects.

I also bought a Boss DM-2 Analog Delay pedal used off a guy while I was living on LI for 60 clams and Boss discontinued making analog and only makes digital units. The analog IC chip needed to make them was put out of business for years until musicians clamored for their return. (When I went bust in Israel in '95 I sold all my guitar equipment. That pedal used was $245 in a NY guitar shop off 48^th St some years ago). But Ibanez, Maxon, Behringer and a few other companies make them again.