Does the uncertainty of tariffs provide an opportunity for builders who’ve been collecting vintage, rare, and favorite electronics to turn them into cool, premium pedals?
I’ve been thinking recently about the state of electronic components as it pertains to imports and tariffs. Now, before you get turned off, this will be from a manufacturing perspective and not a political one. This is actually in line with my very first article about supply-chain issues, from the March 2022 issue.
I feel pretty confident saying that most of us pedal manufacturers are collectors and enjoyers of components—especially vintage and rare ones. Quite possibly to the extent that it encroaches on pack-rat behavior. I’m no Analog Man, but I have personally accrued components for a variety of reasons: discontinued models, overstock, vintage coolness, and even wishful thinking. These components typically sit dormant, patiently waiting for their chance to be called up to the big show, all the while looking on from the sidelines as standard production components rule the roost.
So, how do these components play a role in the conversation as it pertains to tariffs? Well, as we monitor the rollercoaster that is import tariffs on foreign goods, it makes me think about looking internally. Now, that’s not me subtly implying a “make the stuff in America” ideology. It’s more about taking stock of the component collections already here and creating what we can with what we have. It’s the practice of creating when working within limitations—the antithesis of option paralysis. When you’re given limitations, it often breeds creativity in a healthy and productive way.
Up until a few years ago, I had been collecting a bin of special parts. This bin ranges from cool transistors to germanium diodes to bags of my personal favorites, tropical-fish capacitors. These are caps that I scrub through internet marketplaces to procure. They aren’t prominent in any current products, but for me they fall into that aforementioned “wishful thinking” or “one of these days” categories. It’s the equivalent of a hutch or cabinetry to accommodate a fine china collection—those plates you never use because your mom was saving them for special occasions, and now they’re yours.
As much as I appreciate the idea of a special occasion, that concept can lead to an idea or project being placed on the back burner indefinitely—shades of the saying “perfect is the enemy of done.” There may never be an occasion that is deemed special enough. Let’s also remember that we are the givers of value and one person’s mundane is another’s special occasion.
“When you’re given limitations, it often breeds creativity in a healthy and productive way.”
You’ve probably heard enough philosophical cork-sniffery from me for one article, so let’s get back to pedals and components! Now the joy for these components is not just the province of builders; it’s also often important to players. To reference Analog Man again, when looking at ordering options for a Sun Face fuzz from their website, I was presented with 18 transistor options. This helps corroborate the idea that players get on the same nerd level as builders. Both share a joy for these little electronic components. Choosing your pedal-to-be’s transistors is the same thing as your friend that’s a car nut ordering custom parts from a small body shop.
Creativity is something I would categorize as an unstoppable force. Much like how Dr. Ian Malcolm said “life finds a way” in Jurassic Park, I say creativity demands an outlet. Suppression is futile. So let’s bring it back to those fancy dinner plates in the hutch. They’re screaming to be used and not just left on a trajectory of an unfulfilled future.
The thought of this unfulfilled future is something that sticks in my head. It makes me take that image of plates and replace it with that bin of components. That, compounded with import difficulties, leads me to more aggressively entertain the idea of moving forward with that bin of parts and bring something fun to life. Perhaps these tariffs are the catalyst us pack rats need; perhaps we’re ready to take that fine china out of the hutch.
