THE PEDAL CLUB

Paul Bannister of Sound Affects in Ormskirk explains how the firm’s new offshoot – The Pedal Club – is helping guitarists get hands on with more effects in the golden age of stompboxes

If you’ve ever spotted an effects pedal you really want but aren’t sure you really need (or can afford!) then you’re far from alone. Of course, there’s always the option of selling or trading in something to soften the impact on your pedal budget while you scour the market. But wouldn’t it be great if you were able to make such choices using your own gear in the comfort of your own space and in your own time, without any added pressures? Sound Affects’ Paul Bannister says its new service,The Pedal Club, is a simple solution to the evermore complex world of guitar effects pedals. “The idea is to be a one-stop shop for guitar effects,” Paul tells us. “If you want to buy new or used pedals, or sell pedals, we can take care of that. But we mainly focus on a subscription service, which currently provides access to a collection of well over 500 pedals – and growing! There are different levels of subscription, but the most popular one at the moment is the Single Pedal option at £30 per month.That means you get access to one pedal at any point in time, so you can have multiple pedals per month if needed.The Dual Pedal and Triple Pedal options mean you can have either two or three pedals [respectively] at any one time. There’s also a Single Pedal yearly membership deal for £299 per year.” In addition to its subscription service, The Pedal Club offers a convenient way to make the most of those pedals in your collection that have been gathering dust. “Not only do we sell new and used pedals – used, with a three-month warranty – but we can also buy pedals you no longer use,” explains Paul.“We’ll get right back to you with a price if you fill out our quick online form and send a few photos over.We’re always happy to look at part-exchanges, too. We can even arrange for pedal collections to be couriered if necessary.” Among The Pedal Club’s impressive inventory are some of the more expensive, cutting-edge units from the likes of Chase Bliss Audio, Gamechanger Audio and GFI System.These also happen to be some of the most popular hire pedals. “We try to adjust our inventory to meet the demand,” says Paul. “We think it’s important to keep the stock current, and as part of Sound Affects, we already have access to most brands.ThorpyFX just released the Pulse Doppler [a ‘MKII version’ of Dan Coggins’ Lovetone Doppleganger circuit design, reviewed in full on page 104] and that’s already in the inventory. We also try to look out for pedals that are difficult to find.We have some vintage Boss such as the SP-1 Spectrum and SG-1 Slow Gear, for example. “It’s good for people to be able to get hold of some of the quirkier pedals and have them for a while to mess around with, without feeling guilty about spending hundreds on something they might not use all the time,” he says.“It’s about having fun – playing guitar and discovering all these different sounds that are out there. It’s an interesting journey and it never ends.”