Brian Wampler, the founder of Wampler Pedals, recently expressed his concerns over the rising prices of music equipment in an interview with MusicRadar.
Wampler reflected on the aftermarket prices of his own creations, such as the Fender-inspired Tweed ’57 and Black ’65 pedals, saying:
“I kind of came up with those out of selfish desires – and they did okay. I think they actually did better once we discontinued them. I saw for a while the Black ’65 was $400 or $500 on the used market, which is insane to me but… We rereleased a small batch of them.”
Second-Hand Market Woes
Brian then voiced his concerns over the inflated prices in the used pedal market, noting:
“I don’t want to say to kill the used market but to definitely drive the price down a little bit so those prices aren’t crazy. That is one thing I don’t like about the used market, like this Germanium Tumnus I’ve seen for $800 or $900. That’s insane! I would never buy that pedal for $800, $900, ever.”
The Collector’s Dilemma
The pedal market’s high prices, Wampler suggested in the later part of the chat, can put players in a tough spot: feeling forced to sell a pedal they can’t afford to keep. He acknowledged the psychological allure of owning rare and highly-valued gear by explaining:
“And I understand that it is the desire to have a thing that you can’t get, and so it’s higher priced, so it must be better. There’s a psychological aspect to it, but still, I am not the person to [buy them]. I am not Josh Scott! I don’t buy multiple Klons. He is further into the game as far as trying to buy elusive gear.”
Wampler Pedals is now a top pedal company in the US, featuring famous artists like Brad Paisley, Cory Wong, and Andy Wood. Andy Wood’s Gearbox, a high-quality overdrive pedal, combines two of Wampler’s best circuits, the Tumnus and Pinnacle, into one.
