So I guess pedals are the new forward guard.

[Warpsmasher]

Since when did Boss start hating Jewish dudes and making crap films?

I think Mel's hate and rage outbursts probably stem from testosterone use, and he is a damaged, flawed man, but I love him. Apocalypto is greatness. And I enjoyed Get The Gringo on the mindless guyfilm level. I'm sure there are better director avatars for Boss, but I see them as the leathery old badass that can't be fucked with, but also with enough crap in the past to not rate as Clint Eastwood.

EHX = Jim Henson

[Eivind August]

No, wait, Boss is Ridley Scott! Right? Make some really epic products, and some pure crap ones, all on a grand scale with massive budgets. And then Digitech could be Oliver Stone or something? Also, Montreal Assembly = Shane Carruth.

Would like to see the pedal versions of Bergmann.

[ProCarsteNation]

I'm not after any elusive tone. I'm after a musical two-way conversation with the face of God, in whatever form it takes.

[Warpsmasher]

No, wait, Boss is Ridley Scott! Right? Make some really epic products, and some pure crap ones, all on a grand scale with massive budgets. And then Digitech could be Oliver Stone or something? Also, Montreal Assembly = Shane Carruth.

Would like to see the pedal versions of Bergmann.

Yeah, that's much better for Boss. They could even be the Spielberg. Mel Gibson is just a mean old motherfucker with a crazy streak. Ampeg scrambler/fender blender.

[Andrew]

I don't know what the fuck you're all on about.

Ridley Scott is totally MXR

[Warpsmasher]

Roland = Spielberg
Way Huge = Nolan
Mid Fi = Tim Burton
Catalinbread = Kevin Smith
Marshall = Clint

[Eivind August]

Schumann = Fellini

[Invisible Man]

I could trip, fall, and get impaled on the number of raging ILF boners I've seen for Seppuku, Dwarcraft, Dr. Scientist, Fairfield, and Montreal Assembly. Know what I mean?

Well from that list, three of those companies are part of the ILF community. So, you know, support your friends.

Makes sense to me. But that's exactly what I mean! We get along with those builders because they offer us something new, or different, or something that works for us in a way that other things don't. Basically, I'm thinking about what it is that makes this community the way it is. I love it here, and I think it's fucking bizarre (which is why I love it). I just can't turn off that part of me that wonders why it is this way. Not trying to ruin it for anyone. I think you've helped me with this in you last few posts. And I'll definitely check the link you posted--the music is very gnarly, and not unlike what I'm looking for.

[Invisible Man]

I'm not after any elusive tone. I'm after a musical two-way conversation with the face of God, in whatever form it takes. The tools to get there are just tools. Could care less who or what made them.

None of the builders "get" me. Not even the small scale ones. I'm in that uncomfortable medium between noise and melody and am not afraid of either, but I have no desire to rechase or redo a moment in time.

I plug in, play, and let the moment take me. That's what I do. It's what I've done for a long, long time (well over twenty years and counting).

I don't know many writers who obsess over the maker of their ink, etc.

Seems like getting caught up in the screws instead of the process to me is the gist of it I suppose.

It's the sort of stuff I thought about when I was young and stoned and bored at 3 am a long, long time ago but the microbuilders and boutique stuff didn't exist. You used what was available in front of you, and couldn't just order the world on eBay.

I get you. I don't think we're far apart on this. And please don't misunderstand--I'm not getting caught up in hype about which capacitors people use or anything like that. This is a hard idea for me to put succinctly, but, to give it a go: many of these builders feel more like artists than engineers. They're not making lame overdrives for the big-game-hunting dentists. They're making fucked up stuff for weirdos. And that seems to come with its own corresponding worldview, you know? It informs what they do, and how they do it. They're not chasing a market; they're committed to degradation (Seppuku), innovative mechanical uses, sometimes using components not intended for audio (Dwarfcraft), next-level applications and workflow (Dr. Scientist), &c.

So it seems cool to me that we align ourselves with those ideas, not with the "brand of the ink."

And, now that we can order the world on eBay, things are different. You can talk to the builders. So, in that sense, the conversational give-and-take you mentioned is a little more democratically oriented. Which is excellent, I think.

[Invisible Man]

Moog = Kubrick
Devi = Fincher
D.A.M. = Lars Von Trier
WMD = Werner Herzog
Korg = Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli
Dr. Sci = Romero
Dwarfcraft = Sam Raimi
Zvex = Tarantino

Holy shit, this is amazing. Please don't stop.

MOOG IS KUBRICK.

[rfurtkamp]

They're making fucked up stuff for weirdos. And that seems to come with its own corresponding worldview, you know? It informs what they do, and how they do it.

Yea, the thing for me is I'm not fixated on pedal only formats and have a good selection of old rack stuff - so many of the newish weird pedals are chasing what I was playing with 20 years ago in 1U and 2U units. Nothing wrong with that, but I'm not adverse to a "good" sounding item too - I love to be able to go from pleasant to blistering and insane, and have control over it.

Never been a brand loyalist as long as it worked - I'll pay a premium for things that support things I like (I have a couple of Tom's pedals and have offered tech support on forum-related stuff which I have many, many years of experience with), but I don't care whether it's a Sears poncho or a real one, I guess.

[D.o.S.]

FINKLE IS EINHORN

[Warpsmasher]

Holy shit, this is amazing. Please don't stop.

MOOG IS KUBRICK.

Yeah I don't think I can top that one.
Fender = Martin Scorcese
Gibson = Francis Ford Coppola
Ibanez = Kurosawa
Danelectro = Ron Howard
Rickenbacker = Paul Newman
BC Rich = Rob Zombie
Jackson = Wes Craven

[Ugly Nora]

Now do John Hughes.

[Warpsmasher]

E-Mu?