Carpe Diem now available from Andertons - with a TPS reference in the advert

hubobulous

Has anyone else received the Andertons email re. the Fire Custom pedals? It now contains reference to 'That Pedal Show' showing the link that will now form:

As seen on That Pedal Show...

Overdrives can get a lot of hype online but until it's been on That Pedal Show is it really worth the hype? The Carpe Diem passed that test and the whole Fire Custom range is available now from Andertons!

.....I mentioned in a thread a while back that I'd overheard Lee whilst in Andertons talking about how the two groups might link up. Seems like this is coming to fruition....

EDIT: Here's the link: http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/996882/#Comment_996882

John_P

Thanks for that - makes getting hold of one a lot easier than waiting for a used one to a appear.   
Doesn't help make it any easier to choose between the CD and the BE OD I had planned to buy (unless I just get both)

hubobulous

@John_P - I think we both know the answer, don't we now?

John_P

True.       Lol and wis!     

JonHosker

Great - can't see the Fire pedals on their website yet? Jon

John_P

JonHosker said:

Great - can't see the Fire pedals on their website yet? Jon

They are only for preorder at the moment - there is a link to each pedals info/order page on the blogpost linked in the OP.

colourofsound

Here's an interesting angle - I'm a fairly common visitor to /r/guitarpedals on reddit, which being reddit, has a worldwide user base. I picked up a Carpe Diem from eBay and did an NPD post there. A Brazilian user chimed in saying that Fire Custom Shop are seen as somewhat of a 'budget' company in Brazil and that until fairly recently their output was of a fairly low quality. The Carpe Diem, for example, is only £120 if you picked one up in Brazil, and Fire Custom Shop pedals are available in every major music retailer over there.

He found it remarkable the Fire Custom Shop was getting such a following given the wealth of excellent pedals from the US, Japan and Europe. He did think though that there was an attitude in Brazil that equipment from those countries is just 'better', which is probably similar to the opinion that 'boutique' (i.e. expensive) is better than mass produced, although we all know thats bollocks (Digitech/DODs recent output, the Nobels ODR-1 are prime examples)

Apparently Dan picked up the Carpe Diem at NAMM so assumedly he had a chat with Fire Custom Shop while he was there, so I imagine all the marketing spiel about them being handmade etc is true and there's no need to worry about that element of the quality. 

It just goes to show how much hype that can be generated from two blokes who've garnered some respect on Youtube. I like my Carpe Diem and it's certainly got a great sound, but is it objectively 'better' than other overdrive pedals? Probably not. It certainly doesn't sound like demos I've heard or how it sounds on That Pedal Show - I think thats because the amps they're playing through are so good that it makes the pedals they discuss sound amazing.

I guess I'm not trying to make a point here, except that your perception of how good a pedal (or any piece of gear) is never lives up to how it actually turns out in real life with your guitar, your amp and your room. I've gone through a huge bout of GAS recently and for the most part all thats happened is that I've been disappointed, and have spent more time fucking around with gear then actually playing any music.

When the hype/GAS becomes a wall in front of music rather than an inspirational bridge to it, it's time to draw a line under gear acquisition for a bit!

On a separate note, I have no problem with Andertons sponsoring That Pedal Show, business is business and I believe that Dan and Mick are honest guys without an agenda. I had no problem with Lee being on the show recently (others on here seemed to) - it's clear they're all friends, Mick does videos for Andertons already, they're all from that same Guildford stable of musicians and businessmen. If as a consumer and player it gives me access to more information and potentially tie-in discounts then I'm all for it.

Sorry, that turned into a bit of an accidental rant.

hubobulous

@colourofsound - I'm with you. I have no issue with TPS and Andertons linking up, in whatever way they choose. If I could spend my time in front of a camera playing at volume, discussing gear and having a laugh with like minded people, I'd do it at the drop of a hat.

I guess if I came up with an idea, the camera/production skills and some unique insight I probably could do something, but I'm not sure I could find the time or take the risk dropping my current career since there are mouths to feed. So I'm happy to watch these vids - or indeed pass them by - depending on my mood and interests.

Good luck to them.

mattdavis

It's a really interesting phenomenon - I agree that Mick and Dan are v engaging to watch, good players with a wealth of knowledge to draw upon and I love their show.  I literally 'bought the t shirt' to help fund the channel as it is great. 
But the continual product placement does begin to grate a little. I need a break from the show once in a while. 
Dont begrduge them at all though - everyone's got to make a living. :-)

colourofsound

@mattdavis The impression I get isn't one of product placement, it's brand loyalty. Dan loves Strymon. He's totally unapologetic about it. He loves the KoT. He loves the Carpe Diem. Mick loves that strat and a Tubescreamer and Mesa Boogie heads.

The best thing about the show is that they love that stuff and they're honest. Case in point - there's an episode where they had the Prince of Tone on. And both of them were disappointed. Despite their loyalty to Analogman you could see they were disappointed with the PoT, and they didn't try to hide it.

I honestly think that if something rubbish crossed their path they'd say they didn't like it (in fact, the catchphrase 'it's a sound...' is pretty much their diplomatic way of saying they don't like it)

mattdavis

You're probably right - pardon my cynicism. i shall flagellate myself with a Gigrig g2 controlling  a timeline, carpe diem and a King of Tone going into a Hamstead Artist as punishment.
I'd also add that since discovering this forum, I've learnt far more about the range and breadth of different types of gear than from anywhere else - wealth of info herein. 

colourofsound

@mattdavis Haha and rightly so

As for Gigrig, well obviously he's trying to flog his own product. They do throw that in your face a bit.

bingefeller

What's the craic with the Carpe Diem?  What is it a clone of?

Catalyst77

I literally ordered mine from Brasil yesterday!

impmann

I'm sorry but they sound like stuck records when it comes to pedals. Too much chat, not enough fact, too much blowing smoke up each other's arses about how "epic" something sounds and too much product placement.

I'm not surprised about a tie in to Andertons. The Craptin seems to want to take over the world via YouTube - sadly guitarists seem to think that listening to demos on YT are a good way of telling whether something works for them or not. Like all forms of media, it is open to manipulation by those intent on changing opinion to suit their own ends. And I'm seeing lots of opinion on various forums that seem to be carbon copies of what has been spouted by various YT 'celebs'.

mattdavis

It is quite amusing watching the ebb and flow of WTB requests on classified sections reflecting last week's pedalshow  - followed by flurry of sales a month later.
That said I did find the Angry Charlie through that show - and it is properly brilliant. So I have not a leg to stand on. 

bingefeller

impmann said:

I'm sorry but they sound like stuck records when it comes to pedals. Too much chat, not enough fact, too much blowing smoke up each other's arses about how "epic" something sounds and too much product placement.

I'm not surprised about a tie in to Andertons. The Craptin seems to want to take over the world via YouTube - sadly guitarists seem to think that listening to demos on YT are a good way of telling whether something works for them or not. Like all forms of media, it is open to manipulation by those intent on changing opinion to suit their own ends. And I'm seeing lots of opinion on various forums that seem to be carbon copies of what has been spouted by various YT 'celebs'.

TGP especially is full of shills that will hype up certain pedals to increase sales and popularity. 

Adam_MD

bingefeller said:

What's the craic with the Carpe Diem?  What is it a clone of?

I've been unsuccessfully trying to find gut shots for a while now to see whether it's jfet based or not. 

damm73

If anyone's after a Carpe Diem and they can't wait for Anderton's stock to arrive then they might be interested to know that one has just been listed in the classifieds section...or so I believe

colourofsound

@Adam_MD I could take mine apart for a butchers inside....

colourofsound

The main issue is that the majority of these pedals aren't available for us to actually test - although I believe there is a company in Manchester that does do a try before you buy thing.

The reason these YT channels are doing well is because you can't try these things out; and TPS can get hold of stuff seemingly by magic.

@impmann - still not convinced it's product placement. And when you say 'not enough fact'; what constitutes fact? Its an opinion based show about subjective things. The only thing I'd consider facts are Dan's knowledge about electronics and how the pedals function.