Brand snobbery is undoubtedly a huge factor when it comes to gear purchase and ownership and I, for one, have fallen into that trap on many occasions. I agree with most of the posts vis-a-vis Fender/Squier, Gibson/Epi etc and that you do have to spend a bit more for a decent valve amp, though good ones (e.g. Blackstar) can be got for un-silly money. I'd also extend the discussion to "boutique" pedals, a market that's expanding so rapidly that the entire planet surface will soon be covered with them. All you seem to need to succeed is... a clever name (pref. something risque) a funky paint job a plain cardboard box with a basic sticker & hand-written serial number extortionate price tag a claim of "true bypass" An endorsement from a respected guitarist won't hurt either. A few years ago I went on a binge in Guitar Guitar and bought 4 Fulltone pedals - A Fat Boost, an OCD v4, a Deja Vibe and a Clyde Deluxe Wah, grand total? almost £800! 800 soapies for FOUR pedals that frankly, were no better than a good deal of the much cheaper competition? What was I thinking? Fulltone pedals are well built and do sound good, but are as noisy as fuck, which for me, negates the silly price tag. And on that subject have you ever noticed how folks who are selling a boutique pedal claim it to be the Greatest Pedal Ever Made ™ and that it's breaking their heart to sell it? Aye right! like £80-100 is going to solve all your financial troubles.