Overdriven Batty!

When I was younger I bought a seven string guitar and looked all over for a case. Ibanez at the time was not guaranteeing that an ordered case would fit the seven string’s neck, which is something I always thought was weird, but disregarded for the most part and just took care of the guitar as much as possible without a case. It turned out I went quite some time before the first ding (and it was a doozy!).

Anyway, I always wanted a case and found a picture on line a guitarist from Korn with his seven string in a coffin case. They work really well for guitars with both conventional shapes and slightly unconventional shapes (I bet the Gretsch Corvette would fit like a glove in one). They also hold up pretty well over time. Mine was bought when I was about fifteen or sixteen and is still around (9-10 years), though it’s braving the falling Indiana temperatures with my Les Paul right now. I bought it not only because it looked cool but because it was very reasonably priced.

And obviously there’s a bit of a market out there for something like this. I mean, Coffin Case has expanded their line from the original case available in a whopping choice of two interior colors, to flight cases, mic cases, purses, gig bags, etc. They sponsor events and for a while you couldn’t put a Guitar World disc in your computer without seeing some half naked Goth chick showing you a poorly-lit party (which I guess adds to the realism since anything well-lit is probably manufactured).

But part of me thinks maybe they took a bit too big of a bite with this one. $399.00 for a pedal is a LOT of money, a TON of money. I mean, even if you were looking at multi-effects pedals that’s still a good bit of money. You could buy amps for that much!

Also, it’s designed to be a collector’s item, which I’ve never understood in the guitar world. Boxes were meant to be stepped on, guitars were meant to be played.

If we can take a step to the side for just a little bit, even if you were to pay 20K for a Blackie clone, wouldn’t you want to PLAY it? I mean, I know the usual suspects who supposedly buy these guitars as investments only hang them up in glass cases, or store them away (maybe banks will make safety deposit boxes shaped like a Strat for this growing trend?) but come on. In your heart, you know you just bought your hero’s “guitar” and you want to play it. Maybe you want to pretend to be Clapton. Don’t worry about it. It’s natural. We all want to play dress-up sometimes.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming:

My question is that out of the obvious audience of consumers that Coffin Case has built up, who is going to be willing to part with 400.00 for a pedal that, yes, it’s stamped and assembled in the States, but isn’t made to be played but stared at on a shelf AND is just a copy of another pedal? An attractive looking pedal from Analog Man based on the same circuit is a whopping 235.00 (and that’s with the sun face powder-coating) and, no offense to Coffin Case, but it isn’t like Analog Man got THEIR start making plastic shells for guitars.

Yes, Analog Man’s pedal isn’t quite so… bat shaped. But is the shape and “collectability” worth and extra 165.00?

What I can’t get over is their seeming recommendation to not play this, but to stash it on a shelf where other folks can come over to your house and ogle it? Doesn’t that seem a bit much? Maybe like buying a couch and not sitting on it? The whole idea staggers my mind.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure someone who buys this will play it, if for no other reason than to know how it sounds. Can you imagine your friends coming over saying “hey man, cool bat! How does it sound?” and you looking down at your shoes saying “well, uh, see, hm I didn’t actually, er, play it?”

That would be a horrible situation to be in. It be much more preferable if your friend asked how your pedal sounded and you plugged it in and told them to go nuts and listen for themselves.