D*A*M vs Pete Cornish

[Eivind August]

Isn't there a slight difference between an expensive A/B-switch and an expensive synth monster of infinite madness and mystery? The builders that gets a lot of cred round here, are generally not that expensive IMO. And when they are, they're usually not selling clones or whatever.

[The_Active_Conundrum]

But isn't an axe fX a better deal? It would render all my amps, pedals and cabs obsolete. Any amp pedal or cab I want at any time.....and I or anyone else can have it for the price of a single tube amp. Isn't this objectively "better"?

I'm really just playing devil's advocate here.

I'm going to defend my position a little.

AxeFX/elevenrack/Fractal-etc.

It isnt any amp, pedal, or cab you want. and It Never Will Be. It may trick the ears, it may sound damned good. But digital emulation will never be "the real thing" even if it can sound better than "the real thing" which is why I bought a Road King about a decade ago.

rfurtkamp talks of the "turing test". Its getting there on a wider scale. I think I'll see modeling be widely preferred over tubes in my lifetime. But that doesn't change the reality. Nothing but a Cranked Marshall is a Cranked Marshall. And thus- the snobbery.

Cornish gear is largely the Snobbery and Elitism. I won't say he makes crap. I don't know. If I pay $3k for a modded dd-2, it better cook, clean, do laundry for me and keep me from being so damn lonely. It may do all of that. I'll never know because I'd rather be busy with $3k of EQD...which is arguably as reliable, and has far more range.

No hate. I'm genuinely happy for him that he can continue making things in his tradition instead of being a broke homeless has been. But, Like Gibson...A lot of it is just because of the Name.

[backwardsvoyager]

I don't have an axe fX for the same reason most people here don't. Like I said, just playing devil's advocate.

One thing I don't get though is why a community that (for the most part) celebrates the builders of, and is willing to drop major coin on, custom amps, aluminum guitars, synth stuff that costs more than my truck and weird, glitchy tabletop noisemakers would begrudge guys like Cornish, Roger Mayer etc, for charging premium prices for their wares.

because Cornish stuff is proportionally far far more expensive for equipment that's far less interesting than the aforementioned gear? there's no value in it for most of us whatsoever, it'd be a complete waste of money.
i'm speaking subjectively in regard to 'interesting', the bulk of this community is not nearly as interested in the sonic trademarks of a transparent buffer circuit as in those of a noisemaker.

[univalve]

I don't have an axe fX for the same reason most people here don't. Like I said, just playing devil's advocate.

One thing I don't get though is why a community that (for the most part) celebrates the builders of, and is willing to drop major coin on, custom amps, aluminum guitars, synth stuff that costs more than my truck and weird, glitchy tabletop noisemakers would begrudge guys like Cornish, Roger Mayer etc, for charging premium prices for their wares.

You are not rite with your asumption.

[backwardsvoyager]

AxeFX/elevenrack/Fractal-etc.

It isnt any amp, pedal, or cab you want. and It Never Will Be. It may trick the ears, it may sound damned good. But digital emulation will never be "the real thing" even if it can sound better than "the real thing" which is why I bought a Road King about a decade ago.

rfurtkamp talks of the "turing test". Its getting there on a wider scale. I think I'll see modeling be widely preferred over tubes in my lifetime. But that doesn't change the reality. Nothing but a Cranked Marshall is a Cranked Marshall. And thus- the snobbery.

IMO digital emulation won't ever well and truly take over, the time when a completely digital guitar rig takes over should be when the innovation in that industry swaps from pandering to expectations of faithfully recreating 50+ year old circuits, to actually embracing the infinite possibilities of modern processing power and the kind of sounds it can actualize. People still have a very firm idea of what a guitar 'should' sound like even when drenched in wacky effect pedals.

[sylnau]

I have a handful of Cornish pedals. They withstood the rigors of a South American tour as they were designed to do. These were off the shelf, readily available models and sound and operate like professional grade equipment should. I was turned on to them several years ago by checking out old Iron Maiden and Tony Iommi rigs. I don't give two-squirts about Pink Floyd. Yes, they are expensive and I wouldn't pay what they go for now. Gilmour fanbois caused Cornish to jack the price. I would have too. At the time, I think I paid no more than the equivalent of what a well made, small maker pedal goes for these days.

I use mainly Boss pedals, as I always have. I have maybe 3-4 other small-shop effects. (Buying a Dwarfcraft pedal led me to this site) The rest are Maxon/Ibanez, EHX, etc.

I think the DAM stuff is expensive and isn't even on my radar because of it.......but here's some perspective:

I see a lot of EGC guitars, Schumman PLL-type stuff, stained hardwood cabs, Dunwich, Electric and Verellen amps, Model T's, uninhabitable rooms stuffed floor to ceiling with amps and cabinets, unobtainium pedals/outboard stuff posted on this site. "Disposable income", "expensive" etc are all relative, personal and subjective terms.

It's not a matter of price... it's a matter of creativity.
Why getting a 1000$ DS-1 from Cornish when you can get some creative stuff from other builders?

[The_Active_Conundrum]

I don't have an axe fX for the same reason most people here don't. Like I said, just playing devil's advocate.

One thing I don't get though is why a community that (for the most part) celebrates the builders of, and is willing to drop major coin on, custom amps, aluminum guitars, synth stuff that costs more than my truck and weird, glitchy tabletop noisemakers would begrudge guys like Cornish, Roger Mayer etc, for charging premium prices for their wares.

because Cornish stuff is proportionally far far more expensive for equipment that's far less interesting than the aforementioned gear? there's no value in it for most of us whatsoever, it'd be a complete waste of money.
i'm speaking subjectively in regard to 'interesting', the bulk of this community is not nearly as interested in the sonic trademarks of a transparent buffer circuit as in those of a noisemaker.

I mean, Cornish a standup guy and stuff, sure. He has that article called "Hold the Fuck Up with Y'all True Bypass"

[univalve]

I have a handful of Cornish pedals. They withstood the rigors of a South American tour as they were designed to do. These were off the shelf, readily available models and sound and operate like professional grade equipment should. I was turned on to them several years ago by checking out old Iron Maiden and Tony Iommi rigs. I don't give two-squirts about Pink Floyd. Yes, they are expensive and I wouldn't pay what they go for now. Gilmour fanbois caused Cornish to jack the price. I would have too. At the time, I think I paid no more than the equivalent of what a well made, small maker pedal goes for these days.

I use mainly Boss pedals, as I always have. I have maybe 3-4 other small-shop effects. (Buying a Dwarfcraft pedal led me to this site) The rest are Maxon/Ibanez, EHX, etc.

I think the DAM stuff is expensive and isn't even on my radar because of it.......but here's some perspective:

I see a lot of EGC guitars, Schumman PLL-type stuff, stained hardwood cabs, Dunwich, Electric and Verellen amps, Model T's, uninhabitable rooms stuffed floor to ceiling with amps and cabinets, unobtainium pedals/outboard stuff posted on this site. "Disposable income", "expensive" etc are all relative, personal and subjective terms.

It's not a matter of price... it's a matter of creativity.
Why getting a 1000$ DS-1 from Cornish when you can get some creative stuff from other builders?

To sound like neil young?!

[Cisco]

But isn't an axe fX a better deal? It would render all my amps, pedals and cabs obsolete. Any amp pedal or cab I want at any time.....and I or anyone else can have it for the price of a single tube amp. Isn't this objectively "better"?

I'm really just playing devil's advocate here.

I'm going to defend my position a little.

AxeFX/elevenrack/Fractal-etc.

It isnt any amp, pedal, or cab you want. and It Never Will Be. It may trick the ears, it may sound damned good. But digital emulation will never be "the real thing" even if it can sound better than "the real thing" which is why I bought a Road King about a decade ago.

rfurtkamp talks of the "turing test". Its getting there on a wider scale. I think I'll see modeling be widely preferred over tubes in my lifetime. But that doesn't change the reality. Nothing but a Cranked Marshall is a Cranked Marshall. And thus- the snobbery.

Cornish gear is largely the Snobbery and Elitism. I won't say he makes crap. I don't know. If I pay $3k for a modded dd-2, it better cook, clean, do laundry for me and keep me from being so damn lonely. It may do all of that. I'll never know because I'd rather be busy with $3k of EQD...which is arguably as reliable, and has far more range.

No hate. I'm genuinely happy for him that he can continue making things in his tradition instead of being a broke homeless has been. But, Like Gibson...A lot of it is just because of the Name.

I certainly don't disagree with any of this. And please don't feel like you have to defend your position. This is just banter 'round the virtual campfire. I prefer Boss pedals myself. I do have, through serendipity, a few Cornish pedals though. I don't think I could live without the treble booster.

[Cisco]

You are not rite with your asumption.

I wasn't trying to speak in absolutes. I apologize if I came off that way.

[Eivind August]

Sure, my Floyd fanboi-ism makes me want to try some Cornish stuff, I'm sure they're neat (except Gilmour didn't use them until after the truly great records). Good for him that he can earn so much. But as others have stated, for that price, you could get a lot of other dream pedals, and still have the money to pay rent...

[The_Active_Conundrum]

But isn't an axe fX a better deal? It would render all my amps, pedals and cabs obsolete. Any amp pedal or cab I want at any time.....and I or anyone else can have it for the price of a single tube amp. Isn't this objectively "better"?

I'm really just playing devil's advocate here.

I'm going to defend my position a little.

blah blah blah tl;dr

I certainly don't disagree with any of this. And please don't feel like you have to defend your position. This is just banter 'round the virtual campfire. I prefer Boss pedals myself. I do have, through serendipity, a few Cornish pedals though. I don't think I could live without the treble booster.

Yes, and what banter it is! If I had to pick a widely availible Major manufacturor to puchase from, it'd be Boss. I don't have any now, but they are, if nothing else, consistant and feel good under foot. I've known people to bash Boss and call them toys. Its all about dialing junk in, yo! I don't often "defend" my opinions on the internet anymore as it is a fruitless endeavor, so when I do, it is more about clarifying. Pete okay. Much Respect. But at the end of the day, cost and branding/reputation aside, who wants what he's selling? The product is stand up and can stand on its own, but so can a plethora of other gear.

[Cisco]

I'd be instantly suspicious of anyone that referred to Boss pedals as "toys".

[The_Active_Conundrum]

I'd be instantly suspicious of anyone that referred to Boss pedals as "toys".

Yeah he was trying to get someone interested in an SD-1 to look at the MXR stuff.

If a person walks into a store and knows they're buying an SD-1 and are aware of their options, then ...well... what they want is an SD-1!

Boss is solid. They set the standard of sound vs build vs look vs longevity vs availibility. Maybe the "standard" isn't the best...but its the standard. Like the SM57/58.

[Chankgeez]

To sound like neil young?!

That's so racist, not all Canadians sound like Neil Young!