What 3 pedals have you either bought or built but sold multiple times?

I had a Boss RT-20 back in the day, and a few years ago bought another to relive my glory days. I sold it when I got deeper into the Rotary rabbit hole

I've bought an MXR Il Diavolo twice and sold it both times, and then built one and sold it too. They sound good for about two months and then I realize there are other sounds I like more. But I now have yet another board I need to build out
I sort of did the opposite! I went through almost every expensive rotary trying to get the “Gilmour rotary sound” only to eventually land on the RT-20. I tried some interesting digital emulations along the way. For instance the Flamma Nova Drift. I guess one would put it in the budget area although it over $100. But it had a killer true stereo Rotary. It also has great chorus, tri-chorus, usable univibe and a couple others. I’ll probably buy that one again eventually. Another was the digitech Ventura. Good rotary and vibe. And of course the usual suspects the DLS RotoSpin v1 and 2 and both Option 5 versions.
 
I'm a sucker for the ehx big muff, specifically the big box version. I have a fairly current NYC reissue modded to my liking but over the years I've had several NYC reissues, black sovteks (they used to be cheap and plentiful), even an original op amp version.

ye olde sd-1 because they're cheap as chips, easy to mod, and easy to replace when you get tired of it, sell it, then decide you need that cheap one on marketplace

which brings us to the rat. I don't really like it enough as a pedal to justify the amount of times I've bought one, eventually modded it, then sold it to someone more enthusiastic about it than I am ... then did the same thing over again. the cost of the chips finally got me to stop but I do have a rat 2 with the proper chip and tone cap I keep mostly as a reference pedal
I went through phase as well chasing the DG tone. Had a couple original Ramsheads and all the Russians except the v1 Red Army Overdrive and Civil. Did have a Stomp Under Foot Civil War. Eventually sold all the American muffs but kept the first version big black box Russian. Version 7D maybe…the one with same circuit board as the bubble font. Below is a picture of my Ramshead and which Russian I’m referring too. I have an op amp RI for the Smashing Pumpkins thing. Surprisingly I’ve never tried any of the last big box Big Muff versions.

Went through every iteration off the deluxe and non deluxe analog memory man’s as well as all the different Electric Mistress only to find I actually preferred the big box Deluxe Electric Mistress.

IMG_2997.jpeg IMG_6451.jpeg IMG_2318.jpeg
 
Some of the ones I've built multiple times. Not including more popular pedals like rat, klon, etc

Squidward / Green Ringer
Stock / Q1 bias mod / micro
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Schadenfreude Distortion
Stock / P2P / tone knob omitted
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Nutty Fuzz / Ugly Face
Threshold omitted and Freq Exp added on the Ugly Face
IMG_3830.jpeg

Dung Beetle
Stock / tone and bias omitted
IMG_3831.jpeg
 
View attachment 118026
How does it sound?

"Bad. Honking, plasticky and thin, despite the basic octave divider circuitry. Where Dunlop’s Blue Box sucks with its way too low output, this one sucks with everything else. Divided octaves sound reasonable good, but the distortion part is just bad. Worse thhan Fab Metal (more on that later…). Definitely one of the worst (re)designs in this series. Wouldn’t recommend it, unless you are a true down octave aficionado. And even then. This may be good only for trying it once. My first encounter in this series that sounds exactly like it looks. Too cheap. This may be the one Danelectro effect that won’t ever let you get your pennies back."

😅

Via: https://mirosol.kapsi.fi/2013/09/danelectro-dj22-black-licorice/
I’d mostly agree with this bad review. The octave down is really good, as is the mix. There are almost no controls. I don’t think the reviewer is into heavy arty music though. If you only have one person playing an instrument in your hard-core band, they should be playing through this. I’d argue that a tube screamer is everything he describes this as. This is definitely about being a punk, not a Guitar Player.
 
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BBE Mind Bender v2 analog vibrato/chorus as well as the BBE Two Timer analog delay with switchable delay settings. The mind bender is another affordable analog chorus that’s good yet lacks a level knob.

I’ve bought the Carbon Copy twice but for some reason never bonded with it. Have been wanting to try it again. I’ve bought multiple Boss DD-2’s and CS-2’s. I love how the DD-2 sits in a mix.

A pedal I’ve bought once and loved but have never been able to find again at an affordable price is the old Morley Crystal Chorus. Had a horrible volume drop but had a beautiful chorus that sat between a chorus or flanger. Kind of sounded like an electric mistress.
 
The top three pedals I've built and sold multiple times are modified Small Clone choruse circuits (Monophonic Gizmotronic Symphonic Harmonic Perambulator), Klons as a clones (My Little Klony) and modified Range Masters (deRANGEd MASTER) . . . .
Mini-Me_Black_Done_02.jpg Klony_Gold_Sprkl_Done_02.jpg deRANGEd_MASTER_'24_Done_02.jpg

Others include my dual version of that same modified Small Clone circuit . . .
Dual_Chorus_Done_003b.jpg

. . . the STFU optical noise gate . . .
STFU_Done_B_02.jpg

. . . variants of the 2166 Compressor . . .
2166_PCB_Build_02_Faux_01.jpg 2166_Comp_V3_A2_Done.JPG 2166_Comp_03_1590B_x1_Done.jpg

. . . and others.

Oh, and over a dozen of the Rockman X100 true pedal builds . . . .
X100_V2_Set_04_Mine_01.jpg
 
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I've had 3 carbon copies - currently none but I dunno, there's something fantastic about that metallic green.

I've built around 75 pedals, I only still have about 20, so I've probably sold 55 or so. I still have projects in my cart that I've built before and wondered about if I should build again. I need to keep a better record of what ive built, what I like, and why i'm selling so I know why to revisit or that I didnt like.

Pedals I've had the longest - some form of line 6 amp modeller - primarily the HX stomp
Sherwood drive
Promethium
Circulator
Lowtide
 
I don't sell pedals.

I hoard.

However, I have given away two of my MFX pedals, because ANALGUE über arcane-menu-diving.

Pedals I build, I give away.

This may change.






I DO have a candidate! My favorite effect pedal of all time was the Danelectro Black Licorice. A “perfect” grind/deathcore distortion/octave down. It’s what the Blue Box and Buzz Box wish they were. Super cheap and extra crappy when new. They were sadly built in a disposable manor. I’ve killed or sold nearly a dozen of them. They’ve dried up. No idea what’s inside. The lack of DIY availability and the extra destructible packaging of the original makes this my most regurgitated pedal.

I do delight in the Blue Box, and Since Betty's post, I've spent the last 24 hours scouring the underbelly of the Web looking for a schematic, info, anything... only to find what Tegendemuur found — Mirosol's scathing review:

View attachment 118026
How does it sound?

"Bad. Honking, plasticky and thin, despite the basic octave divider circuitry. Where Dunlop’s Blue Box sucks with its way too low output, this one sucks with everything else. Divided octaves sound reasonable good, but the distortion part is just bad. Worse thhan Fab Metal (more on that later…). Definitely one of the worst (re)designs in this series. Wouldn’t recommend it, unless you are a true down octave aficionado. And even then. This may be good only for trying it once. My first encounter in this series that sounds exactly like it looks. Too cheap. This may be the one Danelectro effect that won’t ever let you get your pennies back."

😅

Via: https://mirosol.kapsi.fi/2013/09/danelectro-dj22-black-licorice/

Whenever I come across such an extremely wide discrepancy of opinion, such as for the BLACK LICORICE...
... well, colour me chartreusely intrigued, I'm a curious cat.



View attachment 118051



I'll crack it open later and snap some pics, but I recall there being a lot more inside than that pic shows.


images
 
I only ever sold one pedal. It was a Radial Engineering Hot British distortion pedal. It was the first pedal I actually bought with my own money. I couldn’t get it sound good with my amp and it made my noisy rig a million times noisier so I sold it. But I didn’t know how dial anything in back then and I still have that same amp but now I know more how to use it. Now I am curious how those Radial overdrives and distortions from that era sound. All their stuff is super reliable and well built so I think I was just too dumb for that pedal at the time. I would definitely build one if a DIY project was available.

Edit: My amp is a Carvin X100B from the 80's. It's a mesa boogie knock off and it's every bit as difficult to dial in as a mesa but sounds glorious once its there.
 
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I’d mostly agree with this bad review. The octave down is really good, as is the mix. There are almost no controls. I don’t think the reviewer is into heavy arty music though. If you only have one person playing an instrument in your hard-core band, they should be playing through this. I’d argue that a tube screamer is everything he describes this as. This is definitely about being a punk, not a Guitar Player.

Sounds like a pedal as divisive as its namesake food! ;)

PPCB version: Super Salmiakki…?

IMG_2673.jpeg

I bought the Danelectro Chili Dog twice. The first one I tried to rehouse into a proper metal enclosure. But it didn’t quite work right, so I got a second one with the intention of trying again.

But I haven’t gotten to it yet yet and picked up a PPCB Ocelot board in the meantime. So Chili Dog #2 might just stay on the shelf.
 
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