Are Vintage Pedals Better?

JezWynd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJYxsG0N0nk

joeyowen

I just watched this morning.

It's obviously subjective, but I disagreed with the rat, which to me clearly sounded different.  He was saying they were identical, but the vintage clearly had a bit more grit to it.  I actually preferred the sound of the reissue so the agenda was still met.

The TS was the big deal for me, they were identical to my ears to be fair!

A good watch (timed well with the release of his new pedal line do we think?)

JezWynd

The video format, where he plays with a band is maybe not the best to pick out subtle nuances (if they exist), but perfectly valid insomuch as pedals are used to make music.

The only pedal I have direct experience of is the CE-2 and he’s right, they sound near identical. I still like the original though, purely on aesthetic grounds - it looks cool with its simple layout, uncluttered by additional modes and stereo outs. And I have the box.

RaymondLin

Saw this last week, I couldn't tell!

But part of me was waiting for the Klon vs KTR comparison that never came, although that's no so much vintage, and Klones has been done to death.

jpttaylor

Yet another demonstration that the TS-9 is an incredibly simple circuit and that the vintage mojo chip has no discernible impact on the sound.

Interesting point made about A-Bing pedals and setting the controls the same on both pedals. There are a fair few videos from major/noteable YouTube channels that compare pedals and get different sounds, but could probably get the sound dead on if they just moved the knobs a tiny bit.

robinbowes

(without watching the video)

They can be different. They are not better because they are vintage.

R.

Danny1969

If the circuit is copied with the same components as the original then I can't see why there would be any difference. Most the drive circuits are built around components that haven't really changed for 40 years. There will always be a slight difference in sound though when you set 2 pedals to the same setting as the pot tolerances are pretty wide. That's not to say you can't get them to sound the same .. just that being in the same position doesn't mean they will sound the same. 
There could be slight changes in impedance though caused by 40 year old jack sockets I spose 

stickyfiddle

My 2003 early-Chinese-build Rat definitely doesn't sound exactly like my fully authentic LM308N-equipped clones of the original - it had slightly less grit and harshness. Would I hear it in a band context? Probably. Would the average punter notice a difference? I doubt it. 

FWIW I prefer the modern one.

ICBM

No, vintage pedals are not better.

In some cases specific components might have become unavailable and replaced with others that don't quite sound the same, but that's not the same thing. In other cases old pedals may have suffered from component value drift which will change the sound, but that is also not the same thing...

The reason old Rats are different from new ones is not the chip - it's that in the early 2000s they changed the type of pots they used, and this changed the sweep range of the controls and made it impossible to get the same sounds. (Surprisingly, even if the pots are set to the 'new' position that gives the same resistance division - the way the pots interact with the circuit seems to be important.)

stonevibe

Just proves that guitarists often get obsessed over the wrong thing and instead of writing songs, they go out and chase old chip sets in drive pedals. 

JezWynd

stonevibe said:

Just proves that guitarists often get obsessed over the wrong thing and instead of writing songs, they go out and chase old chip sets in drive pedals. 

Those who can, do. Those who can't collect vintage pedals. ;-)
(I'm one of the latter in case anyone thinks I'm being overly snarky)

impmann

The whole "vintage is better" thing is 1 part psychoacoustic, 1 part fairy dust, 1 part mojo and six or seven (depending on severity) bullshit.

*Some* vintage items sound different. But generally... if something sounds good its not just because it is old.

Sassafras

Old MXR stuff sounds better than the equivalent Dunlop versions.
My big box Rat sounds way better than new ones.
Other than that I can't say.

Sassafras

Boss made in Taiwan vs made in Japan?
No difference I can hear.

meltedbuzzbox

stonevibe said:

Just proves that guitarists often get obsessed over the wrong thing and instead of writing songs, they go out and chase old chip sets in drive pedals. 

impmann said:

The whole "vintage is better" thing is 1 part psychoacoustic, 1 part fairy dust, 1 part mojo and six or seven (depending on severity) bullshit.

*Some* vintage items sound different. But generally... if something sounds good its not just because it is old.

A-F&#@ING-MEN fellas. 

too much bullshit in the world of guitars. Especially when something is deemed vintage by age alone and not on its inerrant quality.

WiresDreamDisasters

Now you may laugh and mock me for not writing any songs, but my 2007 DD-7 sounds way different than my 2008 DD-7. SO THERE!

fretmeister

I've got an 86 boss pedal that doesn't work.

So I disagree with the premise.

RobertW

Sassafras said:

Boss made in Taiwan vs made in Japan?
No difference I can hear.

For years I tried to find a drive pedal I liked more than my lowly Boss SD-1, to no avail, so I decided if I was going to use an SD-1 I was going to use the best SD-1; the made in Japan vintage SD-1. I'd seen the youtube clips, it was definitely superior, no question.

When it arrived I hooked it up to my pedalboard and prepared to sonically destroy my cheap second rate made in Taiwan pretender to the throne SD-1.

They sounded exactly the same.

clarkefan

RobertW said:

Sassafras said:

Boss made in Taiwan vs made in Japan?
No difference I can hear.

For years I tried to find a drive pedal I liked more than my lowly Boss SD-1, to no avail, so I decided if I was going to use an SD-1 I was going to use the best SD-1; the made in Japan vintage SD-1. I'd seen the youtube clips, it was definitely superior, no question.

When it arrived I hooked it up to my pedalboard and prepared to sonically destroy my cheap second rate made in Taiwan pretender to the throne SD-1.

They sounded exactly the same.

And yet, the TPS guys did exactly the same test years ago and they definitely sounded different (I preferred the modern version funnily enough).

Do people really think it's old therefore it's better?  Sounds like the wrong starting point to me, people are more intelligent than that.

tone1

I’ve only got one old pedal... a 1977 MXR Distortion Plus which sounds ace...I haven’t heard a newer one so can’t really comment (but I sorta have)