# Anyone bought pedals from SAE Effects or SAE Circuits?



## isoneedacoffee (Oct 31, 2014)

Has anyone had experience with this Canadian pedal builder before? He (Steve) is listed on Reverb and Ebay and his prices are extremely attractive. His reviews are overwhelmingly positive, but I take those on Reverb and Ebay with a grain of salt, as sometimes other factors are involved that have more to do with customer service (communication, packaging, shipping time, etc.) than the quality of the product itself.

I listened to two sound clips of his Tonebender MKii clone, as well as one of the clone of the Skreddy Lunar Module Deluxe. I thought the demos were lacking, so they may not give a good indication of the quality of his pedals. So, if I were to purchase one of his pedals it would be with my fingers crossed, knowing that I may have a hard time moving that pedal in the used marked afterwards if it doesn't work out.

So any experience with this pedal builder?


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## SAE Effects (Jul 6, 2015)

Hello. Just saw this post and thought I should respond. I'm Steve from SAE Effects. Sorry my demos are a little lacking but I'm working on it. Mainly just offering a tone sample. As far as my pedals go I stand behind all my work. If you did have an issue with a pedal I built I would fix it or offer full refund. Your choice. I'm not happy until you are. Feel free to message me anytime. I also do some custom requests. Thanks for your interest. 
Steve


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Steve, have you considered renting quality A/V equipment and hiring a player to get some "proper" footage/audio of what your work is capable of? I don't look up too many products online, but all the good ones have HD video and quality audio to go with it.


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## SAE Effects (Jul 6, 2015)

Actually you're onto something. Recently got a camera but need a stand. Wife won't hold it.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

SAE Effects said:


> Actually you're onto something. Recently got a camera but need a stand. Wife won't hold it.


I find that haggerty's music and pro guitar shop seem to have some of the best demos out there in that they cover things that we the user actually care about, with some decent depth. If it's a 3-knob pedal then yes, 5-7 minutes (including 30 seconds advertising your stuff) is probably quite enough. But for more in depth items, longer can be better - I recently watched a 14-minute video about a delay pedal I'm interested in. If he wasn't covering what I wanted to know, I would have moved on sooner. 

And also, the voice people hear matters - I don't think there's any harm in getting a voice-over person (friend, temp, whoever) who seems to have a good voice with enunciation and a pleasing tone.

IMO, if you want to hang with the big dogs (regardless of what you're endeavour is) you have to match their game, then beat it or offer something they don't.

I'm gonna check out your stuff now


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## SAE Effects (Jul 6, 2015)

Thanks Budda. Appreciate the advice. Definitely not there yet but gives me something to think about and aim for.


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## Guest (Jul 7, 2015)

How much would it cost to get a guy like Pete Thorn or GearManDude to demo a pedal?


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## SAE Effects (Jul 6, 2015)

Gearmandude is something I've thought about but for now I'm keeping it simple and in house. Just Nick is a guy I've thought about asking also. I like his demos.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Hey Steve, welcome to the forum!

I would consider JustNick long before GMD, much more in depth demos.
I avoid GMD demos, it's been years since I checked one out.


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## isoneedacoffee (Oct 31, 2014)

Thanks for replying to the thread. To add to Budda's excellent advice I would just say that a guitarist who is considering buying a pedal is likely weighing cost with the often subtle benefit of the pedal. 

There are a million ods, fuzzes, etc. So what I am looking for is something that stands out. I think your descriptions could be more specific (what are the functions of each knob if not on the decal, components, etc). 

If you produce a clone, maybe record a head-to-head against the original. 

And ultimately the demos sound quality is key. Otherwise the subtlety gets lost.

Good luck!


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## SAE Effects (Jul 6, 2015)

Thanks for all the advice guys. I'm really glad I joined this forum.


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## Guest (Jul 8, 2015)

Ii like GmDude, the only thing I don't like is the way he sets the knobs the same when he compares pedals. He should use his ears to get them set the same, not his eyes. But if he demo'd a single pedal, it would be fine. 

If I was SAE I would contact all the demo guys... Rob Chapman, etc. I would also contact PGS and Prymaxe style businesses as well. Get the demos, get the buzz, get the distribution...


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## SAE Effects (Jul 6, 2015)

I agree with Player99 except that I'm not in that position quite yet. 

I started building pedals for myself. Thanks it grew to building for friends and a couple local bands. Right now I still build primarily for the love of it. If I make something and it goes on my pedal board awhile, I make a couple more and put them up for sale. Some go quick. Others sit. No big deal. 
I'm afraid if I got too much buzz out due to a pgs review, I wouldn't be able to fulfill the order or quality control would go down do to my current time limitations. 
All good ideas but at the moment I have to keep my day job and not quite feasible yet. But that is the goal.


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## Guest (Jul 9, 2015)

Can you not buy a pedal making robot or just 3D print them?


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Not even that - just dont take orders until your current que is done. I get your concern though.


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## SAE Effects (Jul 6, 2015)

I make everything by hand. Hand wired. No robots. I like it this way.


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