As far as guitar players go, the stereotype of a careless consumer who spends their life savings on instruments and gear isn’t that far from the truth. This, however, could be changing as the amp and effects modeling is getting so good and convincing that you need nothing more than a single device to cover it all. Additionally, cheaper brands are getting more and more popular as guitar players are finally realizing that there’s often no difference between affordable pedals and the original stuff that they’re replicating.
In a newly shared YouTube video, JHS Pedals owner Josh Scott looked into Sweetwater‘s best-selling pedals of all time. And, as reported by Guitar World, it was a huge surprise to find out that the top of the list goes to Behringer and their SF300 Super Fuzz (see our full review here). To those who might not be familiar with Behringer’s products, they’re usually fairly cheap. And this one is only $29.
In the video, Scott explains that he allegedly “hacked” into Sweetwater’s system, whatever that is supposed to mean, and found out about their 1,000 best-selling pedals of all time. Bear in mind that Sweetwater is a major retailer, present on the market since 1979. So to have a best-selling product with such a major company is a big deal for Behringer.
The entire video is about 1.5 hours long. And Josh manages to go over 510 pedals only. And what’s interesting is that JHS owner also explains that he’s partly responsible for Behringer’s major success. After all, he did share a video some time ago showcasing what these pedals can do and how similar they are to their more expensive competitors.
As Scott explains:
“The irony of this is comical. I don’t want to disclose the number… It’s insane. It’s absolutely insane. It’s like, more than double the other stuff.”
The said pedal is a copy of Boss FZ-2. And that one is a copy of the legendary Univox Super Fuzz. The most shocking part is that the Behringer pedal does a pretty great job at replicating the original tone of the vintage Super Fuzz at an insanely lower price these days.
Other pedals on the list also include Boss RC-1, two versions of the TC Electronic Ditto, and ProCo Rat which lands at the 8th spot. Regarding the Rat, Josh said:
“This shocked me, but in hindsight, it shouldn’t have. You hear it on Coldplay ‘Parachutes’ [and] ‘A Rush of Blood to The Head,’ but you also hear it on Pink Floyd, you hear it on grunge records, on ‘Nevermind’ by Nirvana, you hear it on Weezer and Blur, R.E.M., John Scofield… it is a monstrously versatile distortion box.”
Here’s the full video.
Photo: richoz (Pedals Pedals Pedals, guitar shop in Dublin)
