Commercial Build vs DIY Build

CheapSuitG

CheapSuitG

The TubeSchemer
I was talking with someone this morning about building guitar pedals and they asked if I ever thought about selling them. I’ve noticed something funny, when I talk to musicians about it, they ask if I can build them a pedal while non-musicians ask if I sell them.

That got me thinking, what’s the real difference between a DIY pedal and a commercial one?

Is it the quality of the components? Like better jacks, caps or enclosures?

Is it the artwork or how polished it looks?

The circuit design?

Maybe it's all about clean soldering and tidy wiring?

All of the above? None of the above?

At what level does a DIY build turn into something commercial level?
 
To me there's a line to be drawn between a hand-made pedal and a manufactured pedal.

Depending on the hands doing the making, and the person making the decisions about the manufacturing, either might result in higher or lower quality.

There are people running businesses who build by hand, and DIYers getting their shit manufactured to avoid any hand work.

Seems like most of your questions are about whether the finished product is good, and I don't think that has anything to do with whether it's DIY.

Like @PedalBuilder just said, commercial just means it got sold.
 
jcpst said:
“When it gets sold” is the right answer.

But to get at the heart of what your asking, probably “presentation”. Generally, if you’re selling, it has to look like a commercial pedal.
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Presentation is likely the key here.

With the type of repetition that comes with building 20-30 of the same thing at a time, skill and quality naturally falls out of that.

Next you start looking toward how the boards actually look when populated, symmetry, etc.

Packaging is a big one. It's quite literally the first thing people see when it ships to them. Packaging helps you to "punch above your weight class".

Packaging is a thing that really doesn't yield monetary value but it hurts you if you don't address it.
 
Big Monk said:
Presentation is likely the key here.

With the type of repetition that comes with building 20-30 of the same thing at a time, skill and quality naturally falls out of that.

Next you start looking toward how the boards actually look when populated, symmetry, etc.

Packaging is a big one. It's quite literally the first thing people see when it ships to them. Packaging helps you to "punch above your weight class".

Packaging is a thing that really doesn't yield monetary value but it hurts you if you don't address it.
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Great point about the packaging.

Look at Apple. I have boxes from iPads and iPhones I have not had in YEARS. That said, I have thrown away tons of plain, brown pedal boxes.
 
PedalBuilder said:
When it gets sold. I don’t think that there’s an otherwise meaningful difference between the range of stuff that you see people building here and the stuff that you see people buying on Reverb.
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this is literally the only correct answer. it could be hot garbage or a fine piece of craftsmanship but the second money has exchanged hands it is now a commercial product because ...
Robert said:
As far as the pedal itself, there is no distinction.

Look at some of @PedalBuilder's stuff and tell me that's not commercial quality. They look like modern EHX designs.

Now let me show you a boutique overdrive I paid $300 for.... It's built on stripboard insulated with a piece of cardboard wrapped in duct tape.
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some of us remember certain youtube celebrities earlier efforts. not all boutique was or is created equal.

the nice thing about staying out of the commercial space is the only customer I have to satisfy is myself. if I don't feel like artwork, there won't be any. if I want to throw something together just to shit on a forum contest, I can. my output can be as good or shoddy as I'm willing to accept. I don't have to come up with ad copy or include case candy. I don't have to give shit away to influencers for exposure. most importantly, I don't have to settle for what someone else thinks my time is worth.
 
BuddytheReow said:
DIY people are toan chasers. Commercial guys aren't. Very few people, if any, get into DIY with the original intention of making money. It happens to be a byproduct for some.
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Interesting point but I'm not sure its that binary. Where do you put Brian Wanpler?
 
I have some early wampler (ego squasher, 2008) when they were still making their own stuff and his is some of the best of that era. the move to pick and place just made it so he could afford to do business with big box guitar stores that want MAP and a high profit margin
 
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