Relief for those with pedal issues

[plankeye]

In the first week we had RB, my son broke our pedal. EA sent a replacement, but we decided the very same thing was going to happen so I designed a replacement.

www.woodrockpedals.com (http://www.woodrockpedals.com)

This completely replaces the original or replacement pedal and is VERY strong.

Write if you have questions.

[Tarzanman]

Why are you selling $3 worth of wood for $10?

[weisguy119]

Why are you selling $3 worth of wood for $10?

Well, normally, when someone puts time and effort into building a useful product, they ask to make a little money for it. It's not a ridiculous price for the product. I might end up buying one myself someday (I don't have Rock Band just yet).

[Xanthous]

I'd be willing to bet it's against the Terms of Service you agreed to when registering to use EA/HMX's forums to sell your personal products.

[weisguy119]

I'd be willing to bet it's against the Terms of Service you agreed to when registering to use EA/HMX's forums to sell your personal products.

Well, they haven't shut him down yet. It's a useful product to replace their faulty product. If people spend money to get his product, they don't have to keep spending money to ship new, faulty pedals. Besides, do they really want to go all Activision on his @ss and be *****s about it?

[plankeye]

Regarding $3 worth of wood for $10...
I spent hours designing jigs (fixtures) to drill all necessary holes and to produce a quality product. I also spend time sanding the pedal, so it doesn't just look like a piece of raw wood. A lot of people don't have a shop and have appreciated this quick fix to their immediate need. Sorry if this offended you.
I do think EA will appreciate not having to send out replacements for those people who purchase an item like the one I have designed. Weisguy119...thanks for standing by me.

[RobTheBob]

Wow, exactly what I am looking for. I really want to reinforce my pedal but the metal plates that people are bolting on to their plastic pedal are worrying me. I think that when you take out all of the flex from the pedal all of the force and pressure from the spring is moved to the pivot part and there is a great risk that is will snap there. This is a much better solution I think! Plankeye, I already emailed you regarding ordering one!

A great idea and from the photos it looks to be really well executed. I have no problems paying 10 bucks for this product.

[sa_nick]

Does ur wood pedal come with a warrenty like EA's does? And if it does but u take ages to send it will it come with a free game?

[Kingfish]

Hey plankeye, great work on this! I may buy one just to have INCASE something goes wrong.

I honestly figured something like this would be closer to $15, and be worth it. Its awesome that you are keeping the price down. Your time and effort has got to be worth more than $7 per unit(cause we already know that material cost is $3...:))

Don't let those types of comments get you down...they lack a concept of the work that goes into designing something then building it. It's just beyond their comprehension.

Good job on this!

[Tarzanman]

Regarding $3 worth of wood for $10...
I spent hours designing jigs (fixtures) to drill all necessary holes and to produce a quality product. I also spend time sanding the pedal, so it doesn't just look like a piece of raw wood. A lot of people don't have a shop and have appreciated this quick fix to their immediate need. Sorry if this offended you.
I do think EA will appreciate not having to send out replacements for those people who purchase an item like the one I have designed. Weisguy119...thanks for standing by me.

You must think that all of use are idiots and have never taken a wood shop class. Hours desiging fixtures? Give me a eff'in break. It would take me all of 5 minutes to trace the shape out on wood... cut it on a band saw (or jigsaw), and then drill the holes with a hand-held drill (or drill press if you have it).

Smooth it with a sander (either hand-held or belt) and you're done. Your pedals should cost $5 shipped...not twice that.

[Ventura]

Could you elaborate more on the difference between the old style and the new style. Not quite sure what it means by "the pivot pin not being visible from underneath on the old style". Any chance of a clear picture of the pivot section for either new or old?

I have a couple bundles, but both of my pedals seem to have been setup the same way. They are most likely the old design, and since I'm in Australia (bought em off Ebay), I'm not gonna be able to have mine replaced under the warranty service.

Thought I'd ask since I'm starting to work my way through hard drums now, and I'm getting into the habit of hammering that pedal pretty good during many of the songs.

[Ventura]

Smooth it with a sander (either hand-held or belt) and you're done. Your pedals should cost $5 shipped...not twice that.

So? Set up a shop, if you're all that. What was that, you can't be bothered? Put a sock in it then.

[Kingfish]

So? Set up a shop, if you're all that. What was that, you can't be bothered? Put a sock in it then.

Well said! Just what I was thinking.

[Kingfish]

You must think that all of use are idiots and have never taken a wood shop class. Hours desiging fixtures? Give me a eff'in break. It would take me all of 5 minutes to trace the shape out on wood... cut it on a band saw (or jigsaw), and then drill the holes with a hand-held drill (or drill press if you have it).

Smooth it with a sander (either hand-held or belt) and you're done. Your pedals should cost $5 shipped...not twice that.

Ok...do it!

[Tarzanman]

So? Set up a shop, if you're all that. What was that, you can't be bothered? Put a sock in it then.

I don't mind if you disagree with me, but displaying your ignorance reveals how much of an ignorant troll you are.

I have already reinforced my pedal (http://community.rockband.com/vbforum/showthread.php?t=11668) and unlike the OP... I am not trying to hock amateur craftwork by overcharging for it over an internet forum.

If you had bothered to check my post history, you would have realized this.

I shall await your inevitably stupid and uninformed reply.

[Ventura]

I don't mind if you disagree with me, but displaying your ignorance reveals how much of an ignorant troll you are.

I didn't disagree with you, my point is that he's going out of his way to do something about it for other people, and all you're doing is a lot of whining.

A once-off job for yourself is easy if you have access to all the materials and tools needed, but setting up a site and then offering to send the same thing to other people is the bit that takes more effort. Not that you'd know about that.

[Tarzanman]

I didn't disagree with you, my point is that he's going out of his way to do something about it for other people, and all you're doing is a lot of whining.

A once-off job for yourself is easy if you have access to all the materials and tools needed, but setting up a site and then offering to send the same thing to other people is the bit that takes more effort. Not that you'd know about that.

Really.. you should probably justclose your mouth about things you don't know about. I sell music mixes (on a website) and also design websites (for myself and had a part time job doing the same).

So, yes... I do know about that, which is apparently tomes upon tomes more than an ignoramus like you (that doesn't have wherewithal/wisdom to defer from continuting an argument that he has already lost).

Do you have any additional brilliant (and completely innaccurate) comments or observations to share?

Let me know when you get you foot out of your mouth, you plebe.

[Ex7r3m3r]

I don't mind if you disagree with me, but displaying your ignorance reveals how much of an ignorant troll you are.

I have already reinforced my pedal (http://community.rockband.com/vbforum/showthread.php?t=11668) and unlike the OP... I am not trying to hock amateur craftwork by overcharging for it over an internet forum.

If you had bothered to check my post history, you would have realized this.

I shall await your inevitably stupid and uninformed reply.

Maybe you'll mind if I disagree with you and your pricing on your pedal. Seeing I do work in WOOD shop, and order all different types of wood for our business for interior homes. Let's begin shall we?

You are making a wooden pedal from Poplar, whether it be paing grade or stained poplar, it's one of the cheapest woods you can buy besides balsa wood. The wood you talk about is very flexible and CAN contain splinters(I know since i throw out a lot of poplar thats twisted and splintered up. Now seeing that your pedal can only be like one size and that size is roughly 10"L x 3-3/4"W x 1/2"H(or thickness) and you want to charge $10.99 PLUS $3 for shipping for one...ONE. Now let's see I can get a square ft piece of poplar(the cheapest wood you can buy that does flex and can splinter) that comes in a 8/4(2"inches) thick for maybe 5 bucks shipped to my door at my shop. And out of that piece of poplar I could easily get about 9-10 pedals from that, EASILY.

So lets do some math for fun now...

Sq. Ft. Poplar = 5 bucks shipped
Amt. Of Pedals from piece of poplar = 9-10
Pedals @ Your selling price = 10.99+3 = 13.99 shipped
Amt of Pedals x Sell Price
9-10 x 13.99 = 125.91 - 139.90

Trying to sell a small piece of wood at a ridiculously marked up price = NOT GONNA HAPPEN

Maybe some of the dumb people on this site will buy an a cheap ass piece of wood from you for an expensive price.
Not I.

But for the price your charging, you may either think about a new material such as METAL of some sort, since thats the price range your working with. That or change your wood type to something that is not flexible at all, maybe a hard maple would be better, maybe mahogany, or some african mahogany(crazy strong ass wood)

Why you trying to make a ton of money off of people with this 5 min 5 dollar job?
Trying to buy something for the wifey for christmas?

Well i guess the only thing i can do now is what you just said a post ago...

I shall await your inevitably stupid and uninformed reply.

[Ex7r3m3r]

Do you have any additional brilliant (and completely innaccurate) comments or observations to share?

I did, but mine are accurate unlike yours, check my post

[Ventura]

I sell music mixes

Good for you, but I don't believe we were talking about them.


and also design websites

Nor them.

Since you're so good at designing websites however, I look forward to the inevitable link where I can buy a pedal mod of the sort of quality he's selling, but at half price.

Still can't be bothered, I take it? Surprise, surprise. Of course, if that should change, feel free to let me know... or maybe I'll just spot the news browsing one of your many websites :D

[Redebo]

Why are you selling $3 worth of wood for $10?

Some people are just jerks. You are one of them.

[Tarzanman]

Maybe you'll mind if I disagree with you and your pricing on your pedal. Seeing I do work in WOOD shop, and order all different types of wood for our business for interior homes.

Good job assuming my subsequent posts were aimed at you even though I clearly quoted Ventura... but I'll be sporting and humor you anyway.


You are making a wooden pedal from Poplar, whether it be paing grade or stained poplar, it's one of the cheapest woods you can buy besides balsa wood.

I will forgive this mistake since you are jumping in halfway through the 'conversation'. *I* am not selling pedals, and I used *zinc* (as in 'metal') to personally reinforce my pedal. Because it was cheaper and faster to grind & file two metal strips from home depot than measure and cut and entire plate. I didn't use wood because the metal would be stronger with a smaller profile.


The wood you talk about ....you want to charge $10.99 ....
Again, you seem confused. I am not selling, or making replacement pedals. You should probably direct that statement at the OP


So lets do ...blah blah blah
I've snipped the rest of your mis-directed tirade.

My suggestion. Take a deep breath, go drink some lemonade, come back and SLOWLY read back through the thread and try not to be too surprised or embarrassed when you realize you spouted off at the wrong poster.


I shall await your inevitably stupid and uninformed reply.
You definitely didn't disappoint me. Good job.

[Tarzanman]

Good for you, but I don't believe we were talking about them.
Nor them.

Since you're so good at designing websites however, I look forward to the inevitable link where I can buy a pedal mod of the sort of quality he's selling, but at half price.

Still can't be bothered, I take it? Surprise, surprise. Of course, if that should change, feel free to let me know... or maybe I'll just spot the news browsing one of your many websites :D

You yourself brought up websites and metal shops and everything-else-you-could-think of to try to make your point. Its not surprising to see you back away from the topics after realizing that you don't' know wtf you are talking about.

I am not selling reinforcement pedals. I have no desire to, and never did I say that I would. I said that it could be done much more cheaply than the OP is charging (and that even a novice woodworker like myself could do it). If you want to buy his overpriced block of wood, then go ahead... but don't complain that nobody informed you that the asking price was way too high.

As for being bothered, or finding my website... suffice it to say that I have already spent enough time reinforcing one pedal (my own)... and while I might help friends fix theirs if asked... I definitely cannot be bothered to do the same for the public at large. In short, I have nothing to prove. Accuse me of 'all talk and no action' if you like, but that doesn't change the fact that everything I have put in my posts is accurate...unlike your misbegotten ravings.

My websites are out there. Go google for them. Just keep guessing keywords until you find them. I suggest that you stop posting until you find all of them. That should make us both happier people.

[Ventura]

I definitely cannot be bothered to do the same for the public at large.

Thanks for finally admitting it.

That's why he's charging a little extra. It may not be good value to those of you that know how to mod your own pedal, but for the rest of us, especially in light of all the pedals that are breaking, it's rather a neat little service he's willing to provide.

[AMartin56]

I'm not really the do it yourself type so I have to agree that the price being charged is NOT outrageous considering the fact that with my lack of experience working with wood I would probably ruin more than $15 of wood to end up with something like this. Well maybe not since wood IS cheat but throw in the cost of tools etc...

Now don't get me wrong...I have other talents so don't worry about me being able to put food on the table even though I don't work with wood or metal. ;)

One of the things that has been somewhat (and only VERY somewhat) frustrating about all of the pedal fixes posted is that 'I' don't own a bunch of saws or have access to a metalshop so they don't do me a whole lot of good. This product looks to provide a service to those in a similar situation...

[TreoRock_]

A YouTube video of how to install this pedal and how it works in the game would be nice!

[Ultrace]

I have already reinforced my pedal (http://community.rockband.com/vbforum/showthread.php?t=11668) and unlike the OP... I am not trying to hock amateur craftwork by overcharging for it over an internet forum.
Overpriced or not, I have to say, his pedal looks a lot more comfortable and (at least for the black one) natural to the kit than yours. Will the wooden one hold up better over time? Will there be issues with the stain being exposed to sweaty feet? Did it really take weeks? I don't know.

But personally, it seems like a reasonable price to someone like me who a) actually never did take a shop class and b) doesn't have any of the tools or desire to cut my own, to reinforce the most likely break point on the kit. Oh, and unlike at least one other person who advertised their products in the forum (without getting hit with the "stop advertising" stick seen in posts here), this guy owns up to who he really is and isn't using false testimonials. :)

The moment that EA/HMX releases a reinforced pedal or design that negates the flaw, this item will be unnecessary though. Until then, I say, sweet mod. :)

[Ultrace]

The wood you talk about is very flexible and CAN contain splinters(I know since i throw out a lot of poplar thats twisted and splintered up.
I'm not concerned about relative price of wood to finished product--the man has a monopoly, he can price it how he wants.

But the flexibility of poplar brings up a big question. Earlier on, someone said they thought it would be better to replace the plastic pedal with something flexible as opposed to inflexible. It doesn't look like Tarzanman has had any problems with the metal plating--anyone with a degree in physics or engineering or something like that want to chime in and point out why flexible or inflexible would be better in this situation? If a petal that can bend a little is going to be worse in the long run, good info to have for the short run. ;)

[plankeye]

TarzanMan...Not sure how you will make those in 5 minutes. It's not like you're describing it. There is a ot of measuring, purchasing the right size bits etc. for this endeavor -- along with the actual work.

Kingfish, Rob ...Thanks for the encouragement.
:-)

[plankeye]

Here is the way to determine if you need the OLD or NEW style pedal.
The NEW pedal is pictured.

Thanks guys...

[plankeye]

I just posted the photo of the new style. If you want me to send the photo to you directly, e-mail me at chris@woodrockpedals.com
Thanks!

[CENACHAINGANG54]

Regarding $3 worth of wood for $10...
I spent hours designing jigs (fixtures) to drill all necessary holes and to produce a quality product. I also spend time sanding the pedal, so it doesn't just look like a piece of raw wood. A lot of people don't have a shop and have appreciated this quick fix to their immediate need. Sorry if this offended you.
I do think EA will appreciate not having to send out replacements for those people who purchase an item like the one I have designed. Weisguy119...thanks for standing by me.

For one I have bought one and Plank has been nothing but nice. Another thing is when my first pedal snapped weeks ago and I called EA, the service warranty manager who helped me and I had a conversation. The conversation was about all of the mods of pedals. Everything from making a real bass pedal work all the way to enhancements like Plank has made. He told me and I quote " All of us here at EA has had a conversation about this. Although I cannot advise you to do this, we are happy that people are doing this as it saves us calls and returns if the consumer finds a fix on thier own." So you are wrong EA will not get made but happy because one less thing they have to ship out. So leave Plank alone! He is doing all of us a service! Coming from a man who has 4 broke pedals, you would be wise to buy one!!

[Keebler]

Maybe poplar wood is a weak wood - I don't know. But is it better than the plastic the pedal currently has?

[plankeye]

Hands down.

[Harsher]

Does ur wood pedal come with a warrenty like EA's does? And if it does but u take ages to send it will it come with a free game?

lmao. :p

funny man

[rasehead]

WEll hey THERE!
check it out, here is another cool option that you have, a simple attatchment that screws right onto existing broken, cracked, or even unbroken (so far) pedal.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Rock-Band-Bass-P...QQcmdZViewItem

http://community.rockband.com/vbforum/showthread.php?t=11012

it can also screw right onto your wood pedal to add texture and style if you decide to go that route!!

[a terrible drummer]

Regarding $3 worth of wood for $10...
I spent hours designing jigs (fixtures) to drill all necessary holes and to produce a quality product. I also spend time sanding the pedal, so it doesn't just look like a piece of raw wood. A lot of people don't have a shop and have appreciated this quick fix to their immediate need. Sorry if this offended you.
I do think EA will appreciate not having to send out replacements for those people who purchase an item like the one I have designed. Weisguy119...thanks for standing by me.

believe it

EA loses money when they have to send you free equipment cause the original is shoddy.

If they shut this guy down they're just gonna keep losing money over and over again.

If EA could, without getting bad PR, they'd just tell everyone to make their own

saves em money

[Kingfish]

I have already reinforced my pedal (http://community.rockband.com/vbforum/showthread.php?t=11668) and unlike the OP... I am not trying to hock amateur craftwork by overcharging for it over an internet forum.

What a piece of junk! Did you use a hacksaw to cut the braces off grandpa's walker to get the material? Don't try to take the high road when your work looks like crap and you're not in the buisness of selling the mod.

I half expected to see the thing wrapped in duct-tape...

[rayps23]

popular is a very soft wood. but stronger the the plastic pedal they give you. as for the bashing of this person is funny.They are just trying to help people that have no idea how to make the pedal stronger. i have made my pedal out of a nice Brazilian Red wood and and works great. The only thing i have with your pedal is there seems to be now grip to it or am i missing something. does your foot seem to slide off the pedal.

[Ultrace]

I'm no xylologist (wood studier) so I don't know about relative softness and the like... The pedal shown on the OP's page looks to be half an inch or more thick... Will that bend, and even if it does, is it actually likely to break? Trees sway with the wind all the time, right? It's an important question for those of us on the fence...

[Jixzer]

I don't think EA is going to have too many complaints about this. First, his pedal mod is not taking any money out of their pockets; you still have to buy the game from them. Second, and this was mentioned, it will save them money in the long run by not having to replace all the ones that broke.

Kudos to ya dude, I'll be ordering mine today.

[Markn951]

alright that huge arguement with the name calling and the dumbness was going waay too far. The guys just trying to help people out, and honestly it may be the ****tiest piece of uselessness out there but once I get Rock Band on Tuesday I'll buy one because hey, its better than plastic and the guy needs to make money!

[Hanover]

Mix music? Why, I could just do that myself for free. Why are you selling something almost anyone could do using free open source software on the web?

Designing web sites? Wow, why would someone pay you to do something they could do for free? Sounds like you're making money off of it too.


Really.. you should probably justclose your mouth about things you don't know about. I sell music mixes (on a website) and also design websites (for myself and had a part time job doing the same).

So, yes... I do know about that, which is apparently tomes upon tomes more than an ignoramus like you (that doesn't have wherewithal/wisdom to defer from continuting an argument that he has already lost).

Do you have any additional brilliant (and completely innaccurate) comments or observations to share?

Let me know when you get you foot out of your mouth, you plebe.

[Jealleo]

Why do you care if he charges $10 or $10,000? If people like it and are ok with the price they will buy it and conversely if they find it overpriced they will not purchase it.

I fail to see how that effects you nor why it should inspire you to post a comment on his pricing structure.

[CowboyGP]

You must think that all of use are idiots and have never taken a wood shop class. Hours desiging fixtures? Give me a eff'in break. It would take me all of 5 minutes to trace the shape out on wood... cut it on a band saw (or jigsaw), and then drill the holes with a hand-held drill (or drill press if you have it).

Smooth it with a sander (either hand-held or belt) and you're done. Your pedals should cost $5 shipped...not twice that.

Just a few thoughts on this rant, and your later ones as well.

As a professional woodworker for almost 20 years, I take a particular interest in your underinformed and unnecessarily insulting posts.

First of all, you have shown your cards in comparing a wood shop class to an actual wood shop. When someone with any amount of woodworking experience designs a piece/product which is going to be made in multiples, the process begins with the fabrication of jigs and patterns. This time invested at the beginning pays off big-time in increased productivity and quality control later (each subsequent piece is exactly the same as the one before it). Tracing by hand and then single-cutting will work when making one pedal for personal use, but the quality would begin to suffer quickly after just a few if you were making multiples. Drilling holes by hand, or even on a drill press without a jig pretty much guarantees that you will have pedals with holes that do not line up properly which would result in unhappy customers down the road.

As far as the price he's charging, this is why we have the Free Market System in America. Eventually, the market dictates the best price for a product. And any marketer worth his salt will charge as much as the market will bear. If there are people out there (as I'm sure there are) who aren't willing or able to fabricate these pedals themselves, many of them will likely be quite willing to pay $13 for something they would otherwise have to do without. In addition, competition is low at the moment. Another forum member has designed a really cool diamond plate pedal mod that is also for sale online. Luckily for both, the customers for each are likely to be quite different. As more people design mods, prices and quality will fluctuate and the consumers will decide what they are willing to pay. If his price is really as exhorbitent as you suggest, people simply won't buy it and he will either have to shut down or re-evaluate.

If the material costs $3 as has been posted previously on this thread and you believe he should sell the product (shipped) for $5 -- how does he cover the cost of production (blades, bits, sandpaper, etc) and charge for his time? And where does his profit come from? Frankly, the OP must put a smaller pricetag on his time than I do. I wouldn't sell these for $10 + shipping unless I was selling them by the Gross.

I think the OP should be applauded. He recognized a niche market and capitalized on it. This is the entrepeneurial spirit at its best. I have a shop full of tools in the basement, more than enough experience in the industry and hundreds of board feet of scrap lumber. All of which I could have utilized in a similar endevour. But I didn't. And neither did you. He did, and he deserves whatever recognition and money he gets for his initiative.

If you believe that you can put out a similar (or superior) product at a lower price-point, what is stopping you? Go for it! Nothing wrong with a little healthy competition. I just don't see how coming on the boards and busting him down for no good reason is accomplishing anything constructive. I suppose your answer to that will be included in your answer to the paragraph above, in blue.

[GHudston]

I didn't disagree with you, my point is that he's going out of his way to do something about it for profit.

There, I fixed your quote.

Make no mistake, this guy has had a fantastic idea and he is marketing and selling it with the intention of making money, just like everyone else with a product is doing. He's not doing it "for other people".

Don't get me wrong, though, I think this is a fantastic idea and I'm actually thinking about buying one for myself.


I think the OP should be applauded. He recognized a niche market and capitalized on it. This is the entrepeneurial spirit at its best. I have a shop full of tools in the basement, more than enough experience in the industry and hundreds of board feet of scrap lumber. All of which I could have utilized in a similar endevour. But I didn't. And neither did you. He did, and he deserves whatever recognition and money he gets for his initiative.

I agree entirely.

[FU5 AJ]

well said cowboy...

I'm in business for myself and it's been my experience that most people don't want to pay for anything, but expect to be paid well for doing nothing.

$10 +shipping...is very fair.





Just a few thoughts on this rant, and your later ones as well.

As a professional woodworker for almost 20 years, I take a particular interest in your underinformed and unnecessarily insulting posts.

First of all, you have shown your cards in comparing a wood shop class to an actual wood shop. When someone with any amount of woodworking experience designs a piece/product which is going to be made in multiples, the process begins with the fabrication of jigs and patterns. This time invested at the beginning pays off big-time in increased productivity and quality control later (each subsequent piece is exactly the same as the one before it). Tracing by hand and then single-cutting will work when making one pedal for personal use, but the quality would begin to suffer quickly after just a few if you were making multiples. Drilling holes by hand, or even on a drill press without a jig pretty much guarantees that you will have pedals with holes that do not line up properly which would result in unhappy customers down the road.

As far as the price he's charging, this is why we have the Free Market System in America. Eventually, the market dictates the best price for a product. And any marketer worth his salt will charge as much as the market will bear. If there are people out there (as I'm sure there are) who aren't willing or able to fabricate these pedals themselves, many of them will likely be quite willing to pay $13 for something they would otherwise have to do without. In addition, competition is low at the moment. Another forum member has designed a really cool diamond plate pedal mod that is also for sale online. Luckily for both, the customers for each are likely to be quite different. As more people design mods, prices and quality will fluctuate and the consumers will decide what they are willing to pay. If his price is really as exhorbitent as you suggest, people simply won't buy it and he will either have to shut down or re-evaluate.

If the material costs $3 as has been posted previously on this thread and you believe he should sell the product (shipped) for $5 -- how does he cover the cost of production (blades, bits, sandpaper, etc) and charge for his time? And where does his profit come from? Frankly, the OP must put a smaller pricetag on his time than I do. I wouldn't sell these for $10 + shipping unless I was selling them by the Gross.

I think the OP should be applauded. He recognized a niche market and capitalized on it. This is the entrepeneurial spirit at its best. I have a shop full of tools in the basement, more than enough experience in the industry and hundreds of board feet of scrap lumber. All of which I could have utilized in a similar endevour. But I didn't. And neither did you. He did, and he deserves whatever recognition and money he gets for his initiative.

If you believe that you can put out a similar (or superior) product at a lower price-point, what is stopping you? Go for it! Nothing wrong with a little healthy competition. I just don't see how coming on the boards and busting him down for no good reason is accomplishing anything constructive. I suppose your answer to that will be included in your answer to the paragraph above, in blue.

[=][=Scorn]

Just a few thoughts on this rant, and your later ones as well.



If you believe that you can put out a similar (or superior) product at a lower price-point, what is stopping you? Go for it! Nothing wrong with a little healthy competition. I just don't see how coming on the boards and busting him down for no good reason is accomplishing anything constructive. I suppose your answer to that will be included in your answer to the paragraph above, in blue.

Agree totally with this statement. Some people like to nothing better than to criticize others and cause controversy. Which just clogs the forums and pisses people off. There is a saying " if you see an error, make a mental note, feel superior and then move on"

[Jixzer]

Not only do I applaud the guy, I just ordered one. I almost bought the diamond plate, but after reading that pedals are breaking at the joint, I thought this was a better investment. Also, since it's made of wood, I'm hoping it will be a bit quieter than the hollow plastic. I'll let you guys know how it works when I get it.

[Ventura]

Make no mistake, this guy has had a fantastic idea and he is marketing and selling it with the intention of making money, just like everyone else with a product is doing. He's not doing it "for other people".

That was the point. He IS doing it for other people. That's the bit where that other fella couldn't be bothered, which is what I was trying to say.

Given the number of people who will likely actually end up buying one, I doubt it's gonna exactly prove to be all that profitable, really.

[CowboyGP]

well said cowboy...

I'm in business for myself and it's been my experience that most people don't want to pay for anything, but expect to be paid well for doing nothing.

Agreed. I had a couple who wanted a bunch of custom built-ins for their basement pool room. Wet bar, cue holder w/custom matching ball rack, bookcase, benches, etc. The wife cleaned the house of a family I had just done about 12K worth of built-ins for and really liked my work.

I spent over 16 hours designing and doing scale drawings, material lists and pricing the job.

When I presented them with a proposal, they acted like I was asking for the Moon. Her first comment after seeing the price was:

"I was at Ikea the other day, and they had bookcases for ..."

Nuff said. Ikea knock-down composite crap vs. custom handcrafted hardwoods. Not even in the same time zone.

Champagne taste, beer budget. And crappy beer, in their case. And I was out 16 hours of my time.

This is why business models like MacDonalds and WalMart are so successful in this country. Mass-produced crap is cheaper than quality workmanship and most people mistake cost for value.

Sorry... semi off-topic but needed to be said.

[raygunn]

That's the great thing about America. If you want to make and sell yours for $5, then go ahead. I have done a fair bit of woodworking and respect the amount of time it takes to make a quality product. I think $10 is fair from the looks of the pictures.

[CENACHAINGANG54]

CowBoy well said!! I would like to say that I think I am one of the first people to buy one of these pedals. I have said it in a previous post and will say it again, PlankEye is and has been very nice to me during this process. I have to disagree with the other person that says he is doing it all for profit. In the email I first received after I wrote to him about the pedal, one of the first thing he said was he was not in it to make a bunch of money. To prove that in the very very first post that PlankEye posted, he stated that his son broke his pedal in the first week and he made him one out of wood. He then asked all of us what a price point should be if he were to sell it. So all of you whining complaining fools had your chance to suggest a price! Alot of people are crying about the $13. Well let me tell you I am no wood worker! I have no interest in wood work! I am a professional musician (drummer to be exact) and I work for an airline. So when you cannot do something you have to pay someone who can! Plus we all spent atleast 169.00 with taxes in California that comes to $180.00, and I am sitting on 4 broken pedals!!!! So if I have paid $180.00 for EA's piece of crap, $13 is nothing to me for something of good quality! The only reason PlankEye is getting flamed is because those of you doing it is jealous you did not come up with this! So from the presentation that PlankEye made in the beginning. From the amount of time and effort he has put into it, I have faith in this product! So much faith that my sig line even advertises for him!!! I feel I have gained a friend and I will continue to support this pedal. PLANKEYE NEVER MIND THESE NO TALENT LOSERS WHO FLAME YOU!! KEEP ON DOING WHAT YOU DO!!!



Just a few thoughts on this rant, and your later ones as well.

As a professional woodworker for almost 20 years, I take a particular interest in your underinformed and unnecessarily insulting posts.

First of all, you have shown your cards in comparing a wood shop class to an actual wood shop. When someone with any amount of woodworking experience designs a piece/product which is going to be made in multiples, the process begins with the fabrication of jigs and patterns. This time invested at the beginning pays off big-time in increased productivity and quality control later (each subsequent piece is exactly the same as the one before it). Tracing by hand and then single-cutting will work when making one pedal for personal use, but the quality would begin to suffer quickly after just a few if you were making multiples. Drilling holes by hand, or even on a drill press without a jig pretty much guarantees that you will have pedals with holes that do not line up properly which would result in unhappy customers down the road.

As far as the price he's charging, this is why we have the Free Market System in America. Eventually, the market dictates the best price for a product. And any marketer worth his salt will charge as much as the market will bear. If there are people out there (as I'm sure there are) who aren't willing or able to fabricate these pedals themselves, many of them will likely be quite willing to pay $13 for something they would otherwise have to do without. In addition, competition is low at the moment. Another forum member has designed a really cool diamond plate pedal mod that is also for sale online. Luckily for both, the customers for each are likely to be quite different. As more people design mods, prices and quality will fluctuate and the consumers will decide what they are willing to pay. If his price is really as exhorbitent as you suggest, people simply won't buy it and he will either have to shut down or re-evaluate.

If the material costs $3 as has been posted previously on this thread and you believe he should sell the product (shipped) for $5 -- how does he cover the cost of production (blades, bits, sandpaper, etc) and charge for his time? And where does his profit come from? Frankly, the OP must put a smaller pricetag on his time than I do. I wouldn't sell these for $10 + shipping unless I was selling them by the Gross.

I think the OP should be applauded. He recognized a niche market and capitalized on it. This is the entrepeneurial spirit at its best. I have a shop full of tools in the basement, more than enough experience in the industry and hundreds of board feet of scrap lumber. All of which I could have utilized in a similar endevour. But I didn't. And neither did you. He did, and he deserves whatever recognition and money he gets for his initiative.

If you believe that you can put out a similar (or superior) product at a lower price-point, what is stopping you? Go for it! Nothing wrong with a little healthy competition. I just don't see how coming on the boards and busting him down for no good reason is accomplishing anything constructive. I suppose your answer to that will be included in your answer to the paragraph above, in blue.